Some more recent developments, I was lucky enough to borrow some
Harbeth P3ES off a local friend which were really nice.
I have never had any Harbeth speakers but I was interested in the little P3ES as its a natural contender to the SCM10 and Kolts.
They are a bit more efficient than the Kolts and SCM10s (both 80dB Vs ~83dB) and certainly sit in the middle in terms of bass extension (not including the Xtender) as they have a bit more depth than the Kolts but not as much as the SCM10s.
In my room I do prefer them without the Xtender connected, the midrange seems to suffer, which is a shame as its that which really stands out with the Harbeths. The extender does not seem to go that deep either, just a little bit and the bass is not the best, maybe they are designed for larger rooms.
They have nice overall balance, although verging towards a little bright compared to the SCM10s, which is not always a bad thing as the SCM10s can (and do) sound a bit flat with less than great recordings, where as the Harbeths give a little enjoyment while not being too far from the 'truth'.
The little Harbeths do lack a little dynamics, even when compared to the SCM10, which is noticable with any kind of dance/electronic music but again, better than the Kolts.
Then, this weekend, my 'Dream' speakers have arrived at Hoops Manor.
After owning the Rega R1, R3s and really missing my R7s I sold many years back, with much regret, I had been looking for another pair of R7s. To my surprise I was offered a pair of even rarer
Rega R9s, I never though A. that I would ever find a pair and B. that I could afford a pair. But alas, a pair came along at a price I could not refuse, and after a cancellation of a previous engagement yesterday, I fired up the metro and drove t'up north to collect them!
I had been looking at the Harbeths + Sub idea after playing with the P3ES but I was also after the R7s so thought I would go for the R9s as they really don't come up often and thought it was too good to pass on. I assume they did not sell many, these are 00049 and 00050 serial numbers.
The Tannoys have been relegated to the spare room as part of a long term project.
Given their size I had thought that they might be a bit big for my room, and would require the built in bass-attenuation setting, but actually they work pretty well, might need some more experimentation (tried some more positions since the photo) but initial impression seems they sound a bit better in my room with the bass drivers on the inside and toed in a little.