The top was so smooth you thought the tweeters weren't working. Then a triangle cut through the air as if it was in front of you.
Interesting, that sounds like something I’d enjoy.
I’m exceedingly sensitive to sibilance (possibly related to tinnitus) so even with gear that most people would think handled it very well - currently a valve amp and Harbeth 30.1 - I sometimes wonder if I could benefit from something a tad smoother still. But clarity still matters, all the same.
So thanks for posting your thoughts. Shame it’s not easier to get a demo of the Stirlings round here.
the 30.1 are “smoother” or, if you like. less defined at the top than the Stirlings so you may be better off with the Harbeths the way you describe it?currently a valve amp and Harbeth 30.1 - I sometimes wonder if I could benefit from something a tad smoother still. But clarity still matters, all the same.
This is interesting as other reviews suggest the treble on the Gold Badge LS3/5A is smoother and more resolving than the Silver Badge LS3/5A.However, Falcon gold is very transparent. If you listen to less than ideal recordings, then it will make it as bad as it is. Which is why Falcon gold is not as suitable as computer speakers as Falcon silver badge. It makes YouTube sounds like shit
Hi I am a huge Harbeth fan. I moved house so I had to sell my m40.2 and I decided to go the separate hifi/cinema route which means I have to do the same thing and sell my shl5+ as they are way too big for my lounge and I already bnought a pair of p3s. I can tell you it is not the same. The character remained but the midrange and the highs are somewhat different. I use a sub so the bass is not a problem. I`d say the p3 is a good compromise however I might move to the m30.2 and that will be my final set up in the lounge. I think overall 80 to 85% the p3 can compete with the shl5+.
It sounds like P3ESR shares a similar resemblance to the Falcon silver as everything sounds good through the Harbeth. Such speakers usually show less clarity and detail as they smoothen the nasties in an attempt to make the sound smoother and more pleasant.Falcon gold is very transparent. If you listen to less than ideal recordings, then it will make it as bad as it is. Which is why Falcon gold is not as suitable as computer speakers as Falcon silver badge. It makes YouTube sounds like shit
As a former P3-ESR owner, I moved on to a very transparent speaker.
The Stirling V3.
I won’t go deeply into it, as I’ve talked about it at length.
Before I sold the Harbeths, I spent a fair amount of time listening to both the
Harbeths and the Stirlings.
My findings are included in ‘Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V3 Review’ on PFM.
Both speakers have their pros & cons, but it was the transparency of the V3 which won me over.
The Harbeths are smooth, a little too smooth for my taste.
I lived with the P3s in preference to some LS3/5as I owned, but when the V3s arrived it didn’t
take long to realise the V3s were an advance on the Harbeths.
I'm one of those people who enjoy hearing the incidental noises of the musicians as they play their instruments. It makes me feel more in touch with an actual human being as I sit (mainly) in the dark listening as the music pushes through the air towards me. I even don't mind there odd conductor humming away as he/she conducts.I agree that the V3 is a wonderfully transparent speaker, having owned for a time; and the Harbeths, in my case the P3ES-2s, may fairly be described as smoother. But this issue arises in the process of recording and sound engineering as well; not just in the matter of playback. I was reading notes on some Baroque music recordings; the critic found the approach to recording refreshing, in that it gave more prominence to the music the composer presumably had in mind, less to the incidental noise associated with playing music. That is to say, a small chamber ensemble, just for example, generates the noise of calloused fingers squeaking on strings, the breath intake of a flautist, or singer. A live recording in a jazz club might add the noise of the audience, the shifting of microphone stands, etc. Some will find this sort of incidental noise adds life and excitement to a recording. Others might prefer the purity of the tones of the instruments as their parts were written by the composer, minimizing the incidental noise as much as possible. With recording styles, as with speaker reproduction, I’m not married to one approach or the other. Depends on mood and music…
Id go for a used pair of Raidho X1 or XT1 if you can space them wide enough apart whilst still maintaining space to the side walls. Also if you have a reasonably powerful amp. I have been through plenty of small monitors a couple of years back and these would be the best I had by some margin although the egglestone works Isabelle were also very good but also comparatively large and heavy especially with their integrated stands.
Do they have any burn-in at all?