I did, but I compared my previous standard C-7ES3 with the latest XD version:
even if I have heard an improvement especially in terms of greater refinement and cleanliness in the high frequencies (in favor of a greater opening of the mids and a slightly more pronounced micro dynamics), the family sound, the timbre setting and the timing remained unchanged to not justify the replacement (IMO, of course) …
I then opted for a decisive leap forward (given the almost double price) with Wilson Benesch …
David
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Interesting David, thanks for your thoughts on this.
As you bought the Benesch at almost double the price, did you also consider the Harbeth Super HL5 Plus XD?
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Towards Harbeth:
A year ago, after living with compact dynaudio 52se’s for 16 years I decided to go for an upgrade and bought a set of Proac D2r’s just based on the raving reviews. Sadly enough strings and (female) voice often sounded terrible harsh to my ears. Nothing of this when listening at a friend with esl 63’s (which I owned myself before they sadly burned in a fire). Hundreds of hours of suggested ‘running in’ didn’t help one bit. Same for a lot of annoying cable change and even change of amp from atom to lavardin isx reference. The sky turned blue after listening to and eventually buying Harbeth slh5 super +. Completely natural and esl-like for anything acoustic and voices. I compared them to 30.1’s. The 5’s seemed to just do their job with ease while the 30.1 were ‘working’. (There is an interesting video from Harbeth’s Alan Shaw on the traps with A/B comparison on youtube!).
I use the Atom with Qobuz high res as source ( maybe an upgrade to Ndx2 somewhere down the road , but why on earth?)and the 50w Lavardin as amp. I still have to hear how the Atom would manage on its own though. Same with a 100W musical fidelity A3.2 amp I keep somewhere and which preceded the Atom
In the end this set is simply gorgeous and it makes me totally happy. And guess what, I am suddenly more into reading books than hifi threads😀. Although….
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Yes, I considered also the SHL5 XD (the dealer made me understand it’s the best and most successful model of the new XD series), but I set it aside mainly for two reasons:
- box too large and bulky for correct positioning and liveability in my living room;
- desire for a more dynamic, neutral and less euphonic sound, while maintaining musicality: IMO, the WBs do not disappoint at all from these points of view…
IMO, Harbeth (like other brands, on the other hand) still maintains the classic British sound but in updated way, WB is in my opinion quite far from that idea of British sound (which is always terribly fascinating and satisfying, in any case)
David
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I “retired” my Harbeth M30.1 a year back and grabbed a pair of Dynaudio Confidence 20 that I bought for slightly less than pair of Heritage Specials would have cost (that was my original plan). The Confidence have a more substantial base/bass and build upon that. They have a larger soundstage and are more detailed. The Confidence are more detailed but the Harbeths still have more magic in vocals. Still the C20’s are an improvement
Of the three LS5/9 speakers (Rogers, Harbeth 30.2, Graham) I personally preferred the Graham - to my ears they gave a more coherent performance and sometimes the midrange reminded me of ESL57 (which think is a positive :-)). The Rogers was more forward and monitor-like with more bass. The Harbeth had a bit of both. But the diff was small and I would happily live with any of them.
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I just want to say that I am thrilled with my SHL5+ XDs. I upgraded from my ATC SCM 19s as a final push to my ‘retirement system’. I auditioned a few speakers but wanted to keep everything else in the chain including my beloved Rega Aethos amp, Rega P10, ND5 XS2 feeding MScaler and Qutest. I have found a magic combination with the Harbeths as the final piece of the jigsaw. When I play jazz and vocal it is so spooky that all the band are in my listening room with a such a musical, engaging and dynamic presentation. Very, very happy.
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I haven’t been able to hear Harbeth yet, yes Dynaudio. I assumed that Harbet was more detailed than Dyn, mainly in media. It’s what I’m looking for, means that are clear and detailed. Your experience was not like that?
The dyn c20’s are more detailed than the H30.1 and throw a larger and deeper soundstage. The dyn c20’s build a deeper foundation and are a bit “faster”. My system is strictly 2 channel for music. I assume you meant for movies with media- can’t help you there. For a cabinet, the size of the C20’s they do a very good job of bass. That is what the H30.1 lack (at least in my room). Neither is exactly a head-banger however and the room itself won’t support deep bass (I think)
I don’t mean movies. I have a Novia + NACA 5 + Vienna Acoustic BB. And the mid frequencies are dull to me and lack detail. I tried the Dyn Special 40 for a week and there was not much change in that frequency. And they talked about the detail of the Harbeth that I haven’t tried yet. I also auditioned for Contour20 with Nova and I think they need more power, they couldn’t sing
The dyn’s I have are the confidence 20, not the contours. The Harbeth M 30 would be something to listen to. Now if I could only get them from storage, to you L. I would reccommend that you try a pair. I’ve not heard the 30.2 or the xd versions. My understanding is the 30.1 or .2 would be fairly similar
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The XD’s are an improvement over the previous incarnation, and the room is paramount to how the speakers sing. Don’t get too focussed on other peoples experiences, it should only be additional information.
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I found Tannoy legacy Eaton far superior to Harbeth SHL5 Plus in my system and home. The 5s gave me listening fatigue. Their midrange is wonderful. For some time. I found them very picky with music too. Rock music was almost impossible due to the mids.
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Same experience with the SHL5s 40th - only lasted 4-5 months in my system and that felt too long. I then decided that there must be something in the hype and tried other Harbeths. Had better experience with the M30s and the P3ESR (including their 40th) but all their beautiful trademark midrange (which one tends to like at an audition or initially, yes) is at the expense of an overall strange, unnatural and unbalanced presentation. The M30 models are fairly easy to drive, as for the rest, you need lots and lots of power. I am not sure Naim is any special as a partner for Harbeths but has been a good one for me when not underpowered.
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I have had a complete 180 experience to yours with Harbeth. My SN2 easily drives my C7 XD. They are also wonderfully balanced.
I have been using a Naim Nova (80 watts per channel) to power Harbeth HDL5 plus HD speakers. I like the Harbeths a lot for a variety of music: jazz, chamber, Americana and the like. I have adequate power for everything except perhaps large orchestral pieces with strong dynamic shifts.
I also tried Hegel amplification which worked well, so I do not agree that Naim is a special match. People have Harbehts successfully with many different amps.
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I haven’t heard the XD range, what sonic qualities does the new range bring? I’m using a lowly base p3esr. On a side note, I read on the Harbeth forum that Alan Shaw hired a marketing specialist about 3 years ago to reassess the entire line and it was implied the RRP was undervalued and…here we are
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First of all, I state that the 40th anniversary are definitely closer to the current XD rather than the previous standard (I’m talking about the whole Harbeth production).
I have only compared my previous standard Compact 7-es3 vs the latest XD: the improvement in the high range is quite evident (the tweeter of the standard C-7 is notoriously the least refined compared to the SHL5 and 30/40 monitors), with less harsh and more intelligible highs, but everything else (timbre setting, composure, general midrange highlighting etc …) remained somewhat unchanged/similar …
In addition, from what I know, as far as your case is concerned, the p3esr are the model that has undergone the most important and substantial design change between the standard version and the XD version compared to the Harbeth models.
David
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I am really happy with my Linn/Naim/Harbeth system. Seems to get the best from each brand without any penalty. Right now it sounds especially fine after adding a Fraim.
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The ever so 'umble P3ESR is a very fine speaker for voices , timbre and subtlety .
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