• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Harbeth Owners Thread

The temptation to sell every single speaker I own (and still I have way too many after years of selling) and lock in on one very serious pair of two ways is so strong.

Closing in on 50, I'm now refocusing on quality instead of a big house full of ****.

Harbeths, Rogers L3/5, etc are beckoning. Always loved two ways.
 
I bought a pair of Harbeth P3ESR-XD's in Rosewood yesterday to run with my McIntosh MHA150 Headphone Amp at 50-wpc output.
I love small, high-quality audio and I'm VERY excited!

Untitled.png
 
Congratulations!
Place them on good quality stands out in your room and prepare yourself to be amazed.
Happy listening.
James
 
Last edited:
M1911 said:
I bought a pair of Harbeth P3ESR-XD's in Rosewood yesterday to run with my McIntosh MHA150 Headphone Amp at 50-wpc output.
I love small, high-quality audio and I'm VERY excited!

Untitled.png
Click to expand...
Congrats on your new Harbeth’s. I have standard P3 in Rosewood. Absolutely lovely to look at and listen to. I briefly owned the 40th anniversary model but preferred the standard version. Everything sounds great with them.
 
DOBIEGUY said:
Congratulations!
Place them on good quality stands out in your room and prepare yourself to be amazed.
Happy listening.
James
Click to expand...

Art K. said:
Congrats on your new Harbeth’s. I have standard P3 in Rosewood. Absolutely lovely to look at and listen to. I briefly owned the 40th anniversary model but preferred the standard version. Everything sounds great with them.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys!
Really looking forward to this.....should arrive by Wednesday.....
Not sure about stands, but I am sure my dogs would knock them over!
 
UPDATE: The P3ESR-XD's arrived and I'm as excited as I was back in the 70's buying new stereo gear.
They work perfectly with the McIntosh and seem to be exactly what I've been contemplating for a year.
:D
 
M1911 said:
UPDATE: The P3ESR-XD's arrived and I'm as excited as I was back in the 70's buying new stereo gear.
They work perfectly with the McIntosh and seem to be exactly what I've been contemplating for a year.
:D
Click to expand...

Good for you. I know when my Harbeth speakers arrived I felt like a kid at Christmas all over again. I hope you enjoy them for years to come.
 
Last edited:
M1911 said:
UPDATE: The P3ESR-XD's arrived and I'm as excited as I was back in the 70's buying new stereo gear.
They work perfectly with the McIntosh and seem to be exactly what I've been contemplating for a year.
:D
Click to expand...
Outstanding!
 
Well, here we are near the end of August and I’m still going back and forth between the Harbeth P3ESR’s and the Spendor Classic 3/1’s. Both sound fantastic. The Spendor’s have a bigger, fuller sound, especially at the bottom end. The Harbeth’s do timbre better. Piano and cymbals being most notable. With retirement just weeks or a few months off (not sure which as it’s hitting the fan at the office) I only need one set of expensive speakers. My room is tiny and this is where my system will live out it’s life. I will continue to have fun with inexpensive garage sale or Craigslist finds but only one of these beautiful speakers can stay. Over the last 3 months I have gone back and forth! Still am.
 
Art K. said:
With retirement just weeks or a few months off (not sure which as it’s hitting the fan at the office) I only need one set of expensive speakers. My room is tiny and this is where my system will live out it’s life. I will continue to have fun with inexpensive garage sale or Craigslist finds but only one of these beautiful speakers can stay.
Click to expand...

Oh man, don’t do it. I am retired and have shed a fair amount of gear, but if I had Harbeth and Spendor speakers I would keep them
 
StuartB said:
Oh man, don’t do it. I am retired and have shed a fair amount of gear, but if I had Harbeth and Spendor speakers I would keep them
Click to expand...
…and then there is that option! Damnit, you are supposed to be talking me in to selling one!:rflmao:
 
Harbeth Super HL 5+ 40th Anniversary (XD) speaker owner here. I LOVE my Harbeth speakers. They're simply superb for the medium size of my listening room (27' x 16'). My Harbeths and Pass Labs INT 250 integrated amp have a torrid love affair going on. Tons of synergy. And I really like the super tweeters and the smooth but clear top end that they impart. Not even a hint of being strident or harsh. The speakers have a very nicely balanced frequency spectrum from bottom end to top end. The bass is strong, tight and clean. And the mids are sublime. Coming up 2 years of ownership and they're breaking in beautifully. They just get sweeter sounding the more I use them. I have no desire whatsoever for any other speakers. The Harbeths definitely have ended my speaker search.
 
Last edited:
StuartB said:
This may not be a big deal to a lot of people, but one thing that i have noticed and really like about Harbeth is that at low volume levels they sound very detailed and refined. Maybe a little bit hard to explain but it seems like I don't have to turn the volume up to hear all the music
Click to expand...

Yes! I noticed that today. This afternoon I was listening to "Bennet/Berline" at a moderately high volume and just really enjoying the SQ coming out of the speakers. My wife came home from work so I had to turn the volume down. I was running the volume at 50 on the dial and turned it down to 35. It sounded just as good at the lower level! Nothing was missing. It still sounded superb.
 
Last edited:
mebluegrass said:
Harbeth Super HL 5+ 40th Anniversary (XD) speaker owner here. I LOVE my Harbeth speakers. They're simply superb for the medium size of my listening room (27' x 16'). My Harbeths and Pass Labs INT 250 integrated amp have a torrid love affair going on. Tons of synergy. And I really like the super tweeters and the smooth but clear top end that they impart. Not even a hint of being strident or harsh. The speakers have a very nicely balanced frequency spectrum from bottom end to top end. The bass is strong, tight and clean. And the mids are sublime. Coming up 2 years of ownership and they're breaking in beautifully. They just get sweeter sounding the more I use them. I have no desire whatsoever for any other speakers. The Harbeths definitely have ended my speaker search.
Click to expand...

A glowing review, sir.

Do you live in the Bluegrass state??
 
Hello! No, I'm not from the bluegrass state but I am a bluegrass musician. I'm a guitar flat picker. I also play mandolin, and Scruggs style banjo, but guitar is my main instrument. I do live in the south...southern Iowa, LOL! I almost live in Missouri. But, yeah, I really like my Harbeth speakers. Highly recommend them.

Tom
 
I have thoroughly enjoyed my Harbeth speakers, but I have also known that I had a difficult room, and I always had this feeling that I wasn’t getting all I should out of my system. Last month I was in DC visiting my oldest son. While he and his wife worked on a weekday I made an appointment with Linear Tube Audio just outside DC. (Great guys and gear by the way) I got the grand tour of the small building where all their amps are handmade, and then auditioned some of their gear. I was very impressed with their gear and the sound they were getting out of the set up. On a side note I got my first chance to listen to a rebuilt pair of Quad electrostatics.

The room was moderately sized but they made a bunch of simple sound absorbing panels distributed around the room. I was so impressed that I decided to make my own panels. I used 1” x 4” firring strips, Rockwool “Safe and Sound” insulation, and burlap to cover them. I placed them around my 19’ x 19’ square room on all four walls where I had space. I maybe spent $250-300 in total.

Long story short…the improvement was astounding. The room is now so quiet, and I hear the speakers not the room. Soundstage is so clear and each instrument is isolated. I have never, never had this sort of sound out of my system before. I am thrilled.

I write this to encourage you British speaker fans to think about taking small steps to improve your room. My enjoyment has jumped significant levels and this is by far the best bang for the buck improvement I have ever made.
 
Ordered a pair of new Harbeth Super HL5 Plus last night, in rosewood - selling the Spendor A6rs. They're both B-grade per Harbeth and not the latest model so a great deal (I think.) Wifey thinks they're pretty too.

I'm designing speaker stands for them from Philippine Mahogany, to match the cosmetics of my equipment rack. A design question is, should the stands have a solid top plate or should the speakers' bottom panel be exposed to the room? Most speaker manufacturers' photos of stands for lossy cabinet speakers show an open steel frame with contact to the speaker only at corner points.

I think the theory is the bottom panel resonates like the other panels (by design) and adds to the overall sound in the room. A flat plate would choke that contribution off.

Or am I splitting hairs here?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom