Why Upgrade to Harbeth Monitor 30.1?

Been asking myself this question quite a bit lately. In my journey I've come to some relevant observations...

1. Many people love Harbeth. The love is thick and sticky at times... But none the less evident.
2. Many people have pulled the trigger on the Harbeth P3ESR... Often times after also demo'ing the Monitor 30.1.
3. Many people have "upgraded" to the Monitor 30.1... Often times from the P3ESR.

I'm currently using KEF LS50. I saddled up near the P3ESR also before moving on the LS50. In the end, I thought the Harbeth was a little more airy on top and the LS50 was slightly better on the bottom. I digress.. I state this not for debate about which is the better of the two, but to give a tiny blink into how I ended up where I am.

I am in the process of moving into a bigger room and I'm considering moving the LS50 to another area in the house... So here we are looking at Harbeth again...

I have noticed that a handful of people online, as well as with the local dealer, have jumped from the P3ESR to the Monitor 30.1 and I'd like to get some feedback because a simple 1 to 1 comparison isn't fair... So I'd like to hear what was the tipping point for others in making this move... Include anything else you auditioned along the way...

 

I've got the older version Rogers LS5/9 - aside from the 40 I have not heard
a better standmounter at any price.
I have had lots of opportunities to get B&W, Spendor and others at a great trade price but
compared side by side the Rogers win, they have saved me a lot of money over the years.

If the Harbeth version is even better it's a no brainer.

 

30.1 has an octave on the smaller speaker and can play rather a lot louder. I prefer this and the super hl5+.

 

Harbeth's are as good as everyone says. I'm able to admit that and also say that I don't like them. I've tried twice now. First with SHL5's, and recently with 30.1's. Both have lead to disappointment. To me they just aren't involving enough. On any day I would choose JM Reynaud, Trenner & Friedl, and Audio Note over Harbeth.

The point of this is not to bash Harbeth, because as I said I objectively see why so many people like them, they are indeed great speakers. They just don't particularly move me, and they might not move you. Great speakers are not great for everyone, be very aware of that as you shell out $6000.

 

The Rogers LS5/9 and Harbeth M30 are very different speakers, Harbeth being the superior model in terms of finesse, smoothness, and refinement.

 

In your opinion

 

They have different cabinets, different crossovers, different tweeters, and different woofers. Additionally, according to Alan Shaw of Harbeth and others, the poly woofers in the LS5/9 are no longer functioning according two spec due to 1) failure of the original bonding agent on the surrounds and 2) the inherent tendency of the cone material to distort over time. Still, the LS5/9 is a fine speaker. These are the facts. My opinion is, of course, stated above.

In spite of what the issue is with those Rogers poly drivers, I have had some glorious moments with many models from the Rogers lineup. I'm sure your speakers sound very, very nice.

 

I'd put them on your list to listen to, but don't buy them, or any speaker, sight unseen.

Speakers make the biggest difference to your system of any component. I actually thought I would end up with these and after listening to nearly 20 loudspeakers bought something less expensive and much more satisfying to me. If you aren't planning to already, collect a variety of poorly recorded and well recorded albums you are very familiar with and get out there and listen - and take a friend or partner with you and have lunch and a pint after. It's a lot of fun!

 

There are many fine speakers in the ~$6000 area. If you're planning to buy new, I suggest you make a shortlist and listen to some of them. If you don't have the shortlist already, you could read Robert E Greene's review in TAS. He tends to favor Harbeths and speakers with similar musical virtues.

Although I like Harbeths (I have the P3ESR in my office system), I tried the 30.1 in my main room (20' x 12.5' x 7') and found the bass uncontrollable. My point is that the room and the speaker work together, so it's important to find speakers that work well with your room -- especially if you don't use equalization in your system.

HTH!

 

I bought the 30.1 after years of happiness with Sonus Faber speakers. I auditioned lots of different models from SF and other makers in my living room and the Harbeths were the first and so far only speakers that I liked enough to purchase and put into my home over the SFs that I had before.

I suppose that if I ever change rooms I'll look again but for now I am very satisfied.