Thread: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
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January 23, 2021, 09:02 PM #1
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Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
I had my 30.2’s in a room that was 30x30 for two years now. They were great in that large space. No problem filling the room with music. I don’t listen at rock convert levels so 70dB average is the usual range for me.
Moved my system to a much smaller room just to see if the 30.2 would be at home and I can do something else in the big room this or next year.
I was not really surprised that the 30.2 sounded well behaved in an acoustic space 3x smaller and a room that is 11x14 or so. Intimate space with speakers 6.5 ft apart and my listening spot at the 1.2 rule so approx 8 feet. Bass integration was no problem and I nailed it fairly quickly. Soundstage not as wide as before obviously but the height, depth, imaging focus and palpability factor are nearly as good as before. All in all a pleasant room to listen to Jazz and I can setup another system if I decide on it in the big room with perhaps bigger speakers.
The Jazz Room Harbeth 30.2 PrimaLuna - YouTube
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January 23, 2021, 09:18 PM #2
Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
My favorite Harbeth’s!
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January 23, 2021, 09:30 PM #3
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Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
Mike you have the advantage of listening to them all so I'll take your word for it. I only have the 30.2 and they are definitely keeping me happy.
Dialed them in a bit more. 1/4 inch at a time to get them to focus better and improve coherence. I'll call it pretty good for now. Diana Krall test of coherence and emotional engagement. I'm pretty happy with the speaker/room interaction before adding any acoustic panels. Harbeth 30.2 PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP - YouTube
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January 23, 2021, 10:02 PM #4
Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
Great news Serge! Looking forward to seeing what goes in the bigger room.
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January 23, 2021, 10:17 PM #5
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Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
Thanks Joe. Not exactly sure where the big room system will take me yet. I could go with the PrimaLuna Evo tube DAC and this Jazz room will be golden. I have the Luxman integrated and the Luxman SACD for the big room then. So a streamer and speakers and it is also done.
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January 24, 2021, 07:34 PM #6
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January 24, 2021, 08:46 PM #7
Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
The 30.2s are great stand mount speaker. Great perfomers for jazz and acoustical music.
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Mike
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January 25, 2021, 12:17 AM #8
Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
That room sounds great! Superb near field setup. What you call "small" is pretty decent for many of us!
IMO monitors really shine in intimate setups like this.
Regards.
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January 25, 2021, 12:44 AM #9
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Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
Thanks
Near boundary reinforcement certainly helps if the speaker couples nicely and a balance can be established between too much and just right amount of coupling. The Harbeth 30.2 do not seem to mind and play along nicely. Bass response certainly improved with the smaller room boundary coupling but not at the expense of articulation or resolution of the lowest octave the speaker is comfortable playing.
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January 25, 2021, 03:06 PM #10
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January 25, 2021, 04:40 PM #11
Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
looks good Serge, what's your listening chair of choice ?
Cheers ! …. Dave
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January 27, 2021, 05:49 PM #12
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Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
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January 27, 2021, 05:50 PM #13
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Re: Harbeth 30.2 in a new room.
Never underestimate live plants and their ability to add nice amount of diffusion to "relax" the sound and tame some of the reflections. No, they are not quite as effective as panels all over the room but one will be surprised how much they do effect the overall speaker to room interaction.
So before adding some of the specialty panels, I wanted to add appealing to the eye acoustic helpers in the form of live plants which I enjoy.
This morning I added a nice Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) front and center for the window/glass treatment. Glass is always problematic but between the shades which I use in a 45 deg angle and the generous diffusive area of the broad leaves of the Peace Lily, it worked like magic. Noticeable increase in imaging focus and added sense of coherence. Most noticeable on vocal tracks.
For the left side after I decided to add a taller, vertical plant to diffuse the sound before it has a chance to create lots of early reflections from the computer desk and the lamp. That was the right call after experimenting with the Left and Right position of the tall Corn Plant (Massangeana Dracaena) of the tropical African climate region that do well indoors.
Another benefit is humidity control and I am a big believer in proper humidity not only as a health benefit but humidity has a direct effect on sound propagation and proper humidity rooms make the sound just a bit more lively and natural.
I have taken this approach before with positive results and this time is no different.
The sound improvement was very noticeable and I am happy to have a few more live plants to share the Jazz Room with. Total cost including pots was less than $200.
All frequencies are affected although not proportionally. Having said that, even bass will benefit slightly.
I have no major issues with any hardness of tone, early reflections, ringing or bass bloat/overhang in this room.
I have spent 10x more and had less in return in the past...
Highly recommend going the live or even artificial plants route if a room full of acoustic panels is less desirable.
Proof/listening test:
Youtube is no quality conveyor of sound but if you know what you are listening for, it serves its purpose.
The all important midrange: PrimaLuna Dialogue HP Harbeth 30.2 - YouTube
Bass resolution/articulation:
Also of note is that these are the EL34 running in Triode Mode or approximately 35w of power. The musicality and the gutsy drive of an EL34 tube is simply stunning. The power and musicality of an EL34 tube running in triode mode - YouTube
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