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Harbeth Owners - What do you think?

I just heard from someone who said he finds Harbeths " a little clinical sounding " but admits he only heard them in a store. I'm looking for a 2nd system speaker and was seriously considering one of their finely reviewed products but would not have the opportunity to audition as no one carries them near me. What's your opinion of the various models? How low power tube friendly (in a small room) are they? How do they get the supposedly smooth sound with metal dome tweeters? Do they sound better with or without grilles? Thanks in advance, people.
tomryan

Showing 2 responses by paullb

paullb
113 posts
 
Remember that your Harbeths are not as bright or "forward" as the Thiels, so initially they will not sound as detailed and you may prefer the Thiels. Give the Harbeths a little time to break in and for you to get used to the sound. Then do a careful comparison. My guess is that the Harbeths have just as much resolution, but aren't as bright.
paullb
113 posts
 
Dodgealum,

If you hang out at HUG, you should know that there are no speakers that are significantly better than Harbeth :-). Seriously, there are different listener priorities and different product strengths and weaknesses - there isn't anything that will "exceed [Harbeth] by a large margin", especially if you like the Super HL5s. As you know, the Harbeths are very natural with great tonal balance, but they aren't the last word in PRAT, don't have spectacular imaging, and the monitor 30 and 40 speakers use the better Seas tweeter. It's all about priorities and having fun trying new things.
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