Whatever makes them happy.You may despise it, luckily opinions differ and other may well rejoice with their mega money systems. Happy days eh
Whatever makes them happy.You may despise it, luckily opinions differ and other may well rejoice with their mega money systems. Happy days eh
Again I can't repeat it often enough, the plus versions doesn't boom but I won't be stopping you to repeat that "all" Harbeth 3 way speaker boom, even if you didn't have listened to one. Also 3 way isn't correct, it is a 2,5 way speaker.
I should possibly add that I do have Harbeth M40.2s, upgrade path being SHL5 -> SHL5+ 40th Anniversary -> M40.2 40th Anniversary.
Very definite change in SHL5 to SHL5+ Anni. At times I had detected a degree of bass overhang on the earlier model - noticable as distinct "boom" on some bass notes and sometimes an overly thick texture in the bass/mid on some pieces of music. Though not by any means always, and they still sounded very good to my ears. The SHL5+ annis brought an immediate and obvious improvement in many areas - any "boom" was now absent*, while overall they seemed much more airy and transparent, and having bought them second-hand without audition, I was delighted with them.
The M40.2s are (as you'd hope from the price differential) better still. Maybe not quite so "airy" (no super-tweeter?) but stunningly transparent and with somehow a fuller and more tactile sound. I don't think subjectively the bass goes much deeper, but they still somehow sound fuller (e.g. deep thrummy cello sound), and less constrained. Are they worth ~ 3x the price of the SHL5+ equivalent? Diminishing returns apply anyway at this level of cost, and only you can judge! I listen almost entirely to classical music, and I think chamber music in particular sounds sublime, with a really vibrant string presence. I have demoed them with jazz and other non-classical music and I think they can sound truly spectacular on that as well. One drawback is that that are so heavy it is difficult to find the will to experiment with room position as much as I would have liked.
I think opera can be challenging in domestic circumstances - e.g. listening to Wagner's ring cycle, it is stretching credibility to have a large orchestra + 8 buxom and very loud Valkyries be in a smallish room! (But can still sound very nice - e.g. Klemperer's ~ 1970 recording of Die Zauberflote sounds marvellous.)
*When I say "absent" I mean subjectively not obvious. Using REW software and measurement, the presence of very large room-modes was obvious. Its amazing how tolerant the ear is!
Why do you think it is a 3 way design? The super tweeter drops in @ 13kHz.The SHL5+ is a technically a 3-way 3-driver speaker.
interesting upgrade path. Curious if you compared the big harbeths to any of the big B&Ws which I understand are popular with classical music fans ? I have shl5+ but fancy a pair of 803s as a potential next speaker.
Why do you think it is a 3 way design? The super tweeter drops in @ 13kHz.
The bass with the SHL5 is slightly emphasized as it is with the M40.1. The SHL5plus und M40.2 is earlier falling in the bass in comparison.
Why do you think it is a 3 way design? The super tweeter drops in @ 13kHz.
The bass with the SHL5 is slightly emphasized as it is with the M40.1. The SHL5plus und M40.2 is earlier falling in the bass in comparison.
Harbeth seems to call them 3 way too, I don't get why, but it is what it is. IMO it is a 2,5 way but who am I to discuss this with the designer who must know it better. Sorry @tuga and the rest
This should not be a problem with any speaker in the modern era. Eq boxes, stand alone or part of DRC, are freely available.The M40.1 needs huge amount of space otherwise it will boom. It is like SHL5 vs. SHL5plus versions, the M40.2s and the SHL5plus are tighter in the bass and less pronounced in thee bass.
How powerful is your amplifier?
At this price level your dealer should be willing to offer a home demo. If can manage to have both sets of speakers in your home at the same time that would be ideal. Pick whichever one suits you best. It’s your money…..So, friends, it's time to choose. The choice is difficult and I need your advice and opinions. My room is 300 square feet. I need speakers for opera. The selection process has left me with two candidates. Harbeth m40.1(2,3). Or a Graham ls5/5. I have listened to both, but in different rooms and with different setups. In my opinion the Harbeth sounds better, but maybe I'm missing something.
You need to understand, that not everybody is into such stuff and I can only speak for myself but I like Harbeth, Graham and Spendor and wouldn't buy any KEF, Revel, Magico, or actives from D&D, ATC, Kii, Neumann, Genelec, etc.This should not be a problem with any speaker in the modern era. Eq boxes, stand alone or part of DRC, are freely available.
Well I couldn’t possibly know that, so can only make suggestions. The OP must decide for himself. In any case OP has not posted on this thread for a couple of days, so perhaps this thread has run its course.You need to understand, that not everybody is into such stuff and I can only speak for myself but I like Harbeth, Graham and Spendor and would buy any KEF, Revel, Magico, or actives from D&D, ATC, Kii, Neumann, Genelec, etc.
Harbeth seems to call them 3 way too, I don't get why, but it is what it is. IMO it is a 2,5 way but who am I to discuss this with the designer who must know it better. Sorry @tuga and the rest
To me it’s understandable, without going into or appreciating the technicalities, that many, including myself, would have tended to think only a speaker system consisting of tweeter/mid/bass was three-way, per the M40. I imagine marketing comes into this?!
You need to understand, that not everybody is into such stuff and I can only speak for myself but I like Harbeth, Graham and Spendor and wouldn't buy any KEF, Revel, Magico, or actives from D&D, ATC, Kii, Neumann, Genelec, etc.