Quest for a New Speaker

[JFRMusic]

Longtime audiophile who enjoys the sound of British speakers. Owned B&W, Quad, KEF and recently ATC. The KEF R300s were around $1500. The ATC11s were $2,000. The B&W back in the 80s were around $1,000 and 2006 Quads were $1.500. Harbeths were always way out of my budget.However after about 3years I got frustrated with my ATC 11s. They needed a sub and while generally a pleasantly smooth speaker they tended to be a little too forward in the upper mids and lower treble for my taste. Plus for them to really shine they needed to be played at a slightly higher volume than I like and that emphasized that forwardness even more. So I decided to up the budget this time. I wanted bookshelf not floor standers as I donÂ’t want to move around 60-80 pound speakers particularly at my age.

I was very interested in the Revel line. Especially the Performa 126Be. However when I auditioned them I disliked their upper mid/lower treble. It was smoother but to my ears just slightly elevated and the BE tweeters had a distinct sound that I couldnÂ’t warm too. So next on my list was Harbeth. From the looks and specs they seemed over priced but I do like those British designs. I auditioned both the C7es-XD and the M30-XD. Both were wonderfully musical but I preferred the C7. It was more open with a better sound stage. It was close. Anyway I love it. Most musical speaker IÂ’ve ever heard or owned. It does sound real especially with acoustic instruments and voice. No ear strain. No fatigue. So life like. Great for Jazz, Classical, Pop and film scores which is what I listen to. Amazingly smooth high end. Vibrant midrange. And amazing low end for its size. I do not need my two REL subs. The Harbeths were expensive. $4600 less my ATC trade but well worth it. Now that my speakers are set my next challenge is getting into streaming. So IÂ’ll be researching streamers. BTW my electronics are the Benchmark ABH2 Amplifier, HPA4 Pre Amp and the DAC3. Amazingly clean and neutral system with the lowest noise floor. When singers or instrumentalists take a breath it sounds like someone turned my system off. And they are small and lightweight. And Easy to move.

 

[Hear Here]

Longtime audiophile who enjoys the sound of British speakers. Owned B&W, Quad, KEF and recently ATC. The KEF R300s were around $1500. The ATC11s were $2,000. The B&W back in the 80s were around $1,000 and 2006 Quads were $1.500. Harbeths were always way out of my budget.However after about 3years I got frustrated with my ATC 11s. They needed a sub and while generally a pleasantly smooth speaker they tended to be a little too forward in the upper mids and lower treble for my taste. Plus for them to really shine they needed to be played at a slightly higher volume than I like and that emphasized that forwardness even more. So I decided to up the budget this time. I wanted bookshelf not floor standers as I donÂ’t want to move around 60-80 pound speakers particularly at my age.

I was very interested in the Revel line. Especially the Performa 126Be. However when I auditioned them I disliked their upper mid/lower treble. It was smoother but to my ears just slightly elevated and the BE tweeters had a distinct sound that I couldnÂ’t warm too. So next on my list was Harbeth. From the looks and specs they seemed over priced but I do like those British designs. I auditioned both the C7es-XD and the M30-XD. Both were wonderfully musical but I preferred the C7. It was more open with a better sound stage. It was close. Anyway I love it. Most musical speaker IÂ’ve ever heard or owned. It does sound real especially with acoustic instruments and voice. No ear strain. No fatigue. So life like. Great for Jazz, Classical, Pop and film scores which is what I listen to. Amazingly smooth high end. Vibrant midrange. And amazing low end for its size. I do not need my two REL subs. The Harbeths were expensive. $4600 less my ATC trade but well worth it. Now that my speakers are set my next challenge is getting into streaming. So IÂ’ll be researching streamers. BTW my electronics are the Benchmark ABH2 Amplifier, HPA4 Pre Amp and the DAC3. Amazingly clean and neutral system with the lowest noise floor. When singers or instrumentalists take a breath it sounds like someone turned my system off. And they are small and lightweight. And Easy to move.

I can only suggest you reconsider floor-standing speakers. Unless you move home (when help is normally on hand anyway) these speakers are often easier to deal with than stand-mounts. Moving stand-mounts (apart from local repositioning) requires that you take their full weight to lift them from the stands and place them down somewhere. Then you need to move the stand and lastly lift the full weight of the speakers to return them to the stand.

With floor-standers you can often slide them big distances by lilting one way, placing a tea-towel or similar under 2 feet, tilt the other way to get the cloth under all 4 feet, then slide to new position - no lifting required - unless moving them upstairs! I don't know your age, but I am pushing 80 and regularly handle my bulky 100 kg floor-standers without help.

If you like the ATC sound, consider the 40 model. It's a relatively small floor-stander and it's still in their range of "domestic" speakers. I'd avoid their pro speakers (50 up) as they may well disappoint for domestic listening for reasons I've explained elsewhere. Not sure if they are within your price budget but the 40 is often very highly praised by owners. As you say, Harbeth are great speakers (I was most impressed by their big (still a stand-mount) 40 model, but as you also say, their prices are high.

I can't help you with Focal but I was considering their Sopra range a while ago as they ticked most of my boxes, though I never auditioned them. Can't help with stand-mounts - never had them apart from the ATC50 Actives that I didn't like. Oh yes, one other suggestion as you mentioned Quad. I was most impressed by 2905 electrostatics that I had for a short time to establish how panel speakers would sound in my own home. They surprised me with their much fuller and deeper bass than I was expected and they can play loudly too. Sadly, their "barn door" appearance meant they were never going to be kept! They represent great value even new, but try looking for a used pair if this sounds an attractive proposition - and ask the seller (or a friend or relative) to help (carefully) move them to their new home. Good luck.

 

[CPP]

Longtime audiophile who enjoys the sound of British speakers. Owned B&W, Quad, KEF and recently ATC. The KEF R300s were around $1500. The ATC11s were $2,000. The B&W back in the 80s were around $1,000 and 2006 Quads were $1.500. Harbeths were always way out of my budget.However after about 3years I got frustrated with my ATC 11s. They needed a sub and while generally a pleasantly smooth speaker they tended to be a little too forward in the upper mids and lower treble for my taste. Plus for them to really shine they needed to be played at a slightly higher volume than I like and that emphasized that forwardness even more. So I decided to up the budget this time. I wanted bookshelf not floor standers as I donÂ’t want to move around 60-80 pound speakers particularly at my age.

I was very interested in the Revel line. Especially the Performa 126Be. However when I auditioned them I disliked their upper mid/lower treble. It was smoother but to my ears just slightly elevated and the BE tweeters had a distinct sound that I couldnÂ’t warm too. So next on my list was Harbeth. From the looks and specs they seemed over priced but I do like those British designs. I auditioned both the C7es-XD and the M30-XD. Both were wonderfully musical but I preferred the C7. It was more open with a better sound stage. It was close. Anyway I love it. Most musical speaker IÂ’ve ever heard or owned. It does sound real especially with acoustic instruments and voice. No ear strain. No fatigue. So life like. Great for Jazz, Classical, Pop and film scores which is what I listen to. Amazingly smooth high end. Vibrant midrange. And amazing low end for its size. I do not need my two REL subs. The Harbeths were expensive. $4600 less my ATC trade but well worth it. Now that my speakers are set my next challenge is getting into streaming. So IÂ’ll be researching streamers. BTW my electronics are the Benchmark ABH2 Amplifier, HPA4 Pre Amp and the DAC3. Amazingly clean and neutral system with the lowest noise floor. When singers or instrumentalists take a breath it sounds like someone turned my system off. And they are small and lightweight. And Easy to move.

What is the size of the room where these speakers are going to be placed

 

[Mr Peabody]

Congrats on the new speakers. I would look to Aurender or Lumin for a quality streamer. Innuous has some at reasonable prices if the first suggestions are out of budget.

 

[Ricky64]

Owned the C7 years ago. It made me so happy... Congrats on a great choice!

 

[JFRMusic]

I can only suggest you reconsider floor-standing speakers. Unless you move home (when help is normally on hand anyway) these speakers are often easier to deal with than stand-mounts. Moving stand-mounts (apart from local repositioning) requires that you take their full weight to lift them from the stands and place them down somewhere. Then you need to move the stand and lastly lift the full weight of the speakers to return them to the stand.

With floor-standers you can often slide them big distances by lilting one way, placing a tea-towel or similar under 2 feet, tilt the other way to get the cloth under all 4 feet, then slide to new position - no lifting required - unless moving them upstairs! I don't know your age, but I am pushing 80 and regularly handle my bulky 100 kg floor-standers without help.

If you like the ATC sound, consider the 40 model. It's a relatively small floor-stander and it's still in their range of "domestic" speakers. I'd avoid their pro speakers (50 up) as they may well disappoint for domestic listening for reasons I've explained elsewhere. Not sure if they are within your price budget but the 40 is often very highly praised by owners. As you say, Harbeth are great speakers (I was most impressed by their big (still a stand-mount) 40 model, but as you also say, their prices are high.

I can't help you with Focal but I was considering their Sopra range a while ago as they ticked most of my boxes, though I never auditioned them. Can't help with stand-mounts - never had them apart from the ATC50 Actives that I didn't like. Oh yes, one other suggestion as you mentioned Quad. I was most impressed by 2905 electrostatics that I had for a short time to establish how panel speakers would sound in my own home. They surprised me with their much fuller and deeper bass than I was expected and they can play loudly too. Sadly, their "barn door" appearance meant they were never going to be kept! They represent great value even new, but try looking for a used pair if this sounds an attractive proposition - and ask the seller (or a friend or relative) to help (carefully) move them to their new home. Good luck.

Thanks but I already purchased the Harbeth C7es3. As I noted I love them and at 29 pounds easy to handle. They fit my room perfectly and have enough low end that I’m selling my two REL T/5x subs on Ebay.

 

[JFRMusic]

What is the size of the room where these speakers are going to be placed

17x15

 

[Dr Morbius]

That room is the perfect size for a pair of Klipsch Cornwall speakers, with a small 20 to 25 watt tube amp.

 

[steve59]

looks like you didn't really need any help after all. Congrats

 

[mep]

Thanks but I already purchased the Harbeth C7es3. As I noted I love them and at 29 pounds easy to handle. They fit my room perfectly and have enough low end that I’m selling my two REL T/5x subs on Ebay.

If you don't need to sell your subs, I would keep them. Your new speakers don't go that low. They are missing the entire bottom octave (20Hz - 40Hz) and part of the next octave as your speakers are 3dB down at 45Hz.

 

[Joseph R.]

Longtime audiophile who enjoys the sound of British speakers. Owned B&W, Quad, KEF and recently ATC. The KEF R300s were around $1500. The ATC11s were $2,000. The B&W back in the 80s were around $1,000 and 2006 Quads were $1.500. Harbeths were always way out of my budget.However after about 3years I got frustrated with my ATC 11s. They needed a sub and while generally a pleasantly smooth speaker they tended to be a little too forward in the upper mids and lower treble for my taste. Plus for them to really shine they needed to be played at a slightly higher volume than I like and that emphasized that forwardness even more. So I decided to up the budget this time. I wanted bookshelf not floor standers as I donÂ’t want to move around 60-80 pound speakers particularly at my age.

I was very interested in the Revel line. Especially the Performa 126Be. However when I auditioned them I disliked their upper mid/lower treble. It was smoother but to my ears just slightly elevated and the BE tweeters had a distinct sound that I couldnÂ’t warm too. So next on my list was Harbeth. From the looks and specs they seemed over priced but I do like those British designs. I auditioned both the C7es-XD and the M30-XD. Both were wonderfully musical but I preferred the C7. It was more open with a better sound stage. It was close. Anyway I love it. Most musical speaker IÂ’ve ever heard or owned. It does sound real especially with acoustic instruments and voice. No ear strain. No fatigue. So life like. Great for Jazz, Classical, Pop and film scores which is what I listen to. Amazingly smooth high end. Vibrant midrange. And amazing low end for its size. I do not need my two REL subs. The Harbeths were expensive. $4600 less my ATC trade but well worth it. Now that my speakers are set my next challenge is getting into streaming. So IÂ’ll be researching streamers. BTW my electronics are the Benchmark ABH2 Amplifier, HPA4 Pre Amp and the DAC3. Amazingly clean and neutral system with the lowest noise floor. When singers or instrumentalists take a breath it sounds like someone turned my system off. And they are small and lightweight. And Easy to move.

It's strange that I feel quite the opposite about all this. I too am drawn to the "English sound". I own both Falcon Silver labels and ATC SCM11's ver2's. I chose the Falcons over the Harbeth's C7's 30's. and P3's. The Harbeth line moving so fast I cannot keep up. Are they officially up to the ver4 yet ? oops...I see the 40XD's are already up to ver5. There is just not enough X's, +'s, and *'s to go around. What week is it anywho ? Sorry, I apologize for the sarcasm.

I find the SCM11's rich in the midrange and very detailed. The tweeters are a work of art, but can see why some might find them a bit too polite. If I would criticize them, it would be for their acoustic suspension loading. It does limit their dynamic ability. I found the SCM40's very much inferior to the SCM50's. Considering the price of the 50's almost three times that of the 40's. It makes sense they should be better.

Yet after about 7 years of living with the "English sound", I have had my fill. It was something I needed to get out of my system. As I lusted for that sound from the Celestion and Mordaunt-Short days of the 70's and early 80's. My overall opinion (if anybody really cares) is that they maintain a politeness (is that even a word ?) that is not inherent in real music. They stay within the lines, even when you just want to scribble wildly. Music doesn't need a bailiff to maintain order.

 

[Randy Myers]

I have always been a British speaker fan. I have owned KEF for the most part. The 104aB speakers were my speakers for a long time.

I have tried a few others over the years but keep being led back to KEF. Recently I wanted to look into new speakers and really wanted speakers that are built in the UK. With KEF, only their models that are out of my budget are actually built in the UK. Their others are manufactured in China.

I had always heard about Harbeth but never had a chance to own a pair. I tried their small monitors with KEF subs and was very impressed. I decided I would prefer speakers without subs in my small room. Researching between models I liked that the C7s had a deeper and taller cabinet than the M30s. Many reviews mention that the bass is a bit better with the C7s and because I was no longer going to be using subs I decided on these.

So far, I love them. Yes, they do not go as deep as subs, but the bass is very present and very clean. Plenty enough in my view. Even though Harbeth states that they need no break in and will sound their best out of the box, I have noticed that they have smoothed, and the bass has improved dramatically over the first month. Harbeth is truly representative of what I fell in love with, in British speakers. You will love your C7s. I love mine.

I also very much prefer stand mount speakers because I find them much easier to deal with in my music room. Harbeth make only stand mount speakers. I also got a pair of the stands that Harbeth highly recommend as a perfect match. These are the TonTrager stands. They are not cheap but are a perfect match for the Harbeth speakers.

 

[Randy Myers]

That room is the perfect size for a pair of Klipsch Cornwall speakers, with a small 20 to 25 watt tube amp.

I used to sell Klipsch speakers. Thought they were quality built but never a fan. Their horns were always too overwhelming for my taste. Then again, the British sound is probably the exact opposite of Klipsch . The Cornwalls are way too much in my view, unless you are trying to achieve rock concert levels.