Harbeth 30.1s in the house - I think I'm done

Hi, I am new to the forum although I have lurked here off and on for a long time. I am the very happy owner of a pair of Harbeth Super HL5 Plus loudspeakers and I cannot foresee any circumstances in which I would change them. The upstream electronics may change but I actually think that after 40 or more years seeking my "ideal" sound I have now found it with this system.
 
I still haven't got my turntable set up yet (lots of honey do projects) so I continue to listen to my 30.1s with SACDs and CDs as my source through McIntosh equipment. My continuing impression is that while the Harbeths won't transform poorly recorded/engineered/produced recordings into great ones (although they are more listenable), with good to great recordings the results are spectacular. Compared to my old Cremona Ms (which I liked), the detail, timbre and transparency are astounding and very natural. I'll give another example to the ones I've already cited - sorry if I'm nattering on too much and getting boring (although I may have passed that point a while ago).

Last night I sat down and listened to Eric Clapton's "Me and Mr Johnson", not my favorite Clapton album (sounds like an Englishman with good diction imitating a Mississippi bluesman, which it is) but it has decent sound. On the Harbeth's it sounds great, but I'd like to focus on the sound of the old tube guitar amplifiers that were used. The Harbeth's fully transmit the sound and tone of those amps - which have their own signature (which is why they are coveted by blues musicians). That full sound was not really in evidence with the Sonus Fabers, but it was very present and dare I say three dimensional on the Harbeth's. You are there. Fantastic. Chris
 
Funny stuff Chris. We sincerely appreciate your opinion. It'll take a while for the speakers to break in so just enjoy the ride. So happy you love the 30.1's, they really are wonderful speakers.
 
Congrats and welcome to the forum, Chris! Harbeths are great speakers have a midrange that seduces you to listen for hours and hours! Congrats!
 
Thought I'd pile on to this thread as I also have harbeth M30.1s in da house!!!!

just got me a pair. Listening to my first recoding through them now (Ben Sollee, Leanring To Bend). So far color me impressed. Definitely think these work for me better than my last harbeth speaker (SHL5).

On metal stands now but working on a proper harbeth type stand. :)

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Moby said:
I still haven't got my turntable set up yet (lots of honey do projects) so I continue to listen to my 30.1s with SACDs and CDs as my source through McIntosh equipment. My continuing impression is that while the Harbeths won't transform poorly recorded/engineered/produced recordings into great ones (although they are more listenable), with good to great recordings the results are spectacular. Compared to my old Cremona Ms (which I liked), the detail, timbre and transparency are astounding and very natural. I'll give another example to the ones I've already cited - sorry if I'm nattering on too much and getting boring (although I may have passed that point a while ago).

Last night I sat down and listened to Eric Clapton's "Me and Mr Johnson", not my favorite Clapton album (sounds like an Englishman with good diction imitating a Mississippi bluesman, which it is) but it has decent sound. On the Harbeth's it sounds great, but I'd like to focus on the sound of the old tube guitar amplifiers that were used. The Harbeth's fully transmit the sound and tone of those amps - which have their own signature (which is why they are coveted by blues musicians). That full sound was not really in evidence with the Sonus Fabers, but it was very present and dare I say three dimensional on the Harbeth's. You are there. Fantastic. Chris
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Moby.... I used to run my M40.1, M30 , SHL5 , C7ES3 &2 with McIntosh. They are very musical speakers and vocal is to die for.

Did I miss the pic of your system on this thread ? Would you mind to share with us ?

Thanks.
 
jaxwired said:
Thought I'd pile on to this thread as I also have harbeth M30.1s in da house!!!!

just got me a pair. Listening to my first recoding through them now (Ben Sollee, Leanring To Bend). So far color me impressed. Definitely think these work for me better than my last harbeth speaker (SHL5).

On metal stands now but working on a proper harbeth type stand. :)

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Very nice ! Congrats !
Definitely more musical than PMC.
I also prefer the sound of the Monitor series ( I have the P3ESR = 20.1 and the 40.1 ) compared to the SHL5.
The SHL5 is maybe more "modern" sounding but to me some "soul" of the music is lost and I am not sure of their general balance which seems tilted towards the treble.
I would love to hear the 30.1 in my room.
Visually less invasive than the big 40.1's.
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I was the OP on this thread and thought I’d update it after a change to my system today. I received my PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier on Saturday but left it unpacked until this morning to adjust to room temperature and altitude. I donned the supplied white gloves, unwrapped the tubes, hooked her up, and let her warm up for only 10 minutes. I then played the following:

  • Gillian Welch, The Harrow and the Harvest (LP)
  • Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Ella and Louis (SACD)
  • Eric Clapton, Crossroads 2, Live in the Seventies (CD)

I have pretty transparent and precise sources - both turntable and SACD player - and unfortunately with my prior solid state amp they sounded almost clinical. The music no longer moved me and my listening sessions shortened as I quickly became disinterested. In the hopes of fixing this, I decided to try tubes again (I had a CJ PV5 30 years ago) and the PL is apparently not only the prescription but the cure.


I play acoustic guitar and sing a bit, solo and with others, so I’m particularly sensitive to the sound of acoustic instruments and unamplified human voice. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings could have been playing right in front of me - the tone of his 1935 Epiphone Olympic archtop unmistakable. Satchmo has never sounded better - his voice warm and vibrant - and Ella clear and pure. All instruments sounded natural. Then I threw in a little live electric blues - Clapton playing Eyesight for the Blind. I had to turn it up and there it was - goosebumps. My eyes had been closing, my head swaying, my toes tapping throughout, but the goosebumps sealed the deal. I’m not good at using audio terms to describe what I hear (I really couldn’t care less about that). What I care about is how I relate to the music I’m listening to - am I moved, am I swept up, does everything else seem to fall away? Once I put the PL into my system all of these tests were met and I was thoroughly enjoying the music. That is what I was looking for.


I’m leaving the amp on overnight to make sure all the tubes have settled (I won’t be leaving it on thereafter) and I’ve already been bitten by the tube rolling bug (no need to, just curiosity) and have ordered a pair of Cifte 12AU7s. I can’t wait to hear this puppy once it’s broken in a bit and I’ve swapped in the new tubes. The Harbeth 30.1s are very musical and now I feel that their potential is fully realized.


My system now consists of: Clearaudio Ovation turntable/Clearaudio Universal tonearm/Lyra Delos/Esoteric E-03; Apple Air/Ayre QB-9 DSD; McIntosh MCD500; Pioneer RT-909 reel to reel; PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier; Harbeth 30.1 Monitors; Shunyata Venom PS8 Power Distributor, Venom Defender, Venom HC and Venom 3 PCs; Cardas Clear USB Cable; and WireWorld Silver Eclipse 7 ICs and speaker cables.

 
Really enjoying the Harbeth 30.2 40th with the PrimaLuna Dialogue HP as well. Great pairing. I have a hard time deciding which I like better the Luxman or the PrimaLuna as they both sound great with the Harbeths. I think the Luxman pulls ahead just slightly for my taste but I will probably pair the PrimaLuna with a pair of P3ESR.
 
Serge - I believe we’ve been corresponding under different avatars on a different forum about this subject. I was wondering, did you do any tube rolling in using the PL in connection with your 30.2s?
 
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