I have stopped visiting the Harbeth User Group many years ago for reasons which may not be too appropriate to discuss here. Their philosophy is all amplifiers will sound the same if working within spec or parameters in controlled listening although I’m not sure if they still stick to the same stance today. All that’s important is the speakers. The rest are not important (regarded as snake oil) so you don’t need to waste money on the equipment, cables and/or tweaks.
If I had not attempted to try other amplifiers with my Harbeth speakers 11 years ago (more than 6 amp combinations), I would not be using Harbeth today. They haven’t realised that.
Right on! They do stick to that stance. My case is similar to yours. They do not seem to get, that I own Harbeth speakers just because they were recommended as a match made in heaven on this forum when I started with Naim some 6 yrs. ago. They seem to believe they had a market of their own, that someone would spend 5 grand for a wooden box called speaker without having a perfect match for it. I am sure Focal is giving them a hard time in the market place, for sure over here in Germany. There is always Focal on Demo with Naim, when I started off there were Spendors and Harbeths on the show…
As you say, without Naim I probably wouldn’t own Harbeth speakers.
Hi Slamdam, my 6mm Mark Grant have arrived and are playing. That is a lot of music for the money! 100 pound for 2x4m with bananas. I will have them playing for a few weeks now, then quickly change them back to my Vovox Vocalis and see if they are any better - if not I will do as you did with your Chord…
I have the full Superlumina loom and would highly recommend it. I’d go S/L interconnect, then the HiCAP then the speakers if I was doing it again. I’m my case I had the HiCAP first then the I/C sort of happened when I was ordering a hi-line and a S/L pre-loved came up.