One of my additional takeaways from this comparison is that cabinet resonances can really enhance the sound.Really? How did you figure that out?
Omega Alnico XRS vs. Fritz Carrera vs. Harbeth 30.2 Speaker Shootout
3-way speaker comparison over past weekend in my home. Custom Roon server > Holo Audio May DAC > EAR 868L pre > Pass XA30.8 w/ DNM wiring. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9074
I'd had the Omega single-driver speakers in my system for 6 months, loving the purity, simplicity, elegance of the cabinets, wicked midrange tone, and immersive soundstage. But I was missing having speakers that could rock out and play distorted/complex music (TOOL, hip hop...).
My space is relatively tight so I was focusing on stand-mounters to replace the Omegas (which I had been augmenting with a pair of Omega Speed 10 subs).
This forum is rampant with love for Fritz speakers, so I placed a call to Fritz and he was kind enough to drop off a demo pair of his Carreras (he's local to me in California). He is a very kind and reasonable man (and I'm not the first to note this).
Then I arranged for a home demo of lightly used Harbeth 30.2 40th Anniversaries (again, a nice fellow audiophile let me play them in my system for 30 minutes). These speakers also get major love on this forum, and in Stereophile, etc. Came with Skylan stands.
Fun, huh? Results below...
I'd had the Omega single-driver speakers in my system for 6 months, loving the purity, simplicity, elegance of the cabinets, wicked midrange tone, and immersive soundstage. But I was missing having speakers that could rock out and play distorted/complex music (TOOL, hip hop...).
My space is relatively tight so I was focusing on stand-mounters to replace the Omegas (which I had been augmenting with a pair of Omega Speed 10 subs).
This forum is rampant with love for Fritz speakers, so I placed a call to Fritz and he was kind enough to drop off a demo pair of his Carreras (he's local to me in California). He is a very kind and reasonable man (and I'm not the first to note this).
Then I arranged for a home demo of lightly used Harbeth 30.2 40th Anniversaries (again, a nice fellow audiophile let me play them in my system for 30 minutes). These speakers also get major love on this forum, and in Stereophile, etc. Came with Skylan stands.
Fun, huh? Results below...