Home Speaker Asylum

General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

RE: Harbeth Speakers - What's your take on these?

It's not like ProAc isn't a well respected loudspeaker maker. Speakers all bring a certain sound to the table. We can make excuses why something sounds poor but what I try to do is to listen to several speakers in the line several times in several locations with several different front end systems.

I can't tell you how often a speaker has sounded horrible in one show or dealer and then sounded rather astonishingly good in another or even in the same room with a different system attached.

Take David's response below - Audio Note speakers are typically connected to AN's amplifiers and sources - well those can be jaw dropping expensive SET amplifiers - they will make a lot of speakers sound a lot better. While Harbeth might be connected to some ear bleeding high negative feedback solid state amplifier. Stick the $100k AN front end on the Harbeth and it might be terrific as well.

Indeed, several years back I bought the AX Two standmount from Audio Note - $1k. It was hooked up to $100k+ worth of AN amps sources and a dedicated room. Wander to another dealer with $20,000+ AvanteGarde loudspeakers connected up to middling equipment and listening to Eva Cassidy and the sound from the $1k speakers was night and day VASTLY superior.

It moved me - goosebumps - the $20k speakers made me want to shut Eva off 1/3 of the way through the song. Pretty horrific.

Try the Harbeths a few more times to be sure - but they may simply not be for you. It's not a crime.


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  Michael Percy Audio  


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  • RE: Harbeth Speakers - What's your take on these? - RGA 18:41:12 11/04/15 (0)

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