Harbeth 40.2 OR Spendor Classic 100 OR ??


I'm midway through the quest for the next set of speakers, and the purpose of this thread is just to check if there are any makes/models out there that I should be taking into consideration, but are not currently on my radar.

My current two finalists are as above, Harbeth 40.2 and Spendor Classic 100.

Both of these have displaced my previous "fav", the Vienna Acoustics Liszt.

In various auditionings, I've also been impressed by Audio Note AN-E and Shahinian Oberlisk. I know both of these models are "divergent", but I mention them not because they're also real contenders, but because I was really impressed by the timbral presentation of the AN--as natural as I've heard, and the spatial presentation of the Shahinian--as, well, spacious as I've heard..  At the same time, they both have drawbacks that rule them out for me.

I hope this list gives some idea of where my acoustic tastes align.  Is there anything else out there I should listen to?  I have heard Spendor D7 and ProAc D30, and extrapolating from them, ruled out their corresponding larger models.  I've also heard Devore O/93, and again preferred Harbeth, Spendor, as well as AN (his inspiration).

I'm not really interested in suggestions from the "usual suspects" pool--you know, Vandersteen, Magico, Focal, Revel, B&W, PSB, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, etc.

BTW, to be driven by Belles Aria monoblocks in what I would describe as a medium-sized room wherein placement would allow for a good 3' away from front and both side walls.

128x128twoleftears

Showing 2 responses by dodgealum

If you like the Harbeth/Spendor sound but want something with greater dynamic agility and higher sensitivity you may want to take a look at Daedalus Audio. I had the Spendor S-100's for many years as well as a pair of Compact 7s. I've also heard the rest of the Harbeth line. Personally, I just love the Harbeth/Spendor sound--instruments and voices sound so real and natural. There is zero listening fatigue. They just sound "right" to me. The Daedalus speakers build on this with greater resolution, inner detail and dynamics--they sound easily as "real" but simply more alive. You may like....
Lou and Daedalus will be at CAF in November. I believe he is bringing the smallest of the Apollo series (called the "Apollo"). He is building a pair for me as I write. The Apollo would be the closest to the large Spendor/Harbeth's you are looking at--they are also a three-way design with a large woofer with a BIG sound in a relatively small package. (One that is IMHO far more attractive than the large cube you get with the British brands). The Argos would be another I would recommend exploring. You will never hear me bashing a pair of Harbeth/Spendors. I have heard the Harbeth 40.1's on many occasions and they are unfailingly musical. Compared with the Daedalus Ulysses that @pdreher owned, I would give a slight nod to the 40.1s--they just sound bigger and more robust (I have a buddy who had the Ulysses in a great system and heard them many times). However, Lou's Apollo series speakers are in a different league from the Ulysses, which is dated at this point. The new 10" driver is incredible and Lou has significantly improved the crossover network, which is now isolated in the cabinet. There is also a new tweeter as well as custom mounting fixtures for both the mid and woofer. The cabinets are much more significantly braced. I could go on but the bottom line is that the Apollo series are a significant step up from the Ulysses, which was a great speaker in its day. I flew out to Ferndale to visit Lou and hear the new design and we did a direct comparison to two earlier models. The difference is not at all subtle. I came back and sold my beloved Daedalus DA-1.1s and ordered the Apollos.  If you can get to CAF to hear the new Apollo's, go for it!