Harbeth C7ES-3: 6 Years On, Still Impresses Daily.

And what might those be? Didn't see any monitors listed in your profile...

 

Check out Jeff's Place he talks about that combo and uses it as one of his review systems.

 

This thread has me VERY interested in hearing these C7's, but I have to ask those that may be able to shed some light for me.

I currently have five sound systems set up, but there are three that get used the most.

My main system has B&W 805D's with McIntosh amplification
My main old school "tube" system has Klipsch Chorus 1's, using a Scott 299b tube amp
and a while back, thanks to this forum, I found a pair of Dynaco A25's, using a Marantz receiver.

I like each of these sound systems for different reasons, but my question is, where would the Harbeth C7's fit into this mix or are they a completely different creature than any of what I already own?

 

The first time I heard C7s was with that Pathos amp, then the Lagos. Great combo.

 

Simaudio gear and Harbeth work great together. Perfect match.

 

I think the "fun factor" you may be referring to is the "HiFi" sound of many of today's speakers, with their hot tweeters and goosed up bass.

 

Nobody can really say..unless someone can hear your current systems and know your room..it is just a guess...

that being said...my GUESS is that Harbeth's would be PERFECT in your B&W/McIntosh system, and your Dynaco/Marantz room.

 

Good news regarding your speakers. Excellent today does not become no good the next.

 

Um, no. I find that sound fatiguing.

 

That's the combo I've been running... I've had my Harbeths for 4 years now, and I've had no interest in trying something else. In the audio world you get very used to your gear over time, you can't remember how a component initially changed the sound of your system. But with the Harbeths it doesn't matter, they have a minimal imprint on the music - different sources sound different. There's no need for a classical speaker, or a rock speaker, or a jazz speaker....

 

Absolutely perfectly put...I never understood the notion of a speaker for particular types of music, it is transducer...it does not know jazz from speed metal from opera....but that is another conversation.

I also have found there so much misinformation spread about Harbeths....that they are "boring" British speakers with nothing but a "warm" midrange.

That is what OTHER speaker companies would like you to believe.

 

More than half the rooms at Newport and CES feature sizzling tweeters and sound so sharp it could peel paint.

This is what "tamed" cabinets and "zero resonance" enclosures have brought us.

 

How are they for Hard Rock, Classic Rock and their sub genres such as Metal, etc.? How many watts are you using to drive them? I don't think they are a good match for my amplification as I like SETs, but a lot of people love them so they must be pretty darn good.

 

75% of my listening is to classic rock, r&b, blues, jazz, etc. I even love Iron Maiden...big time.

They were made for classic rock.

SET's have to be speaker matched. That is just the way it is. And there are tons of good choices.

I have used the C7s with as little as 25 watts, but that is as low as I would go.

 

Nice, are the C7s in particular better at Rock then say the 30.1's or are we talking about Habeths as a whole?

Thanks

 

I don't use an integrated, but I have them powered by a McIntosh MC-240/McIntosh MX-110. And over the summer I switch the amp to a McIntosh MC-2105 to keep the heat under control. Now that it is cooling off, I can move the tube amp back into the system. I prefer the tube amp in most ways, but the solid state amp with more power does provide better bass performance with the Harbeths.

 

The thing about the Harbeths (and I think this is common to all their models, although I have not heard them all) that make them nice with rock music is how FAST they are, rhythmically. When I first got them and hooked them up (C7s), I was immediately floored by how nimble they were, even with a vintage tube amp. I've had various B&W and Tannoy speakers before, and the Harbeths were in a new category in this regard. That's why I am surprised to hear Bruce mention he didn't hear any fun factor. Although I find them to be very neutral, I also find that quickness to inject a lot of fun into the music, where it had been missing to some degree with my previous speakers. Of course I didn't realize it until I got the Harbeths and heard what I had been missing.

 

I have only heard the 30.1 at shows and dealers...and for some reason it's always jazz...but I have heard rock on just about every model and it, well, rocks.

 

They also have guts...which something that is often over looked.

 

I think that's why I never really paid much attention to them (other than the fact that they are not efficient enough to work with low wattage amps). Is that I've always heard them mentioned in regards to Jazz music, even most reviews tend to bring up the Jazz component. Although I like Jazz it only makes up probably 5% or less of my listening.

Decware is making a new SET using the 6C33C tube (the tube used for Russian MiG Fighter Jets and Nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile guidance systems ) and its estimated to be around 16-20 solid watts. I'm holding out for this amp as it seems like it's going to be something special, but I still don't know if it could drive Harbeths to the degree of music and movies that I'm accustomed to with my Omega RS7 @ 95dB and 8 Ohm ... I think I'll stick to my Omegas for now as they are so easy to drive and have the same speed and guts you guys are talking about, but can be driven with only 2 watts.
Loving the conversation though and enjoy reading this ... maybe I'll find a dealer and have a listen one day.

 

Thank you for the reply!

 

That's not quite what I said. If that had been the case, I'd have returned them the following day!

For whatever reason, I wasn't feeling as engaged with the music after I had the Compact 7s for awhile. Just me, perhaps; but

BTW, I've long argued against the calumny leveled at some BBC-derived speakers (Spendor and Harbeth, usually) as being "boring". Not my experience. Plus I've read enough enthusiasm recently about the Harbeth P3 (for example) to make me want to try a pair in my (small) room.

 

Do you mean like the Wilson speakers approach?