New purchase pics...

steveinaz

SolidSqual wrote: »

I'm telling the guys on the Harbeth forum that you have a TV between their speakers.

Funny you should mention this, they were indeed all over me. One a$$hat said about my pics..."Well, nice TV anyways." (I kid you not) I believe I'm officially butt-hurt...LOL. Another clown said my imaging would be "completely distroyed" with my setup as is, I'm just laughing inside; yeah, whatever Cooter Dickbone.

SolidSqual

steveinaz wrote: »

Funny you should mention this, they were indeed all over me. One a$$hat said about my pics..."Well, nice TV anyways." (I kid you not) I believe I'm officially butt-hurt...LOL. Another clown said my imaging would be "completely distroyed" with my setup as is, I'm just laughing inside; yeah, whatever Cooter Dickbone.

I hate snobs like that. That's why I always keep coming back to this place. At some point you have to live in the real world. Plus, what would it really say about Harbeth speakers if it were true that a mere television in the center of the speakers would destroy the imaging. There is something to be said about a TV or even an equipment rack int he center affecting imaging, but it's nothing that can't be minimized by placement.

tonyb

Those are the guys who have dedicated 2 channel listening rooms. You know, the kind with a sniffer of brandy, and talk of the old Winston Churchill days gone by. Those who seek good sound in a real world environment are to them, a stain on the audio world.

As long as Steve digs what he hears, who cares if there's a circus inbetween the speaks.

steveinaz

...and it's really a non-issue. The speakers front baffles sit about 8"-10" forward of the plane of the plasma screen; there's zero vibration being tramsitted to the plasma, and I've got 10" thick concrete slab floors that the stands are spiked to. Add to that, the 7ES-3 is front ported. Would I like to have a room where they could be out in the listening area, you bet'cha, but it ain't happening anytime soon.

steveinaz

Steely Dan "Gaslight Alley" (2 against Nature) = Harbeth heaven baby. Can't wait to play this one for Wes. I'm gonna make him sit on an adult diaper though, before I hit the "play" button.

steveinaz

Correction (don't I feel like a dumbass) "Gaslighting Abbie" is the song.

Face

You should post a picture of them upside down on their stands and say they sound better this way.

heiney9

Face wrote: »

You should post a picture of them upside down on their stands and say they sound better this way.

Or better yet sitting on their sides :twisted::cheesygrin:

H9

SolidSqual

I'd put them right next to each other on top of the TV and tell them how great the center imaging is with this configuration.

steveinaz

Another thing I've noticed with the 7ES-3's is that I listen at significantly lower levels. The upper bass/lower midrange has a dynamic character and "drive" (for lack of a better word) that I just don't have a need to bring the volume up to get that visceral feel usually required by higher levels. It's not an efficiency thing (they're rated at 87dB/1 watt), it's a rightness to the tone that just doesn't require more power to get satisfying results. I found this to be a very unique characteristic of the Harbeth...FWIW.

This makes them stellar for late night, super quiet listening. They're also a percussion lovers dream; jazz, latin, etc; anything with lots of drums, congos, etc. The snappy midrange makes "Rush" sessions incredibly fun. I'm beginning to understand the big following with these speakers---they are exciting, without ever being fatiguing.

SolidSqual

steveinaz wrote: »

Another thing I've noticed with the 7ES-3's is that I listen at significantly lower levels. The upper bass/lower midrange has a dynamic character and "drive" (for lack of a better word) that I just don't have a need to bring the volume up to get that visceral feel usually required by higher levels. It's not an efficiency thing (they're rated at 87dB/1 watt), it's a rightness to the tone that just doesn't require more power to get satisfying results. I found this to be a very unique characteristic of the Harbeth...FWIW.

This makes them stellar for late night, super quiet listening. They're also a percussion lovers dream; jazz, latin, etc; anything with lots of drums, congos, etc. The snappy midrange makes "Rush" sessions incredibly fun. I'm beginning to understand the big following with these speakers---they are exciting, without ever being fatiguing.

Steve,

The drive you are describing is one of the most important qualities I look for in a speaker. You are right, it's not about volume, it's about the speakers ability to literally create sound waves you can feel. Some speakers can do it, others can't. It's cool to hear Harbeth finds this quality important.

steveinaz

I'm also catching myself listening for far longer than I usually do, they just draw you in that way. It's strange--they are a "sneaky" speaker. Their magic lies in the consistency and richness of tone. No sparkles, no thunder, no aural gimmicks; just a tonal rightness that keeps you coming back for more.

tonyb

Glad you brought up "tone" Steve. I think so much of the digital sources or SS gear has forgotten what tone is. Maybe thats why so many are still drawn to vinyl, because of the tone. Add some tubes and it's sonic heaven.

I also find myself drawn to a more organic sound, one that has tone and an air around the notes. Maybe as we get older our ears just prefer that type of sound over the head banging dry music of our youth. Nah...can't be, always loved vinyl for it's tone and organic feel only as a youth you just thought it sounded good without being able to pinpoint why.

Regardless, glad your diggin' your new babies, better throw your agent a bone, job well done.

steveinaz

I played Sarah McLachlan "Afterglow" for Bev last night, all she said was "Oh my God."

The crossover/integration is the best I've heard in reference to vocals. On every speaker I've owned prior, the voices were sometimes pushed just a little too much to the tweeter; giving them a bit of an unnatural tone (although the Fritz were darn close to perfect in this regard). The Harbeths have exactly the right crossover transition where vocals blend perfectly between the 2 drivers--

janmike

Those speakers Steve sound like they are worth investigating. Glad you are happy with the selection.

steveinaz

They're a strange breed. In the first 2 minutes you think "meh, yeah they're alright." 20 minutes later, you're glued to them. They are not a "wow" instantly speaker, at all--it takes a while for the magic to gel. When I first set them up, I had a moment of panic, it didn't last long.

SolidSqual

When I was looking at monitors, I was stuck between Harbeth and WLM Loudspeakers. I heard a pair of of WLM LaScala Monitors at RMAF and was entranced by their musicality. Since then I've been dreaming about their speakers.

bmenary

Very Nice