Harbeth 40.2


Anybody have any experience with the Harbeth 40.2 speakers regarding room size, placement, power requirements, and of course the subjective stuff, especially regarding comparisons to other speakers in their price range?
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I was going to get the 40.2 harbeth speakers..  but I couldn’t get past the boxy looks.. The 17” width and stands.. just wouldn’t work well in my room..  I was still going to get them based on the sound quality..  I then discovered the Daedalus Audio Athena and bought a pair.. They look stunning and have that non fatiguing sound I was looking for !!  You can’t go wrong with the Harbeths..  but there are other choices out there that do just as well..
Food for thought my listening height to my Harbeth 40.2 is below the recommended tweeter level and recently I put a pillow cushion on my eames lounger [sacrilegious] to align height and now the system sounds better still.  Not a huge difference but it just gets the balance right.


I have been living with 40.2 Aniversarries for several months. Check my other posts. I am driving them with Simaudio 400M mono blocks, 390 pre-amp, and CD260T in a large room.
I would not recommend ANY piece of equipment blindly. What I consider OK you might hate.
Yes, Harbeths are WARM - they do not have resolution of Focals, B&Ws, Logans, or Raidho and Wilsons - you can get away with it in the live - open, hardwood floored space BUT once you have cosy - well carpeted and furnished room, 40.2s become chocolate - syrupy with ALL music program. 
Also, they are very sensitive to the material of which your space is made or - concrete, heavy basement will work much better than condo - style plywood room ( cabinet are lively and will go into resonance at different frequencies if walls are not sturdy enough or acoustically treated).
I have heard all Harbeth line in my personal space as well as in other rooms  - sounds signature changes drastically from case to case.

Best advice - try to have your dealer arrange the demo in your own room with your own electronics - best way to see if you like them.Â