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Harbeth sHL5 vs HL5+ vs HL5 anniversary.

I don't rely on measurements much, but it would add up if it were. Certainly the harmonics of female voice were esp good, and that also ads up for 4KHz.
 
Elephantears said:
If you bought from Hifi-corner, did you listen to the Spendor in comparison? They are probably the only shop in the UK that sell both.
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replying to you and Mentt below, HiFiCorner in Edinburgh carry a larger stock, including Spendor, and Tannoy (some story about Tannoy and it's new owners direction btw) but I chose Falkirk for easier access to me. The harbs were so good I put off further audition.
Falkirk did have ATC's Mentt and they suggest I hear them but I hated the looks. Shallow moi! :)
 
Yes, ATC are not lookers, but I would say that Harbeths are at the same level in that regard :) “big shoe box” :-D
 
Maybe it's an old man kind of thing? I quite like them but the veneer on the anniversary is great in real life...sort of oiled walnut, and v classy (to me ) :)
 
Rockmeister said:
....if the part exchange hadn't been so good (thanks to HiFiCorner) its the plus that I would have bought I think.
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Hi Fi Corner are a bit weird when it comes to pricing.

They have a tatty pair of 30.1's for sale on eBay at £2450.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=322888468363

I asked if they would do could do them any cheaper as they are doing brand new for only a smidge more.

http://store.hificorner.co.uk/harbeth-monitor-30-1-standmount-speakers.html

He said maybe a couple of hundred cheaper.
I said I would rather buy new.
However, if I bought them through eBay, a couple of hundred cheaper they would only see £2k after eBay fees (8% business) and Paypal (3%), would they take that if I bought direct?
At £2k it is worth a punt even if they are tatty, and same amount for them. Not even sure I would like the 30.1s. I loved the 5+'s I heard and the P3ESRs with a sub, amazing speaker.
But they were not interested.

But no wonder they give such good part ex values, their used values are nearly as much as their new values.



I'm going to see David at Radletts and get some, plus I can hear them all then. But interesting read, thanks!
 
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Odd as I often feel their second hand prices are very good and less than what a straight auction would make, but those are crazy over IMHO!
 
He made me feel quite bad for offering £2k for them. I thought that was a good price considering the condition?
 
Much of it depends on popularity of the product I suspect. Right now, Harbeth are again popular, so those will sell no doubts (tho not to you Gizze) :)
Prices do fluctuate according to demand I guess.
In general however HiFiCorner were GREAT to deal with, so price aside, it was a good day in excellent company. No pressure, no marque promotions, just keen for me to find a sound I liked.
 
Yeah, they were nice enough, and if I lived nearer I would use them for sure. I was just surprised at how close that tatty pair was to new.
 
PerF said:
Why is it limited if its so much better ?

Nobody would want to purchase the SHL5+ now based on the above
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the anniversary is a lot more than the plus version and only available I think in walnut or silver eucalyptus . the plus version is well priced . if you want a pair you had better order soon as the factory closes this Friday 15th for Christmas !!
 
Mentt said:
If you Like hl5+ you must also try ATC scm19 or scm40. (End up selling hl5)
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ha ... now there is a beautiful pair of atc scm40 mark 1 in the classifieds which I was exceeding tempted by as the owner sounds a very fine chap but I am not sure they sound like harbeth
 
And, 5 weeks later, they are here :)
Bootiful packing (each in a linen bag, in a polythene bag in a....), the first thing you get is a whif of furniture oil (these cabs are oiled wood) then the weight...NOT that heavy for their size, just like the old ones.
Re-reading my OP above I really can't make comparisons now...audio memory is too short, but the sound, after 2 days of steady running is,
well, it's lovely. At first, there was some bass bloom, but it's now gone. Very happy. When I bought the sHL5's originally, I knew they were not perfect, but a great compromise if well placed and partnered. Not for super deep super tight bass fans tho, and very 'english' (whatever that means? warm and woody?) sounding but these (and the + also) have just moved the 5 much much closer to speakers in the class above, ie the 5+ grand bracket. Most of the compromises are gone, no matter what I play, in fact the bass is astonishingly better with real snap and slam when needed. It now underpins the music without ading colour that intrudes.
Enough. Happy me except,
maybe I need to swap amps. It's all so revealing now I'm wondering about swapping the Luxman 505uX for the class A 590AX11...hm.
Best not. I did the lottery tho, in case.
 
Everything that needs to be said has been said so there's nothing much to add here. I'm sure you are enjoying your new acquisition as much as I am enjoying mine. My (plain) SHL5 Plus still continues to amaze until today. Sound quality has improved by leaps and bounds mainly due to the improved quality of the speakers.

Similarly like you, I was so smitten by the improvement gained with the SHL5 Plus and was planning on the same thing after few months of living with the speakers. An upgrade of upstream components was inevitable and they were all coming like a train, all source, amplification and wires changed within a span of a year. Fortunately the move was well worth it.

Enjoy~
 
In danger od starting a cable thread here! Best not but thanks Ryder...they are great. Like someone once said to me in my room at the Wigwam show....
'I used not to get harbeths, but, now I do'. Made me very happy that. Wish I could share THESE!!
 
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