Harbeth 40.3's. Should I buy them?


I've owned a lot of speakers. I've just finished auditioning a pair of Alta Audio Alec's. Not good at all in my system. I own a pair of Spatial X3 open baffle speakers. I really like them and my wife doesn't. I recently bought a pair of Buchardt S400 MKII's for a second system. I say second system because I have a dedicated 2 channel room 15' x 19'. Upstairs in a much larger room, the Buchardt's were anemic, fine, 2 Adam subs solved the anemia. Then just for the heck of it (and because audio is a hobby) I moved the Buchardt monitors downstairs in the 'big guys' room. The Buchardt's loved that room and my wife loved the Buchardt's except they are to small for the listening room and our listening tastes.

I'm tired of buying and selling speakers. I've been to a hundred audio shows and have "favorites". Harbeth have always sounded great, not a show stopper, but, at shows, they've been totally inoffensive, warm and engaging in the same way I like Audio Notes AN-e.
We play all types of music. My wife especially likes classical, leaning towards female singers but too, she'll rock out on Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Keyes, Journey, you get the idea. Me, classic rock but anything that soothes my soul works. I like to play loud. My wife - louder, but not teenager loud.

We have an awesome front end to work with. Allnic T2000 30th integrated (60wpc in triode 150wpc in pentode), Allnic H5500 phono and Allnic D10000 DAC.

Why wouldn't we happy with this speaker?

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We're not selling our Allnic gear. Not an option.

Our Buchardts are a 4ohm 88db efficient speaker. The Allnics 60wpc in triode drives them without complaint. The 150wpc in pentode drives mode them louder still. 

The Alta Audio Alec's are 93db efficient. They were driven to thunderous levels with the Allnic. 

The Legacy Audio Focus XD is 95.4db efficient and has built-in amplification for the woofers.

I can't believe even 60wpc in any tube amp wouldn't drive those speakers well.

The X3's were not a problem in our room with 60wpc in triode mode nor were they a problem of course with 150wpc pentode mode. I really like them. I've written glowingly about them. One of my dear friends and audio guru, without me knowing, bought the same speaker! I've even got caps for a planned X3 upgrade. My wife never warmed to the X3's and is willing to work for another speaker, even if it costs more. God Bless her. At least she shares my audiophile spirit.

The strength of my tube integrated does not lie with driving 4 x 12" built-in woofers but it probably would. In Legacy form, a built-in 750watt ice module would perform that function just fine, actually, much better and the digital control it would have on top of that in terms of dialing it into one's room may be icing on the cake. There are many options with those particular speakers. I think of it in a way of having very fast subwoofers that were/are already well-integrated a speaker and not having additional subs I can't use with our integrated.

The problem is, there are so damn many nice speakers out there. (like it's a real problem)

 

It took me 10 years to find the right speakers. Finally got Harbeth 30.2 40th anniversary - My room is not big enough for the 40.2. 

Awesome, was worth the wait. Harbeths are unassuming at first but as others mentioned, you get to appreciate it more and more over time. So natural and clear. Very versatile, except may be for hard rock.

My Pass Lab x25 is a match made for heaven for this speaker and I also agree that an amp with some power depth, like this class A will bring the Harbeths to life as their db  sensitivity level are low compared to other speakers.

Let us know how they sound in your room. Good luck!

 

I am partial to efficient full range speakers that do not have to be pulled away from the rear wall into the room. My listening tastes are similar to yours although my space is much larger. Currently, I have Zu Def 4s. I also like Living Voice, Audio Note, and Volti Rival or Razz. Zu and Volti are sold direct. Zu gives a 4 week in-home audition period.

Great post, thanks. Having owned and enjoyed the 40.3XD and giving up on them, maybe I can offer an opinion. The 40.3’s are “good” at many things, to my ear they weren’t great at anything, though the upper mids are a standout. That said, I’m not sure if the mids were outstanding because the rest was more average. I also found the bass response lacklustre, especially at low and mid level volumes.
For context I am running Allnic A6000’s w/ an A4000 pre  

A whiffed attempt at something off the grid, I paired the aforementioned gear with Sabrina X’s, different, perhaps better but not captivating  

In walked Audio Note AN E-D - again, to my ears they smoked the 40.3’s and Sabrina’s, they were less than half the price of the others no less! Plus the added real estate they provided due to placement  

in my humblest of opinions, I would give the AN’s another serious audition  

listen well and enjoy the ride