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Harbeth C7ES-3

That will definitely be part of my discussion. First will come the obvious comparisons with the Spendor A6R's.
 
Congrats, Art! Yeah, those things are big!

Before buying my ProAc's, I was considering picking up the C7. I really liked the Harbeth speakers that I had heard previously, but that was only at audio shows and so it's tough to tell for sure. Still, the sound was superb. I opted to go with the ProAc, since the C7 was more than I wanted to spend for a pair of speakers and the P3 would be too limited performance-wise.

I could see owning a pair of C7's one day as my final speaker but that won't be any time soon.

Looking forward to reading your impressions as they break in.

If I hadn't gone with the C7's it woulda been the Studio 118's.
 
Congrats Art and have fun with them. I was in a shooting match between them and the Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 last year, and then the Shahinian Obelisks came by and threw things upside down. The C-7's certainly are wonderful transducers. I may revisit them someday.
 
Art, I am glad you got the C7's and you are enjoying them! Listen to your Wife, you know she is right that these are the best sounding speakers you have brought home. :D Alan is wrong about that his speakers don't break in and get better sounding with time. But do you agree with Alan that they still sound good using plant stands/bar stools for speaker stands?

Now if we could convince you to stop chasing CD players and come to the "Dark Side" with computer audio. :yes: You don't know the power of the Dark Side. Using the PC of your choice either Windows or Mac and J River to rip and encode your existing CD collection to double DSD format. Then using one of the newer DSD capible DAC's out there like the iFI iDSD Micro. That combination will let your really hear what those wonderful new Harbeths can sound like. Enjoy your new Harbeths and I will be waiting to read what your think. Have a great weekend Art!
 
Art, I am glad you got the C7's and you are enjoying them! Listen to your Wife, you know she is right that these are the best sounding speakers you have brought home. :D Alan is wrong about that his speakers don't break in and get better sounding with time. But do you agree with Alan that they still sound good using plant stands/bar stools for speaker stands?

Now if we could convince you to stop chasing CD players and come to the "Dark Side" with computer audio. :yes: You don't know the power of the Dark Side. Using the PC of your choice either Windows or Mac and J River to rip and encode your existing CD collection to double DSD format. Then using one of the newer DSD capible DAC's out there like the iFI iDSD Micro. That combination will let your really hear what those wonderful new Harbeths can sound like. Enjoy your new Harbeths and I will be waiting to read what your think. Have a great weekend Art!

Thank you. Yes, I think Alan is correct that his speakers sound good on anything. However I'm betting they will be better Anchored!

I'm not saying that I will never go to the "dark side", however the thought of all that computer mumbo jumbo and having to rip about 10,000 shiny discs has me more than anxious. I want to wait until it all shakes out and from what I can see it's still in process...someday though...
 
If I hadn't gone with the C7's it woulda been the Studio 118's.

I am loving the 118's and believe that I am set speaker-wise for a good long while, but I am sure the Harbeth's are a step or two up from the little ProAc's. Enjoy the ride!
 
I've been watching this thread from the beginning. (A great read, btw.)

I need to try some Harbeths up here some time. A local friend got a set of Super HL5s recently and they are super superb. My room is probably more C7 appropriate.
 
If I could have afforded it I probably would have gone for the Super HL5+. Glad I didn't the C7's are perfect!
 
If I could have afforded it I probably would have gone for the Super HL5+. Glad I didn't the C7's are perfect!


I think its better that you went with the C7's. At the last RMAF I went to the Fidelis room where they had the new Super HL5+ hooked up. And I visited the room twice just to make sure it was not the music they were playing in the morning vs. the late afternoon. But I was totally unimpressed with what I was hearing from the 5+'s. They lacked that "magic" that the P3s, C7s and the 30.1 had when I have listened to them in the past. The 5+s were lifeless and flat sounding. If you were to upgrade from the C7s the 30.1s would be the better choice over HL5+s. Just my humble opinion.
 
Art be a gentleman and move them to your wifes system she loves them........In seriousness congratulations those are beautiful....
 
Congrats on the new speakers.

Listening to mine as I type this. I got mine about a half year ago and I am still getting blown away with the sound from these beauties.

I will take mine to the grave. I am at a point with these that I know I can't find any other speakers that I could like as much as the C7.
 
so how do you compare these to p3esr?

think you ended up preferring the ls50s over the p3esr?

Actually I replaced the P3's with Dynaudio X12's. The X12's were better able to handle all kinds of music in both my office and living room. The P3's had better timbre and were more natural sounding than either the Dynaudio's or the KEF's. The KEF's are nearly as coherent and fill a room more effortlessly than the P3's. The P3's are probably a better speaker than the others but I needed something with a little more bottom end for other music styles than just jazz. I wish I would have held on to the P3's but the KEF's are awesome as well.

I'll compare the C7's later.

I think its better that you went with the C7's. At the last RMAF I went to the Fidelis room where they had the new Super HL5+ hooked up. And I visited the room twice just to make sure it was not the music they were playing in the morning vs. the late afternoon. But I was totally unimpressed with what I was hearing from the 5+'s. They lacked that "magic" that the P3s, C7s and the 30.1 had when I have listened to them in the past. The 5+s were lifeless and flat sounding. If you were to upgrade from the C7s the 30.1s would be the better choice over HL5+s. Just my humble opinion.

Interesting. I have not heard the Super 5+. I think I am done anyway. The C7's are a speaker to build around. No desire to upgrade or go lateral. These are everything I had hoped the Spendor's would be and more.

Congrats on the new speakers.

Listening to mine as I type this. I got mine about a half year ago and I am still getting blown away with the sound from these beauties.

I will take mine to the grave. I am at a point with these that I know I can't find any other speakers that I could like as much as the C7.

I hear you.
 
My wife has spoken. "Certainly you know that this is the best sound that you have had in here, right". The real weakness is the source. The Marantz is pretty half assed compared the LM515. One day I'll upgrade my CD source. At present I'm listening to Eliane Elias and it's as though the venue is here...right here.

Yeah, I'm sure the Marantz is the weak link in that chain, good as it is. If you ever get the chance to hear Denon's 100th anniversary player Art, I highly recommend it. Even though I know you aren't a huge Denon fan. This is one of their best efforts I suspect; the glowing reviews are all bang on as far as I'm concerned. A plus is that you'd retain SACD playback. You'd have to buy used though in all likelihood. I bought mine used and it has performed flawlessly over the year or two I've owned it. It's very honest in my estimation, so partnering with equipment that has a nice sense of warmth gives me the sound I crave.

It's a great feeling when your system gives you the sound you've been after. The trip is fun, but it's a nice feeling to arrive somewhere as well, stepping out of the car onto solid ground and staying for while!
 
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It's a great feeling when your system gives you the sound you've been after. The trip is fun, but it's a nice feeling to arrive somewhere as well, stepping out of the car onto solid ground and staying for while!

Well said.
 
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