New Harbeth compact 7's... Quite good

How do the 40s compare with KEF reference, ATC, PMC, etc.?

There's some stiff competition in the British speaker business.

 

Size-wise, the Compact 7ES3's are about the same as Spendor SP2/3R's, I think. The equivalent to the SP1/2R might(?) be the HL-5.

 

(duplicate, sorry.)

 

The Harbeth's have really peaked my interest of late. Doesn't look like they come up for sale used all that often though... Hmmm Gonna have to keep an eye open for these.

 

Only 5 and a half years later, and I finally saved enough for a used pair of Compact 7es3's! I've been listening to them all week and they really are special. I don't even have proper stands for them yet, but I am amazed at how fast these are overall, especially rhythmically. And I just put them on little end tables in the same spots my old ones were, and the image was dead center with no hint of sound coming from either speaker. I forgot how well monitors image compared to floor standers. It is pretty clear that these are a far better match for my old tube amp than my last speakers.

After I get stands for these, I'm going to start saving for a different amp/preamp. I am thinking of class A solid state, perhaps the Pass Labs INT-30A integrated, or the XA-30.5 or XA-60.5 amps. Does anybody have any experience with any of these driving Harbeth speakers?

 

The stands are not critical to Harbeths but it seems the "open" type are recommended. No need to spend a small fortune on these.

BEFORE you switch amp set ups make sure you try out first. Again, Harbeths are easy to match with a power supply. Just ensure any tube set up has enough power (25 WPC min ) so if you push the volume a little it wont clip.

And nice buy btw, i'm sure you'll be keeping these unless you see a pair of supers up for sale at the right price

 

I use Sound Anchors with mine. 26", 3 post, iron. Worth every penny.

 

I have a four post stand for my Harbeths, cost less than £100. Work really well. The point i'm making is it is not critical to spend a lot of money getting the best from Harbeths. Placement (which is free) is far more important than stand build / type.
Spend a few hundred dollars on the best stand match but poor placement will undo all that money.

 

Agree.

 

A friend recently got compact 7s, latest version and is running them with the four post Skylan stands and they sound really nice. He is using a Rogue Audio Cronus integrated, and a PSB subwoofer as his room is quite large. I would highly recommend the Skylan stands. I believe they are the SKY-4P18, they are fillable so you can tune them to your tastes.

 

Excellent stands - mine are probably 10 years old.

 

I love my P3ESR's. First 'LS3/5a' type speaker I liked better than the LS3/5a. The SHL5 is a wonderful speaker and worth the asking price, I think.

The Compact 7's and the Monitor 30's are marked up too high by the importer. Seriously too high. Wonderful speakers, though.

Another product to consider in this category is the Stirling Broadcast version of the BBC LS3/6. I haven't heard them but people I know who have just rave about them. I may buy a pair someday just because curiosity will get the better of me.

 

Just to be clear, really the stands are not the most important component with Harbeths speakers .................... honest.
An amp set up that can give you 50wpc is ideal (more if it suits your own needs of course [i'm using 30wpc on a pair of 30.1's and they are sounding fine]). Anything less than 25wpc MAY induce clipping at higher volume and small 15 wpc WILL clip as soon as you push the volume. Test any set up before buying as it is all about your taste.
Oh yeah, speaker cable ................................. the more you spend the less return you get! Like the stands, don't be suckered into forking out for really exotic expensive stuff.
Spend any cash on the source, TT upgrades will do so much more or a better CD player will give a better return. Both will out do any speaker cable / stand outlay by a country mile. Spend the afternoon getting placement just right and stands wont matter too much if at all.

MY cheap stands work fine with a pair of two and a half grands (thats £'s not $'s) worth of speaker. If I thought for a moment I could make a significant difference with a bigger investment on stands (and cable!!!) I'd go for it. But I'm not as it wont.

 

Forgot to say ........................ Harbeth and skylan do have a good marriage from all reports.

 

My experience with monitor speakers is that the quality of stands is critical to get the best quality bass performance. I will be investing some money, probably in Sound Anchors.

 

I'm at the five year mark!

 

Sound Anchors are the way to go IMHO.

 

I have to disagree about the mark up. I can't think of a nicer speaker under 4k I would rather own.

As Sam Telling said, these babies get you off the HiFi merry go round,

How much is that worth? I'm going on 5 years now with mine, and after reviewing some 2 dozen speakers there are none I would trade my 7's for. I like them even MORE now then when I bought them!

 

I hold current possession of the Compact 7's from Tonepub's review, including the Sound Anchor stands. Powering them is the Sim Moon I-7, which is a tremendous match. For tube time it's a 35wpc Vista Audio integrated.

I tried them on my 24" Celestion si stands, and can say irrevocably that stand height is critical. The Sound Anchors are definitely the better choice at 19" inches. For those who think stands really don't matter, unfortunately you're misguided and are missing out on a noticeable difference. Save and spend the money, you'll never look back.

 

Skylan stands have worked out really well for me also. The legs are loaded with kitty litter. The Sound Anchors would be great too. I had the hardest time choosing.

 

You made the right choice. The Skylans are quite preferable to the Sound Anchors.

 

For 3,700. they better be good.

 

Did you try other fillers other than kitty litter? I think my friend is using sand in his. Also did you experiment with different level of fill in the legs, and where did you end up?

Regards

 

Totally subjective statement, no?