Joseph Audio Perspective2 vs Harbeth SHL5+

@prof I was quite satisfied with the soundstage depth of SHL5+, but it all depends on your reference point. It is quite possible that you were getting better depth from other speakers and the SHL5+ fell short in comparison.

Also, note that I’m still fussing around with finding the best position for the Perspectives. Initially, I had them towed in at almost the same angle as my Harbeths. On Saturday, I reduce the angle by quite a bit, so now the toe-in is minimal (maybe 15 degrees), and I noticed that the soundstage got even wider. The funny thing is that the center image is more ’filled out’ and the vocals are dead center. I usually got this effect with other speakers when the toe in angle was greater. These JAs seem to be different in this aspect. I will continue to experiment with positioning next weekend.

The JAs allow quite a wide spread, yet you still get good imaging.

One time I put them almost entirely to the sides of my room and the soundstage was ridiculously massive, and still good imaging.  Putting both speakers too close to the side walls did introduce a bit of thickness in the bass so I found a nice position with a wide stage and evenly balanced sound. 

arafiq: Reviving this old thread! ;) I had both SHL5+ for about a year, then I sold them and bought the JA Pulsar II Graphene which I loved, but got the itch to try a pair of JA Floor-Standers which I am buying off of a friend. So thank you for your review as it helped me on my expectations as I love the sound of JA, as I have always had a pair of JA in my house over the years on and off and always seem to come back home to their house sound that my ears like. Another Speaker Brand that I feel the same way about is Dynaudio as I own a pair of Confidence C2 and they seem to liked to be toed in a bit more. 

@gandalf Just reading your post now.

You didn't specify which JA floorstander, but I'm assuming you're referring to JA Perspective2 Graphene? Although, I don't own them anymore I still have fond memories of that speaker. If you like a modern, crisp sound then this speaker is hard to beat at that price point. I had been on a journey and changing speakers not because there was anything wrong with them but just that I wanted to explore different designs out there.

I moved on from the Perspectives2 to Harbeth 40.2. They are very different in their presentation so it's more a matter of preference. For my taste, I preferred the Harbeths and just fell in love with the beautiful midrange and vocals. However, they were not as transparent and fast as the Perspective2's. Plus the bass was not as punchy either.  I briefly flirted with Magnepan 1.7s and 3.7i's but ultimately couldn't live with the many deficiencies. I currently own a little known brand, at least in the US, called German Physiks Unicorn II. Single, wideband driver, omni-directional. I feel it provides the right balance between something modern and fast like the Perspective2, the midrange magic of the Harbeths, and the three-dimensional soundstage of Maggies. These will probably stay with me for some time. 

Anyways, I still remain a fan of Joseph Audio. The Perspective2's are, IMO, better than many similarly priced speakers like Focals, Sonus Fabers, or the smaller Wilsons. Just my opinion. The Pearls remain on my wish list ... maybe some day.

Good luck and let us know what you think once bring them home.