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Joseph Audio Perspective2 vs Harbeth SHL5+

I currently own Harbeth SHL5+ and I’m generally very happy with them. I’m driving them with Audio Hungary a50i tube amp (50 watts class A) and don’t feel that the amp struggles at all. I have an opportunity to buy a used pair of Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphene in excellent condition. Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the JA Perspective2 with SHL5+. From what I understand they sound quite different but I’m not sure how. The Perspectives are obviously quite a bit more expensive than the Harbeths but I understand that this doesn’t automatically imply that they are better. Someone told me that the Perspective 2 is more in Harbeth 40.x league instead of SHL5+.

As good as the SHL5+ are, I do sometimes yearn for a wider and deeper soundstage with bigger bass (although I have a pair of REL S/510s to supplement). I would really appreciate if people who have made the move from SHL5+ to JA Perespective2 Graphene, or vice versa, can share their impressions.

Note: My room is 20 x 15 with 12 foot high ceilings. The speakers will be placed along the short wall. I can pull them out by 4 feet from the front wall and about 2 feet from the side walls. My room is treated with GIK panels. My biggest concern is whether my AH Qualiton a50i will be able to drive the Joseph Audios well.

 

128x128arafiq

Showing 5 responses by ryder

ryder
1,682 posts
 

As good as the SHL5+ are, I do sometimes yearn for a wider and deeper soundstage with bigger bass (although I have a pair of REL S/510s to supplement).

 

You will likely get that with modern speakers but it will need to be fairly high quality to match if not surpass the strengths of the Harbeth.

ryder
1,682 posts
 

I have tried the speakers with Luxman 590AXII (owned), Hegel H390 (extended home audition), Kinki EX-M1(owned), Naim Supernait 3 (home audition), VTL IT-85 (owned), ARC GSi75 (owned), and Sim Audio Moon 340i (home audition). So hopefully you can see that I've been around :)

 

Apologies for a bit of diversion. May I ask which amp sounds best with the SHL5+ to you, the Luxman L-590AXII,  Hegel H390 or Naim Supernait 3?

Good luck with the Joseph audio Perspective.

ryder
1,682 posts
 

Thanks for the response @arafiq I wasn’t too surprised that the Supernait 3 sounded poor with the Harbeth SHL5+. It’s the same experience when I tried the Nait XS on the SHL5. Somehow the Naim integrateds are not very good in my book. Perhaps they are good for easy to drive speakers only.


The Luxman L-590AXII is truly a marvelous amp. I’ve not tried a lot but this one is really something special. Refined, delicate and nuanced - these are the keywords I would use on the L-590AXII. The bass may not be the punchiest or most visceral but it’s clean and pure. In other words it’s a tight, defined and nuanced bass quality made possible by the low coloration of the amp. Other amp designs which produce more bass sound more colored to me with their forced presentation, masking some of the detail in the bass and sounding slightly unnatural or less nuanced.

 

 

ryder
1,682 posts
 

Sorry folks I’ve been traveling for work. Hopefully, I’ll share my impressions in a day or two.

 

If you have some free time I would appreciate if you can visit the Digital thread as I was seeking your opinion on the Luxman DA-06 vs Denafrips Pontus 2. Thanks.

ryder
1,682 posts
 

Great writeup @arafiq . It’s good to note that the JA Perspective 2 has exceeded your expectations. I can relate a lot to the comparison since I own the Harbeth SHL5+ and another speaker which I regard as endgame, not a JA though. It's true the bass of the SHL5+ is one of its Achilles heel. Despite the size of the speaker, the bass doesn't go too deep and is less impactful in comparison to speakers which are smaller in dimensions.

 

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