Considering Harbeth C 7ES-3

I had the 7's and loved them. Now have the 40th SL's. The Analog Room in Campbell is a Harbeth dealer.

Listen to some ProAc and Spendor speakers. I had Harbeth and they were not to my taste. You might like them.

Also seek out an audition of the Spendor A4. $3500/pair. They have greater bass extension, less cabinet noise and superior resolution. If connected to high-quality ancillaries, they can sound as good as some $10K speakers. I could imagine them being the end-game for many listeners.  

Another speaker I'd take over the C7s at $3K/pair are the Rega RX-5s. What Hi-Fi gave them a luke-warm review, and despite usually agreeing with their assessments, I didn't hear any of the issues they noted. 

If someone likes the Harbeths, I doubt they'd really like the Spendor floor standers.  They don't have that lush organic sound of the Harbeths.

If someone likes the Harbeths, I doubt they'd really like the Spendor floor standers. They don't have that lush organic sound of the Harbeths

In my experience the new Spendor A series sounds far more organic than any Harbeth I've heard. I do know that some of the older A-series models, the A6R in particular, are not very well received but the new ones are incredibly good values. There is nothing the C7 does better than the A4s, the latter are in a whole other league.