Quality of construction on some speakers- namely Harbeth

Separation?? I haven’t noticed any speakers exhibiting this issue in all my browsing of dozens of listings. Nor have I read of anyone experiencing this problem in all my years on the forums. 

I suspect you’re mistaking pics of chipped corners for separation. 

 I’ve owned my Spendors for four years now and the veneer is as good as new. My Stirlings were manufactured in 2012 and they’re also in mint condition. 

Bad owners! 

no problems with harbeths spendors grahams proacs or the like if they are cared for and treated properly, thin walled cabinets have nothing to do with it

I have owned the Harbeth 30.2 for less then a year, but they they are solidly built. Are they built like tanks like Wilson's? No. However, I damaged my right ear drum and it's very sensitive to high or sharp-pitched sounds/speakers. I did not enjoy listening to the Wilsons (just my opinion!), nor B&Ws. The Harbeth's have a wonderful mid-range and the smooth sound of the tweeter allows me to listen for hours on end. I cannot image them falling apart because they are built in a damp climate and moved to a drier one. Speaking as an amateur woodworker, the wood itself, whether used for speakers or furniture, has to have a low level of moisture before the wood is used or there will be problems very quickly. I cannot imagine any speaker company using high-moisture content wood. Hope this helps.

While looking at used speakers out there, I couldn't help but notice that besides being a lot of ham handed owners, a lot of these box speakers are coming apart at the the corners and their veneers are cracking.  My question is, English moist country made and then living in drier climates doom these to seperating or is it just knocking them over causing it?

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The cracking or peeling of veneers at the corners is likely due to rough handling of the speakers by owners. My Harbeth SHL5 speakers are good as new after 7 years of ownership. No issues with my current SHL5 Plus. 

The build quality with Harbeth speakers is very high. The wood veneer is solid and beautiful. Lower build quality would be from the likes of ATC or Proac to name a few. Other high end speakers usually have glossy finish as standard or optional.