Speaker Asylum

run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES

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TOOL

after getting a used pair (about 2+ years old), got a friend who came over and commented that the speakers have not been run in yet!! wow.....
so, what is the recommended run-in period for a the Compact 7ES? anyone knows?
thanks

Follow Ups:

70 to 100 hours - PabloP 09:35:27 10/01/01 (2)
As others have said, they probably dont sound the way your friend expects speakers to sound.
They have ABSOUTELY NOTHING IN COMMON WITH THE LS3/5a. Nothing said about those speakers has any relevance whatsoever.
They do handle and benefit from a lot of power. So if always used with low power amps, they may need a little extra time driven moderately hard to open up.
If they dont sound right, it may your room, it may be your source, it may be your amp or it may be that there is something wrong with the pair of speakers you bought or they might have been abused by the original owner. Anything's possible.
Just out of curiosity, what color are they?
- Re: 70 to 100 hours - TOOL 06:46:55 10/02/01 (1)
  PabloP,
  The finish is eucalyptus (standard)
  - Ok, not the pair I had in mind (nt) - PabloP 09:47:41 10/02/01 (0)
    nt
Re: run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES - DkB 12:00:57 09/30/01 (10)
Hi Tool,
I've had my new Harbeths for 3 weeks now, and have been placing them in different positions and heights, adjusting toe in angles, as well as tweaking them with different cones. They work well with lots of space around them, and on good stands.
They may sound closed in to some, but I will tell you that I have heard lots of audiophile speakers and listen to lots of live music, and the compact seven is the most realistic portrayal of live music I have heard, which is why I chose them. I was really tired of speakers that feature airy soundstages, transpancy, detail etc. because the designer tweaked the sound to this end while sacrificing a realistic frequency response.
Anyway, lots of things happen to speakers over the years, and the sound does change. I have been burning mine in 24/7 for two weeks and I am getting better sound. Its good enough for me now, and can only get better.
- Re: run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES - James@mozcom.com 19:15:07 09/30/01 (9)
  You may be right there. I've heard reports of Ls 3/5a taking 3 years to break in. And a good ten years to have their performance constantly improving. No wonder the older versions of these venerable speakers are the ones being much sought after, with 15 ohms versions
  becoming a predilection. Your Harbeths may be no different, and patience is the key!
  - Re: run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES - asull2k 20:40:13 09/30/01 (8)
    The only way I could ever imagine speakers taking 3 years to break in is if the user plays them for about an hour every 3 weeks. And after 10 years the drivers are more likely to be rotting than still breaking in. I've got a pair of vintage Rogers LS2's with decayed woofers sitting in my room as it is (still trying to find replacement drivers but not having luck, they're a friend's). Longest I've ever heard a driver take to break in (with HEAVY break in procedure) is under 300 hours. 10 years of constant playing is rather rediculous..
    --Alan
    - Re: run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES - James@mozcom.com 17:05:54 10/03/01 (0)
      My friend I won't argue with you. Go to the Yahoo ls 3/5a users group. I got the information from them. MOst all are owners of the beeb designed speaker.
    - Re: run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES - TOOL 20:49:55 09/30/01 (6)
      let's say I completely ignore the previous owner's usage. (which is around 2.5 years)
      if I average about 3-4 hours a week. that would mean I need about 25-30 weeks to clock 100 hurrs. or 50-60 week to clock 200 hours. thus, max break in period should be roughtly 1 year?
      that'll mean I have about 10 months to go. :(
      - You can do 120 hours in five days! - DkB 21:46:42 09/30/01 (5)
        
        In Reply to: Re: run-in period for Harbeth HL Compact 7ES posted by TOOL on September 30, 2001 at 20:49:55:
        
        Do it the standard way, but you would have to go without music for about 10 days:
        Face the Compact Sevens towards each other, almost touching.
        Wire them out of phase, so their output cancels out. You will be surprised that very very little sound can be heard, even though you may be driving them really hard, so be very careful NOT to overdrive them!!!
        Play back the XLO or Purist enhancer CD 24 hours non stop at a REASONABLY moderate level to run in the speakers. MUCH more effective than music, because they use continuous pink noise that work the driver and tweeter continuously. Music signals fluctuate in intensity, and thus do not drive the speakers as thoroughly. Burn in will take a lot longer to burn in.
        DOn't use your high end SACD player for this as you will wear it out or damage it through constant playing. Use an old CD player.
        Or if you are still using a high end CD player, go ahead and run it to the ground with this burn in process, which will give you an excuse to upgrade to an SACD player! :) Just joking of course. Better idea to sell the CD player (theses are still in demand) and channel the money to a new SACD player.
        Again, drive the speakers at a moderately high volume, but DO NOT OVERDRIVE!
        All the best! Is your Compact 7es the version 2 type?
        
        Any how many SACD titles can you listen to after you sell your CD player? - GEO 10:07:37 10/02/01 (0)
        
        In Reply to: You can do 120 hours in five days! posted by DkB on September 30, 2001 at 21:46:42:
        
        Assumming you have a good supply of vinyl and you are not into re-issues?
        
        Re: You can do 120 hours in five days! - asull2k 05:21:59 10/01/01 (0)
        
        In Reply to: You can do 120 hours in five days! posted by DkB on September 30, 2001 at 21:46:42:
        
        Yup, I think most people for hardcore breakin do the out-of-phase thing with pink noise or pink noise interspersed with busy music (Prodigy "Firestarter" in my case). I turn it up more and more throughout the breakin process but always make sure the peaks are within the driver limits so I don't damage anything. After 200 hours or so if things are still a little stiff I use a tone generator to help, like a 15 hz tone for midrange/woofer (so you don't hear much but it does a great job of loosening stiff 6.5" drivers). ~24 hours a day (if it gets annoying, put speakers closer together facing each other and then put something on top like lathers of clothes to help muffle the sound leaking around the edges) x 2 weeks = 300+ hours.
        
        Re: You can do 120 hours in five days! - TOOL 23:00:57 09/30/01 (2)
        
        In Reply to: You can do 120 hours in five days! posted by DkB on September 30, 2001 at 21:46:42:
        
        thanks for the advice.
        wow. how do I know whether it's version 2 or not????
        any indication? serial number? or what? learning something new again.
        
        Re: You can do 120 hours in five days! - DkB 09:26:38 10/01/01 (1)
        
        In Reply to: Re: You can do 120 hours in five days! posted by TOOL on September 30, 2001 at 23:00:57:
        
        It will say 7 HL ES 2 on the front baffle, if its version II. No need to sweat it if not, as there is minimal difference.
        Anyway, the reason why you get so little sound when you wire them out of phase is that the Compact 7 pairs are matched so closely, you truly get an opposite image from each speaker that cancels the other very effectively, more so than other brands.
        
        Re: You can do 120 hours in five days! - TOOL 06:49:36 10/02/01 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: You can do 120 hours in five days! posted by DkB on October 01, 2001 at 09:26:38:
        
        why would Harbeth want a version 2 for their 7ES? what is the difference? marketing ploy?
        anyway, I'm pretty satisfied with mine...I got a used pair anyway. the previous owners treated them well.
Less than two years - Edp 06:44:07 09/30/01 (5)
your friend is mistaken in his theory. Claims exceeding hundred (s) of hours are most likely more psycological than real. Break-in occurs, but not to excessive lengths.
Possibly he didn't like the sound and was just trying to find a reason. His preferences may not be the same as yours.
- Re: Less than two years - TOOL 10:11:56 09/30/01 (4)
  friend said that my harbeths sounded enclosed and nasal. another point was that the previous owner used 300Bs to drive the speakers.
  it is true that we have different taste. but I just found it interesting because no one has said that before to me. :)
  by comparison, his ALR Jordans did sound very "separated" and open.
  100 hours is very easy to clock - 3.5 hrs everyday for 3 months.
  - Likely not due to the Harbeth Compact 7 - PS Yeo 01:18:22 10/01/01 (3)
    Hi Ee Bin,
    Nasal and enclosed sounding are not the usual Harbeth characteristic, even when they are new from the box. A 300B based power amp (5-15W ?)has more than enough power output to run/break in the speaker, not to mention 2.5 yrs of previous usuage. (our norminal listening power required is around 1 w or less, for typical SPL sensitivity of 85 dB/W/m or more).
    Your issue are likely due to the other component in your system or setup, take sometime to fine tune them.
    Regards
    PS Yeo
    - Re: Likely not due to the Harbeth Compact 7 - TOOL 02:27:55 10/01/01 (2)
      hi PS yeo,
      or is it my room? 11' x 12' x 10' height. my friend asked me whether the speakers are too large for the room and I said no. because even at the loudest it did not sound overwhelming..
      a point of note is that he lent his preamp to me, and his know how it sounds like. I commented it sounded throaty, and harsh.
      some tweaks in the power supply (bypassing resistors, switches, LEDs etc.) did improve the sound overall. maybe I should explore that aspect.
      ok. in the meantime, just to be safe, I try to listen to my system more often :)
      regards, ee bin
      - Re: Likely not due to the Harbeth Compact 7 - PS Yeo 21:23:16 10/01/01 (1)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Likely not due to the Harbeth Compact 7 posted by TOOL on October 01, 2001 at 02:27:55:
        
        Hi Ee Bin,
        Your room is fine for the Harbeth Compact 7, my listening room is only 9'x12'x9' and did not post any issue for both the P3ES and HL compact, which is the same cabinet size as the compact 7.
        One thing for sure the Harbeths are quite critical about their placement position, and can affect the sound/tonality substantially. Also have to take note on the speaker stand height, especially for the Compact 7. Take sometime to experiment and have fun.
        Regards
        PS Yeo
        
        Re: Likely not due to the Harbeth Compact 7 - TOOL 06:59:04 10/02/01 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Likely not due to the Harbeth Compact 7 posted by PS Yeo on October 01, 2001 at 21:23:16:
        
        as far as speaker positioning, i believe I have optimised according t my room layout as well as overall practicality. I believe you already know my room layout :)
        the 7ES are mounted on Acatama SE20 stands, no spikes whatsoever. .
        friends who came over noted that there was no problem with the room acoustics.
        let me continue to try with the cables. hooking it up to a SFL-2 preamp did help a little.

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