[robinje]

Hello.  I currently have a pair of Harbeth Compact 7 ES-3 on Sound Anchor stands.  I like these speakers tremendously, but am very intrigued by the Sapphire XL's.  I could use a little more detail/airiness in the highs, although the mids from the Harbeths are truly outstanding.  The Sapphires have been described as "musical" with a "polite" top end.  This appears to be similar descriptors that are applied to Harbeths in general, so I am curious as to what the sonic differences of the Sapphires might be relative to my Harbeths.  I've toyed with the idea of adding a Force XL to my Harbeths for bass enhancement and may still do so.  But, if I sold the Harbeths and stands, I could buy a pair of Sapphire XL's, SCS stands, and a Force XL with the funds (it would likely be pretty close to an even trade in terms of money).  What would I be giving up, if anything, by making this big change?  I do know that this setup would give more extended bass than I currently have, but what about mids and highs? 

For reference, my system is a Rega Saturn, Modwright SWL9.0SE Sig. preamp, Modwright SWP9.0SE phono stage, and VPI Scoutmaster with Dynavector XX2MkII cartridge.  For power, a pair of Wyred 4 Sound 250wpc monos (on the way).  My listening space is a converted bedroom at about 12x15x8 feet. 

Thanks!   

[Mike Dzurko]

Hmm, first thought that pops into my head is you might want to try the Sapphire XLs by themselves first. In your room, you will likely have very good extension to well below 40Hz. Sure, I prefer with a well-integrated Force XL, but I think you might find you have better bass and extension than you expect. You can always add the Force later.

How tall are your Sound Anchor stands? They might work well . . .

[robinje]

Thanks for your reply.  My current stands are only 19" tall (20" with the spikes included).  This puts the Harbeth tweeters pretty much right at ear level.  Is this tall enough for the Sapphires?  I think the tweeters on the Sapphires would be about 8" lower than the Harbeths on my current stands.  I sit only about 9' away from my speakers, currently. 

According to published specs, it appears that the Sapphires would compare in low end extension to my front-ported Harbeths.  Of course, I am aware that specs don't mean all that much and actual listening in my room would be the only definitive way of determining if the low end of the Sapphires would be adequate for my tastes (progressive rock/jazz from the 70's/80's, mainly).  I do know that the Harbeths are adequate on the low end in my space, but a Force XL would likely make the low end even better with proper setup. 

I appreciate your advice on trying the Sapphire XL's alone first.  If the low end is of similar depth and quality to my Harbeths, great!  I'm mainly interested in the overall presentation, including the midrange and highs, and how the Sapphires differ from Harbeths in this regard.  I'm not looking for anyone to say which is "better" because it comes down, ultimately, to personal preference.  I'm sure the Sapphires are outstanding, as so many users and reviewers have said so. 

I like that you have a return policy, but I do want to be pretty sure of my purchase before committing to buying them.  I don't feel right buying a product without being pretty darned committed to keeping it.  I'd feel pretty bad about calling up and saying that I want to return a product you have put so much effort into designing.  I guess I don't like hurting someone's feelings!     Anyway, I'm in the premininary stages of considering a speaker change right now, so I'll continue doing research.  I'd really like to hear some Sapphires, though.  Perhaps I can make it down to Lacrosse sometime (I live in northern MN). 

Thanks!

[Mike Dzurko]

Where in northern Minn?  My Mom is from Duluth, and one of my sons lived in Bemidji for a year. You are more than welcome to come on down and give the Sapphire XLs a listen. The new room is ALMOST done. It is functional and locals have been auditioning but we hope to be completing the finishing touches within the next couple weeks.

La Crosse is a nice scenic area with the rivers and bluffs. Plenty of good places to stay and good food.  We'd be happy to recommend some places and setup some quality listening time for you.

[Joey54]

Before you give up on the Harbeth's you should get your new amps, optimize your setup and give the Compact 7's a serious workout. The Harbeths have a midrange like no other, and can be very addicting when setup properly. I have little experience with the Compact 7's except that after hearing them I went ahead and bought a pair of Harbeth Super HL5's. I have not heard the Sapphire XL's but I own a pair of the Sapphire Anniversary models. I am unaware of how the sound changed with the XL's but I have heard good things about them. With that being said the Harbeth's play on a different field than my Sapphires in terms of sheer musicality. Given that the Harbeth's cost about three times the price of the Sapphires, that is not surprising. I now own a pair of Harbeth Monitor 40's and a pair of Vandersteen Quatro's.

I am not an audiophile and find it difficult to describe the sound using audio words, but the Sapphires are good all around speakers that play music well in the right setup. The highs are good and the midrange can be very involving, although it can be a bit chesty sounding with the wrong amplification. The bass is very good given the size of the drivers and it's faults are minimal and are only obvious against much more expensive speakers. In my main system  they really hold their own against my other, more expensive speakers. I have used them with a Primare integrated amp as well as with a Pass Labs X250.5 and they portray music well but are just not in the same league with the Harbeth's in terms of sheer musical enjoyment. I am currently using the Sapphires in a vintage system with a Marantz 2270 receiver and they sound great given the context of the system. 

On a related note, I have never liked the Harbeth's on the Sound Anchor stands as they seem to rob the life from the speakers. All of the Harbeth's I have used have sounded better on wooden stands or on the SomethingSolid stands from the UK. I tried  the Sound Anchors for the Super HL5's and sold them when I realized that my temporary homemade wooden stands sounded dramatically better. Harbeth now recommends the Skylan stands.

[robinje]

Joey54...  Thanks for your input.  I bought the Sound Anchors on dealer recommendation and have not tried my speakers with other stands.  Maybe I will do so based on your experience.  I appeciate your comments regarding your Sapphires and Harbeths.  You seem to have quite a few pairs of very high quality speakers at your disposal!   

Mike...  I live in Nevis, MN (pop. <= 400).  That's about 35 miles SE of Bemidji.  I grew up and went to college in Louisiana.  When I was in grad school at LSU, my roommate was from Marshfield, WI.  I went there with him for a few days and we visited La Crosse (hopefully I got the spelling right this time) for a day trip.  I was really amazed at the topography and overall beauty of La Crosse and WI in general.  So much so, that I made a decision to move out of the South and try living somewhere else for a while.  This decision was based on my experience during that single long-weekend trip!  Well, I ended up in MN, got married, now have kids, and it looks like I'm here to stay.  La Crosse isn't all that far from where I live.  I've got a week vacation in August planned and will be staying somewhere close to "the Dells" so I'll try to arrange for a visit to your showroom then, if not sooner.  Thanks again... 

Jim

[Mike Dzurko]

Before you give up on the Harbeth's you should get your new amps, optimize your setup and give the Compact 7's a serious workout. The Harbeths have a midrange like no other, and can be very addicting when setup properly. I have little experience with the Compact 7's except that after hearing them I went ahead and bought a pair of Harbeth Super HL5's. I have not heard the Sapphire XL's but I own a pair of the Sapphire Anniversary models. I am unaware of how the sound changed with the XL's but I have heard good things about them. With that being said the Harbeth's play on a different field than my Sapphires in terms of sheer musicality. Given that the Harbeth's cost about three times the price of the Sapphires, that is not surprising. I now own a pair of Harbeth Monitor 40's and a pair of Vandersteen Quatro's.

I am not an audiophile and find it difficult to describe the sound using audio words, but the Sapphires are good all around speakers that play music well in the right setup. The highs are good and the midrange can be very involving, although it can be a bit chesty sounding with the wrong amplification. The bass is very good given the size of the drivers and it's faults are minimal and are only obvious against much more expensive speakers. In my main system  they really hold their own against my other, more expensive speakers. I have used them with a Primare integrated amp as well as with a Pass Labs X250.5 and they portray music well but are just not in the same league with the Harbeth's in terms of sheer musical enjoyment. I am currently using the Sapphires in a vintage system with a Marantz 2270 receiver and they sound great given the context of the system. 

On a related note, I have never liked the Harbeth's on the Sound Anchor stands as they seem to rob the life from the speakers. All of the Harbeth's I have used have sounded better on wooden stands or on the SomethingSolid stands from the UK. I tried  the Sound Anchors for the Super HL5's and sold them when I realized that my temporary homemade wooden stands sounded dramatically better. Harbeth now recommends the Skylan stands.

I agree with your observations. You might claim to not be an audiophile, but you can certainly listen as well as any audiophile I know 

I believe if you have the chance to listen to a pair of the Sapphire XLs you'll find them to be magical. I've heard from quite a few folks who have directly compared the 25th Anniversary Sapphires with the newer XLs. The consistent consensus is that the Anniversary Edition is a fine speaker . . .  the XL is a great speaker. 

[Mike Dzurko]

Joey54...  Thanks for your input.  I bought the Sound Anchors on dealer recommendation and have not tried my speakers with other stands.  Maybe I will do so based on your experience.  I appeciate your comments regarding your Sapphires and Harbeths.  You seem to have quite a few pairs of very high quality speakers at your disposal!   

Mike...  I live in Nevis, MN (pop. <= 400).  That's about 35 miles SE of Bemidji.  I grew up and went to college in Louisiana.  When I was in grad school at LSU, my roommate was from Marshfield, WI.  I went there with him for a few days and we visited La Crosse (hopefully I got the spelling right this time) for a day trip.  I was really amazed at the topography and overall beauty of La Crosse and WI in general.  So much so, that I made a decision to move out of the South and try living somewhere else for a while.  This decision was based on my experience during that single long-weekend trip!  Well, I ended up in MN, got married, now have kids, and it looks like I'm here to stay.  La Crosse isn't all that far from where I live.  I've got a week vacation in August planned and will be staying somewhere close to "the Dells" so I'll try to arrange for a visit to your showroom then, if not sooner.  Thanks again... 

Jim

Jim:

I've lived in the area all my life. Traveled a fair amount, but always find the natural beauty around here to be tough to beat. Plus, the cost of living and the value of real estate that the dollar buys is pretty nice compared to many areas. The last winter WAS a bit long though . . .

The Dells is about 90 minutes east of us. On the way you'll be within about a mile of our shop. Just let us know when you want to listen. 

[rasmussen]

Hello Robin,

My reaction is somewhat different than Mike's but still involves one step at a time. I would say first try one of AC Is subs with your Harbeths. It just depends on what range you prefer for your system. My previous speakers were Harbeth HL5s. Regardless of the presence of some bass I found the addition of a single sub was an absolute necessity for my satisfaction with the HL5s. A Force would be great. Overall my reason for changing to smaller main speakers is that with the size of the Harbeths HL5s plus sub I felt like I could get similar performance with a more compact set up with better imaging from the Satellites. Ok Ok, plus I'll admit my wife didn't like the boxy look. Regardless a sojourn to the demo room may tell you all you need to know. The demo period is also there for a reason and when used sincerely is a service that would be invaluable for comparing. Hope that helped a little, it does not answer the main question regarding the sense of air with Sapphire vs Harbeth but if you started with expanding the bass you could then compare the two main speakers in the full range system you want.

[robinje]

Hello Robin,

My reaction is somewhat different than Mike's but still involves one step at a time. I would say first try one of AC Is subs with your Harbeths. It just depends on what range you prefer for your system. My previous speakers were Harbeth HL5s. Regardless of the presence of some bass I found the addition of a single sub was an absolute necessity for my satisfaction with the HL5s. A Force would be great. Overall my reason for changing to smaller main speakers is that with the size of the Harbeths HL5s plus sub I felt like I could get similar performance with a more compact set up with better imaging from the Satellites. Ok Ok, plus I'll admit my wife didn't like the boxy look. Regardless a sojourn to the demo room may tell you all you need to know. The demo period is also there for a reason and when used sincerely is a service that would be invaluable for comparing. Hope that helped a little, it does not answer the main question regarding the sense of air with Sapphire vs Harbeth but if you started with expanding the bass you could then compare the two main speakers in the full range system you want.

Thanks for your thoughtful recommendation.  I may try a Force XL sub first.  In fact, that is the way I am leaning now. 

[Mike Dzurko]

Just a heads up . . .  we're running very low on the custom woofer we have built for the Force XL. Probably no more than 10-20 days worth remain in stock. The next batch isn't due to arrive until sometime in September.