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The Best of the English Sound

I am pretty pleased with my ATC SCM 7's but the new Harbeths have intrigued me, as have Spendors from time to time in the Audiogon classifieds.

Unfortunately, there is nowhere I know near where I live to listen to any of these speakers.

So is there any consensus on differences between these UK brands, which all supposedly have much better than average midrange?

I am trying to find a 1) small enough for desktop use,and 2) last speaker I will ever own for this application, to 3) buy 2 - 4 sets of them for various locations in home and office.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.
cwlondon
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
Actually was thinking about the P3SER but without knowing anything about them....or the various models for Spendor...

A bit smaller is nice, if only to save space on the desktop, but then again, slightly larger might have better bass, and therefore the warmer sound I am looking for?

Any thought on various models within the Spendor and Harbeth lines would also be helpful.
dobieguy
20 posts
 
JAX
Sorry I got you confused with the original poster.
The pair you pointed out are a good value but CWLONDON
say he was thinking about the P3SER which is a new model and rarely shows up used. At almost $2200 it's not a speaker to buy without a serious audition. Plenty of rewiews are out there. Placement is key.
As a Spendor S3e owner, I will say that with good electronics Cwlondon should get the warm sound he is after
and with the rear ported cabinet the bass also. They can be found for a third of the P3SER and if you don't like them
they are easy to sell.Good Luck
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Given your setup I'd suggest a good subwoofer might be another angle to pursue/consider.
magnumpi205
504 posts
 
At the lower end , the Wharfedales are amazing. You could step up a bit to the Audioengine A5s that are powered.
ATCs need a lot of power.
The Harbeths and Spendors are the next step up and need less power. They are both less strident than the ATCs. Not English but the Reference 3As may fit the bill.
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,375 posts
 
You mention that you are using cheapo Behringer amps? I think that is possibly the main problem that needs to be addressed before you even considered changing speakers. You can't get a good sound with cheap amps, at least I never have been able to. I'd look for a nice sounding amp for the money you are willing to spend and then see how you like your speakers.
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