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Harbeth vs Tannoy, Proac and Spendor

Couldn’t agree more, Dave.

As I’ve found on multiple occasions, it really is the only way to be sure. You knees to hear the speakers for yourself. Especially as all rooms are different and that makes the biggest difference, by far.
 
FWIW I had Harbeth 30.1, and tried a pair of Eaton Legacy for a few weeks. This was when I had Naim gear up front, and wanted to solve an issue with a grating quality in the upper mid/treble.

Initially I thought they were better. More tangible, more real.

But as time went by, I found something grating still. I think perhaps it was down to the metal tweeter. And adjusting the controls on the Tannoys just couldn’t solve it. So I went back to the Harbeths, and was happier again.

I later changed from Naim gear to a Primaluna integrated and NOS DAC, which has been more effective at solving the issue I had. So I would be curious if that change meant that the Tannoys would now suit. They’re excellent speakers. I’d also like to hear a pair of Spendor 2/3 here. But the time has passed, and the Harbeths will stay for the time being, with a better DAC being the likely next change eventually.

The bottom line is you have to hear them for yourself.

I had a similar experience coming from Naim and Devialet when I tried the Jadis. It changed the sound more than anything else I had heard. The P3s really came alive with the Jadis.
 
Which Harbeth model and what is the size of the room where you found the Harbeth to lack the balls?

It was about 4-5 years ago, I believe they were 40.2 but they might have been SHL5's. Connected to an Accuphase amp and some fairly noteworthy CD player. The room itself was an open-concept store, however, the acoustics were excellent from exposed brick & beam construction, solid floors, and as my ears hearing voices permitting me to identify. There was no problem driving the speakers and I'll readily admit that it wasn't my taste in electronics, but what I heard coming at me was a kind of "castle on steroids" presentation. I like snap and kick. I would readily live with a lot of the kudos and neats I've heard....very different kind of loudspeaker. I haven't yet heard ATC's but I'm inclined to believe that they would also have the right testicular fortitude.

I will say that many Proac models over the years I've found to be really good (not necessarily price based, more so that some seem to feel 'right' and others not....an example was studio 100's....not as good as the higher end models but for me, more liveable) and so they are kind of "in between".

I remember years ago hearing a set of floorstanding spendors and thought those were great. I haven't heard anything from them in recent production.
 
Alan B got his shl5plus to sound so beautiful [ sadly missed ] then he bought the anniversary and i heard those sound delightful too . with the right amp they can sound magic. its a real pain i can only have speakers near walls in my lounge and the harbies did NOT like it all !!! Alan had then right out in the middle of the room . the new owner of these is on this forum and continues to enjoy them greatly

If ever i had to part with my taus , which are every bit as transparent as the shl5plus i certainly might have another bash at them but certainly my son MUCH prefers the eatons which do that `drop` on dub music SO much better than the harbies , you can feel the floor . he hated the harbies sadly . we all have our preferences > alan loved classical and opera and wow did they sound good with that
 
Alan B got his shl5plus to sound so beautiful [ sadly missed ] then he bought the anniversary and i heard those sound delightful too . with the right amp they can sound magic. its a real pain i can only have speakers near walls in my lounge and the harbies did NOT like it all !!! Alan had then right out in the middle of the room . the new owner of these is on this forum and continues to enjoy them greatly

If ever i had to part with my taus , which are every bit as transparent as the shl5plus i certainly might have another bash at them but certainly my son MUCH prefers the eatons which do that `drop` on dub music SO much better than the harbies , you can feel the floor . he hated the harbies sadly . we all have our preferences > alan loved classical and opera and wow did they sound good with that

Thanks, interesting to read. I do worry that the Eatons will sound bigger with more bass than the SHL5+? I’m very conscious of neighbours. I like things to sounds transparent and dynamic enough at low volumes, would the Tannoys be too commanding?
 
No , they are extremely well controlled, have no fear . Mine are near the wall and have very tight controlled bass and never any complaints from neighbours and great waf and a lot smaller than my 6ft Logan's!
 
I had a similar experience coming from Naim and Devialet when I tried the Jadis. It changed the sound more than anything else I had heard. The P3s really came alive with the Jadis.
Funny that is the same experience for me with the 63's. Also a variety of speakers have popped up at my place and owners often a bit shocked at how well they sound. Not 100% with the DA50S on some speakers a battery powered chip amp gave more detail. The DA88S I think just has enough power to drive speakers.
 
Alan B got his shl5plus to sound so beautiful [ sadly missed ] then he bought the anniversary and i heard those sound delightful too . with the right amp they can sound magic. its a real pain i can only have speakers near walls in my lounge and the harbies did NOT like it all !!! Alan had then right out in the middle of the room . the new owner of these is on this forum and continues to enjoy them greatly

If ever i had to part with my taus , which are every bit as transparent as the shl5plus i certainly might have another bash at them but certainly my son MUCH prefers the eatons which do that `drop` on dub music SO much better than the harbies , you can feel the floor . he hated the harbies sadly . we all have our preferences > alan loved classical and opera and wow did they sound good with that

He was a nice man Alan . I met him a couple of times at Scalford and he called over to Midlandaudioexchange when I visited on a trip from Dublin. We spent a morning listening to John's best amps and Martin Logan speakers :D
John was great let me play around with laptops and audio software.
 
Yes went to his funeral ... ironic his favourite music was played on the crems wall mounted tannoy speakers !!! he would have preferred harbeths of course !!!
 
Yes went to his funeral ... ironic his favourite music was played on the crems wall mounted tannoy speakers !!! he would have preferred harbeths of course !!!

I have Alan B’s original Harbeth SHL5 plus, I first heard them in Alan’s place with his Unico integrated hybrid amplifier, they sounded really good in quite a small room.

My room is about the same dimensions as the OP’s and I’ve heard the Tannoy Legacy Eaton in my room. For me, in my room, the SHL5+ is the better speaker. Despite the large driver in Tannoy I didn’t find the bass overpowering in the room, not quite what I had expected at all.

I don’t agree with with some people who say the Harbeth needs a lot of power to sound good, they sound wonderful with a pair of 25 watt balanced input EL34 push pull valve mono block amplifiers with a Soncoz SGD1 DAC.
 
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I love the the Spendor Classic 3/1. They sit between the Harbeth P3 and Compact 7 in size and sound lovely. No bloated bass and very good at low volume. Clearer and easier to follow instruments than with the P3 with that natural tone that the Classic series is known for. Also easy to drive...btw, I also own P3’s.
 
I have AlanB’s original Harbeth SHL5 plus, I first heard them in Alan’s place with his Unico integrated hybrid amplifier, they sounded really good in quite a small room.

I have his P3ESRs which he sold to get SHL5 plus I think! I didn't really know him, but it was a fine and gentlemanly transaction.
 
I jumped ship from the Compact 7ES3 (used them for 6 and a half years) to the Tannoy Turnberry GR... Compact 7 had some bass issues due to the room whereas with the Turnberrys the bass issue has reduced.. The Harbeths have that lovely mid range but the Tannoys I feel bring out more details, dynamics and lots of bass (too much for my room of 14 x 16.5 feet)... Both have their advantages and its upto you to decide basis your room and musical taste..
 
It was about 4-5 years ago, I believe they were 40.2 but they might have been SHL5's. Connected to an Accuphase amp and some fairly noteworthy CD player. The room itself was an open-concept store, however, the acoustics were excellent from exposed brick & beam construction, solid floors, and as my ears hearing voices permitting me to identify. There was no problem driving the speakers and I'll readily admit that it wasn't my taste in electronics, but what I heard coming at me was a kind of "castle on steroids" presentation. I like snap and kick. I would readily live with a lot of the kudos and neats I've heard....very different kind of loudspeaker. I haven't yet heard ATC's but I'm inclined to believe that they would also have the right testicular fortitude.

I will say that many Proac models over the years I've found to be really good (not necessarily price based, more so that some seem to feel 'right' and others not....an example was studio 100's....not as good as the higher end models but for me, more liveable) and so they are kind of "in between".

I remember years ago hearing a set of floorstanding spendors and thought those were great. I haven't heard anything from them in recent production.

Appreciate the response. Interesting to hear it's the 40.2 or the SHL5s. I surely don't think the 40.2 or SHL5 would lack anything in the bass even if the room is large although that might be possible if they are compared to more dynamic speakers. The cut-off point, for me is the C7ES3 as anything below including the M30.1 / 30.2 sounds inadequate in the bass department. The difference is obvious when the speakers are switched, side-by-side in the same room.

If the focus is on snap and kick, it's true that the Harbeth will be lacking when compared to other more dynamic speakers. Hence it is not a surprise that you prefer the Neats and Kudos. Snap and kick are usually in the mid to lower registers. The high frequency response of the Harbeth is also tuned to sound smoother, and this smoothness can be a sound that's pale, dull or slightly lacking in clarity and detail.

The amp surely plays a critical role in contributing to the sound or performance of the Harbeth. I am not sure on the model of the Accuphase amp that was used to drive the 40.2 but if you want kick and snap from the Harbeth, based on my personal experience the higher range Naim pre power would be a better match than Japanese amps from the likes of Accuphase or Luxman which are known to sound smoother. In my case, the Luxman L-590AXII has better refinement, poise, clarity and detail than the Naim but when it comes to kick, slam and dynamic drive, the Naim sounds better. There is a propulsive energy and drive in the bass lines when the Harbeth SHL5+ is driven by the Naim. In comparison, the sound became smoother with reduced slam when the speakers were driven by the Luxman. In the end, it depends on the sound or presentation that one is looking for in the system.
 
I love the the Spendor Classic 3/1. They sit between the Harbeth P3 and Compact 7 in size and sound lovely. No bloated bass and very good at low volume. Clearer and easier to follow instruments than with the P3 with that natural tone that the Classic series is known for. Also easy to drive...btw, I also own P3’s.

Interesting, will take another look at these
 
Appreciate the response. Interesting to hear it's the 40.2 or the SHL5s. I surely don't think the 40.2 or SHL5 would lack anything in the bass even if the room is large although that might be possible if they are compared to more dynamic speakers. The cut-off point, for me is the C7ES3 as anything below including the M30.1 / 30.2 sounds inadequate in the bass department. The difference is obvious when the speakers are switched, side-by-side in the same room.

If the focus is on snap and kick, it's true that the Harbeth will be lacking when compared to other more dynamic speakers. Hence it is not a surprise that you prefer the Neats and Kudos. Snap and kick are usually in the mid to lower registers. The high frequency response of the Harbeth is also tuned to sound smoother, and this smoothness can be a sound that's pale, dull or slightly lacking in clarity and detail.

The amp surely plays a critical role in contributing to the sound or performance of the Harbeth. I am not sure on the model of the Accuphase amp that was used to drive the 40.2 but if you want kick and snap from the Harbeth, based on my personal experience the higher range Naim pre power would be a better match than Japanese amps from the likes of Accuphase or Luxman which are known to sound smoother. In my case, the Luxman L-590AXII has better refinement, poise, clarity and detail than the Naim but when it comes to kick, slam and dynamic drive, the Naim sounds better. There is a propulsive energy and drive in the bass lines when the Harbeth SHL5+ is driven by the Naim. In comparison, the sound became smoother with reduced slam when the speakers were driven by the Luxman. In the end, it depends on the sound or presentation that one is looking for in the system.

Thanks for the very insightful reply. If only I had my old Naim set up! I used to have a 282/250 with the Naim Dac. A nice system. I was getting into stacks of black boxes for some small P3s in my smallish space at the time, so I started trying other amps. I have since moved, have a bit more space so more flexibility on kit. I wonder how, say a Supernait 2 or 3, would compare to the Jadis?
 


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