Harbeth vs Graham audio


A question for connoisseurs of English sound. as known, the best speakers reproducing perfect vocals were Harbeth. The m30 and hl5 became the idols of many audiophiles. but not so long ago, a new Graham audio player entered the market. Rumor has it that Graham's midrange is just superb. but still. which company is better? who can not be distinguished from real vocals? Who is more faithful to the traditions of bbc monitors?
128x128capitanblood
From all the speakers have have heard I think Graham Audio speakers have the best tone! I think getting the "right tone" is the most important thing with any speakers!
 
I've heard the Graham LS5/9's and Graham LS5/8's and I think they sound better than the raved Yamaha NS-5000's
I can't wait to listen to the all new Graham Audio LS5/5's!
  
They say these speakers are by far the best they have ever made yet..
@rossb when you keep the ls6, does it mean you prefer it better than all the others that you’ve owned, including the harbeth 30.2? I heard it is much more neutral than the overly rich and even nasal 30.1.

And your preference of ls6 over ls5/9 is because of the tweeter is it?

Apologies, I have only just noticed your post.

I do prefer the LS6 to all of the other speakers I mentioned.

When I owned the LS5/9s and the 30.2s at the same time I went back and forth between the two and ultimately decided to keep the Harbeths over the Grahams, although it was very close. The Harbeths were more coloured, the Grahams more neutral and more dynamic. But I just couldn’t get over the tweeter in the LS5/9, which made the treble too "big" and too prominent.

But then I got the LS6, which were just perfect. They are at least as dynamic as the LS5/9, tonally rich while still being (relatively) neutral, and with a more natural treble presentation. The Harbeths were dull and obviously coloured by comparison. The LS6 are the most musical and engaging speakers I have heard. (Note: they do take quite a while to run in and for the first month or two sound very uneven, with a slightly dry sound and a boomy bass. It is really essential to hear a well run in pair in order to assess them.)

I still rate the Graham LS3/5 very highly and have no plans to sell these. They are slightly sweeter, and produce sharper images (although a little more two dimensional) and very engaging. But the lack of any real bass - and some lower midrange - rules them out as main speakers for me, although I still keep them to listen to from time to time. The LS6 sound virtually identical, just with a more satisfying amount of bass and scale, but a touch less sweet sounding and with slightly less precise imaging.


Here's a review on the latest Graham Audio LS5/9F speakers that just come on the market. 
 
"For some of us these speakers might be the last speakers you will ever buy" ! 
 
 http://highfidelity.pl/@main-1002&lang=en
 

@twoleftears,

’You’ve actually got Graham, Stirling, Falcon, and the Spendor Classic line. Good luck trying to audition more than two of those (and Harbeth) in the same system.’

It’s a lasting pity that getting to hear these speakers together is still so difficult.

Still, it’s amazing how all these BBC based designs seem to go from strength to strength. 15 - 20 years ago it was virtually just Harbeth flying the flag, with Spendor playing a close second fiddle.

This whole whole resurgence of the British loudspeaker sound seems to have been driven by the little speaker that refuses to die - the BBC LS3/5.

Back in the 1990s it was hardly getting a look-in in the mainstream audio press and yet now numerous versions are available.

Industry politics makes a comparative group test impossible, but the impression I get from reading owners accounts is that there isn’t too much separating the various brands.


@highend666

Interesting review. One that’s hard to get out of your mind. Especially this following passage.

’It is much easier for me to say who will NOT like it. The Grahams will not be liked, I think, by those who like highly detailed sound. The LS5/9f will not offer it. Also those who like a rigid, clear attack and precise sound will not be satisfied. These speakers will not be their first choice. They won’t also fulfil expectations of those for whom the bass must be perfectly controlled at all costs.

Grahams don’t do that.

They do something completely different: they are unbelievably natural’


’Unbelievably natural’?

Somewhat over the top? No?

Well, maybe then the Graham LS5/9F is another one to look out for in future. Especially as Derek Hughes seems to be one of the nicest people in the business.

https://grahamaudio.co.uk/technology/video/