There is no way that you are getting everything from the Harbeths running them with a 50W amplifier. I am a former SHL5+ owner.
Joseph Audio Perspective2 vs Harbeth SHL5+
I currently own Harbeth SHL5+ and I’m generally very happy with them. I’m driving them with Audio Hungary a50i tube amp (50 watts class A) and don’t feel that the amp struggles at all. I have an opportunity to buy a used pair of Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphene in excellent condition. Just wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the JA Perspective2 with SHL5+. From what I understand they sound quite different but I’m not sure how. The Perspectives are obviously quite a bit more expensive than the Harbeths but I understand that this doesn’t automatically imply that they are better. Someone told me that the Perspective 2 is more in Harbeth 40.x league instead of SHL5+.
As good as the SHL5+ are, I do sometimes yearn for a wider and deeper soundstage with bigger bass (although I have a pair of REL S/510s to supplement). I would really appreciate if people who have made the move from SHL5+ to JA Perespective2 Graphene, or vice versa, can share their impressions.
Note: My room is 20 x 15 with 12 foot high ceilings. The speakers will be placed along the short wall. I can pull them out by 4 feet from the front wall and about 2 feet from the side walls. My room is treated with GIK panels. My biggest concern is whether my AH Qualiton a50i will be able to drive the Joseph Audios well.
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@tswisla While I agree that SHL5+ can benefit from high-powered amps, you'd be surprised how well they work with my Qualiton amp. Just for reference, I have tried the speakers with Luxman 590AXII (owned), Hegel H390 (extended home audition), Kinki EX-M1(owned), Naim Supernait 3 (home audition), VTL IT-85 (owned), ARC GSi75 (owned), and Sim Audio Moon 340i (home audition). So hopefully you can see that I've been around :) I understand that watts are watts, yet for some reason the 50 tube class A watts seem to go a lot further than the typical A/B watts. Yes, you do give up the tight and impactful bass a little, but what you gain in soundstaging, midrange, air, palpability, and the holographic/3D sound is worth every penny. Anyways, the SHL5+ sounded (to my ears of course) the best with the a50i once I replaced KT-120s with 150s, which presumably is giving 60 watts now. I'm sure the speakers excel in many areas with big iron SS amps, but for my tastes the a50i was perfect with SHL5+. Now having said that, it is struggling a little bit with the JA Perspective2's. I've been listening to the Josephs since Friday and will share my impressions soon. |
Yikes! The original Perspectives clock in at 84dB sensitivity! https://www.stereophile.com/content/joseph-audio-perspective-loudspeaker-measurements No wonder Joseph Audio omits that specification on its website, and only lists the relatively benign impedance. |
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I have the original Pulsars. I am offering this comparison as they have very similar sensitivity measurements in Stereophile to the Perspectives. It's not apples to apples but similar in nature. Yes the sensitivity (on paper) is low- Stereophile measured the Pulsars at 83.5 db efficient. I have run them on two different tube amps, a BAT VK-55SE at 55 WPC and an Audio Research Ref 75SE at 75 WPC. Both worked wonderfully well in my experience and neither left me wanting for more. My current setup uses the Ref 75SE and it is such a great combo! Will more power be better? Maybe but don't write them off running medium power tube amps. Stereophile mentioned the Pulsar's impedance and them being an easy load for amplifiers in spite of the low sensitivity. That said, it is a little suspect Joseph doesn't publish the sensitivity ratings but in my experience it played out as they claim. Of course, as always your mileage may very. |
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