Harbeth speakers

[tin ear]

Oops!

Post deleted.

 

[tin ear]

I feel that some people are making far more of this than is the case.

WHF is a commercial enterprise, they have suppliers clammering to get their product in their magazine, the supplier will provide the equipment FOC, have it delivered and collected at their own expense and do pretty much whatever WHF asks of them. Why would WHF go out of their way to aquire product for themselves, the cost alone would be prohibitive, why on earth would they bother, any additional expence is just going to hit the bottom line.

Definitely agree with your first point Mr davedotco.

 

[tin ear]

I enjoy reading reviews of audio gear but they don't determine my purchasing decisions.

Riiiight...

It's true actually but I can't speak for you Vlad.

 

[tin ear]

Silly me. Another one - sorry.

Deleted.

 

[tin ear]

Tin ear do you have any ProAc dealers near you?

If so this review maybe of interest: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/speaker-shoot-out-harbeth-p3esr-vs-p...

I don't think so but thanks for the link.

EDIT: Nice review and another in which the Harbeth's bass presentation is described as slow, which could be an issue for me. I get the impression that Harbeths have a polite presentation, maybe overly so for my taste. They have a reputation for being a non-fatiguing listen but if that comes at the expense of dynamics then that might be an issue for me as well. Not sure if I'm ready for a pipe and slippers just yet.

UPDATE: I spoke too soon as it turns out. I went to a dealer today to audition some KEFs and B&Ws. After trying those the dealer suggested that I give the ProAc Response D2 a listen. I had no idea that he carried that brand. I came away very impressed with the D2.

 

[matthewpiano]

I enjoy reading reviews of audio gear but they don't determine my purchasing decisions.?

Riiiight...?

It's true actually but I can't speak for you Vlad. 

Its true for me too actually. My amp purchase came about from a dealer suggestion.

 

[DIB]

HiFi Choice appears to be the magazine of choice for Creek, all the latest lines including Epos speakers have been reviewed in that particular magazine over the years.

.

 

[Jota180]

I'm having trouble multi-quoting so I'll just respond as follows:

@cse - I've been a bit suprised by the tone of the responses to what I thought was a reasonable post, but this is an internet forum after all.

@Vladimir - As I've already mentioned, WHF has reviewed loudspeakers from other British loudspeaker manufacturers such as ATC and PMC, which can hardly be described as mainstream brands. Nor are the likes of Sonus Faber and Dynaudio, which have also been reviewed here. Further, WHF has reviewed models from Spendor and B&W which are targeting the audiophile market and priced similarly to Harbeths. So I don't find your argument convincing as an explanation for why WHF have not reviewed Harbeths.

@gowiththeflow - I do read reviews at other "serious" hi fi publications such as the one you've mentioned. However, I've found that WHF's no nonsense reviews generally align with my own impressions of audio gear that I've tried, which is why I'd be most interested in their assessment of Harbeth's products.

@Jota180 - I know you were responding to cse but I'd like to make the point that there isn't a distributor for Harbeth where I live so they are not available for audition in hi fi stores here. I wouldn't have posted if I could audition them tbh. That's where reviews can be useful, particularly if you've found them to be reliable in the past.

Anyway, in the absence of a response from WHF, I think this thread has already run its course.

I haven't heard them either but the owner of Harbeth and the guy who designs them says they are best suited to jazz, vocal and classical works on a thread on their forums. One or two dealers piped in saying they also played well with well recorded popular music too.

You say you can review them yourself but you'd be taking a pretty big gamble buying speakers at that price without hearing them in your own setting.

I'd maybe try Harbeths own forum. Perhaps a member lives close by you and wouldn't mind letting you hear them in action.

Otherwise you're buying blind, or deaf!

 

[tin ear]

I'm having trouble multi-quoting so I'll just respond as follows:

@cse - I've been a bit suprised by the tone of the responses to what I thought was a reasonable post, but this is an internet forum after all.

@Vladimir - As I've already mentioned, WHF has reviewed loudspeakers from other British loudspeaker manufacturers such as ATC and PMC, which can hardly be described as mainstream brands. Nor are the likes of Sonus Faber and Dynaudio, which have also been reviewed here. Further, WHF has reviewed models from Spendor and B&W which are targeting the audiophile market and priced similarly to Harbeths. So I don't find your argument convincing as an explanation for why WHF have not reviewed Harbeths.

@gowiththeflow - I do read reviews at other "serious" hi fi publications such as the one you've mentioned. However, I've found that WHF's no nonsense reviews generally align with my own impressions of audio gear that I've tried, which is why I'd be most interested in their assessment of Harbeth's products.

@Jota180 - I know you were responding to cse but I'd like to make the point that there isn't a distributor for Harbeth where I live so they are not available for audition in hi fi stores here. I wouldn't have posted if I could audition them tbh. That's where reviews can be useful, particularly if you've found them to be reliable in the past.

Anyway, in the absence of a response from WHF, I think this thread has already run its course.

I haven't heard them either but the owner of Harbeth and the guy who designs them says they are best suited to jazz, vocal and classical works on a thread on their forums. One or two dealers piped in saying they also played well with well recorded popular music too.

You say you can review them yourself but you'd be taking a pretty big gamble buying speakers at that price without hearing them in your own setting.

I'd maybe try Harbeths own forum. Perhaps a member lives close by you and wouldn't mind letting you hear them in action.

Otherwise you're buying blind, or deaf!

I've read the reviews and followed the Harbeth Users Group forum. I'm also a member of a local hi fi forum where I have expressed my interest in Harbeth speakers. There are forum members who live in my city and own Harbeths but I'm yet to receive an invitation from anyone to have a listen, which is perfectly understandable given that they don't know me from a bar of soap.

So it would seem that the only option I have to hear a Harbeth speaker is to buy a pair. It's far from ideal but others have done just that and are very happy with them. You rarely see them up for sale here by the way. So yes, I would be buying blind as you say, but I don't feel that it is an enormous risk based on everything that I've read and the kind of music that I listen to, which is predominantly jazz based. I also think that I would have little trouble selling them if the sound signature didn't suit.

If I do end up buying Harbeths, I can assure you that it won't be a rash decision as I've been researching and auditioning speakers for well over a year now. I do have a good feeling about Harbeths though, so we'll see how it pans out.

 

[DocG]

Hi tin ear,

I don't think you can go far wrong with Harbeth speakers, certainly not for jazz and other acoustic music. They are very easy to drive too.

Which size of speaker do you fancy? I demoed every model except the Monitor 40, and liked them all, bar the Compact 7. The latter somehow lacks the something the others have in spades... Hard to explain, but I heard others having the same impression.

My personal favourite is the Monitor 30.1, but the P3ESR and SHL-5 are very musical speakers too!

Let us know how you get on!

 

[tin ear]

Hi DocG,

The Monitor 30.1 would be my choice.

 

[davedotco]

Hi DocG,

The Monitor 30.1 would be my choice.

Mine too, though I think they respond to really good amplification.

I know they are supposedly not hard to drive but if you want to give the bass the speed and punch that some suggest they lack, you need a good amplifier, a very good amplifier.

 

[DocG]

Hi DocG,

The Monitor 30.1 would be my choice.

Mine too, though I think they respond to really good amplification.

I know they are supposedly not hard to drive but if you want to give the bass the speed and punch that some suggest they lack, you need a good amplifier, a very good amplifier.

Oh, I very much agree they need top notch amplification to shine. I meant it needn't be a 2 x 1000 W power house. A SAM-loaded Devialet 120 would be a good place to start... *drinks*. I demoed them with a LFD amplifier; sounded excellent too.

 

[Vladimir]

Devialet is super modern and Harbeth is pipe'n'slippers quaint. They would make one odd conceptual mix. *unknw*

 

[davedotco]

Devialet is super modern and Harbeth is pipe'n'slippers quaint. They would make one odd conceptual mix. *unknw*

Harbeth speakers may be traditional in some respects but a few years back I spent some time with the earlier Model 30 and a good amplifier.

Pipe and slippers they were not....!

 

[DocG]

Yeah whatever!

After a WHF-free fortnight I just returned today, and a moment ago a rather lengthy reply to Matt49's Devialet post just vanished when posted...*dash1*

I think I've had it with this forum!

I wish you all the best!

 

[Vladimir]

Devialet is super modern and Harbeth is pipe'n'slippers quaint. They would make one odd conceptual mix. *unknw*

Harbeth speakers may be traditional in some respects but a few years back I spent some time with the earlier Model 30 and a good amplifier.

Pipe and slippers they were not....!

No one said monkey coffins can't rock!

 

[davedotco]

Devialet is super modern and Harbeth is pipe'n'slippers quaint. They would make one odd conceptual mix. *unknw*

Harbeth speakers may be traditional in some respects but a few years back I spent some time with the earlier Model 30 and a good amplifier.

Pipe and slippers they were not....!

No one said monkey coffins can't rock!

I kinda thought that is what you were saying,,,,? *unknw*

 

[Vladimir]

Devialet is super modern and Harbeth is pipe'n'slippers quaint. They would make one odd conceptual mix. *unknw*

Harbeth speakers may be traditional in some respects but a few years back I spent some time with the earlier Model 30 and a good amplifier.

Pipe and slippers they were not....!

No one said monkey coffins can't rock!

I kinda thought that is what you were saying,,,,? *unknw*

Harbeth has modern drivers but the whole aura of that brand is a bit quaint to me. Unlike Devialet which looks like futuristic Arthur C. Clark space station kitchenware.

 

[matt49]

Yeah whatever!

After a WHF-free fortnight I just returned today, and a moment ago a rather lengthy reply to Matt49's Devialet post just vanished when posted...*dash1*

I think I've had it with this forum!

I wish you all the best!

Noooo, don't do it! We need you here!

*help*

Matt

 

[davedotco]

Yeah whatever!

After a WHF-free fortnight I just returned today, and a moment ago a rather lengthy reply to Matt49's Devialet post just vanished when posted...*dash1*

I think I've had it with this forum!

I wish you all the best!

Noooo, don't do it! We need you here!

*help*

Matt

+1......*kiss3*

 

[steve_1979]

Yeah whatever!

After a WHF-free fortnight I just returned today, and a moment ago a rather lengthy reply to Matt49's Devialet post just vanished when posted...*dash1*

I think I've had it with this forum!

I wish you all the best!

Noooo, don't do it! We need you here!

*help*

Matt

+1......*kiss3*

+1

Come on WHF! Please do something to fix this forum. We've lost far to many regular posters already since the update.

 

[Jota180]

I'm having trouble multi-quoting so I'll just respond as follows:

@cse - I've been a bit suprised by the tone of the responses to what I thought was a reasonable post, but this is an internet forum after all.

@Vladimir - As I've already mentioned, WHF has reviewed loudspeakers from other British loudspeaker manufacturers such as ATC and PMC, which can hardly be described as mainstream brands. Nor are the likes of Sonus Faber and Dynaudio, which have also been reviewed here. Further, WHF has reviewed models from Spendor and B&W which are targeting the audiophile market and priced similarly to Harbeths. So I don't find your argument convincing as an explanation for why WHF have not reviewed Harbeths.

@gowiththeflow - I do read reviews at other "serious" hi fi publications such as the one you've mentioned. However, I've found that WHF's no nonsense reviews generally align with my own impressions of audio gear that I've tried, which is why I'd be most interested in their assessment of Harbeth's products.

@Jota180 - I know you were responding to cse but I'd like to make the point that there isn't a distributor for Harbeth where I live so they are not available for audition in hi fi stores here. I wouldn't have posted if I could audition them tbh. That's where reviews can be useful, particularly if you've found them to be reliable in the past.

Anyway, in the absence of a response from WHF, I think this thread has already run its course.

I haven't heard them either but the owner of Harbeth and the guy who designs them says they are best suited to jazz, vocal and classical works on a thread on their forums. One or two dealers piped in saying they also played well with well recorded popular music too.

You say you can review them yourself but you'd be taking a pretty big gamble buying speakers at that price without hearing them in your own setting.

I'd maybe try Harbeths own forum. Perhaps a member lives close by you and wouldn't mind letting you hear them in action.

Otherwise you're buying blind, or deaf!

I've read the reviews and followed the Harbeth Users Group forum. I'm also a member of a local hi fi forum where I have expressed my interest in Harbeth speakers. There are forum members who live in my city and own Harbeths but I'm yet to receive an invitation from anyone to have a listen, which is perfectly understandable given that they don't know me from a bar of soap.

So it would seem that the only option I have to hear a Harbeth speaker is to buy a pair. It's far from ideal but others have done just that and are very happy with them. You rarely see them up for sale here by the way. So yes, I would be buying blind as you say, but I don't feel that it is an enormous risk based on everything that I've read and the kind of music that I listen to, which is predominantly jazz based. I also think that I would have little trouble selling them if the sound signature didn't suit.

If I do end up buying Harbeths, I can assure you that it won't be a rash decision as I've been researching and auditioning speakers for well over a year now. I do have a good feeling about Harbeths though, so we'll see how it pans out.

I don't think you'll have any issues with ther sonic signature of Harbeths given your musical tastes. The amount of people who I've read saying they've found their last set of speakers when it comes to Harbeths is quite remarkable.

I also agree even if you did you wouldn't have a problem finding a buyer.

 

[Jota180]

Yeah whatever!

After a WHF-free fortnight I just returned today, and a moment ago a rather lengthy reply to Matt49's Devialet post just vanished when posted...*dash1*

I think I've had it with this forum!

I wish you all the best!

I got into a habit (from other forums years back) of copying any post I make that's longer than a couple of sentences prior to hitting 'post'. So if it vanishes into the ether it's just a quick 'paste' away.

I even find myself doing it with emails!

 

[Jim-W]

'So, what is the precise function of a review? For whom is the reviewer writing? Who rewards him? What qualifications or credentials does he have? How does a manufacturer decide to engage this or that reviewer? And I think the most interesting question about the relationship between manufacturers and reviewers: why are they not more honest with each other? The reviewer feels under an obligation to reward the relationship with glowing praise, and naturally, the manufacturer happily accepts that. But if the manufacturer explained that the review is but one part of the overall promotional mix under his control, and possibly a rather small [/i]part, the reviewer could be relieved of the implicit pressure to talk-up the product and he could then be more balanced and objective. That would be good for the consumer.
It cannot be much fun being a reviewer when so much is expected from him by the public and the manufacturer. It's a job I would never [/i]undertake. Time for us all to get real?'

This is a quote from Alan Shaw on the Harbeth forums; it may or may not shed light on this thread. He is invariably concerned with the integrity (cables, hifi exhibition shows etc) of the hifi industry, the quality of reproduced music and the legacy that current products will leave in terms of enticing people to appreciate high quality music reproduction. 'My listening room is not yours' is another of his points that perhaps many buyers reading reviews do not consider: no point in buying 5* speakers that boom and bloom in your living room, for example, as I and maybe many others have done. He's not averse to the use of tone controls either to allow the listener to make his/her own choices re the sound that suits them in their real world environment. I've never heard a pair of Harbeth speakers but, judging by Alan Shaw's array of sensible opinions and hifi philosophy, I bet they sound pretty damn good...wih the right cables of course.