Spendor s3/5 SE, Harbeth HLP 3

harbeth hlp 3 by a nose over the spendor, with sufficent power...the decapo is nice with a smaller amp but once again its the harbeth for the real deal.

agree with Jrd on this....the Harbeths by a nose....maybe Pinnochios nose though! But seriously, you simply cannot go wrong with either. They are both wonderful and simply amazing for their size. I'm not familier enough with the
deCapo to comment on them although they have gotten nothing but praise as far as I have heard.

The Harbeths over the spendors. the decapos do not sound natural or as good as the spendors. Harbeth and Spendor are both magical speakers that really get the voice right.

I owned both Spendor 3/5s and de Capos. I also owned Spendor 2/3s over a long period of time. I haven't heard the current HLP 3s, but did audition the older version 6 or 7 years ago. I have also heard other Harbeths in a home environment a few times. I strongly disagree w/ the above assessments. I would chose the Decapo over either of these in an instant. The Decapos are much close to full range, far more dynamic and extended, but still musical. Particularly w/ jazz or classical, these speakers can be eerily realistic in the right setup. The Spendors may sound more "magical" w/ voices, but you would be giving significant fullness of sound and resolution. Of course, the real comparision to the de Capos would be the 1/2s or Compact 7s/5s. I heard the 1/2/De Capo comparision a number of times with various amps & sources in a dealer's shop, and it is a very close call. I probably would have taken the 1/2s at the same price, mainly because my prior experience w/ Spendors, but got a good deal on a demo pair of De Capos. I replaced the de Capos w/ Living Voice Auditoriums, and much regretted the choice, even though the LVs are an excellent speaker that bests most in their price range. JMO, of course.

TLH