Harbeth Owners which model?

Vinnie, that would be great if you could update me on your take of the 30.1 vs shl5's. As stated above I love the Harbeth sound and any listening experience with the 3 models is appreciated.

Tom, your room size is identical to mine so that is a good reference. I am not sure but are you saying that the 40.1 didn't work well in your room? Thanks for your thoughts on the 30.1's.

Never did get them sounding as good as I thought they should.

Bobheinatz, I strongly suggest you to try the Tannoy prestige line after you audition the Harbeth.

I Tried the SHL5 and 7es3 before but after I listen to Turnberry SE and Kensington SE, I never look back. They really amazed me especially the Kensington SE.

I was lucky to try them before I made my purchase.
The Turnberry SE is about the same price as the 30.1 and the Kensington SE is about the same price as the 40.1.

My experience unlike Tom's was favorable switching from the SHL5 with a REL sub to the M40.1. However, I have a much larger room with a 22ft ceiling. With the M40.1, I no longer need the REL sub. In fact I had friends and members of a local audio club listen to my system and all agreed that the REL Strata III was detrimental to the overall sound quality with the M40.1. The sub was setup to come in only at the lowest setting. I liked the sub when I had the SHL5 speakers.
IMO, in a large room the M40.1 is better in every way than the SHL5 with a subwoofer. I agree though that in a smaller room than mine, the SHL5 w/sub may be the way to go.

I own the SHL5s in a large open living room. The main living space is 20' x 40'. I have listened to the M40.1 couple of times at my friend's place, also in a large room. Personally I prefer the SHL5s. For me, the SHL5s are about the largest speaker I would consider for a domestic listening environment due to WAF considerations. The M30.1 looked much better due to the smaller cabinet.

Sound-wise, I prefer the SHL5s over the M40.1s. There isn't any doubt the huge 40.1s throw a bigger sound and scale and go deeper in the bass owing much to the additional 12" bass driver and larger cabinet, but I prefer the "lighter" and more agile sound of the SHL5s. The bass of the M40.1s can be problematic in some rooms if not addressed properly, producing a lethargic sound.

I can live with the SHL5s alone although I used to have them with a subwoofer previously. After more than 4 years living with the SHL5s(which I love), I am looking for a smaller speaker in the near future such as the M30.1, instead of moving up to larger speakers. Personally I am leaning more toward smaller speakers after the obsession on huge fuller-range loudspeakers for the past one decade. The idea is they look more discreet and can blend in easier to the listening environment. They lose a bit of scale and bass but what they gain is perhaps a more sophisticated sound and better WAF.

YMMV