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Harbeth Speakers


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Seeing another sale thread for a pair of Harbeth Speakers and people raving about cabinetry and how great they look, I just can't stop myself wondering what people find so special with the way they look.
Never heard one, so I am not in any position to say anything about how they sound but cabinets just look like el-cheapo panels put together by an amateur. Even screws poking out on the front panel turns me off visually.
The wooden panels used just look like cheapest pine cabinet you can find with a couple of layers of cheap veneer applied on top of it similar to cabinets you find in cheap pine furniture shops on Parramatta Road is Sydney.
Hold your horses before start shooting me, above is IMHO and really want people to fill me in to understand what's so special with their cabinets?!?

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It might pay to Google something like BBC speaker design history because the Harbeths are products that have evolved from that background and there are very good reasons for their type of construction.

Personally I am far more biased against the modern fashion for narrow speakers using small diameter long excursion drivers in a ported box.

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I think many people like the classic look which also harks back to speakers from the likes of B&W that were often just rectangular veneered boxes as the Harby's are. 

 

Quality-wise though, you need to be up close to see. From an online pic, any speaker's veneer will look great. Up close, you can have deviations in the joinery, varying quality and thickness of the varnish and other factors. The hard satin varnish on the Harbeths looks and feels nice imo. 

 

It's all subjective of course, and there's nothing special about their cabinets as such, just that they clearly take a lot of care to ensure a top-class look/finish.

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This topic has been raised before, and I can understand why it is a question asked by those not familiar with the brand but hear people commending their speakers.

We spoke with Alan Shaw of Harbeth last year. This interview, I think, it quite an interesting read. There's a few reviews of Harbeth here on StereoNET that touch on the cabinet style/design also.

 

http://stereo.net.au/articles/exclusive-alan-shaw-harbeth-interview

http://stereo.net.au/tag/harbeth

 

I lived with the Monitor 40.2 early this year for review, until my time with them was cut short by lifting one and snapping my bicep tendon! (I'm actually considering now getting the Harbeth logo tattooed beside the hefty surgery scars, but I think Harbeth should pay for it :)) I can totally understand their appeal. They're one of the most musically engaging speakers I've ever heard. Yet, while I sat there staring at them, I can understand why 'some' think that they are overpriced when looking at the aesthetic design of the speaker. Unfortunately, while a traditional design that has evolved from the BBC all those years ago, it does still resemble an 80's cabinet design, or worse (for Harbeth), something most capable with some power tools could knock together.

 

That aside, deep, tonally balanced bass, vivid and engaging mid-range, and highs that just extend until they disappear and remain completely transparent are what you get. I was skeptical myself but I've heard different models enough times now to know they're good and very enjoyable.

 

For me personally I'm not sold on the look. But then I just ordered a pair for JBL 4367's for myself. They're no B&W or Sonus faber in terms of styling.

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I lived with the Monitor 40.2 early this year for review, until my time with them was cut short by lifting one and snapping my bicep tendon! (I'm actually considering now getting the Harbeth logo tattooed beside the hefty surgery scars, but I think Harbeth should pay for it :)

 

For me personally I'm not sold on the look. But then I just ordered a pair for JBL 4367's for myself. They're no B&W or Sonus faber in terms of styling.

 

Mind how you go, Marc: those JBL's are quite a bit bigger and heavier than the Harbeths! ;)

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This topic has been raised before, and I can understand why it is a question asked by those not familiar with the brand but hear people commending their speakers.

We spoke with Alan Shaw of Harbeth last year. This interview, I think, it quite an interesting read. There's a few reviews of Harbeth here on StereoNET that touch on the cabinet style/design also.

 

http://stereo.net.au/articles/exclusive-alan-shaw-harbeth-interview

http://stereo.net.au/tag/harbeth

 

I lived with the Monitor 40.2 early this year for review, until my time with them was cut short by lifting one and snapping my bicep tendon! (I'm actually considering now getting the Harbeth logo tattooed beside the hefty surgery scars, but I think Harbeth should pay for it :)) I can totally understand their appeal. They're one of the most musically engaging speakers I've ever heard. Yet, while I sat there staring at them, I can understand why 'some' think that they are overpriced when looking at the aesthetic design of the speaker. Unfortunately, while a traditional design that has evolved from the BBC all those years ago, it does still resemble an 80's cabinet design, or worse (for Harbeth), something most capable with some power tools could knock together.

 

That aside, deep, tonally balanced bass, vivid and engaging mid-range, and highs that just extend until they disappear and remain completely transparent are what you get. I was skeptical myself but I've heard different models enough times now to know they're good and very enjoyable.

 

For me personally I'm not sold on the look. But then I just ordered a pair for JBL 4367's for myself. They're no B&W or Sonus faber in terms of styling.

Thanks Marc, looks like most of the people agree on their looks not being on the fashionable side.

That really makes me wonder why in the world, them being such a good sounding speakers,  the manufacturer don't improve their look?!?

There are $100 speakers on the market which look much better.

I can hear people saying , "hey this HIFI, sound is more important but I think looks should be up there too".

Don't we hear day in day out people bragging how good their speakers (equipment) look  :)

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Reading the review, especially the section below;

 

The cabinet is made to the typical BBC British monitor design methodology of using very thin (8mm and 12 mm) timber walls with tuned or controlled resonance. I was not about to open up the review pair of speakers, but I have seen photos of the interior of the loudspeaker. I can report that there is no structural reinforcing or brace plates anywhere to be found inside.  Rather, the interior is lined with dense acoustic foam and has a thick and heavy tar like sheet on the back panel directly behind the drivers to absorb rear firing energy from exciting the rear wall. The interior is otherwise empty except for a 100mm thick acoustic foam block that is snuggly placed inside the enclosure. There is no damping on the front baffle, but there is a plastic bass reflex port that is positioned underneath and to the right of the bass driver.

 

I do wonder how they obtain such good sound characteristics with such flimsy timber walls!?!

Other companies spend fortunes on research and testing trying to built the most rigid speaker box they can manufacture.

I even heard somebody saying that famous Mark Lenehan sticks his ear on to the side wall of any speaker as to first thing to do when he is asked to review any speaker and if he picks up any vibration, doesn't even consider reviewing the speaker.

Being manufactured as described above, I suppose Harbeths vibrate a lot?!?

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I think @@Krispy Audio does home demos?

I wouldn't waste a dealers time with something I might not buy, but someone with time on their hands and keen who has a pair, but this is Canberra, so not much luck.

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Reading the review, especially the section below;

 

The cabinet is made to the typical BBC British monitor design methodology of using very thin (8mm and 12 mm) timber walls with tuned or controlled resonance. I was not about to open up the review pair of speakers, but I have seen photos of the interior of the loudspeaker. I can report that there is no structural reinforcing or brace plates anywhere to be found inside.  Rather, the interior is lined with dense acoustic foam and has a thick and heavy tar like sheet on the back panel directly behind the drivers to absorb rear firing energy from exciting the rear wall. The interior is otherwise empty except for a 100mm thick acoustic foam block that is snuggly placed inside the enclosure. There is no damping on the front baffle, but there is a plastic bass reflex port that is positioned underneath and to the right of the bass driver.

 

I do wonder how they obtain such good sound characteristics with such flimsy timber walls!?!

Other companies spend fortunes on research and testing trying to built the most rigid speaker box they can manufacture.

I even heard somebody saying that famous Mark Lenehan sticks his ear on to the side wall of any speaker as to first thing to do when he is asked to review any speaker and if he picks up any vibration, doesn't even consider reviewing the speaker.

Being manufactured as described above, I suppose Harbeths vibrate a lot?!?

Just different design philosophies.

 

Aims and goals. If there was one way that worked best, everyone would be doing it that way I think.

 

Mark Lenehan can't be all that famous, never heard of him ;) IF Mike Lenehan was meant, I'm not sure how he finds time to review any speakers outside of his own ones in development.

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Not.

 

This is a myth IMHO.

 

Harbeths like plenty of welly, other wise they can sound lazy.  I use 225 wpc with my 40.1s and 200 wpc with my 7ES3s.

 

The ideal combination for me is a valve preamp and warm SS power amp.

 

PS: quote button from post #13 didn't work.

Edited by bronal
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I much prefer the understated look in speakers, so really like Harbeth speakers.

 

This to me is a gaudy looking speaker. Like it is trying to hard to add bling to it.

All it is missing is some blue highlight lights underneath. :)

 

 

post-107190-0-26455200-1472102901_thumb.

Edited by rocky500
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Guest BobbyD

I meant in general as I have not heard Harbeths and do not know what power they like.

 

Speakers like DeVore O 96 , Audio Note AN/E and others I have heard.... :thumb::)

 

Quote did not work here either #19

Edited by BobbyD
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I much prefer the understated look in speakers, so really like Harbeth speakers.

 

This to me is gaudy speaker. Like it is trying to hard to add bling to it.

All it is missing is some blue highlight lights underneath. :)

 

 

attachicon.gif2016-08-25_132421.jpg

 

never been a fan of the look of skinny floor standers so i much prefer the Harbeth look, too.

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