Looking to upgrade my 3-way towers

Routeman21, are you anywhere near the st. louis area?
I’d like to get a couple of ears on these.

Tim

@routeman21 

To me, this sounds like a case of amp and speaker not synergizing -not playing well together. Again, to me, the amp/pre/speaker interface is most important. Get this right, and your system will sing. Mismatch and you probably won't ever get it right.

I'm unfamiliar with your amp and speakers. As your amp appears to be older CJ, I'd assume it is more syrupy and dark - unable to produce significant snap and sparkle - aspects of sound you and I are both looking for. If that is the case, it won't work well with the Harbeths, which on the other hand I know quite well. If I am wrong on the CJ, please disregard.

I have significant experience with the SHL5+, both at a friends and at our dealers. They synergize well with Luxman, Rogers Highfidelity, & Line Magnetic and various brands as others will attest. Since you like tubes, Rogers or LM would work well. Both have snap and sparkle with the SHL5+ and 30.2s and other speakers in the Harbeth line. In my opinion, they are both quite good with Harbeth.

In the end, I don't know CJ gear and so I'm not sure how it will pair with other speakers and what speakers it can make sing. But I do know Harbeth and they indeed can and do sing (snap, sparkle, etc) very well. I know you didn't ask for an amp recommendation, but it may not be the speakers, but rather the amp that is the culprit here. 

The best $10k new speaker I've heard is by far the Wharfedale Elesian4 and pairs well with the amps mentioned above. 

Good luck in your journey

timlub1,

I live in the Allentown, Pa. area, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia along the east coast of Pa. near NJ.

pokey77,
Yes, the synergy between the CJ LP70s tube amp and the Harbeth Super HL5+ is different than what I'm used to. Some listeners might love it. Maybe I'll get used to it down the line but I'm not too sure. Also, I paired the Harbeth with my Conrad Johnson ET250s hybrid (tube in, ss out) power amp with much different results: More snap and sizzle but at the expense of some upper mid to high end glare & shrillness to the overall texture .Also, I get the same results with the CJ hybrid/Ascend tower pairing, only worse. Perhaps CJ works better with other speaker brands.

Any CJ owners out there? I need your input!

OP - make short trek to New Jersey to go see Johnny R at @audioconnection He knows what your amp can do - I never recommend anything I have never heard ... so with that in mind try out the Vandersteen Treo CT - they will work great in your room and they are engineered to be an easy load for your amp. A used pair of Quattro w powered bass will sing w your amp.

@timlub I get to St. Louis now and then, will advise if I do. I would if I were you get Keith Herron to listen to them....

have fun, enjoy the music

In the meantime get Jim Smiths book on getting better sound. 
And what 2-3 vocal tracks are you struggling with and at what peak SPL ???