The Speaker Journey Continues.

audiocr381ve

I waited four months for my smokey grey over red oak Philharmonic Slims to be made and unfortunately I ended up returning them. The open back design combined with my smallish room made for an interesting experience which broke my heart. Compared to my Totem Hawks, the Slims had a very hard time doing the disappearing act. The Hawks literally disappear and notes just float in the air. I mean, turn off the lights and you can't find them type of imaging. I was very aware of the Slims location at all times. Again, I'm absolutely convinced it had to be the speakers design as well as not having enough room to let them breathe properly.

So after much research, and after days of reading dozens and dozens of reviews, I pulled the trigger on a pair of Harbeth Super SL-5's. These are end-game speakers for so many and I'm hoping my experience with them will get me off the Merry Go 'Round. I'm very aware of the things they are said not to do well like deep bass, dynamics, and ultimate transparency. But the things they are famous for are the things I hold in the highest regard. Like the midrange saturation, the true-to-the-instrument accuracy, highly involving, and non-fatiguing sound. These are the attributes that I've heard over the years and I'm excited to finally hear them. I've also never spent this amount of money on speakers, but I'm convinced they could be the ones gents.

So here they are:

audiocr381ve

DSkip wrote: »

Good luck. I haven't had a chance to hear Harbeth, but I really want to. Unfortunately, I can't really get over their aged appearance. I don't think they are ugly at all, but they also don't intrigue me. Call me vain, but I want something that is a statement visually as well as sonically.

I hear ya but they're totally my style. I'll keep you all posted on my impressions. It's going to be fun to put them up against the Hawks.

OldSchoolPolk

You've got to love an old school three way, especially from a company such as Harbeth! Beautiful!!

Erik Tracy

Nice. Will be checking back for your listening impressions.

I've heard nothing but good things about these.

Conradicles

Beautiful! These are on my list one day

voltz

I don't know why but all the old British monitors have always grab my eye,.. Harbeth, Stirling & Spendor!

Congrats! hope they work out for you.

markmarc

I thoroughly enjoyed owning a pair of the Compact 7es3's. Had I not been able to claim the spare 9x12 bedroom as a man cave, I'd still have them. Enjoy the HL5's.

steveinaz

I have never heard the female voice rendered better than on my Harbeths. Treble never gets edgy, but somehow pulls off excellent presence and sparkle. I think the bass may surprise you.....I STOLE my 7ES-3's minty for $2400/pr. I could NOT pass that up.

...and it's "Super HL-5" newbie. LOL.

Put your change away, you won't need any more quarters for that merry-go-round.

Moose68Bash

You are the one who will listen to them, and it sounds like they are right for your ears!

Congrats, and I hope they are all that you are hoping for -- and then some!

audiocr381ve

steveinaz wrote: »

I have never heard the female voice rendered better than on my Harbeths. Treble never gets edgy, but somehow pulls off excellent presence and sparkle. I think the bass may surprise you.....I STOLE my 7ES-3's minty for $2400/pr. I could NOT pass that up.

...and it's "Super HL-5" newbie. LOL.

Put your change away, you won't need any more quarters for that merry-go-round.

Haha, I swear I knew that!

Wow that is a stellar price Steve. The resale value of these speakers is unlike anything I've seen (which spoke volumes) and I couldn't pass up a pair in the Tiger Ebony finish.

I've always admired the look too Mark!

[Deleted User]

Congrats man! I look forward to your review. It would be interesting to hear your comparisons with the other speakers you had in recent years.

Halen

audiocr381ve

Zero wrote: »

Alright, so a few things..

First: Congrats on acquiring the Harbeth's! Those are some great speakers.

Second: I had to bite my tongue when you posted pictures of those Salks. Don't get me wrong. I like the company. Moreover, I really like Jim Salk and Dennis Murphy. But at the end of the day, I feel like some of their fanboys overhype the brand - which usually leads to false expectations and in some cases, disappointment. For what it's worth, I kinda figured the Hawks would walk away with the W on that one.

Third: I think the Harbeth's will bode better with your electronics than the Hawks. You may hate me for saying this, but Wyred 4 Sound is a horrible match with anything Totem. Throw Apple into the mix and you have a borderline complete mis-match. The Harbeths on the other hand, are going to love that class-D control. They'll do fine with Apple, and that "fat" Rogue sound will so a good job of preserving that beautiful Harbeth midrange. I doubt the SL-5's will image/disappear like the Hawks, but I'm confident they'll do some other things that you'll really like.

Looking forward to your impressions.

Good points Zero.

I can't speak for anything Salk, but I will say the Slims missed the mark which I was heart broken about.

About the Wyred amps not working with the Totem's, you're dead wrong haha. I had the Rogue Stereo 99 Super Magnum tube amp paired with the Totem's and I prefer the Wyred amps which I credit in large part to the Rogue preamp that's in the mix. The Wyred amps are balls to the wall which the Totems love. The Wyred amps beat out my little Parasound HCA-750a as well. I do want to put some Class A on them eventually (something Pass Labs).

I'm really excited about the SHL-5's. I'm with you in thinking that they're beat by the Hawks in imaging, which isn't a problem for me. I don't expect to be overwhelmed by either end of the spectrum. With that said and from everything I've read, the Harbeth sound is exactly what I've been searching for and I'm confident they will deliver.y do disappoint, I'm not afraid to talk about it and move on.

I'll be sure to do a nice little write up.

SCompRacer

Zero wrote: »

Second: I had to bite my tongue when you posted pictures of those Salks. Don't get me wrong. I like the company. Moreover, I really like Jim Salk and Dennis Murphy. But at the end of the day, I feel like some of their fanboys overhype the brand - which usually leads to false expectations and in some cases, disappointment.

I like how you single out Salk fanboys and omit the crap you hype.

SCompRacer

You put it in play in public so deal with it in public. I participate in many forums. Show me where Salk owners are more enthusiastic than any other brand fanboys out there. Perhaps the buyer may have some responsibility here based on his posts. My point, you want to come across as fair and unbiased, then do so.

audiocr381ve

SCompRacer wrote: »

Perhaps the buyer may have some responsibility here based on his posts.

Scomp, what do you mean? Fire away, my feelings won't be hurt.

SCompRacer

audiocr381ve wrote: »

Scomp, what do you mean? Fire away, my feelings won't be hurt.

You bought speakers you didn't like. Did you demo them or buy them unheard? I'm not trying to make you out the bad guy. I just don't see where Salk owners are any different than any other brand fan boys.

I got up same way as always and made my points in a direct way.

markmarc

I really hated letting go of my Compact 7's, the gravitas they brought for the price was amazing, but my mini-man cave at 9x12 just didn't allow them to be at their best. Maybe someday I'll run across a used pair of Harbeth P3's to give a go. For now the Penaudio Cenya's do quite nicely, though they lack the "big" sound of the Compact 7's.

Zero is dead on correct about Totem and class D amps, pretty bad results with one exception, the Peachtree int. amps gave them some life, though still not great by any means.

leftwinger57

When you 1st posted that you waited months for your speakers to be made and then found out they were not the match to your house and ears how did the dealer take them back ? Did the Harbeths come from the same dealer ? As for their looks I'm into them also they kinda look like old school Rectilinear Hi-Boys only way nicer.

SCompRacer

Zero wrote: »

Anyway, whether you agree or disagree with what I just said, the take away thing to know is that I'm not purposefully sh!!ng all over the Salk brand.

BS, you have an agenda, don't try and hide it. Overzealous supporters and reviewers who rave lead to over hype, so there is no hype at all for the product then, just false expectations? Just like you rave over what you like. Whats your cut, what are you getting to support these products? Your credibility is shot with me, don't bother trying to explain yourself. And brand hype is brand hype, regardless of how many brands you wish to include or exclude.

I didn't say demo is easy, but there are 18 pages of folks willing to demo there. Sometimes YOU have to do some legwork, get it? That is expend the effort, locate and decide if a trip is worth it. You get what you accept.

[Deleted User]

Easy gentlemen, let's not pollute the original poster's thread, shall we?

schwarcw

Sean/Rich, the Pacman/Merrywether event was a couple nights ago LOL!

My good friend Ron who live a mile or so from me has the Harbeths that Steve has. I was amazed how they just disappeared into the room!! And as noted the female voices were dreamy!! Ron added a pair of Dayton subs that he finished to match his Harbeths. The subs really sealed the deal, they were a great addition to the overall SQ.

I have heard Rich's Salks and was also very impressed with the sound. Female voices (especially Melody Gardot) were smooth. I could not hear any edge on the cymbal crashes or trumpet bursts. The Salks presented a bigger sound stage but you would expect that give the size difference. Rich has a big room which really needs a large speaker.

Like all things in this hobby the room acoustics and room size may have more of an impact on your speaker performance than the speaker itself.

Personally audiocr381ve, I recommend the Legacys LOL! Good luck and enjoy your speakers!!

SCompRacer

Yeah, whatever.... next time think about how you spew.

Congrats on your Harbeth's audiocr381ve. We always manage to stop in the Harbeth room at Axpona every year.

steveinaz

Speakers are all about personal preference. Owners can try to describe characteristics and such, but at the end of the day expectations are different from everyone else. I always get a kick out of the "which speakers should I buy" threads because they are such a personal choice. Let's face it, speakers have the largest impact on the final "presentation" of your system, so it should be no big surprise that opinions vary widely.

I think the biggest mistake people make is loving a speaker so much, that they keep re-building their system around them---when they are likely the cause of the tail chasing.

Zero (Sean) gave me some advice on some speakers to listen to years ago; I can say (at least in my opinion), that he has a good "ear" for audio tonality, and being able to express it in a meaningful way. He steered me in a number of very good directions, based on what I told him was important to me.

Rich, it's all good man. People slam me to this day on positive comments I make on Bose 901 VI's--but hey, I call them as I hear them. I could lie and say I didn't enjoy them, but where would my credibility be then? I've never heard the Salk line myself, but if they are talking to YOU, they are the right speaker.

cnh

Steve is right. And, let's face it, if we did NOT have a **** for tat moment every so often here, what KIND of forum would we be? I'm no stranger to butting heads and stepping on my own feet, but fortunately, time passes, and things calm down.

Fanboys? Hey, there are fanboys of almost everything.

And there are some days when all of us are more volatile than others. More easily pricked and poked!

I've never heard any Salk though I've read plenty of reviews. I have heard some Harbeth bookshelves. Have no animus against either. Both are fine brands.

steveinaz

Well, as rural person in an already small town I try to depend on people who get their ears on alot of gear--and who appear to me to be relatively unbiased people. Auditioning is just not a realistic expectation for me, unless I want to drive 3.5 hrs to Phoenix, one-way. Consequently, I have taken some lumps "buying and trying" which is really difficult in a town that has like 3 audiophiles in it---for a potential later sale of something that doesn't work out.

tonyb

steveinaz wrote: »

which is really difficult in a town that has like 3 audiophiles in it.

Crap man, that's 2 more than I got.

Your spot on Steve. There are a few ears around here I'd trust for recommendations with a given preference. Brand names means squat to me, how it sounds to my ears is the be all end all.

.....and if you've found a brand that blows your skirt up time and time again, who cares, shout it from the rooftops and rock on.

SCompRacer

steveinaz wrote: »

Rich, it's all good man.

I hear you. I still see his comments as vindictive due to x amount of overzealous fan boys at one forum. Despite the disclaimer, it's still a slam on the Salk brand and owners that love and wish to hype their Salk speakers. He may be of use to you, but not to me, at all.

audiocr381ve

Well gents, they're here.

These were dealer demo's so they're fully broken in. I'm honestly not surprised at what I'm hearing and all of my research has paid off. My expectations for these couldn't have been any higher, and they deliver.

You'll remember why you love music when you hear these things. In fact, you'll just hear music. I hate sappy reviews but for me, memories started flooding in of the moment I first fell in love with 2-channel at 16 years old. I remember hooking up my vintage Pioneer receiver that my girlfriend (now wife) bought me to a pair of massive Sony floor standers and falling in love. These Harbeth's took me back to that moment. They are incredibly involving, extremely musical, and don't leave me wishing for more of anything.

Someone asked for comparisons to the fairly long list of speakers I've owned, but I'd rather just try and summarize what I'm loving about the Harbeth's. What these speakers do different starts with the design philosophy and execution by Alan Shaw. It's the cabinets, it's the drivers, it's the voicing, it's the heart and soul of a designer who wants instruments & voices to sound "right" through his speakers, not "on-paper perfect". I don't have a massive understanding of how it's done, but I'm benefiting from it in a big way and now I get why people say you have to try a pair of these in your lifetime. They are the type of speakers that you marry and retire with.

If I ever upgrade, it will be the next step up in the Harbeth line. If you can't tell, they have a new fan!

SCompRacer

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I don't have a massive understanding of how it's done.....

If we did, we could have built our own and saved some coin...lol

Congrats! It's good when you've found your sound.

audiocr381ve

SCompRacer wrote: »

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I don't have a massive understanding of how it's done.....

If we did, we could have built our own and saved some coin...lol

Congrats! It's good when you've found your sound.

Haha thanks my man. Couldn't me more thrilled with how they sound.

grimmace19

Glad the speakers are living up to your expectations. There's not much worse than spending a decent amount of coin just to be underwhelmed.. that's why I also spent the time I did searching for my paradise.