[RJ]

Has anyone listened to these? I've heard they are amazing!

Thanks,
RJ

[richidoo]

I have been reading the reviews on them this week. All positive so far. Tellig usually tells it straight, he liked them.  I have never heard Harbeth, wish there was a dealer local.
Rich

[TerryO]

One of the members of our Stereo Club had me over a couple of nights ago to listen to his new Micro-Benz cartridge and he uses Harbeth speakers. I'm not sure what model they are, but I believe he paid approximately $4,000 a pair for them. They sounded very nice and if you want speakers that accurately present music, these will deliver. Harbeth sells a lot of speakers to members of Symphony Orchestras, so evidently the people who are intimately familiar with the sound of music, and particularly their instrument, seem to favor what Harbeth does with the reproduction. Nothing in excess or added to any particular part of the musical spectrum, they seem to reproduce the harmonics and overtones correctly, which many speakers have some degree of difficulty achieving. All in all, a real music lover's speaker.
If you favor (or are particular about) piano, violin or the human voice, these should be included on your short list.
Best Regards,
TerryO

[Kevin Haskins]

I like their design philosophy.   No BS just good quality stuff.

Have yet to hear one of their speakers though.   Terry O is a real golden ear though.   If he says they are good you can lay down your money. 

[dado5]

One of my favorite brands!  Probably the only brand I can say I've loved every model I've heard.

I will say that there are two qualities they posses that may not be to everyones liking:

They're fairly power hungry  - I'd say 40 watts min. for good scale and dynamics in a typical living room and the soundstage is behind the speakers ('you are there' v. 'they are here').


That said they've got a lock on tonal accuracy, pace and emotion. Instruments sound real in way the few other brands can match.  They're pricey for a two way, but you'd have a hard time finding a more involving and natural sounding speaker of any type for the money.

[TerryO]

One of the members of our Stereo Club had me over a couple of nights ago to listen to his new Micro-Benz cartridge and he uses Harbeth speakers. I'm not sure what model they are, but I believe he paid approximately $4,000 a pair for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~SNIP~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Regards,
TerryO

I felt that my previous posting was a little too general, so I did a little research and have found that his Harbeth's are the Model 30. At least the pair I listened to were. He also had another pair of Harbeth's (model unknown) for use as rear channel speakers, which were not used while I was there. The $4,000 figure is off the top of my head, however the veneer doesn't match any that the Harbeth website shows, so it may be that he had special ordered them with a wood species not normally available.

Just to make sure that I'm not misunderstood, my comments on the sound apply only to his Model 30's. I haven't heard any of their other models in more than a decade, although back then and even further back they were highly regarded.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[timothyharnett]

It's one I had on my shortlist.  The 30 is a nice size as it doesn't overwhelm small or medium sized rooms.  It's probably what I would have bought had I not bought Stirling Broadcast monitors (Harbeth 'Monitor 20' equivalents).

[Hogg]

I once owned the model 7ES-2.  I sold them to buy my Tannoy's.  Harbeth is a great speaker with a midrange to-die-for.  They are a buy it and forget it product meaning you should wait until  you've somewhat settled down in swapping audio equipment.  The bass isn't as good as some and the treble isn't as sparkling as some.  However, the overall presentation is very smooth and listenable with excellent imaging.  Harbeth's are great on vocals, small combos and chamber music.  If you're a head-banger, you probably won't like them.  They're best driven by solid state.

                                                                                       Jim