Harbeth in Richer Sounds

[nopiano]

I didn’t expect to see this British brand on sale in our biggest chain, but it’ll presumably give a bit more profile to both? I believe the majority of sales are to the far east so maybe that market is shrinking?

 

[Integralista]

I didn’t expect to see this British brand on sale in our biggest chain, but it’ll presumably give a bit more profile to both? I believe the majority of sales are to the far east so maybe that market is shrinking?

Or far east and east buy more and more their local hifi, which is getting better day by day. A bit similar like automotive sector, where EU has eyes for crying. We have lost our breath somehow.

 

[jetblack9090]

Or far east and east buy more and more their local hifi, which is getting better day by day. A bit similar like automotive sector, where EU has eyes for crying. We have lost our breath somehow.

No that's not it, first off I believe it's a two-fold problem.

Problem one is an oversaturation of the market, everybody that had the money to buy a pair of these speakers, bought them and is loving every minute of it. For everybody else it's simply a pipe dream being able to own a pair of harbeth speakers.

Problem number two is The fact that the Asian middle class has been shrinking over the past decade. And the amount of people able to buy A 3,000 quid pair of high-end speakers no longer can and the people that are aspiring to can't either.

The company has to do something so why not put them in the largest Hi-Fi store in the Nation? Everywhere from Cardiff to Edinburgh, ol London town all the way to Blackpool, every regular bloke and wanker can walk in and buy fresh off the shelf a pair of some of the finest loudspeakers made today.

 

[podknocker]

Haha!

I said this would happen years ago and I got blasted for it.

Alan Shaw must be feeling the pinch like many others and now needs more exposure to increase sales.

I'm looking now, but there's no discount available on any model.

I'm going to be watching these RS pages daily from now on!

I would love a pair of these, plus decent stands, but sadly they are too big for my living room.

Harbeth C7ES-3 XD (Cherry)

Shop for Harbeth C7ES-3 XD (Cherry) Bookshelf Speaker Pair with Richer Sounds for a 6 Year Guarantee, expert advice and Lowest Prices Guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

So expensive though. The free RS 6 year warranty sweetens the pill a little I suppose.

 

[nopiano]

Haha!

I said this would happen years ago and I got blasted for it.

Alan Shaw must be feeling the pinch like many others and now needs more exposure to increase sales.

I'm looking now, but there's no discount available on any model.

I'm going to be watching these RS pages daily from now on!

I would love a pair of these, plus decent stands, but sadly they are too big for my living room.

Harbeth C7ES-3 XD (Cherry)

Shop for Harbeth C7ES-3 XD (Cherry) Bookshelf Speaker Pair with Richer Sounds for a 6 Year Guarantee, expert advice and Lowest Prices Guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

So expensive though. The free RS 6 year warranty sweetens the pill a little I suppose.

There are two pairs of these on eBay, £1799 starting price. I like the pale ones, is it silver willow? Not as tempting as the discontinued Tamo Ash but still striking.

 

[DougK1]

There are two pairs of these on eBay, £1799 starting price. I like the pale ones, is it silver willow? Not as tempting as the discontinued Tamo Ash but still striking.

Yep, I saw those, potentially a good buy as I think Harbeth owners tend to look after them. A few days ago HiFi Corner eBay store were selling two pairs of new, (graded), C7's at the same starting price or best offer, they sold pretty quickly.

 

[nopiano]

Yep, I saw those, potentially a good buy as I think Harbeth owners tend to look after them. A few days ago HiFi Corner eBay store were selling two pairs of new, (graded), C7's at the same starting price or best offer, they sold pretty quickly.

It was Hifi Corner I was thinking of. They were only on for three days auction. £1850 a pair is a great price for the ones I liked!

 

[Amormusic]

C7ES-3 XD. When I did my massive speaker quest I nearly bought some. My online notes ramblings of a now gone website were along the lines of...

Stupidest name ever for a speaker but the most complete I've ever heard. In short I loved them and thought they were amazing. The Tamo finish also looks amazing. I almost bought them, but ended up buying something else.

However, I would still love to revisit this and buy a pair. The two speakers that got away for me were these and ProAc DB1. Both of which I'll own at some point.

Fantastic. I may have to have a look in RS again. I've not been there for ages and didn't realise they stocked kit of this quality.

 

[podknocker]

Many on this forum said Cyrus would never have their kit for sale on Richer Sounds and that happened. I think there are many brands out there lining up for more outlets, including Richer Sounds. RS is a great company and sell great kit at great prices. They also give 6 year warranties on most TVs and speakers, which is somethimg that's attracted me to their shop. It's going to be interesting how much discount Alan Shaw will allow at Richer Sounds. It's going to happen. He might not get as many sales as he wants, so might give in and reduce margins, which must be considerable, even for small production runs in a small factory.

 

[RoA]

Surprised at this move. Harbeth usually also dem their systems with Hegel at shows, a brand RS does not sell. I wonder what Shaw has suggested to use instead for instore demos.

If it makes the brand more accessible why not. Though Harbeth should consider either lowering their prices or producing a more affordable line.

£2600 for their P3 is frankly, astonishing though they clearly gunning for the LS3/5A crowd. Enough mad folks around to pay that, in the far east and here.

 

[twinkletoes]

every one is seeing it from Harbeth side, Id actually say it was probably richer sound that went after this brand. Brands dont approach shops to sell. Not unless there just starting out. Harbeth are world wide they dont need Richer sounds to be on board. But the relation ship will foster new clients for both brands. Hence the attraction im sure.

prices are what they are for everybody, they can't been seen to be brokering deals that undercut other suppliers well they can but seen as sly Im sure and would certainly upset long established suppliers. But what richer sounds decide to do with sales is up to them, if indeed they harbeth are allowed to be included in sales. Not all brands participate in sales. We had quite a few back in the day we were not allow to mark down.

 

[RoA]

I just wonder how many will walk into a RS and buy £3k+ speakers? I think it's a great move though and could mean they will stock more premium brands in the future. I guess they will need to keep some stock ... .

 

[daytona600]

Walked by local branch yesterday & chap walking out with a £15,000 Sony projector

 

[RoA]

I am sure they make much more money in AV/TV's than Hifi these days. If I mention the local RS to anyone it's usually about TV's.

 

[davidf]

Walked by local branch yesterday & chap walking out with a £15,000 Sony projector

A proper dealer would be installing it.

 

[podknocker]

Id actually say it was probably richer sound that went after this brand. Brands dont approach shops to sell. Not unless there just starting out. Harbeth are world wide they dont need Richer sounds to be on board. But the relation ship will foster new clients for both brands. Hence the attraction im sure.

I think it's a two way street, if sales are falling. RS can ask Harbeth to add a bit of prestige to their stores and Harbeth need more sales, as the far eastern market is now saturated and even the well heeled are thinking twice about dropping so much on a pair of speakers. We'll never know who phoned who, but I don't think RS need more lines on their website, but I do think Alan Shaw realises markets are volatile and shrinking. I can see Harbeth quadrupling production and /or reducing prices to get more sales. I think Harbeth speakers in 5 years will be half the price they are now. The quality will remain, but there will be efficiencies in production runs and the brand won't be as esoteric as it's been for decades.

 

[Gray]

I think Harbeth speakers in 5 years will be half the price they are now.

You'll be lucky Pod.

 

[DougK1]

The only way Harbeth will halve their price is if they move production to China. A British made speaker is a British made speaker, a move to China would dilute the brand and seriously harm their reputation. Price wise they are in the same ballpark as any other exclusively British made speaker.

Gray has similar sized PMC speakers to my Harbeth's, current price new they are within a few hundred quid of each other. I'm not saying Harbeth aren't expensive, but you pay your money and make your choice.

 

[Gray]

There's no doubt that the price of English made speakers is excessive.

I like PMC and was reading the WHF review of the Prodigy 1 again last night.
A speaker that looks better than the photos when you see it - but the little thing is hardly cheap at £1250, available in one "take it or leave it" finish - and asks you to pay £99 more for grilles.

Mind you, compared to some of these 're-imagined' classic speakers, I suppose it's a bargain 🤨

 

[DougK1]

There's no doubt that the price of English made speakers is excessive.

I like PMC and was reading the WHF review of the Prodigy 1 again last night.
A speaker that looks better than the photos when you see it - but the little thing is hardly cheap at £1250, available in one "take it or leave it" finish - and asks you to pay £99 more for grilles.

Mind you, compared to some of these 're-imagined' classic speakers, I suppose it's a bargain 🤨

Yep, and PMC's cheapest speaker in the twenty series range is nearly £2600, Harbeth P3 is just over £2600. All we can do is moan and dream I suppose

 

[Deliriumbassist]

Brands dont approach shops to sell.

Incorrect - it happens both ways. Having been in the industry, brands DO approach shops to sell. Smart ones do, anyway. They will determine their target market(s), and pitch to the retailers that these target markets go to. Then there's the geographical aspect.

Smart brands will find new retail channels such as Richer Sounds, Best Buy etc because these retailers have brand recognition - the younger generation will initially go to these places rather than specialists because that's where their parents went to. It's that familiarity that matters. Doesn't mean that the purchase will happen there, though.

 

[plastic penguin]

I think it's a shrewed move for both RS & Harbeth. It bring the brand closer to the mainstream market, as some see Harbeth as fairly exclusive brand.

My only concern is whether old Shaw baby can get the extra units made for the expanding market.

 

[davidf]

I think it's a two way street, if sales are falling. RS can ask Harbeth to add a bit of prestige to their stores and Harbeth need more sales...

If a manufacturer has decent U.K. coverage already (which they should do), adding more stores won't change anything, especially for niche brands. All that happens is the existing sales get diluted through the dealership. I don't think the average RS customer is going to walk out with something like Harbeth, they're going to walk out with something more mainstream (and pretty), unless RS are going to fully get behind the brand in order to create sales - but that would mean potentially hurting sales of their favourites.

I can only presume that the lifestyle market didn't pan out for Cambridge Audio (tried to follow the Naim one box lifestyle market), and maybe the big CA pre/power thing didn't work out either, hence their hunt for higher end named brands. They are actively approaching brands, but it all comes down to how the brand feels it will affect their reputation. But it could be a case of getting some named brands to attract customers, then switch sell to their own favourites, which has been the case in the past.

EDIT: only three RS stores listed on Harbeth's dealer listing. That makes 29 stores nationwide, plenty for a niche brand.

 

[plastic penguin]

If a manufacturer has decent U.K. coverage already (which they should do), adding more stores won't change anything, especially for niche brands. All that happens is the existing sales get diluted through the dealership. I don't think the average RS customer is going to walk out with something like Harbeth, they're going to walk out with something more mainstream (and pretty), unless RS are going to fully get behind the brand in order to create sales - but that would mean potentially hurting sales of their favourites.

I can only presume that the lifestyle market didn't pan out for Cambridge Audio (tried to follow the Naim one box lifestyle market), and maybe the big CA pre/power thing didn't work out either, hence their hunt for higher end named brands. They are actively approaching brands, but it all comes down to how the brand feels it will affect their reputation. But it could be a case of getting some named brands to attract customers, then switch sell to their own favourites, which has been the case in the past.

EDIT: only three RS stores listed on Harbeth's dealer listing. That makes 29 stores nationwide, plenty for a niche brand.

I'm sure if ask a branch that doesn't sell Harbeth you want a demo, they would do it. It's the same as Leema. Only 2 branches (Manchester & Southampton I think) stock Leema, but the Kingston branch said if I wanted a demo of a Quasar, they could get one sent by overnight carrier. It's not ideal but doable. As long as you're a serious potential buyer.

I'm a big fan of RS, ever since I purchased Arcam Alpha 7 from them back in the late 90s.

 

[podknocker]

Both Leema and Harbeth will still sell plenty, even if very few stores actually stock them. I've bought stuff online, without an audition and it's been a good choice in the main.

Anyone got a Leema Quasar at £3125 with a pair of Harbeth C7ES-3 XD at £3745 in their living room?

That's a system I'd like to listen to, just to find out what £7k gets you these days.