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Harbeth HL Compact

There's a pair of Vinatge Harbeth HL Compact from 1987 for sale near me for $800.00 OBO   I can't really find a whole lot of info on them except for the fact they're the predecessor of the 7ess  (lots of info on those)  Has anyone heard these and is this a good price for them  They seem to be in very good condition.

  Thanks

metman
metman OP
233 posts
 

Thanks for the response

Just finished going through that particular forum and not really very much info unfortunately on the HL compact,  just that it shared the same mid/bass driver as the shl5 at the time which was a TPX driver


dodgealum
1,398 posts
 
The HLCompact from 1987 will likely not have the Radial driver which is at the core of what makes Harbeth's such a great speaker. I would look for a later model that has this driver. I had an early pair of Compact 7's from the mid-1990s which were, I believe, the first to use the Radial cone.
metman OP
233 posts
 

you're correct they don't have the radial drivers but I would like to hear from someone who's actually heard them and or owned them

Thanks

metman OP
233 posts
 

Went over to the sellers house today for an audition. He had the speakers on the floor approx. 2' apart with his couch about 3 to 4' in front of them against the wall, I literally felt I was right on top of them   His front end was a newer Yamaha receiver and the source was what looked to be a fairly inexpensive Sony turntable. Speaker cable appeared to be lamp cord or something similar.  In a nutshell there was no way I could ascertain what these speakers may be capable of under those circumstances and he would not allow me to bring them home for an audition which I can't fault him for.

    He was honestly hoping I would just be blown away by these and seemed disappointed I actually asked for a home audition.  I don't see how anyone not familiar with the speaker to begin with could possibly  be blown away by these with his current set up, and he honestly doesn't realize this.   He was a retired Philippine gentleman who was definitely not an audiophile and got these speakers by chance from a relative.  That's Craigslist for ya

    


gillivray
1 posts
 
Hi I have a pair of 1987 HL Compact Monitors. Very nice sounding speakers but a little wooly sounding then the 7se3s. My system, NaimCDX-2 with teddy xps power supply. Nordost Cables, CJ preamp and sumo power amp. I will be selling mine soon on Canuck Audio for 1200.00. With the proper gear you can listen all day and never get fatiged. Hope this was helpful.
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