Harbeth vs Tannoy, Proac and Spendor

[hifinutt]

Eatons have just the same delicacy as shl5plus, just the same ability to sound spookily real and take your breath away. We found this with many amps , especially with the stunning 70 watt thrax valve integrated!!! That amp is very special

 

[montesquieu]

Agree. Tannoys are capable of incredible delicacy. Impressions formed from hearing vintage drivers in boomy vintage boxes with unimproved crossovers do not correspond to what optimised Tannoys (modern or vintage) can deliver.

 

[JTC]

This ^^^ - and, noting a comment further up, I have absolutely no complaints about the build-quality of the cabinet on the Legacy Ardens. It is very well made, quite substantial build and my only slight reservation is that the corners of the cabinet might have been nicer if they'd used a radiused hardwood edging rather than sharp exposed corners (which may get dented over time). Sonically, best speakers I have owned, all-round. I have been experimenting with a more near-field listening over the past day or two, and they are stunningly transparent, detailed and focused, with great tonal quality and not a hint of grain or anything negative. In my room, listening this way involves unfortunately sitting closer to a room null so you do lose a bit of bass, but that's just my room. I remain as happy with them today as I did when I got them. More so, in fact, and the combination of class-A Luxman into 15" DC Ardens is definitely the best sound I have had in my room.

I know it's tempting fate, but subject to actually buying the Luxman, I may be done with this hifi malarkey

 

[tonerei]

I had several pairs of 57s including the ones you ended up with, and a pair of Lindley-Allen custom jobs in massive solid wallnut cases. (considerably wider, heavier and bulkier than standard 57s, but the stability of the frame definitely improved the imaging). I later had some 63s myself, alongside my Tannoys ... I remain a fan of electrostatics and if I had two suitable rooms my other speakers would most likely be a pair of 63s. As you say the 63s are a different beast from the 57s and in many ways I prefer them - there's a strong argument that the original 63 design is the best verion of the concentric panel design and that later ones, in pursuit of lower bass, lost a little bit of that most magical thing about them which is the point source coherence.

I can see why Harbeths and Spendors might appeal, moving from electrostatics, but you'll almost certainly miss that point source imaging. A three way while having more bass extension is likely to provide more of a change than a two-way in that regard. I agree with you on not wanting to bung up ports, but there can be some utility in port modification for room tuning: Paul Coupe's later version of the design for my speakers has sliders on the vents to allow the tuning point to be changed to avoid room nodes (when he designed my original pair he came round and measured the room and adjusted the tuning to match!). Some more recent factory Tannoys have this as well though not sure if the Legacy series does.

My intention is to never to be without 63's but to have an alternative option to switch to and enjoy. Thanks again for your thoughts they by and large concur with my own view. I still think the Spendor might be a hidden gem. Will let you know if they are if I ever make the leap!

 

[Elephantears]

Hmm... will have a think!

I recommend reading closely what Tom has written on this thread and others. In hi-fi, I tend to be a Princess who finds peas under the mattress, especially with speakers. Tom's RFC Canterbury's are one of the only speakers I've heard that seem to achieve a balance of all the qualities we look for (tonal naturalism, dynamics, the sense of living space etc), without any peas. Of course I might find a pea if I lived with them for months, but I've heard two different pairs of the RFC Canterburys now and think I've got a good sense of what they do. The first time was when I had SHL5Plus. The Canterburys were in a very modest system - the source was an SL1210 with a very basic cartridge - but their musicality and richness was just way beyond anything I could imagine hearing from the Harbeths. No disrespect to the Harbeths, but the Tannoys were in a different league. But that's the RFC Canterbury's - they are an expensive custom build with a long wait, so you have to be committed.

The Eatons I have are a very modest speaker; also not in the same league as the Canterburys. But I'd been though the entire Harbeth line (excluding M40) and found flaws with all of them; niggling issues I wish I could lease with the designer to fix. I'd had ESL63 and loved them dearly, but their flaws were almost as great as their virtues and sadly my room was a metre too small on one dimension. And you can't dance to 63s, because as soon as you stand up the treble is gone. Other than that, they are staggering speakers.

Your room size would accommodate 63s nicely Paul, so you've no excuse.