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Harbeth M30.1 or Focal Diablo in a small room?

tonylaibach

tonylaibach

New Member
Hi all,

My room is 9’x 11’ with a 4’x 6’ bed and so my chair is basically in the middle of the room.

The speakers are about 5 ft apart, 12 inches from the front wall and 20 inches from the side wall.

My head is about 5 ft from the speakers, and 4 ft to the back wall.

Since the speakers are fairly close to the front and side walls, plus the fact that the setup is basically near-field listening, which of these two speakers are more suitable?
Harbeth M30.1 or Focal Diablo? Or something even smaller?

Suggestions anyone? Thx in advance!
 
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Haven't heard either model. But I did hear the Harbeth Super HL5+, and the Focal Supra No. 2 at RMAF last fall.

The Harbeths sounded perfect (to my ears/taste), and the Focals sounded edgy and strained. FWIW.
 
I like the sound of both. I can happily live with either of them.
What I'm most concerned with is which speakers are more suitable in a small room like mine.
That is, which are less boomy when placed close to walls, etc.

Harbeth uses thin-wall cabinet design which leads me to think that their cabinets will have higher resonance and thus less ideal when placed close to walls.
The Diablos seem to have stiffer cabinets but does that automatically mean it's more ideal?

Since I cannot home-demo them I must rely on experienced users for their opinions.
Thx.
 
I would think it would be hard to go wrong with the Harbeth speakers. There are user forums on their website that probably could give you additional insight on placing them in your room. I have Harbeth C7 speakers and thoroughly enjoy them. One other brand you might want to consider is Dynaudio. They are amazing speakers for the size.
 
Hi Tony
First, welcome to AK.
I can't speak for the Focals; I've not listened to them.
You did not mention the equipment you will be using with the speakers. The M-30.1 Harbeths,at $5.5K(new) wouldn't be my first choice for a bedroom system, especially in such a small room. I listen to my P-3ESRs nearfield in a slightly larger room. They do not disappoint. Imaging is excellent and vocals are where Harbeths shine.
They are readily available in the previously owned market at reasonable prices.
Good luck.
Jimmy
 
Thank you so much sqlsavior, Stuart B, Seminole54, and Dobieguy. I must come to terms with the size of my room and look at even smaller speakers. The P3ESR seems like a good candidate.
Will dig into the Harbeth forum for more insights as suggested.

Any more suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

By the way, my humble system:
Rogue Audio Sphinx V1 hybrid integrated amp
Chartwell Studio 1 speakers (from the 1980's using BBC spec, similar to the Rogers)
Marantz SA8005 SACD player
Thorens TD321 with SME 3009 S2 Improved + Shure V15VxMR with Jico stylus
Belden 10AWG 5T00UP Bluejeans speaker cables
Atlas Element Integra Analog interconnects
Cardas tonearm litz wire and phono cables
 
tonylaibach said:
Thank you so much sqlsavior, Stuart B, Seminole54, and Dobieguy. I must come to terms with the size of my room and look at even smaller speakers. The P3ESR seems like a good candidate.
Will dig into the Harbeth forum for more insights as suggested.

Any more suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

By the way, my humble system:
Rogue Audio Sphinx V1 hybrid integrated amp
Chartwell Studio 1 speakers (from the 1980's using BBC spec, similar to the Rogers)
Marantz SA8005 SACD player
Thorens TD321 with SME 3009 S2 Improved + Shure V15VxMR with Jico stylus
Belden 10AWG 5T00UP Bluejeans speaker cables
Atlas Element Integra Analog interconnects
Cardas tonearm litz wire and phono cables
Click to expand...

(Air quotes)Not a bad starter system(air quotes)
 
Thx Hawkeye83,
I've had those speakers and the turntable since the 80's.
I'm one of those people who hangs on to their gear until one of us succumbs to old age, so as long as the unit fits the bill, I don't mind spending a bit more.
Hence the Focal Diablo's (expensive!) were also considered.
 
I also think the p3esr is probably a good choice for this setup. But, how long will you be listening in a bedroom? How far away is a better room?
 
I've never heard either specific model though I've heard many Focals and several Harbeths over the years.

Without being able to hear either speaker in your specific system, I'd lean towards a Harbeth design. I have no doubt I could get along with either speaker in a more traditional system.

Some speakers are designed specifically for nearfield listening and some speakers are just smaller versions of larger designs.

The best nearfield system I've ever heard had Pro Ac 1Scs in a very purpose built room. Not the very largest soundstage or the most pinpoint imagining, but I was absolutely floored with how much I enjoyed it. No bed in the room, but the room was similar to your setup.

Good luck.
 
Thx CKDC and cratz2.

The bedroom is the only option so I have to make do.

The problem I'm facing with the Chartwell's (think SHL5+) is this:
From where I sit, which is almost in the center of the room, I feel no bass. But when I move back just a foot and sit on the bed, the bass is there, albeit mushy, and obviously the further back I sit the stronger the bass to the point of booming.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not after disco bass; I just want a hint of it.
Moving the Chartwell's closer or farther away from the front wall makes little difference from where I sit.
Therefore I'm thinking if smaller speakers like the P3ESR can create the bass sweet spot closer to where I sit, or do bass frequencies behave the same whether they come from large or small speakers?

Or... am I thinking this all wrong? Could it be the aging Chartwell's that's the problem (hence the mushiness even when I hear it) and that a new speaker, hence tighter bass, is the answer?
 
Last edited:
Chord. said:
30.1 would be excellent.
Maybe.
But be careful.
I had bad experiences.

The full story here.
Click to expand...

Interesting read. Thank you. (I am not in the market for speakers but I have been reading about AN and Harbeth speakers. They my current short list.)
 
tonylaibach said:
Thx CKDC and cratz2.

The bedroom is the only option so I have to make do.

The problem I'm facing with the Chartwell's (think SHL5+) is this:
From where I sit, which is almost in the center of the room, I feel no bass. But when I move back just a foot and sit on the bed, the bass is there, albeit mushy, and obviously the further back I sit the stronger the bass to the point of booming.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not after disco bass; I just want a hint of it.
Moving the Chartwell's closer or farther away from the front wall makes little difference from where I sit.
Therefore I'm thinking if smaller speakers like the P3ESR can create the bass sweet spot closer to where I sit, or do bass frequencies behave the same whether they come from large or small speakers?

Or... am I thinking this all wrong? Could it be the aging Chartwell's that's the problem (hence the mushiness even when I hear it) and that a new speaker, hence tighter bass, is the answer?
Click to expand...


I am the same with Bass, who wants Disco bass anyway its awful and way over extended. It should be there audiable tight and clean and in balance with the rest of the music. Whenever I finish up at weddings etc with the DJs bass machines going its like torture to me...just total crap so I often go in the other room and get a pint .
 
I've not heard the 30.1 but have heard the 30.2 Anniversary Edition - and its a GREAT speaker. I've read of others (on another forum) using the 30.1 and 30.2 in small rooms with good success.
 
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