Harbeth Love and your experiences


Hi all,

I LOVE Harbeth speakers.

Some years ago I heard the 40.1s the very first time. I could tell they were special. I remember them pulling me into the music and stopped me trying to analyze how the speakers sound.

A month ago, I heard the 40.2s and they were also good but I kinda remembered the 40.1s sounding better overall.

My Harbeth hunt didn't stop. Today I heard the SLH5Plus and Compact 7es3.

First the SLH5 Plus, very good. I enjoyed them a lot for almost all sort of music type. Then I switched to Compact 7es3. WOW! I loved them. Amazing. Something very special about them. Different than SLH5 Plus. Probably the best speakers I have heard regardless of price.

What is the best Harbeth model you have heard?

I wonder if the older Harbeths sound better? I wonder how the Monitor 30s sound? Or the previous SLH5 (non Plus).

Can you please share your experiences?

Thanks.
celo
LOVE my Spendor SP1/2Es (seamless driver integration makes them sound like a point source) and don't need to hear anything else. 
I haven't seen any Spendor 1/2Es for sale on Audiogon for a long time. That should tell you something.
Howdy!

I own the Monitor 40.2's and the (35th Anniversary) Compact 7 ES3's. I have auditioned ALL of the Harbeth speakers over the last 10 years with all types of gear. All of them are superb, and each has its own best application. The fun part is discovering the types of systems and genres of music with which they most excel. 

The Monitor 40.2 is by far the most beautiful, natural, and accurate speaker I have ever heard. It truly is a reference monitor as many reviewers have described, and I feel privileged to own a pair. It's a speaker I can listen to for hours and never feel fatigued. I can't say enough good things about them.

The Compact 7 is, in my humble opinion, the best all-around two-way speaker you can get. As I understand, it is Harbeth's top seller. If this is indeed true, I'm wouldn't be surprised. I run them with McIntosh solid state and ARC tube gear, and they always sound fantastic. They are not as detailed or forward as Harbeth Monitors (40.2, 30.1, and P3ESR), but they are warmer and more flexible than everything but the 40.2's. To me, they are the perfect speaker for a small- to medium-sized room, with or without a sub. I occasionally run a REL S2 with them, depending on the type of music I play.

Bottom line is, you cannot go wrong with Harbeth. If you can fit the 40.2's in your budget, you should get them. If not, I would go with the Compact 7, as I feel it offers the best sound for the money. 

Happy Listening!
7ES3  for me .Connected to Croft integrated,Nottingham spacedeck with London decca Super Gold.IMHO nothing sounds like it.
Just this week I auditioned the C7s in my system for a few days. They're good speakers, but I'm now listening to the Spendor SP2/3R2 and preferring them by a country mile. The spendors have a sweeter midrange and clearly superior detail. The midrange has an eerie lifelike tone. I'm simply jacked by how these sound!