Harbeth HL5 vs M30

What SS amp are you using?

SHL5 with a REL.

Audio Note AN-E SPe HE as Tom suggested.

Agreed with the 'you will get no better resolution'. Fuller sound with the 5's. Or change your gear.

Thankyou for the responses. Maybe I should have worded the question different. I would like to get the M30's because of their size and the soft dome tweeter. I should ask if that's a mistake vs the hl5. Some say that the hl5 is the sweet spot in the Harbeth line. I don't like metal tweeters,and the size is a little bit of a challenge. I have also been told that they are more "aggressive sounding" then the 30's. I read it both ways ( to each his own). I do not want to use a sub. Thanks Mike

I've owned both and I would never say the HL5 is more agressive than the M30. They bear a strong sonic similarity. The M30 was build as a BBC drop in, so the cabinet size was fixed from the start. The HL5 allowed the company to build what they wanted without the constraint of a pre-set box. The HL5 is more forgiving of lower-end electronics IMO and throws a bigger soundstage, although the M30, as a true monitor, is somewhat more precise. They are both great speakers, but I would go for the HL5 if your room was on the larger side. BTW, I belive all Harbeths use metal tweeters, although the M30 uses a "better, more expensive" one. It's not about the tweeter material, it's how its utilized in the design that makes a tweeter harsh or spitty. Harbeth crosses the HL5 over at about 4K, MUCH higher than the usual 2.5K or so many designers use. This keeps the low-end grunge out of the tweeters, which the designer believes can cause problems. Anyway, that's my opinion.

Having heard the M30 extensively and owned the SHL5s, I would go for the SHL5s.
The M30 as many stated is more of a monitor speaker with a flatter frequency response.
the SHL5s are more musical to my ears.