Harbeth Speakers- Doing Something Right....

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by avanti1960, Jul 25, 2019.

  1. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA

    I am a firm believer once you reach a solid hardware level, imo you are well above that baseline, I'm getting closer, the room and set-up are the key.

    My room basics seem fundamentally good.
    So the variable is placement and listening position. Due to room geometry, 3 large entries: kitchen, main, back patio. Those 3 pretty much determine the rest.

    It'll be fun playing around, searching for the optimum. I like being a bit further away, 12' or so.

    I need that distance due to the girth of my head. It generates gravity and has an atmosphere. Too close and the speakers may pinch my head.
    :biglaugh:
     
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  2. Glmoneydawg

    Glmoneydawg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    Perhaps you could go with a wet bar and claim that you misunderstood?
     
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  3. Glmoneydawg

    Glmoneydawg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    So your giant cranium makes speaker positioning into more of a headphone type puzzle?:)
     
  4. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    :biglaugh:

    Just spit out my drink!
     
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  5. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    Good, we're done denigrating people who offer professional opinion (for some financial gain at times) which we benefit with no cost to us.
    Which btw we are free to consider or dismiss.

    Back to speakers.
    Harbeth's in particular
    Specifically stands.
    Some pics/mfgs. PN would be appreciated.

    if say someone was crazy enough to get some SHL5+ with an ear height of 36", a 17" stand is appropriate.

    Linton stands? Anyone use those?
     
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  6. AC1

    AC1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Antwerp, Belgium
    I think Harbeth speakers are designed to put on open frame stands, which the Linton stands are not.
     
  7. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Ask and you shall receive...

    As to whether the top plate of the Linton stands causes any sonic issues is questionable. My top plated spiked damped DIY stands (third link) do not let the speakers sound as good as they do with the open frame sound anchor stands.

    But the differences include-

    top plate vs open frame top
    material- hardwood vs cast steel
    height- 20" vs 18"
    iso dots- 3/8 " hard silicone bumpers vs 1/4" proven KEF supplied isolators

    I do know without question that sound anchor stands give the bass a deep, solid response as noticed many times at a local dealer who carries them. Every stand mount sounded great on them hence my eventual purchase.
    Also the type of iso dot is very important as noticed during my own testing and measuring of several different types. Softer dots make the sound bloated and peaky and more rigid dots tend to deplete the deep bass.
    My guess is that solid, spiked high mass stands at the correct height and with the correct iso dot is more important than an open top plate.

    Harbeth Speakers- Doing Something Right....
    Harbeth Speakers- Doing Something Right....
    Harbeth Speakers- Doing Something Right....
     
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  8. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    I've read that too, but the designer on his forum, seems to imply it does not matter and the debate may be overblown?
     
  9. timind

    timind phorum rezident

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  10. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    "Overblown?" On an audiophile forum? Perish the thought.
     
  11. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    A.S. seems to countenance no BS, lol.
     
  12. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    With all do respect saying things like amplifiers and stands do not matter much for Harbeth Speakers gives them a broader market appeal.
    If you were selling something would you limit your market by making specific requirements for your products?
    Of course amplifiers and stands matter. To some more than others in varying degrees.
     
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  13. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    I had not looked at it that way. Good point and smart business.
    Hence, the value of your opinion.

    He recommends amps recommended by a company that makes test gear, Klippel.
    They are industrial, built for severe use on a constant basis with unusual loads.
    Decent spec, but many 'consumer' products are likely equal or better.
     
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  14. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    unfortunately i am a natural skeptic....
    also doesn't mean you have to spend $$$$ either !
     
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  15. Glmoneydawg

    Glmoneydawg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    Using the HiFi Racks stands here...seemed a little flimsy,so i rebuilt them with construction adhesive.Solid as a rock now:righton:.Having said that,the Linton stands look great...very reasonably priced too if that matters.
     
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  16. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    I enjoyed the HUG forum when I owned Harbeths. Agree A.S. was willing to shut conversation down if it went south, but he was also accepting of opposing views when presented logically without rancor.
     
  17. snorker

    snorker Big Daddy

    Check these out: I got stands from Resonant Woods. The owner Brooks is a nice guy and will do custom work as well. I had some special locking castors put on the stands for my 40.2 so I could move them around easier.
     
  18. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I had the Skylan stands with my former Harbeth C7ES3, legs filled 3/4" short with cat litter per Noel. They are solid, well engineered, heavy with the added ballast, non resonant, look very nice and come with excellent iso dots ! The updated SHL5 stands seem to look better too.
    Skylan Manufacturing Ltd.
     
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  19. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    SKY-4P18?

    nice, but not crazy $, but not inexpensive either.
    But considering the speaker bargain ;) may be justified.

    I believe coupling speakers/stands solidly to floor mass is important.

    But Harbeth seems to have a different design philosophy to allow them to float, so to speak.

    I will use a weighted stand when I finalize my choice, with spikes. But the speakers will be set on dots. I can't find my KEF ones, looking in the speaker and stand manual I don't think they came with them?
    Are they?

    clear
    semi-spherical
    OD X Ht
    Would sorbothane dots work
    ??
     
  20. PoetryOnPlastic

    PoetryOnPlastic Forum Reedmaker

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Since we're talking about stands, I know I mentioned them in my review, but I want to shout out my friend Killian from Denton Wood Workers (instagram.com/denton_wood_workers/) who built my Harbeth stands. It was his first pair of speaker stands and they are immaculate. He's the guy that does all the cabinet flat-packs for GR Research (the company that sells the DIY speaker kits). And before Hi_Res makes another quip, he's not paying me anything lol. As it is he only gave me 20% off the stands and I've known him for 12 years! Anyway I think he's eager to build more, so if anyone is looking for some Ton-Trager style stands, hit him up, it will probably cost you half as much as the Germans.

    Here's a shot of mine he made out of ash (he includes spikes, but you can put your own feet on if you want). I also put little felt furniture footers in between the speaker and the tenons. I have no idea if that helped or hurt the sound, but I was feeling nervous about setting wood on wood.

    [​IMG]8A6F5CDB-5AB8-40B3-969E-8A2259A82F38 by poetryonplastic, on Flickr
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2021
  21. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Yes, the 4P18.
    Sorbthane did not work for me- caused an annoying bass peak as measured in this thread. the skylan dots did work well as did the hard rubber KEF dots. good info here.

    Speaker "Dot" Shootout
     
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  22. rcspkramp

    rcspkramp Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, WA USA
    You want to look at TonTrager or Resonant Woods stands for the Harbeths.
     
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  23. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    Glue and screw, always.
    Folks do not realize how strong modern adhesives are, heck, used on cars and airplanes.
     
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  24. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    In my profession (and betting yours too), fortunately, that is a good thing.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  25. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    Are these the rare as hen's teeth KEF bumpers?

    :)

    [​IMG]
     

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