Harbeth p3esr review... need more info

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audiophile2018

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[FONT=&quot]Hi guys,
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[FONT=&quot]I’ve recently decided to get a new set of hi-fi speakers and the Harbeth p3esr are the ones I’m strongly considering but I don’t have any experience with them. I would like to hear from those who do. Any thoughts guys?
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The P3 has excellent scale but won't be a rock-out speaker. If you listen to music with some heavier bass, you might look elsewhere. If you don't, it might be a speaker you could live with for many, many years.
 
I have a buddy whojust bought a pair of Harbeth P3ESR speakersand he already swears he'll never replace them. Like SKip said, it's notgoing to fill a huge room if that's what you want... if you're accustomed tobass and LOVE bass, it's hard to live without bass. He has a smaller space so the size works for his setup and I think he's using a Luxman L-505uXII but I'll needto check. I haven't had the chance to stop by and listen yet but he chosethe cherry finish and they look sharp (in the pictures).
 
Had the opportunity to demo these and they are great for their smaller size. It's surprising. You won't get much bass but the Harbeth P3ESR are a more natural sounding than a lot of bookshelf speakers out there. At moderate levels, they did well and are nearly flawless with acoustic music I listened to. If you like hearing all the individual instruments and voices the p3esr are the way to go. I'm echoing what others are saying here, they are not going to fill a big room. Are you looking at any other speakers or just p3esr? What kind of sound are you looking for? Maybe we can help stear you in one direction or another.
 
I'm also interested to hear more about the P3s. After more research, I'd like to compare Harbeth P3ESR and the C7ES3. My room is 13 foot by 12 foot. From what I've read, that's almost too big for the P3s (I could be wrong so please correct me if I am). These need to be something that I hang on to for a while so I could shell out the extra cash for the C7s. Any help in any direction would be appreciated. I listen at moderate levels and will crank things up from time to time.
 
Hey Jeff. Do you have neighbors that you need to worry about? If you do, P3s could be a better way to go. They are loud enough to fill a small room but they are less powerful than the C7s. The P3s are certainly capable little speakers and they are pretty well known for their clean vocals and natural sound. I haven't heard a pair yet but a few acquaintances have said good things.
 
Recently had a pair of p3esr [not the anniversary version] . They are marvellous for their size and very natural and organic sounding. great if you have limited space
 
My wife and I lived happily with a pair of Rogers LS3/5a's for 36 years. These are the BBC designed speakers that are the forerunners of the Harbeth's.

We listened to acoustic music most of the time. I still only listen to acoustic music but I now have the p3's bigger brother, the 30.2's.
 
DSkip said:
The P3 has excellent scale but won't be a rock-out speaker. If you listen to music with some heavier bass, you might look elsewhere. If you don't, it might be a speaker you could live with for many, many years.
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One can use an P3ESR with a small REL sub, e.g. a REL T5i or T3i, and have a very nice system with excellent bass response. In fact, Alan Shaw specifically recommends REL when considering pairing Harbeths with a subwoofer.
 
Jeffwalker01 said:
I'm also interested to hear more about the P3s. After more research, I'd like to compare Harbeth P3ESR and the C7ES3. My room is 13 foot by 12 foot. From what I've read, that's almost too big for the P3s (I could be wrong so please correct me if I am). These need to be something that I hang on to for a while so I could shell out the extra cash for the C7s. Any help in any direction would be appreciated. I listen at moderate levels and will crank things up from time to time.
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12' x 13' is about the size of a moderately sized bedroom. In fact, its about the size of my master bedroom. The P3ESRs would fine in such a room. Its about the speakers ability to pressurize the room thats important. I can pressurize this room easily with the little Pioneer SP-BS-22s, so the P3ESRs would perfrom very well in a room this size. If you would like more bass extension, add a small REL sub. Job done.
 
The new B&W subs pair awesome with the smaller Harbeth’s (we have every model in the store). Frankly, due to the ease of use and setup technology in the B&W subs, I prefer them. Sonically awesome too. Very musical. But you can’t go wrong with either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mike said:
The new B&W subs pair awesome with the smaller Harbeth’s (we have every model in the store). Frankly, due to the ease of use and setup technology in the B&W subs, I prefer them. Sonically awesome too. Very musical. But you can’t go wrong with either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks, Mike.

Would you agree with my assessment (hypothesis) that the P3ESRs would be able to pressurize a 12' x 13' room effectively? Just tryin' go gather data for the database here as I am considering getting a pair of Harbeths also. Trying to decide between P3ESRs, 30.1/30.2 or C-7ES3.
 
The P3’s are tiny and cannot pressurize our 14 x 18 room. 12 x 13, maybe. They sound fantastic and are Harbeth’s gateway drug. But of the choices you mentioned, I would do the 30.2’s all day long. They would absolutely be incredible in a 12 x 13. The 30.2’s and SHL5+ are my personal faves. The 40’s need a big room and an amp that can control the bass and they LOVE power. Luxman M900u monos/Hegel H30 type power. Clean power with great bass control. The C7’s are great if constrained by budget, but leave you wanting to move up the chain. They’re a great stepping stone to the 30.2’s/SHL5+. The SHL5+’s can surpass the 30.2’s with careful amp matching, but man, both are sooooooo good. Flip a coin with these two. But for your size of room, 30.2’s all day long. SHL5+’s would like a little more room to breath than a 12 x 13. 30.2 would fit like a glove.
 
Mike said:
The P3’s are tiny and cannot pressurize our 14 x 18 room. 12 x 13, maybe. They sound fantastic and are Harbeth’s gateway drug. But of the choices you mentioned, I would do the 30.2’s all day long. They would absolutely be incredible in a 12 x 13. The 30.2’s and SHL5+ are my personal faves. The 40’s need a big room and an amp that can control the bass and they LOVE power. Luxman M900u monos/Hegel H30 type power. Clean power with great bass control. The C7’s are great if constrained by budget, but leave you wanting to move up the chain. They’re a great stepping stone to the 30.2’s/SHL5+. The SHL5+’s can surpass the 30.2’s with careful amp matching, but man, both are sooooooo good. Flip a coin with these two. But for your size of room, 30.2’s all day long. SHL5+’s would like a little more room to breath than a 12 x 13. 30.2 would fit like a glove.
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Thanks, Mike, this is exactly the type and quality of information I needed. I auditioned the 30.1s back at beginning of 2015 at Tim Nguyen's Tone of Music in San Francisco (great shop, BTW). Tim set up with a system to match mine as much as possible, powering them with C-J ET-3 pre and LP66S power amp. It was, in my many years of experience, one of the most enjoyable and engaging systems I've ever heard, regardless of price. 4 1/2 years later, I still cannot get that experience of out my mind.
 
Puma Cat said:
Thanks, Mike, this is exactly the type and quality of information I needed. I auditioned the 30.1s back at beginning of 2015 at Tim Nguyen's Tone of Music in San Francisco (great shop, BTW). Tim set up with a system to match mine as much as possible, powering them with C-J ET-3 pre and LP66S power amp. It was, in my many years of experience, the most enjoyable and engaging systems I've ever heard, regardless of price. 4 1/2 years later, I still cannot get that experience of out my mind.
Click to expand...

You’re welcome. The 30.2’s and SHL5+’s have that affect. The 30.2’s are literally more plug and play with anything. I mean - anything we’ve tried. Cables, source, amps, doesn’t matter one bit to the 30.2’s. They will just shine. The SHL5’s when paired with the right amp, source, can rise above the 30.2’s. Both are my top two favorite Harbeth’s. I would pick the 30.2’s for a small room and SHL5+ for medium to large. 40’s for a big open area where you can put some big a$$ mother monos to drive them.

People are still talking about the 30.2 Anniversary/Luxman 509x/Luxman D-08u combo I brought to someone’s house for one of the Audiophile meetings. It was magic.

Here are a couple of videos from that session:

https://youtu.be/4Xfgs78r6a0

https://youtu.be/9tdJsM9LozQ
 
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