Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the Harbeth P3ESR as a match for the Brio-R. Looking for something to work in a smallish space.
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Harbeth P3ESR a good match for the Brio-R
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The dealer where I heard them reckoned they need more power to sound at their best. He demonstrated using my 50w amp and a 100w amp, and I'd have to say I agreed
I think you have been given good advice above. The tonal qualities of the two should sound wonderful...provided the Brio can drive them properly.
Most speakers sound much better with more power (current), it's just whether you like what they sound like with less, vs the opposition (eg. Regas own)....they might sound even more "bass light" than they already do. You will only know when you try them in your own room, as it's too personal for any of us to call.
If you love the sound but find the bass too light, you have too options:
- Wait till you can get a bigger boned amp
- Get yourself a little sub, like the BK Gemini.
IMO. You always need to be careful matching a cheaper amp with much dearer speakers, but in this case, it might just work (and your speakers are sorted if you upgrade at a later date).
Give it a demo and tell us what you think
Cno
Most speakers sound much better with more power (current), it's just whether you like what they sound like with less, vs the opposition (eg. Regas own)....they might sound even more "bass light" than they already do. You will only know when you try them in your own room, as it's too personal for any of us to call.
If you love the sound but find the bass too light, you have too options:
- Wait till you can get a bigger boned amp
- Get yourself a little sub, like the BK Gemini.
IMO. You always need to be careful matching a cheaper amp with much dearer speakers, but in this case, it might just work (and your speakers are sorted if you upgrade at a later date).
Give it a demo and tell us what you think
Cno
Having owned a pair of the original HL-P3's (at the time I had a pre-power combo, sounded fantastic) and currently have a pair of Spendors with similar sensitivity I have to agree with Lemon. These speakers need some serious watts to get them working properly despite Harbeths own blurb. No question they are one of the best sounding mini monitors around and I'm intending to add a pair to my collection but I wouldn't consider anything under 70W to drive them with.
Spectre said:
Information from a previous owner is worth more than all my speculation.....so my advice is to take Spectre's (and AL's) advice.
I own a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs and I drive them with the 80W Naim Supernait. They are rated at around 84 dB/w/m which is low, so notwithstanding Harbeth's claim that you can easily drive these speakers with any decent amp, I agree with those who have said before me that you'll need a fairly powerful amp to get these speakers to sing properly.
Macspur
Well-known member
Singslinger said:
Hey Singslinger, have you tried using the Harbeths with any other kind of amplification? If so what were the results, does their charachter change that much?
I doubt a low powered amplifier like Rega Brio R is capable of driving a pair of 84Db loudspeakers like those Harbeths. The Brio R will work out of its "confort zone" and audio signal will get harder. That means, unnatural harsh highs and mids, flat dynamics and flabby botton end.
Please, don't do that with the P3ESR. They deserve a high-end amplifier. By the way, many Harbeth and Spendor's owners recommend Luxman amps.
Please, don't do that with the P3ESR. They deserve a high-end amplifier. By the way, many Harbeth and Spendor's owners recommend Luxman amps.
I think the characteristics of my Spendor SA-1 is very similar to Harbeth P3ESR. I use Leema Tucana II to drive it. IMHO it is a perfect match 
Hello everyone,
I'm new to this forum, and am glad I picked up on this thread.
I, too, am inquiring about the same as the OP. I've heard the Harbeth P3's a few times, and am going to purchase them for the loudspeaker segment of my setup; I just feel they're the kind of speaker one buys once, and won't have to worry about, again. They're adaptable to any musical genre (we play at lower to moderate levels). The dealers I auditioned these did not carry Rega products, yet I'm intrigued by the Brio-R and the new Apollo-R CD player.
The other two product lines I'd be interested in are Sugden (Mystro integrated and matching CD player) and Luxman Neo-Classico (integrated and matching CD player). I've heard the Sugdens, before, and I truly liked the sound, albeit with Spendor loudspeakers; alas, Sugden is not available in the States, but can be ordered from Canada. For those with experience with the Luxman Neo-Classico, would these particular Luxman product component be powerful enough to run the Harbeths?
I'm new to this forum, and am glad I picked up on this thread.
I, too, am inquiring about the same as the OP. I've heard the Harbeth P3's a few times, and am going to purchase them for the loudspeaker segment of my setup; I just feel they're the kind of speaker one buys once, and won't have to worry about, again. They're adaptable to any musical genre (we play at lower to moderate levels). The dealers I auditioned these did not carry Rega products, yet I'm intrigued by the Brio-R and the new Apollo-R CD player.
The other two product lines I'd be interested in are Sugden (Mystro integrated and matching CD player) and Luxman Neo-Classico (integrated and matching CD player). I've heard the Sugdens, before, and I truly liked the sound, albeit with Spendor loudspeakers; alas, Sugden is not available in the States, but can be ordered from Canada. For those with experience with the Luxman Neo-Classico, would these particular Luxman product component be powerful enough to run the Harbeths?
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