[hifi2me]

HI,

Would like to have some input from experienced users re.

=> suitable amplification

=> suitable speaker cables and stands

[denjo]

Hi hifi2me

I am a very happy Harbeth SHL5 owner! The SHL5 is an easy speaker to match with virtually any amplifier, from an 8 watts 300B SET to 100 watt solid state amplifier. I have tried the Harbeths with a Cary 300B SET, Leben CS-600 (28 to 32 watts), YBA Integre DT (50 watts), Bryston B100 (100 watts, my present amplifier), LFD MI 100, etc. No matter what amplifier I drive the SHL5, the musical qualities always shine. If you want more bottom end and adequate headroom, then a 100 watter would be more than enough.

As for stands, I custom made a wooden Skylan design stand with Black Diamond Racing cones and the SHL5 sprang to life.

Speaker cables are Auditorium 23s but I will be trying Gregg Straley's Reality cables soon.

You might want to visit the Harbeth forum at www.harbeth.co.uk for more information and advice. They have an active user group forum which seeks to answer the very questions you asked in your post.

The Harbeths are wonderfully musical and non-fatiguing! It is one of the best decisions I made in my audio journey.

Best regards
Dennis

[avta]

I'll second that Dennis. I've got Compact 7's that I use with a McIntosh 252 and the sound is as you describe. Very natural and not fatiguing.
Guy

[TerryO]

I've never owned a pair of Harbeth speakers, but I've listened to several pairs over the years. I've reached the conclusion that, unlike most speaker companies, Harbeth has never made a speaker that wasn't topnotch!

As a committed diy speakerbuilder, I firmly believe that it's possible to design and build speakers that are far better than any commercial offering...the Harbeth may, however, be the exception. If you don't build speakers, and can afford their relatively modest price, then it's a no-brainer.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[Russell Dawkins]

Harbeth is one of the few speakers that are used as much professionally as in the home, flying in the face of the notion that home and studio speakers need to be different, somehow.

[denjo]

I'll second that Dennis. I've got Compact 7's that I use with a McIntosh 252 and the sound is as you describe. Very natural and not fatiguing.
Guy

Hi Avta
I bet your McIntosh sounds great with the Compact 7s! I have always been a great fan of McIntosh equipment.

Best Regards
Dennis

[satfrat]

HI,

Would like to have some input from experienced users re.

=> suitable amplification

=> suitable speaker cables and stands

Not much of a speaker review,,,,,,

[jeffstake]

The SHL5s work well with lots of different kinds of amps. I'd want at least 40 watts in my room, but if you listen at moderate levels you might get by with less. You might be surprised how great they can sound with the NAD integrateds such as the C 325BEE. Plinius and TacT sound even more terrific. Use wire that is OFC and at least 16 gauge, although that number varies with length.

Stands are more critical. You want your ears to be on the axis of the lower tweeter. I like wooden stands with them.

[denjo]

I have run the SHL5s with 28, 100 and now 180 watts and can say that the Harbeths are a very easy load and would suit virtually any amplifier, solid state or tube. With more power, there is greater control of the bass.

Best Regards
Dennis

[mfsoa]

I've never heard a Harbeth, and I mean this question in all sincerity -
From the pictures, they look like the most un-interesting, "three drivers in a box" kind of speaker.

What is it that makes them so special? Driver quality? Crossover technology? Internal cabinet construction?

If the answer is that they just get the music right, I'm fine with that since that's what counts.

All that flat space around the tweeter seems so, well, un-audiophile 

Can someone give me some info, 'cause I've heard nothing but raves about the brand yet they look so pedestrian from the outside?

What's under the skin?

Thanks


-Mike

[Thebiker]

Mike,
Harbeth is a British built monitor style speaker, built originally as a studio monitor.  I agree with the unappealing look comment.  By today's standards, while well built, they do look kind of ho-hum.

They tend to sound like most British studio monitors of the old SL3 school.  The folks that like that Brit sound swear by them.  Not my cup of tea, but a good speaker.  I know the importer of Harbeth and he likes the Brit sound.  His shop also handles Focal and Triangle.

Walt

[TerryO]

I've never heard a Harbeth, and I mean this question in all sincerity -
From the pictures, they look like the most un-interesting, "three drivers in a box" kind of speaker.

What is it that makes them so special? Driver quality? Crossover technology? Internal cabinet construction?

If the answer is that they just get the music right, I'm fine with that since that's what counts.

All that flat space around the tweeter seems so, well, un-audiophile 

Can someone give me some info, 'cause I've heard nothing but raves about the brand yet they look so pedestrian from the outside?

What's under the skin?

Thanks


-Mike

Mike,
The Pacific Northwest Audio Society sponsors a DIY speaker contest every other year. One aspect that perhaps sets it apart is that the judges are not allowed to see the entry, through the use of a curtain that completely blocks any chance of viewing the speaker.
The lack of visual clues forces the evaluation to be made only on the sound of the entry. When questions arise that a speaker "looks like" such and such, then a preconceived bias is already in play. FWIW, I'm as subject to this as anyone else, although after extensive research I'm certainly aware of the pitfalls attendant to such observations.

That's one "problem" that Harbeth speakers have had, although they have made some concessions to appearance in the last few years. They were and are primarily high quality Monitors, with the sound being the priority. If they look rather old fashioned or "clunky", I can assure you they used to look worse :^)

They do, OTOH, sound glorious, with an honest presentation of the music. I've heard more than a few speakers costing $50K to over $100K that are hard put, IMHO, to outdo the overall coherent sound of the Harbeth speakers. At their asking price it's difficult (IMHO) to find any competition worthy of consideration.

All of the above is, of course, my personal opinion and probably (certainly?) doesn't answer your questions, but this is such a subjective topic that I can only encourage you to listen to a pair for yourself.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[richidoo]

I heard the SHL5 compared directly to Compact 7 and M30 at RMAF-07. I preferred the 2 newer designs to the SHL5. They were noticably clearer and more dynamic. The C7 was the best value of all of them, a truly incredible speaker. All Harbeths use a plastic midrange driver which beautifies music slightly, at the cost of a little resolution. The cabinet is not highly damped, which makes all Harbeth speakers very easy to position. The Harbeth recipe is lovely, a worthy "final destination."

[doorman]

I've hear a few pairs of Harbeths over the years. Every time I was VERY impressed, but found it hard to reconcile their plain, boxy look with their performance. However----
I "house sat" a pair for several months, and would have bought 'em then, if possible (sigh!)
Even though I really enjoy the diy thing, I'd love a pair. Unfortunately, the imploding economy will make a lotto win mandatory!
You might check out http://www.uhfmag.com/Issue84/Cover84.html
Don
Don

[Russell Dawkins]

I believe with Harbeth it's mainly about the midrange driver. They have a proprietary material they call Radial 2 that the midrange cone is injection molded from, with a thickness that tapers from the voice coil to the edge. This is only possible with injection molding. The common method of cone construction, I think, is by heating and deforming sheet material. The Radial 2 material is supposed to be really special, with not much of an acoustic signature (the polypropylene "quack") and the recipe is a closely guarded company secret.

Finally, the crossover is painstakingly tweaked - using the human voice as reference, I believe.

[stvnharr]

Hello,
I was a long time Harbeth owner/listener, 1980-2000, starting with their first monitor speaker the HL-II  I still somewhat keep up with what Harbeth does via the website. In the past 5 years or so Harbeth has finally found some good acceptance in the US, after being somewhat non-existent for years and years.  The speakers still have that very retro look of something out of the 50's, especially the larger ones.  And they still use the thin wall cabinet design that nobody else really uses anymore.  Since Dudley Harwood pioneered the use of polypropylene cones in 1979-80, Harbeth has made their own midrange drivers, one of the few that still does.  And as Russell has mentioned, it is part of the secret.  I've since gone DIY with speakers, but still have great fondness for Harbeth.

Steve

[denjo]

Don't let the looks deceive! I have used Harbeths for the last 6 months and find that they are very honest, truthful speakers! Non-fatiguing! I have owned Thiels, AudioNote, Lineaum and can say that the Harbeths are the best sounding, to my ears of course!

[hifi2me]

Hi all,

I am the one starting this tropic.

Reason being that I bought a pair and got quite confused. First time in my Hifi career (30 years or so ) that I couldn't make up my mind. Was this speaker really the first one to stay in my home no matter what's next. Drug addicted always looks for the next fixing, you know.

And yes, now after nearly 4 months trial I am absolute sure, this is by no doubt one of the best speakers I have tried ever, I fully agree to many of the posted comments here. It's a very  flexible speaker, goes with basically anything and still shines!

What I first lately noticed, was Sam Telling (Stereophile) comment, that the speaker won't impress you just like that. Give it time and you learn to appreciate its qualities, I certainly agree aa

So next step is to try more amps, cables and stands, wonderful to know that speakers are staying