Speakers known for great midrange.

wait for the hydrant to blow open in three two one... 🤣

Any of the old LS3/5A's (Rogers, Chartwell, Goodman's, KEF...) will more than hold their own against any of today's four-figure stand mounts! The BBC sure knew how to design small box speakers! I have the Rogers (serial # around 27,000).

Bose 901's...

Well, you said a stand mount!

Harbeth, they are all pretty good. never disappoint. almost every time i hear them at audio shows they are an oasis of musical ease and envelopment. tonal density extraordinaire.

with a the right amp.....don't really know your Pass, it might be perfect.

So those looking for excitement won't be diappointed, Tekton has amazing mids in their flagship models.

Harbeth, really any BBC lineage speaker, Audio Note to name a few.

A 3way with a good midrange driver. Harbeth is a popular choice. 

These are luscious. Fritz is a sweetheart and he does trials.

Trick question.  The answer isn't a stand mount and it takes more than the INT25 to drive the planars that  set the standard.  :) 

30.2's, AudioNote Hemp, Spendor 1/2s, Have enjoyed them. Not syrupy though.

I think what you are looking for is a resonant cabinet design. I have a pair 

of old Spendors with my INT25. 

Dynaudio Special 40 and the Pass a nice match. Not syrupy but a huge fun factor. 

Harbeth is a good match with PASS, but it will be a bit "laid-back", not in a bad way, it will work very well with acoustic, vocal, jazz, classical, however if you're into AC/DC or Metal music types, it will not be a good match. My opinion as I own the Harbeth 30.2s and almost went with a PASS with them.

@mr_m  - but then you'd really need four 901's, one in each corner and then play Dark Side of the Moon at full volume with a 200 watt 4-channel Pioneer receiver from 1982....not that I ever did that of course.....

I love my Harbeths and also have KEF Ref 1 which have very good midrange and incredible imaging.

A friend completely re-did his system recently and has a pair of the Joseph Audio Pulsar2 Graphene speakers with a Pass Int-60.  I'm a little jealous of his system.  Not only does it have great midrange, but spectacular imaging and the combination is incredibly "fast".  When a note stops, it stops.  When there's a space between notes, it's black.  Pitch black.  Black hole black.  Hard to describe, but once you hear it, you can't un-hear it.

Spica TC-50

Spendor 1/2s without a doubt...insanely musical and "right" sounding. That's why I own 2 pair and will never ever sell them.

+1 for HARBETH

Sample reviews of the 30.2XD

THE LISTENING

Harbeth’s Monitor M30.2 XD is a loudspeaker with a very easy listening feel; there’s some gentle midrange warmth that seems to add to rather than diminish the sonic experience. Still, it’s pretty transparent all the same, meaning that it favours good recordings where it stays out of the way more than you might expect. It certainly doesn’t sugarcoat bad recordings, that’s for sure. In addition to this, the Harbeth shows real musicality; it accurately handles rhythms and dynamics, whilst never shouting at the listener…. I heard outstanding midrange clarity and excellent smooth integration with the treble, producing realistic tones.

The new version of Alan Shaw’s Harbeth Monitor 30.1...is the best compact two-way speaker system I have ever heard, regardless of design type, cost, or complexity. The Monitor 30.1 is a constant joy and pleasure to listen to, consummately natural, unbelievably beautiful."

- Paul Seydor, theabsolutesound.com

@big_greg 

I'm also wondering whether metal drivers are finally coming of age.

As you say, it's difficult to describe the sound, but words like precise and clean come to mind.

Wilson Audio Duette.

Salk audio Exotica Raal Monitors.  I use them with a Pass XA - 25.

I must agree with the comments about Harbeth speakers - which have great rich midrange, well controlled bass and superbly clear, smooth highs.  I have both the 30.1's and the 40.2's - which sound very much alike, as do the 3PSR's.  When driven properly, they sound a lot like the Quad ESL-57's - which are the best.  

While I prefer them driven by the SS Hegel amps (H590 in my case) as demoed by Harbeth at most shows, they can also sound superb with selected great tube amps - which may even give them an even more real, live sound - just depends on the specific set up.  

I hear the Harbeth quality control can be hit or miss. 

The Harbeth do sound nice from those clips but all those clips music all sounded very similar. Is it fair to say Harbeth is not the best choice for an all arounder and perhaps better with classical or slow jazz?

I couldn’t lock myself into a one genre style speaker. But I love the looks, the wood, the sound they deliver with certain styles of music.

Besides Dynaudio that I suggest, I own Heritage, I really want to hear Simaudio new step into the ring Voice.

You didn’t mention budget so staying around $3k.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5UbZx0FT6ZE

Is it fair to say Harbeth is not the best choice for an all arounder and perhaps better with classical or slow jazz?

classical or slooowwwwww jazz only... or else they will blow up and burn down your house, have fire extinguisher ready if you are listening to rock or edm

I hear the Harbeth quality control can be hit or miss.

tuurible, just tuurrible - consecutive pairs of mon 30.2 off production line can sound like klipsches, then dahlquists, then bose ... tis what happens when you hire blind folks from the south of london to do final q-c

😂🤣

Not a stand mount, far from it...Duntech Princess; excellent midrange.

Jose.

The original QUAD ESL is considered the standard for midrange reproduction, but does not sound syrupy; for years it was also the standard for transparency. For smooth and somewhat soft sound (a mild form of syrupy?), how about one of the old Vandersteen's (the Model 2 is a favorite)?

Tekton, LOL that's mid price stuff at best and they're ugly as sin.

"I hear the Harbeth quality control can be hit or miss."

And where did you hear that from? Do tell!

Sorry.  If great midrange is your priority, you need panels/electrostatics.

Could put them on stands I suppose.

Budget is 5000.00. 
 

QC issues example: 

I had a pair of older Spendor 2/3s that were wonderful for the midrange with tubes. Contrary to what folks say I thought they rocked well with rock music as well. Not to mention the great deal I got on them with stands included. I think buying used with speakers is the way to go, provided you trust the seller’s packing ability. Bought the Spendors and my EgglestonWorks floorstanders from A’gon. 

That’s shocking !

+1 for Dynaudio. Have owned their products for 30 years, and most recently bought a pair of pre-owned C1 Platinum's for $3500 from TMR. All the usual audiophile superlatives apply plus midrange in spades, and bass that defies the laws of physics for a cabinet their size.

@travisg

watched the video -- well for that fellow, his experience, it’s not good, harbeth needs to clean up its act, lots small companies have had issues last couple years, for obvious reasons

that said, no company is perfect, there are always a small %age of q-c issues that get out even in 'normal times'... for me, i have owned 5 pair of harbeths over the years, recently bought fresh 40.3 xd’s and helped a fellow audiophile buy a set of new super 5+ xd ... no quality issues, and of course, terrific sound... but maybe we didn’t look closely enough? 🤔😁

Klipsch Heritage series, like Heresy IV, Forte IV (but that one can be picky w positioning), or Cornwall if you have the space. 

The new KLH model 5 has good mids.

And of course the oldies but goodies EPI (Epicure) like Epi 100 or Epi 50 or their new iterations by Human Speakers like the model 81 (or new HS parts in old Epi or Epicure cabinets...).  I've had Epi 100 for 40 years, now updated w Human parts, and it has provided decades of hard-to-beat beauty.  Maybe -- and I say maybe -- not the "final word" in detail or imaging, but extraordinary nonetheless and I have heard many many much more expensive speakers (take the Yamaha NS1000 as just one example) that I'd pass on in favor of the Epi.  The tweeter, especially the new Human Speakers iteration, is truly one of the best overall generalists and the woofer is no slouch... tight and clear.  Linear, dispersed and non-demanding of placement and seating, and no-fatiguing rich clear musical sound.  Add a sub for below 40 or maybe 50, and you're golden. I ran 'em without sub for most of the time I've had them, and they are great even so... 

Quad ESL-57 or original Martin Logan CLS will give you what you are after.

Quad ESL 57.

Still used as the gauge for midrange by many speaker designers.

Quad ESL 57 or 63

That is the choice, period. You will need a sub if you want low end as well. I'm not sure 25 watts is enough for the ESL. 

Is it fair to say Harbeth is not the best choice for an all arounder and perhaps better with classical or slow jazz?

I couldn’t lock myself into a one genre style speaker. But I love the looks, the wood, the sound they deliver with certain styles of music.

No, it's not.  There may be certain types of music where their strengths really shine, but that doesn't mean they are limited to those genres.  Get yourself some 40.X Harbets and you can totally rock out.  I listen to rock more than anything else and my Super HL5 Plus do just fine with rock.  

It's ironic that some folks think certain speakers are great "rock speakers". 

Take Klipsch for example.  They are super sensitive and people can get them to play really loud, so therefor they are "great for rock".  I have (and still do) owned many Klipsch speakers.  Played at high volumes (let's say 80db+), I think they are painful to listen to.  At moderate volumes, they are really dynamic and can do some special things with vocals and stringed instruments like acoustic guitar.

With the right room, treatment, setup, and amplification, they can sound great, but those stars rarely align and they usually get quite brittle in the highs when pushed hard, which is what it seems most people want to do with them.  Not to mention a lot of them aren't constructed that well and without some additional bracing and other measures, you'll hear the cabinets.  I love my current Quartets, but I've done some work on them, and they sound best when playing... you guessed it, jazz vocals, acoustic guitars, and the like.

Have had the pleasure of listening to Quad, ESL-57s completely rebuilt and brought back to spec by the besy Quad guy on the East Coast, (NH guy). They're  truly magical and will own my own set soon enough. I agree with the "better" British boxes. Spendor, Harbeth, Graham, Rogers... two under the radar speaker manufacturers not in business anymore that were/are EQUALLY fantastic are Symdex and Equation. Have owned both and currently playing a set of Equation 7, hand made in Belgium in the early 00s. Just simple 2/way smaller vented columns done as best as anyone has ever done. Ceramic tweeter & proprietary polypropylene mid-bass driver in Spanish Birdseye Maple. Have to say, been at this a long time & rarely do these come up but if you ever find a set, should move quickly. Extraordinary in every way but the mids (voices especially) are over the top great. Just my opinion. 

I own Harbeth 40.2 Anni’s and owned three pairs of Harbeth’s previously... zero quality issues.

Had tweeters fail with Dynaudio Confidence 2’s and 4’s and I don’t drive my speakers hard.

well said @big_greg 

agree 100% to all your stated observations on big harbeths, and klipsches too (my ears still have ptsd from loudly played klipsches from a decade ago hahaha)

Another vote for Spendor (Classic series).

The Stereophile review of your amp revealed that distortion increases dramatically at high frequencies when driving lower impedances. Good idea to check the impedance trace of any speakers you are considering.

Budget is 5000.00.

QC issues example:

 

this video was recently posted in the harbeth user group... below is alan shaw’s reply, fwiw... 

Update:

It transpires that we are well aware of this issue, and in fact it predates the recruitment of our QC Manager. The video was posted one year ago.

At the time we first become aware of this, the production team watched the video and a full analysis of the sequence of events was undertaken to establish ’root-cause’. It was, unfortunately, a series of compounding human errors, and our then Russian distributor resolved the issue.

Much has changed here since to eliminate, as best as we can, any remaining human error.

Best regards,
Alan

Awesome. Sounds like they have fixed any issues. 

I think Theil and Vandersteen have the best midrange because of the time and phase coherence approach.

Tannoy Autograph Mini's

I'll have to throw another plug for Dynaudio. In all my years of listening/owning different brands I have not found any other speaker that can compete with the Danes, especially in the mids...