In Appreciation of the Harbeth Compact 7 ES-3

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ServingTheMusic, Jun 27, 2015.

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  1. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    Just got the 79 strand. My first thoughts are that they seem more balanced than the Kimber 8PR was. I'll give them a little more time to make friends with the rest of the gear and then give some more thoughts. Thanks for the help guys.
     
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  2. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    Added a REL T5 today - for the recordings that needed a little more low end extension this is a nice improvement. So tight, musical and relatively easy to incorporate.
     
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  3. theron d

    theron d Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore MD
    Yep! You'll have to adjust placement, cutoff freq, and volume. But once you get it, you wont be able to go without for heavier material! If its too high you'll collapse the soundstage, but you'll know, congrats!
     
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  4. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    Yeah. I listened to a handful of records today and think I've got it pretty close. Soundstage actually feels deeper. I'm sure I'll tweak a bit over the next week or so, but it's really nice addition.
     
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  5. murphythecat

    murphythecat https://www.last.fm/user/murphythecat

    Location:
    Canada
    I also have the rel t5 with my harbeth. very good imo.

    put the XO setting at the minimum. set it at 30hz. my measurements actually show that the rel t5, at lowest xo setting, the roll off is actually -6db around 55hz... your C7 may actually even go much lower then that and reach -6db at 38hz (?). ideally, you want to match the -6db of the sub with the -6db of the harbeth. so as you can see, its really not ideal. it should work but I highly suggest to keep the sub xo at the lowest setting and simply try to match the volume...
     
  6. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    Thanks for the tip. When I measure my room from my listening position that -6db overlap is right around 40hz. I've got the crossover set (I think). Still working on the volume, but I think I'm close.
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2016
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  7. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Great that you have the tools to measure the F/R. Try the crossover of the subwoofer at -3db of the Harbeths roll-off. (in my room they dropped like a rock at 60Hz for some reason). Start with the polarity switch inverted and the phase angle at 90-degrees.
    take a measurement and see how smooth the response is. adjust the crossover up / down to smooth out any peaks/ valleys. now adjust the phase angle 1/4 turn increments if you cannot get a smooth response. it will change over time as well while the subwoofer breaks in. the REL is another good sub that can be perfectly integrated with the C7s as can my JL Audio D110. Once you get it right it will sound as good if not better than the 40,2s!
     
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  8. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
  9. Gordon Johnson

    Gordon Johnson Forum Resident

    Location:
    You are here
    I did get around to hooking up a pair of LFD Silver Reference interconnect cables. They made a huge difference. Brought a real focus to the bass so it "sounds" as though there is even more bass to a recording.

    Just need to upgrade the speaker wire now .....................
     
  10. octaneTom

    octaneTom Man of Leisure

    I posted this in a new thread, but it might get more traction here:

    Anyone recognize these stands that the C7s are sitting on? I've got Skylans for my C7s right now, but I really like the clean minimal look of these:

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. IanL

    IanL Senior Member

    Location:
    Oneonta, NY USA
    I LOVE that finish! Definitely my favorite. I bought mine used and put the condition and price at a higher priority than the finish (I ended up with the very common cherry, although they were perfect, and beautiful in their own right).

    Sorry, I don't know who makes those stands. They are sharp though. Very minimalist. My favorites that I have seen are the Something Solid stands, but hard to source in the U.S. I ended up with Sound Anchors, which are perfect, but a much meatier looking approach than the Something Solids, or the ones you are showing here.
     
  12. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA

    to each their own. i would never give up my skylans. they look solid, hide the cabling and are filled with mass loading filler material to let the speakers sound their best- and they do!
    [​IMG]
     
    Robert C likes this.
  13. dadonred

    dadonred Life’s done you wrong so I wrote you all this song

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Hi - would appreciate if owners could comment on what they had before they moved to the C7s: bookshelf/compact/tower.

    Also I saw one reply that mentioned he thought the C7's were too small for a 20x20 room. Mine is 20' x 16'. Will be driven by a 20wpc Raven Audio Blackhawk. Thanks!
     
  14. theron d

    theron d Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore MD
    I had Vandersteen 2cesigII but it was in a different sized room (much larger). I prefer Rogue Cronus Mag II (100w) with the Harbeth 7es3 than with weaker 20-30watt amps. IMO makes a big difference, especially if you are listening to modern/alt rock and large orchestral pieces.
     
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  15. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I had the KEF LS50s and Raven Blackhawk amplifier. My room is 27 X 20. The LS50's were supposed to be a miss-match with the Raven but it filled the room with dynamic sound. The C7s are even more efficient and easier to drive than the LS50s. The Blackhawk should have no problems driving the C7s, it is a powerful amplifier despite its rating.
     
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  16. dadonred

    dadonred Life’s done you wrong so I wrote you all this song

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    In my room/setup, I seldom listen above 88dB on a radioshack spl meter, if that helps.
     
  17. dadonred

    dadonred Life’s done you wrong so I wrote you all this song

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Hi avanti, yes. I believe I can listen to a pair locally. Im in interested in Legacy Audio Signature SE, but no way to hear unless I make a drive to Dave's new showroom which I hope to do. He thinks the Legacy Audio Focus would be even better but that's pretty pricey.
     
  18. Aura

    Aura Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, Texas
    Those look very similar to Foundation speaker stands. I have a pair for my C7ES3.

    They look like these (a pic I found via Google image search):

    [​IMG]

    I also found this:
    [​IMG]

    I have no idea where you would buy a pair these days...
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2017
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  19. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston TX
    Everyone loves Harbeth speakers, but they are ouch expensive.
     
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  20. Seafinch

    Seafinch Preferred Patron

    Location:
    United States
    I've been trying to ease up in the vinyl buying - was getting a little out of control - so I recently sold some records that I didn't think would get much play in the future and spent the money on used Rega DAC. I've now got that paired up with a Tidal subscription, a SONOS connect, my Luxman 505U and the c7's for quite the digital setup! These speakers never cease to amaze me - I don't know what it'd take to get me to part with them, but it'd have to be something pretty special.

    Edit: Oh! And to stay on the recent topic. Skylan stands with some kitty litter.
     
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  21. octaneTom

    octaneTom Man of Leisure


    Yeah, I thought they looked a lot like Foundations! I emailed Planet of Sound in Toronto, who still has some 40.1 Foundation stands in stock — someone there got back to me and said Foundation has stopped production and they don't have any C7 stands left and he won't be getting any more.

    Now talking to my friend who builds custom steel bikes to see if he's interested in building me up a pair of custom steel stands...we'll see what he has to say.
     
  22. Clay B

    Clay B Forum Resident

    I agree. All of the BBC style variations have gone way up over the last few years. But, as long as they build the cabinets in Britain and assemble them in Britain I'm hanging in. Go to China and I'm done. Heard my first Harbeth's the other day, a pair of HL 5 Plus' and they are just lovely. A final purchase for most of us.
     
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  23. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    dadonred-
    I heard the legacy speakers at AXPONA last year in the Raven / Legacy ball room. From the 6'ft tall Whispers to the stand mount Studio HD they all had a signature sound that was not bad but very distinctive. Unfortunately to my ears they did not sound natural and I attribute it to the ribbon tweeters/ The upper end of the treble was noticeably crispy. You have to like that kind of sound.
     
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  24. keiron99

    keiron99 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockport, UK
    I currently have a pair of Monitor Audio GX100 speakers. In some ways, the antithesis - having ribbon tweeters, metal mid/bass and high tech, contoured cabinet work. I love them, but have always been intrigued by Harbeth.

    I've got my eye on a used pair of original Compact 7 speakers (not the ES2 or ES3). Has anyone experienced them? Any idea how they might compare to my Monitor Audios?
     
  25. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I'm in a similar situation with my current KEF LS50s. High tech all singing all dancing, but I heard Harbeth at Bristol and (to use a phrase) was blown away! I auditioned the GX100 when I was shopping for my KEFs and remember being very impressed by their treble response. Really wide dispersion and delightful to listen to IIRC. The Harbeth sound is a lot smoother and more even through the mid-range. If you hear a Harbeth and like the sound, I imagine you would consider it to have a "rightness" that isn't found in other speakers. That was my impression anyway.
     
    keiron99 likes this.
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