2. speakers
  3. 1272048158

The Harbeth phenomenon

In my search for a new pair of speakers, I've gone through many threads here and noticed that many owners or fans of Harbeth have almost a love-like connection with Harbeth speakers. It is almost as if the speakers cast a spell upon them. I know many audiophiles love their speakers but Harbeth owners seem especially enamored with theirs. I am extremely puzzled by this phenomenon because on paper Harbeth speakers look average at best and lack many of the attributes that generally make a great speaker.

Their sensitivity of generally around the 86dB mark makes them rather inefficient and therefore, at least in theory, not a good match for many lower powered tube amps, or any amps below 100wpc. Their frequency range is simply inferior to most high-end speakers since they don't go below 40 Hz. This alone should, again at least in theory, disqualify Harbeth speakers from consideration as top high end speakers. And yet I've never heard anyone complain about their bass, while people complain about lack of bass in the Gibbon Nines from DeVore, which is a fantastic speaker. Their cabinets look like a cheap DIY enclosure (disclaimer: I've never seen a Harbeth up close, only pictures). The 7ES-3 is rated B-Restricted, while the smaller and cheaper Usher Be-718 A-Restricted in Stereophile but garners nowhere near the same amount of admiration, praise and following among audiophiles.

So what's going on here? Is this a big conspiracy plot by the company that paid off a few hundred of people to infiltrate audiophile internet forums and a few reviewers? I am of course joking here, but the question is serious. How can speakers so average on paper be so good in real life? I know the opposite is often true, but you rarely see this phenomenon.

Please speak up.
actusreus
petek
34 posts
 
There are other fine loudspeakers which are as musically enjoyable as the Harbeths and perhaps do some things better.

I currently own an earlier generation of the Verity Parsifals, which replaced my previous Harbeth M30s that I described above. The two are not directly comparable as they are of different design philosophies and price points- one is a rather large 2-way monitor, the other a full range 3-way design. Interestingly, my wife still prefers the Harbeths when listening to the vocals of Maria Callas or Diana Krall. Overall I prefer the Veritys, but the two share many sonic similarities (e.g. beautiful vocals and midrange magic) that ultimately translates to pure musical enjoyment.

Anyway, there are many fine loudspeaker choices. Your ears are usually the final decider (and your wallet).

pk

ryder
1,682 posts
 
Everybody has their own favourite speakers. Those who like (or own) certain speakers will inevitably sing praises on them while those who dislike a few others will criticize them, or keep quiet. Nothing unusual. I have close friends who tell me straight to the face that Harbeths are not their cup of tea. Not a big deal and most of the posts above have described it well enough.

Most good words on Harbeth are from owners and music lovers and I don't think it has got anything to do with the company employing some people in boosting their sales. It is either you love the speakers or hate it, simple as that. Reviewers may have certain agenda though.

There are many other speakers that get the same sort of attention in the forums, and I wonder why Harbeth was picked.

Are any of you using the SHL5 for watching movies in 2-channel ? how do they fare?
I am using the SHL5 for both but have to admit the speakers get very limited prime time as 95% of the time they were used in 2-channel listening.
james63
534 posts
 
I have never heard them but I have read most of what is posted. I have made no effort to go hear them because I know they are not for me. I tend to like ultra detailed balanced speakers. Detailed speakers can also have good tone...

I think the key in this hobby is knowing what you like. I am sure Harbeths are great speakers for many people that like a soft highs and a speaker with a little romance than still gets midrange tone right.

My only really issues with them (on paper) is in the day of computer modeling they do not take simple box diffraction into account. But they use a reversed roll surround driver (much like Thiel and others) to reduce standing waves in the drivers... I don't get how you could go through the effort of making/buying great drivers and using a so so box.

All of this is speculation of course because I have never heard them.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
How would you describe the differences between the M30s and HL5s? I did here the M40s, and at least in that room with Mac gear, it just seemed like too much bass, they might have needed a bigger room to be balanced. Another think I have noticed is the number of people that like Harbeth, Verity, and Merlin - they have something in common and it must be the mid-range.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
I don't get how you could go through the effort of making/buying great drivers and using a so so box.
I don't see this as accurate. From what I understand, much time and study has went into each "box".
More to discover