Moving up the Harbeth line


I was fortunate to move my home office to another room which is a bit bigger than the previous one. Dimensions are 12x13 with almost 20-foot ceilings. As much as I love my Harbeth P3esr's, I can't help but notice that they've been outclassed by the bigger room, especially the high ceiling. This pair of speakers has been a mainstay in my home office/study for a number of years, and I find it to be a perfect fit for my listening habits and music preferences. But in the new setting, it's not able to fill the room as well as it used to. For examples, horns and piano now sound much smaller and distant. So that got me thinking of an upgrade. I have been using a Raven Audio Blackhawk MK3 for a few months and would want to stick with it if possible. There are very few speakers that have allowed me to make an emotional connection with the music, and Harbeth is certainly one of them. So my preference is to stay with the brand.

Now, before the 'search bar is your best friend' folks come swinging at me, I have read a few threads on similar topics but they all seem to be inconclusive, or at least I'm not able to decipher a reasonable consensus. Having spent way too much money on this addiction, err, hobby, in the last 12 months, I have to resort to buying used equipment only, and that too has to wait for at least 2-3 months. So, doing an in-house demo is going to be difficult if not impossible. And, AFAIK, there are no dealers nearby (Dallas area) either.

I would love to hear from people who have moved up the Harbeth food chain. The M30.x seems to be a logical next step, but I see an equal number of negative opinions (too polite, too boxy, pipe and slippers) as positive ones. Is there anyone who thinks that the M30 retains the same magic as the P3esr's but serves it in relatively bigger portions? Because that's what I'm mainly looking for to be honest -- a bigger version of P3esr. Or do you think the cons negate the pros offered by the bigger cabinet size?

Next up is SHL5+. Again, the opinions vary widely. Some are saying that this particular model deviates the most from the classic Harbeth sound. Another concern is that my room might be too small for them (?). Also, I cannot pull them more than one and a half feet from the front wall. Is that going to result in ugly bass problems?

I'm not against trying another brand, but would prefer an opinion that is based on an actual comparison with Harbeth speakers.
128x128arafiq
I went from LS3/5a which is similar to the P3 to the 30.1 and they are absolutely glorious in a small room. I listen near-field as well with a pair of Rel subs. Highly recommend the 30's!
-Alex
30.x is the way to go.  I heard them in a small hotel room and they were great.  Tube powered, BTW.
Because of the twenty foot ceiling in that room you need a bigger harbeth i do not think the 30 or the shl5 would be enough maaybe but i would try the 40 in that space it would bring out the sound you would want and not be distant or weak at all but that is a major step from the p3esr sound it is a full range speaker no sub needed but you might not like such a large change i would go with the spendor s100 used same designer but an even bigger and better sound for a lot less money.
I love my 30.2s in similar distance as your setup. My ceiling slopes up pretty high behind the speakers. They fIll the room beautifully. Check out my system page for comparison with yours.
Re best Power option. I have read many HB owners prefer SS with 100+ wpc, doubling down as ohms get lower. They may have larger rooms though. I agree that 20wpc of tube may short change you a bit.

Between models my ears enjoy the HL over 30's or 40's.
As 2Left mentioned I too heard the 30's and 40's in two different same size hotel rooms and the 30's sounded better in that smaller room.

If I lived in Dallas-did once many years ago- I would make an appt. with Danny at GR Research. Besides having a great resource so close you also apparently support your local manufacturers.

I am anxious to visit Danny and get a listen to his speakers. 


Good luck to you!!