2. speakers
  3. 174667-141093

What Is So Special About Harbeth?

SLike probably all of you, I just received notice from Audiogon of a 20% discount on Harbeth XD. I clicked on the tab and found that the sale price is about $2700. I have read so many glowing comments here about Harbeth — as if just saying the name is the password for entering aural nirvana. I admit, I haven’t listened to Harbeth speakers. But looking at these, they just look like smallish bookshelf speakers. I’m not questioning how good others say these speakers are, but HOW do they do it out of an ordinary-looking box?

Is it the wood? Is it the bracing? Is it the crossover components? Is it the cone material? What is the reason why these Harbeth’s are such gems compared to other bookshelf speakers? What is it about the construction or technology that makes these speakers a deal at $2700 on sale versus the $800, 900 or $1,000 that others normally cost? What is the secret that makes audiophiles thrill to get such a costly bargain?

bob540
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,484 posts
 

I guess you haven’t looked at the prices of  Spendor, Graham, ATC  and many other type of that speaker lately?

hoytis
85 posts
 

Watch this. Harbeth feels the design and engineering of the cone is the most important piece. Plus everything is handmade with intense quality control, you end up with something special that absolutely nails natural timbre with beautiful details.

But is it worth that price tag? I think it depends how you intend use them and your room. I have ProAc Tab 10s, which I think play in the same arena with Harbeth. They definitely slay any speaker of comparable size. It's near-field nirvana. But for a living room space they just don't fill out the bottom end as much as I like. It's just physics of small diameter woofers.

larsman's avatar
larsman
1,753 posts
 

I had Harbeth Super HL-5's for about 7 or 8 years; they are wonderful speakers with a great mid-range and treble; if you want bass, a sub-woofer would be recommended. I think they're best for jazz, classical, and more acoustic music. I'm a rocker, and while I enjoyed my time with them, I'm enjoying my KLH Model 5's a  lot more, and my Fritz Carerra BE's before those, as well. 

More to discover