Can the Harbeth 40.1's boggie ?????


I am not looking for ear shattering volume - but everything I have read ( and no, where I live I cannot listen to them )but I am considering them. But, can they play some rock and roll and get out of their own way ???? Reviewers and owners have noted that they sound great at low volume levels - and they have an '' organic natural sound '' - that's great but can they play Lynard Skynard, some Allman Brothers and god forbid some Grateful Dead that well - like they advertise -sounds like real music ??? I also listen to Eva Cassidy, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Pat Methany, JJ Cale and most of all The Beatles ....and why do see so many of them for sale ??? Ummmmm.....
garebear

Showing 3 responses by onhwy61

If you remove the Harbeth issue and restate the OP in a generic form it becomes "why doesn't my high dollar, audiophile approved system sound good on classic rock recordings?" In its many forms this is one of the more popular posts on Audiogon. What's happening is that your high end system is really showing you what the classic rock recordings sound like and you're finding that you don't like that sound. It's accurate, but not that enjoyable to listen to. High end systems are really about finesse and refinement. Some can go loud and have great rhythmic qualities, but they don't do raunchy very well. It's the nature of the beast. The fact of the matter is if you're listening to classic rock you're better off having a pair of double Advents matched with a large 70s Marantz or Pioneer receiver in an acoustically untreated room. Yes, old is the new new.
Garebear, let me extrapolate on what I said above.

We're the same age and I suspect we have been audiophiles for most of our adult lives. I've come to the conclusion that for all practical purposes a single system cannot really do justice to all types of music. Specifically, I came to this conclusion after years of trying to get the classic Motown recordings to sound good. It was further reinforced when I started to get into 1920-30s recordings of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Patton and others. Rather than keep pouring money into a single system and trying to perfect the sound, I decided that I would get better results if I went with multiple systems. In practice I've been able to get better musical enjoyment and spend substantially less dollars by pursuing this strategy.

If you look at my system page compare the Upstairs Loft to the Basement system. The Basement system was my first attempt at going for a different sound. The Spendors are very similar to your Harbeth. It's a more relaxed sound than the Rowland/Gradient combo Upstairs. The third system is what really opened my eyes. It's a pair of EPIs (similar to Advents) and Sony electronics. They cost next to nothing, but on classic rock they are simply more enjoyable than either of the other two systems. Of the three systems one can make me get up and dance (well at least try) while the other two systems sound really good when I'm sitting in the sweet spot.

Maybe it's possible to spend some ungodly amount of money and time to put together a single system that does it all. My experience doesn't bear that out.

BTW, my 1920-30 recordings sound best on the higher resolution Rowland/Gradient system. Some of them are actually very good recordings.
I see that they are now listed for sale. What finally made you give up on the Harbeths?