Harbeth and Dayens - A Perfect Match
AsSiMiLaTeD
Posts: 11,726
It feels like forever since I've done any kind of writeup or post on anything audio related, the DAC shootout and headphone mini-reviews I posted feel like a lifetime ago.
I recently paid off all the medical bills related to the surgeries and had a little bit of money left over to start to piece together a 2 channel system again. I've been down that dark hole of hundreds of hours of research and gear swapping and can't go there again, I don't have the funds or time these days to go down that path. So this time I reached out to Skip and basically said "Hey build me a killer desktop system". I work from home and am in front of my computer at least 8 hours a day and when I'm not working I'm typically outdoors, so makes sense that the desktop is where I want my best sound.
Before I jump in, a huge thanks again to Halen, Ron, Darryl and Fred for loaning/giving me gear to get me by while I focussed on getting into a position where I can build out a good rig again. A big thanks for Skip as well for helping me piece this together.
Harbeth P3ESR
What a magical little speaker. I heard a larger Harbeth model a long time ago and fell in love with the sound but passed on buying one because at that time I wanted a more dynamic and full sound that was more suited for rock or classical. These aren't one of those jack of all trades speakers...and they're not the most detailed or airy up top, they don't dig very low, and they're actually not very dynamic. These aren't a speaker you're going to place in a large room and rock out, and I would say that holds true even for the larger Harbeth models based on my recollection.
But what Harbeth do well they REALLY do well, and HOLY CRAP that midrange! Good luck finding another $2000 speaker with this quality midrange. These are tonally some of the best speakers I've ever heard, even though they don't have that absolute last bit of detail and air on the top end they sound spot on. I grew up around musicians, my degree is in music...I know what pianos, cellos and guitars sound like dammit and these speakers nail the tone. Vocals...lol yeah again good luck finding something else at the price range that sounds better.
The funny thing is these also do quite well with rock and classical in my application, which again they're being used as near field monitors. I don't really get the room gain needed to provide good bass so I'll be adding a sub to the mix to fill out the low end, but the dynamics in this setup are perfectly fine for playing any type of music.
I don't think they sound great for that more dynamic music though in even a medium sized room in a more standard configuration (I tried them that way here before moving to the desktop setup), they'll get the job done but are not ideal for that application. Now in that standard configuration these are still superb for the types of music for which they're designed (acoustic, vocals, small ensembles), so these definitely can be placed out on stands in a medium size room if those are your music tastes, but don't expect them to rock out in that configuration.
Keep in mind these are also an acoustic suspension speaker, since they're sealed you'll give up a little bass extension but the bass that's there is very well done...it also means you can place these closer to a wall without issues.
Summary - These have an absurdly great midrange. In a near field configuration where these don't need to put out 100db they do well with any type of music. YMMV with bass output depending on where your desk is located in the room, but these handle any type of music quite well when they're not being asked to do too much. In a standard configuration with these up on stands in a medium sized room where these are asked to play at louder volumes they are more suited for acoustic, vocals, and small ensembles in general.
Dayens Ampino
I tested the Harbeth with a couple amps, one was a Parasound Halo Integrated on loan from a local dealer and the other was a Dayens Ampino on loan from Skip. The Parasound runs about $2500, which is about $2000 more than the Ampino.
The Parasound is nicer in a couple ways...it has more functionality and feels nicer. It's got loads of inputs and a subwoofer output, which as it turns out in my application could come in handy. It also has a remote and a nicer feeling volume knob. And that's it.
In my setup I prefer the sound of the Dayens. The Ampino is quieter, which matters since each of these speakers sits about 2 ft from my ears. I also prefer the overall tonal signature of the Dayens, people like to throw around the term "tube like" and while this amp doesn't sound like tubes (I've got Darryl's PrimaLuna sitting right here next to it for comparison) it certainly leans in that direction.
It's a somewhat honest sounding amp but with just a touch of excitement added, I tend to like amps that are overly warm and smooth out the sound a little but with these Harbeth that's simply not the case, I don't want an amp getting in the way. This amp gives you what you feed it, but with just a touch of lushness that really draws you into the music. If you dump in poor or overly harsh recordings though this amp will let you know. It's hard to describe any better than this, it just sounds like a perfect match with the Harbeth.
I can see the Parasound driving these speakers more authoritatively in a larger room, but I don't listen that loud and I'd expect the physical limits of the speakers due to size would kick in shortly after the Ampino runs out of juice.
My only complaint with the Ampino is the volume knob, it's got a little wiggle to it and doesn't feel all that premium, but I'd have to spend probably over a grand to find an amp that sounds better and having a nicer volume knob isn't worth that to me.
Summary - It's a great sounding amp that really draws you into the music. While it may lack the power to drive difficult loads in larger rooms, like the Harbeth what it does it does quite well.
Overall I'm extremely pleased with this pairing and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better sounding desktop setup.
I recently paid off all the medical bills related to the surgeries and had a little bit of money left over to start to piece together a 2 channel system again. I've been down that dark hole of hundreds of hours of research and gear swapping and can't go there again, I don't have the funds or time these days to go down that path. So this time I reached out to Skip and basically said "Hey build me a killer desktop system". I work from home and am in front of my computer at least 8 hours a day and when I'm not working I'm typically outdoors, so makes sense that the desktop is where I want my best sound.
Before I jump in, a huge thanks again to Halen, Ron, Darryl and Fred for loaning/giving me gear to get me by while I focussed on getting into a position where I can build out a good rig again. A big thanks for Skip as well for helping me piece this together.
Harbeth P3ESR
What a magical little speaker. I heard a larger Harbeth model a long time ago and fell in love with the sound but passed on buying one because at that time I wanted a more dynamic and full sound that was more suited for rock or classical. These aren't one of those jack of all trades speakers...and they're not the most detailed or airy up top, they don't dig very low, and they're actually not very dynamic. These aren't a speaker you're going to place in a large room and rock out, and I would say that holds true even for the larger Harbeth models based on my recollection.
But what Harbeth do well they REALLY do well, and HOLY CRAP that midrange! Good luck finding another $2000 speaker with this quality midrange. These are tonally some of the best speakers I've ever heard, even though they don't have that absolute last bit of detail and air on the top end they sound spot on. I grew up around musicians, my degree is in music...I know what pianos, cellos and guitars sound like dammit and these speakers nail the tone. Vocals...lol yeah again good luck finding something else at the price range that sounds better.
The funny thing is these also do quite well with rock and classical in my application, which again they're being used as near field monitors. I don't really get the room gain needed to provide good bass so I'll be adding a sub to the mix to fill out the low end, but the dynamics in this setup are perfectly fine for playing any type of music.
I don't think they sound great for that more dynamic music though in even a medium sized room in a more standard configuration (I tried them that way here before moving to the desktop setup), they'll get the job done but are not ideal for that application. Now in that standard configuration these are still superb for the types of music for which they're designed (acoustic, vocals, small ensembles), so these definitely can be placed out on stands in a medium size room if those are your music tastes, but don't expect them to rock out in that configuration.
Keep in mind these are also an acoustic suspension speaker, since they're sealed you'll give up a little bass extension but the bass that's there is very well done...it also means you can place these closer to a wall without issues.
Summary - These have an absurdly great midrange. In a near field configuration where these don't need to put out 100db they do well with any type of music. YMMV with bass output depending on where your desk is located in the room, but these handle any type of music quite well when they're not being asked to do too much. In a standard configuration with these up on stands in a medium sized room where these are asked to play at louder volumes they are more suited for acoustic, vocals, and small ensembles in general.
Dayens Ampino
I tested the Harbeth with a couple amps, one was a Parasound Halo Integrated on loan from a local dealer and the other was a Dayens Ampino on loan from Skip. The Parasound runs about $2500, which is about $2000 more than the Ampino.
The Parasound is nicer in a couple ways...it has more functionality and feels nicer. It's got loads of inputs and a subwoofer output, which as it turns out in my application could come in handy. It also has a remote and a nicer feeling volume knob. And that's it.
In my setup I prefer the sound of the Dayens. The Ampino is quieter, which matters since each of these speakers sits about 2 ft from my ears. I also prefer the overall tonal signature of the Dayens, people like to throw around the term "tube like" and while this amp doesn't sound like tubes (I've got Darryl's PrimaLuna sitting right here next to it for comparison) it certainly leans in that direction.
It's a somewhat honest sounding amp but with just a touch of excitement added, I tend to like amps that are overly warm and smooth out the sound a little but with these Harbeth that's simply not the case, I don't want an amp getting in the way. This amp gives you what you feed it, but with just a touch of lushness that really draws you into the music. If you dump in poor or overly harsh recordings though this amp will let you know. It's hard to describe any better than this, it just sounds like a perfect match with the Harbeth.
I can see the Parasound driving these speakers more authoritatively in a larger room, but I don't listen that loud and I'd expect the physical limits of the speakers due to size would kick in shortly after the Ampino runs out of juice.
My only complaint with the Ampino is the volume knob, it's got a little wiggle to it and doesn't feel all that premium, but I'd have to spend probably over a grand to find an amp that sounds better and having a nicer volume knob isn't worth that to me.
Summary - It's a great sounding amp that really draws you into the music. While it may lack the power to drive difficult loads in larger rooms, like the Harbeth what it does it does quite well.
Overall I'm extremely pleased with this pairing and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better sounding desktop setup.
Comments
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In my 40+ years in this hobby, I've heard nothing, at any price, that equals the Harbeth midrange/treble realism and linearity; but I fully agree that they are not a great speaker for rock, as they lack some "excitement" factor--that's why I moved on.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Nice looking crossover inside the Harbeth:
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Nice review, I'm looking forward to getting my ears on the Harbeth for the first time at LSAF. I had the Parasound A21 and P5 combo for a while, and I like the sub output capability because I believe i pairing a sub with everything, but, the love affair ended at the functionality. The Dayens stuff is giant killers at their price point for sure. Hopefully the builders, European in particular, will start offering dual pre outs on their gear for sub use.
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Skip is right on the Rosso comment, although I don't believe they make a speaker this small.
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In my 40+ years in this hobby, I've heard nothing, at any price, that equals the Harbeth midrange/treble realism and linearity; but I fully agree that they are not a great speaker for rock, as they lack some "excitement" factor--that's why I moved on.
I have a pair of Meadowlark Swifts that I adore. Very musical. I love them. Then, a friend invited me to his home to hear his Harbeths. Blew my socks off. Love them. Another friend has Proacs, which are also very nice. There's a set of D25s for sale near me for $1,400. If I had the cash and didn't already have my Meadowlarks I'd jump all over those. -
I love a lot of UK speakers. You might find a better one for your tastes,
but seldom do you hear anything bad about Harbeths.
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
"I wouldn't go as far as to call Dayens giant killers..."
Yeah, but what do you know...
