Thanks for the update. I am considering the D7, possibly the D9 and some others that are on my short list.
Congratulations avanti1960, lovely looking and I bet they sound great. Thank you for the updates and pics. I've been following this thread with interest as I'm thinking D7/D9 (or B&W 804D D3) myself and will be going out to audition soon. I'm a bit concerned the bass of any or all of the three I've shortlisted will be a bit much for my 17' x 14' room. My current B&W 683 S2 sound fine but have the front ports partly bunged to stop things getting too 'boomy'. Anyone heard the D7 (or D9/B&W 804D D3) in a smaller room?
yes and truth be told I am missing their sound. i'm resisting the urge to start compensating with new cables and tubes until they run in for a few months.
I heard the 804s in a room that size and bass was good- no issues. I actually prefer the idea of port plugs to compensate for position and room if needed. I loved the sound of them but that was with the dealer's prime demo material. I didn't buy them because the Spendors are far more dynamic and I thought that the B&Ws might be overly airy sounding with anything other than perfect demo recordings.
I have to say that as good as these can sound they also have revealed some concerns and I'm starting to miss the Harbeth sound. We'll see how it goes in the next few months. I had a difficult time trying to integrate my subwoofer for some odd reasons- my goals is to eliminate the sub but right now I need it to add some warmth. I'm going to do some room measurements today and move the speakers and sub around to try and integrate it better.
Pairing a single 10" sub in a corner with speakers with twin 7" woofers plus port, playing full range, is not going to be easy. It is likely that your sub will have problem keeping up. Hope you figure it out.
I have followed your endeavor to D7s with great interest as I am in a similar situation in seeking a replacement speaker for my much liked Harbeth C7s. In my case, I gave my C7s for my kid’s system - vintage recapped Marantz 2270 w/PLX-1000 & Schiit Mani phono pre. Kid has no interest in audiophile but it meets a minimum standard that should be met as per my insistence. The new D7 likely needs run-in time but what do they currently not sound that you miss from the Harbeths? I gotta replace my C7s and was hoping D7s could do. As we have a common frame of C7 reference your experience in the transition is helpful and pertinent. Anytime there is a speaker change contemplated, it really makes it an open field. Lots of potential and also lots of risk. I don’t generally change what isn’t broken but I can’t just buy new Harbeth C7s as replacements as much as I like them. Whatever I decide has to work in a small room, 10.25’ x 13.75’. That’s what I got. Fun stuff.
As you previously mentioned, you know what these sounded like at the dealer...so you know the sound they are capable of (which apparently you liked at the dealer). I think I would be investigating what all they use in their system and perhaps trying to borrow some items that may help improve the sound to your liking. It may just be they need more break-in time...but I know all-to-well the importance of system matching. Chances are there is something in the dealer's system that is helping those D7's make the sound you are after.
Thanks avanti1960, I've found a dealer with the B&Ws and Spendors so I'll take some less than perfect recordings as well as some prime stuff to see what both sound like.
A few more thoughts after measuring and more listening- below shows the response at the listening position after running them for ~ 23 hours- *The bass is filling in nicely and extends to 20 Hz! *Note the absence of enclosure resonance which usually bumps the 150 to 250 Hz range- very nice, *The raised shelf between 2.5 and 3.5 Khz is what gives these speakers presence, bite and a little zing but not too much. The thing I miss about the Harbeths is basically just getting used to the sound of the Spendors. They are so much more dynamic. The Harbeths were cozy and relaxing. The Spendors jump out and let you know they are there and are more engaging with the music, similar to what a horn speaker might do but not as drastic and more refined. I am definitely experiencing some sounds that are making me take notice at how good these speakers are. For example, the backing rhythm section on many blue note recordings sounded laid back and in the background with the Harbeths. With the Spendors the rhythm section is much more up front and present, and the lead players really pop! High energy bursts when the horns start playing. Radio Paradise happened to slip in a classical music track and I was just wowed. Theses would make incredible classical music speakers. Now I know why Stereophile loved them so much. And again, piano. Just incredible. Best sounding piano I have heard from any speakers. So far so good but I do hope for more bass as they break in.
not easy but i was able to make it work- 50hz crossover, no time delay and normal polarity. now extends flat to 20Hz but I am leaving the sub off to see what the speakers are capable of.
yeah possibly a $13K Jadis class A tube amp! but seriously the sound is coming around and my rogue CMII is doing quite well.
as mentioned the Harbeths were more laid back yet detailed, they warmed over everything and everything sounded very good. the Spendors are attention seekers but you are rewarded when you do so. just getting used to them...
the B&Ws come off as less dynamic because they don't have the bite and presence in the upper midrange like the spendors do- horns and guitars burst and pop on a dime from these speakers
Thanks for your reply. And I agree with you that every speaker is best evaluated on its own merits. It makes sense to me that the Spendor D-Line 7s & 9s are as you describe: a British speaker updated within its house sound to exhibit slightly more modern attributes of speed and detail. Harbeth doesn’t create and differentiate nuances to their house sound so it seems likely that a Harbeth C7 would reflect a sound befitting a speaker voicing as found in Spendor’s Classic-Line of speakers. Good luck with your transition. I’m gonna go through the same process because the only way to get C7 sound is to get another pair of C7s which isn’t very adventurous. Gonna look for and find something new I can live with that sounds 90% of what I already had with, hopefully, a better 10%.
Thanks. The "transition" is going well but with a few ups and downs but I am confident the D7s will make me very happy in the end, after all I lived with the Harbeths for almost three years and they had some growing pains in the beginning too. As of now with almost 125 hours on them I have never witnessed a speaker change so drastically in such a short amount of time. The bass is coming on- at times they reveal subwoofer like response. The upper midrange forwardness has recessed and they are taking on a smooth and warm character- without the overly warm cabinet response. I really can't believe it. Dynamics and speed are still there and this makes them sound outstanding. My only complaint is that the treble can occasionally sound slightly crispy. Not metallic but forced, like the sound of a hissing air valve. I have reduced the toe in to a very slight amount and this has helped with that issue as well as to greatly open up and expand the sound stage. Overall there are some "amazing" moments but sometimes they sound flat. The Harbeth C7ES3 are a very "sweet" yet transparent sounding speaker and really hold their own against the more expensive Spendor. More impressions to follow but the takeaway is that the brightness is absolutely gone- without any adjustments on cables, tubes or other effects. If the overall sound isn't "there" I will not hesitate to go back to Harbeths- the SHL5+.
Thanks for your impressions and a mini-review, as it were, of the D7. It appears that the sound is coming in nicely and may wind up resetting your standards for how you hear and define your own personal state-of-the-art. HaHa, yeah in this hobby you really can take a second bite of the apple. Backtracking to Harbeth SHL5+ is not starting over again from zero - that’s not too shabby. I’ve considered the same solution for my own replacement of C7s. Now that might not sound adventurous but on the other hand, nuthin’ wrong with liking watcha like. Fun stuff.
I am running in a new pair of Spendor D9. I can 100% agree with Spendor D series burn in. I almost had my dealer take them back as I though they were wired out of phase from factory or some other defect in them. No bass, bright & spitty mid. range and treble, overall was not happy at all with them. Now I have about 150-160 hours on them, mostly at loudish volume and by house music iRadio Station loop to get the bass woofers a good work out. Now a completly differant speaker, subwoofer type bass response along with so very clean and defined bass too, much sweeter midrange. As the above notes about the D7, never have I had such a complete change of sound in a speaker from new. That includes SHL5, ProAc D48R (and that one took 500 hours to break in) and a naim S400.
Yeah, amazing isn't it? Sounds like you are enjoying the D9s, congrats! My old Harbeths took a long time to break in but they did it very gradually- about 2-years worth ! Not like the rapid transformation the D7s are undergoing, in fact Spendor cites that the materials in the surrounds are selected for rapid break in. At the end of this coming week I will have ~ 200 hrs on the D7s and I will do a full review and evaluation. Early take- I'm hearing a lot of things worth holding on to.....
