Harbeth 40.3's. Should I buy them?

Great post, thanks. Having owned and enjoyed the 40.3XD and giving up on them, maybe I can offer an opinion. The 40.3’s are “good” at many things, to my ear they weren’t great at anything, though the upper mids are a standout. That said, I’m not sure if the mids were outstanding because the rest was more average. I also found the bass response lacklustre, especially at low and mid level volumes.
For context I am running Allnic A6000’s w/ an A4000 pre  

A whiffed attempt at something off the grid, I paired the aforementioned gear with Sabrina X’s, different, perhaps better but not captivating  

In walked Audio Note AN E-D - again, to my ears they smoked the 40.3’s and Sabrina’s, they were less than half the price of the others no less! Plus the added real estate they provided due to placement  

in my humblest of opinions, I would give the AN’s another serious audition  

listen well and enjoy the ride  

Great post, thanks. Having owned and enjoyed the 40.3XD and giving up on them, maybe I can offer an opinion. The 40.3’s are “good” at many things, to my ear they weren’t great at anything, though the upper mids are a standout. That said, I’m not sure if the mids were outstanding because the rest was more average. I also found the bass response lacklustre, especially at low and mid level volumes.
For context I am running Allnic A6000’s w/ an A4000 pre  

A whiffed attempt at something off the grid, I paired the aforementioned gear with Sabrina X’s, different, perhaps better but not captivating  

In walked Audio Note AN E-D - again, to my ears they smoked the 40.3’s and Sabrina’s, they were less than half the price of the others no less! Plus the added real estate they provided due to placement  

in my humblest of opinions, I would give the AN’s another serious audition  

listen well and enjoy the ride  

Never sell those allnics they are end game .... Fyne audio and Tannoys do classical jazz and can rock out too ...

ozzy62. The Spatial's X3's do not need subs. I did feel like they could be improved with a more powerful plate amp, however, and a few X3 owners have done that. I cannot use separate subs in my system due to the lack of pre-outs (although I'm cheating at the moment).

I've listened to Audio Note many times and know their capabilities. I don't believe they are the best option for us. For a second system, heck yeah. I WILL build one of their kits one day. Then I'll get an AN E-D.

I've never liked the Zu sound. But I get their allure.

Allnic A6000's w / an A4000 pre? Damn. That would make my early 60's Zenith clock radio get up and perform 3D music. I might pay just to hear that combo!  That combo might even smoke my former best, the Joule Electra VZN100's. I may have to revisit the AN E-D.

I know a former X3 owner that went the Fyne route.

If you like Harbeth an ANE's but wanna be able to rock out more I'd through Devore O-96's into the mix.