Harbeth owners: treble?

What amp are you using? Opinions on the rogue cronus magnum iii to power them?

 

Based on that as the above posters mentioned - Harbeth, Audio Note, ProAc - I would add Pure Audio Project, Volti, Tannoy, Rossifiorintino, Gershman Acoustics, SoundKaos, Ryan speakers, and since you mentioned them why not add Vandersteen? They're still around and priced decently?

Speaking of Ryan Speakers you may want to see if you can give them a try - I preferred them to more expensive Harbeth speakers for sound quality and they offer similar looks and sensitivity and efficiency but at a considerably lower price point. I heard their floorstander but this fellow reviewed the KEF LS-50 and the Ryan speakers and seems happier with the Ryan. I believe these are also American made which some people like. I am not saying they're better than the above list just highlighting them here a little because they probably go under the radar.

 

A nice used pair of Devore Nines can be had for about 3k and they fit the bill for what you want.

It`s worth it to take your time and listen to what you can, if your buying new the Pure Audio Project speakers would be at number one for me, amazing and a real bargain.

 

I don't think some people are being entirely straight here. The newer Harbeths appear to be brighter but in some other respects more to my taste. My experience is good in parts and they sound fairly 'natural' in comparison to many brands. However the BBC style cabinets mean they have a signature like an instrument and my philosophy is that speakers are not the instruments but should reproduce instruments. Also they are now rather overpriced even here in the UK and I believe a better sound can be achieved for a lot less if you are orientated towards rock especially. I suggest check out the latest Wharfedale products for a 'British' sound. The Linton has had a lot of praise but for similar money check out the Evo 4.2 and 4.4 to find out what can be achieved at very sane prices. Indeed if you can't audition this is a safer route as these speakers are easily obtained from online sellers with a returns policy. If you don't like them long run you lose $00's rather than $000's .

 

I haven't heard them in person, but I want to hear spatial audio before I buy anything. I have jamo s606 now. Not where I want the same sound to be, but not bad for now. It at least gives me time to look. They seem to be responding well to a better source

 

The problem with the BBC monitors and speakers designed for that sound is they seem to be analytical sounding - Personally I prefer the new Wharfedales to Harbeth and in general Wharfedale has been underrated (perhaps because they're not expensive enough to be taken as seriously) compared to other brands. Wharfedale for the most part doesn;t have a house sound like most brands - even back in the day before they went bankrupt they had various different lines that sounded quite different and they still do with bringing back the class series like the Denton Linton and Airedale. What I like about their classic series is that they have no intention of sounding modern and I have a lot of respect for the fact that they target a certain customer and know full well they will not attract everybody. I have only heard the Airedale and they acquit themselves very well - big lush sound. Not cheap but hey luxury rarely is.

Then they have their Diamond series which almost always seem to be as good as anything in their price range only less money - their EVO series which raises the game sound quality wise but again high value for the dollar and the Elysians which I have only heard once but were impressive and they look impressive - and for more modern music listening. Of course it will come down to the way you like AMT tweeters but I have no real issues with them. Consider that a Legacy loudspeaker will cost quadruple - well - Wharfedale seems high value to me. I have liked all the models I have heard with the AMT tweeters. A brand that doesn't often seem to get mentioned in the "give this a try" list.

 

I don't think the cabinets modes on the P3 or 30 series color the treble or presentation too much at all - they're minor. On the C7 and SHL5, there is some mid- bass warmth possibly attributable to the cab - you can take or leave this on personal preference.

In short, for the OP, the treble is decidedly not peaky on any iteration. Newer one's are flat-ish, older models generally roll-off at bit more and have a more pronounced BBC dip.

 

The Spatial are quite an incredible value and the bass quality they produce makes BBC-type monitor bass seem rather comical in comparison. You'd have to buy M40.1s to get bass output anywhere near that of the smallest Spatial model. The treble is very balanced but also detailed. No obvious metallic colorations.

 

compared to most other speakers harbeths are not bright sounding at all which is what the op asked about
compared to kef, focal, monitor audio, dali, paradigm, dynaudio, b&w, atc, elac, polk audio, etc harbeth are the least bright of the bunch.
wharfdales can be less bright depending on model but they lack quality point source coherence and transparency imho.

 

The suggestion to go to your local dealer and do extensive listening is a hollow suggestion to those who live in audio deserts. Even when there are dealers around, they don't always carry the brands you're looking for. Try to find a Harbeth dealer less than three hours from Indianapolis; not happening.

For the last 15+ years I have adopted a by it to try it strategy for audio. This means used for most of my purchases, but that's ok with me. The only real problem are large (tower) speakers, as shipping is a problem. When we moved into our current house two years ago, I decided to find my last pair of speakers. I've purchased six or seven models with that intent. Only a couple of them could I have auditioned locally, and then it would've been in unfamiliar surrounds with unfamiliar gear.

My .02.

 

I have bought most of my gear this way. In fact the only pieces I ever auditioned first were my B&W 805s and Primaluna, from a great local dealer.

 

Closest for me is atlanta. Friendly guys, but definitely not the options that I was looking for. this may require a road trip to narrow down some options

 

See my profile.
I use four channels of amplification per side with 500 watts per Harbeth.
However I also own a 100 watt Rogue Cronus in another room and am familiar with it running my Harbeths.
It is a great match in my opinion.
Herb Reichert of Stereophile has run the Harbeths with 100 watts of tube Rogue and declared it the finest sound he has ever heard and the best deal on the planet.
My opinion is that the Cronus III would be an ideal stand alone amp with Harbeth and the Cronus II I own has two extra sets of RCA outputs to drive twin stereo subwoofers---if NEEDED---which is very cool.

The reason I use so much power is simply to extend the headroom before clipping as I occasionally hit over 105 dB with mine.
Plus with four channels of amplification per sie I can tune the response to be dead flat in a larger room using setup experience, some tools and some test equipment to calibrate the rig.

 

I would not describe Harbeths as analytical. Clear, natural and with sufficient detail are how I experience both the 40.1 and the C7-es3.

 

agreed.
the SHL5+ leans to the analytical side compared to the other models. however they are far from the sound of a truly analytical speaker like ATC for example.

 

ive had the shl5plus and P3esr.
I think whenit comes to treble, its a preference thing. I know some find that any metal tweeters sounds like a dentist apparatus, some find that soft dome sounds like mush.

Personally, i prefer soft dome, i do find that metal tweeters has a overly piercing sound. Ive sold the shl5plus cause the treble i found was too much, too present. the p3esr are better in that regard, i found the treble rather laid back. the issue with p3esr is serious lack of scale, so you get better treble, but no low bass.
just audition a pair and find out for yourself.

Ill probably own a pair of Harbeth 40 monitors one day, and those use soft dome tweeter which are more to my liking

 

Which models have a soft dome tweeter? Too bad stereo dealers don't let us bring in our equipment (amp) to test out on the speakers. if only...

 

The C7ES-3 has soft tweeter.

 

There is absolutely nothing piercing about the treble of the SHL5+ or any other Harbeth model.

 

Mine had an aluminum dome and sounded incredible.

 

If you are looking at a Cronus Magnum you want the aluminum tweeter. I had the CMII and Harbeth C7ES3 and it sounded as smooth as the day is long. Do not fear the aluminum domes of Harbeth. Not at all.

 

Am I wrong? I swear I read on the Harbeth site the C7 used a soft dome tweeter, but I don't see it now.

Just went downstairs and pulled the grill off one of my speakers. While the tweeter doesn't have the silver color of a common metal dome, it sure doesn't look like cloth.

I will say I stopped thinking all metal tweeters are harsh and all soft dome tweeters are smooth years ago. Way too much generalization there, and it doesn't match my experience.

 

My history is in car audio (the sound quality side-non competition). That is why i run from hard dome tweeters. Even the focal were too bright. possibly not fair to generalize for home audio. Especially since I am looking to use a tube amp

 

When I got a pair of P3's the term used to describe them was "broadcast monitor" (vs. "studio monitor"). In other words, a speaker you can listen to for long hours without fatigue - for me that definitely means a sound that is not hyped or over bright in any way...

 

I’m using a Line Magnetic 501, a 100 watt tube amp similar to magnus, with Harberth C7. It’s not bright at all. I listen all rock music (post punk) and some harder, stranger and more noise kind of rock. Love them