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I auditioned these last week. Very nice in many regards. Amp was a Naim Nait XS and source was a Rega Saturn DAC fed with streaming "CD quality" files (meh)
The midrange was everything everyone said. Quite nice. However, there was a some "boxiness" to the sound, like the cabinets couldn't get out of the way.
Is this just the Harbeth sound? Didn't read about this in any reviews.
Kind of congested. Perhaps it was the source.
The amp and front end I want to use with them is different than above - vinyl source, great phono preamp, and amp is a Rogue Cronos Magnum with fancy tubes.
Worth taking home for a demo? Don't know if the dealer will let me yet.
Thanks for opinions. Anyone that runs Harbeth with tube integrateds?
Will the sound open up?
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I've recently replaced my 7es with the 30.1, but both speakers thrive under the same conditions... I have found that solid stands at 19" high and at least 100 watts of solid state control help them sing. My 30-watt tube amp sounded too bright on both, and any hollow stands (or stands made of wood or PVC) I've used made them sound either bright (wood) or tubby (PVC).
Oddly, I've noticed more boxiness with the 30.1s, as images in the corners of the room on discs with such material have now crept back to the speakers. They still sound beautiful. Congested is not a word I would use to describe either speaker. The 7es is marvelously open and clear.
I have heard that speaker for many hours over many years in a good friends system I know well. Not congested or boxiness to my ears. I owned a pair of Harbeth LS5/3A for 15 years and loved them too. Today I have the new Harbeth HL5+ figure this will be the last speaker I will own.
The Rougue should be a wonderful match I would think. I use a VAC KT88
I listen nearfield with the grilles off. Not boxy. Airy. Really great speakers. Compared head to head with the P3s and the P3s went back. Still not in the neighborhood of my old Quad ESLs but until we get a bigger place, C7s may be the next best thing.
as the output impedance is higher it will have less control of the bass. Not a quality judgment on either amp, simply the way that it will react with the load.
I disconnected my Gallo Ref 3.5s, I had a pair of 30th Anniversary addition compact 7 Es 3 collecting dust. I plugged them in picture attached. Only difference is the 30th anniversary edition has silver internal wiring.
Sounds boxy yes, the sound is suspended in mid air, the presentation is fantastic as I remembered them, I have to say of sounds boxy yes. Now that I lugged them out and the stands weigh a ton I will enjoy them for a while before they go back to storage.
When I reviewed the 7's years ago, I heard the same boxiness...in a large room (16 x 30 x 10). In a smaller room (12 x 24 x 8), it disappeared and they sounded very fine. My hypothesis at the time was that the 'BBC curve' built into them to dip the presence range a bit in small rooms where nearby boundaries would tend to reinforce that range, made them sound boxy in a larger room where boundaries (in my room some five feet away). 30's and 40's did not have that issue. Have never head the 5's but don't expect they have it either.
Is the sound of boxyness true boxyness? Or is it just that they sound different (better) than more modern day speakers that you have heard? I would see if you can try them in your own home if you can. The 7's cost to much money to make a mistake like this....
I have listened to all Harbeths in my friend's showroom. I have done comparisons for hours. I found that I liked the Compact 7 the best. More than the much more expensive ones. My personal liking. I could listen to the 7 for hours without fatigue. I did not play very loud and perhaps missed the cabinet reactions. My musical reproduction memory is that of Rogers LS3/5A which I owned since 1977.
Cheers
Bill
From Robert E. Greene's original Compact 7 review in TAS:
"The other aspect of the Compact 7's voicing is along traditional British lines. It is a bit warm in the mid-bass by prevailing audiophile standards. But, in practice, speakers with this kind of warmth are in fact more accurate than leaner ones. Audiophiles have accustomed themselves to the leaned-out sound of speakers that do nothing to defend themselves against the inevitable floor cancellation. Without some deliberate attention to the floor effect, all speakers will exhibit a suck-out, often in the order of 5 dB, in the 100-300 Hz region. This is often described as "precision" or "transparency" or the like. But, of course, it is utterly wrong, and makes music that is accurately recorded sound innervated, lifeless, and lightweight." (Source link below.)
At first, I think I detected the "boxiness" you mentioned. I have now come to find it integral to the C7's natural presentation of unamplified instruments playing in free space. Very fond of mine.
-Bob
I find that many (but certainly not all) of the modern "audiophile approved" speakers to be lean when reproducing naturally recorded, unprocessed voice -- particularly male voice.
BBC's original efforts in this area did focus heavily on the natural reproduction of voice since so much of what they broadcast consisted of people speaking. That work shows in the Harbeth and Spendor speakers.
But, different people listen for different things. And, so much rock & roll and other popular music is anything but "naturally" recorded, which leaves people simply listening for what impresses them.
in the third footnote in that review.Very perceptive.
I have Compact 7es2's and SHL5's, and they certainly are placement-sensitive- but sound marvelous when optimized.
Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
I bought them to upgrade the P3. They lasted about a month, I had the same results with the boxiness sound.
You should give the P3ESR a listen if you are looking for a disappearing act!
nt
I think some "boxiness" is part of the design parameters of these speakers. They have a "lossy" cabinet as per the BBC-school of speaker design.The boxiness never goes away, but as a user of BBC-school speakers, I ceased to notice the boxiness after about a day of use.
Edits: 05/04/16
Were they high enough, or next to other speakers?
I recently put my KEF R300 on higher stands, made big diff, as I got some boxiness too, before moving them.
Were on 14" Stands, too low, changed to 24" Stands, way better.
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