Harbeth 40 speakers

Hello,

I don't know that I have ever posted here at audiogon, but I post occasionally on Audio Asylum. I Recently Purchased a Pair of Vandersteen 5A's, but Harbeth monitor 40's were my second choice and I researched them as thoroughly as I could.

I would strongly recommend reading the harbeth users group at smartgroups.com. Alan Shaw, Robert Greene and other knowledgeable people post there pretty regularly.

The harbeth monitor 40's are not as "dramatic" as many other top speakers, they don't have amazing imaging, there is no extra energy in the upper midrange to make them sound "alive", and they need some room. They have a full mid-bass (many speakers have a little trough around 200-300 hertz) which makes them sound warmer than most speakers. They have a wonderful midrange and an excellent transition between the midrange and the tweeter. It's as good as a conventional speaker gets. Also, they do not have the traditional BBC "dip" - Alan Shaw verified this on these users group a couple weeks ago. Alan Shaw also said something a while ago on the users group which I think sums up his design philosophy best: real sound is distant and clear (paraphrased by me). In other words, if you go hear a live orchestra and close your eyes the sound will be distant and clear. That's the way the monitor 40's sound. Bob Neill described monitor 40's as "patrician" and I would agree. The 30's, while also very good speakers, are more forward with a more "audiophile" sound.

The monitor 40's work best with powerful solid-state implication. You don't need to spend big bucks on an amplifier either, something like a Marsh for $2,000 or a used Pass Labs x250 will make them sing. They were not designed for tubes and they are not especially efficient.

I think they are great speakers and only marginally preferred the Vandersteen 5a's. Certainly the Vandersteen's are not 2x as good.

Hi Paul, welcome to A-gon and for a great reply; I hope you can contribute more.

Harbeth has a great reputation in the UK and a growing one in the US. One reason they don't sell quickly in the US is that, although many of us have heard of them, fewer of us have actually heard them. In "shootouts" with other similarly constructed and priced speakers (e.g., Spendor), it is true (as mentioned above) that the Harbeths more than hold their own. I'd love to audition a pair of these myself.

Paullb- how big a room are your M40s in, and what
type of stands you're using?

Thanks for the smartgroups.com info.

I did not purchase the harbeth monitor 40's, so I don't have them in my room, but I wouldn't want them any closer than 4 ft. from the side walls. There is also an issue with the floor and the 12 in. woofer. I believe the tweeter should be at ear height, but I am not positive. I know there are a number of threads about this on the harbeth forum. Lots of people recommend sound anchor stands.

Another interesting thing to note, space wise, is that the Harbeths work very well in the near field, so you don't need much space between you and the speakers if you don't mind near field listening. You can point the speakers directly at you with no problems.

It's great to see harbeth getting some attention. By the way, Sam Telling reviews the HL5's in December's Stereophile. A good review I am told.