What speaker would a ‘better’ Harbeth SHL5 be ?

[uzzy]

6 x 4 meters is just about 2 feet (0.6 meters) shorter than my lounge. I would have no hesitation having my Art Impressions in a lounge your size.
Being an Art Biased person I would look for a nice second hand pair of Alnico 12s (about £13k) but for you, you need to audition any speakers you wish to buy in your lounge before parting with your hard earned.

From past experience I have heard Acoustat 4x in a room a tad smaller than yours and they sounded fab (as did the Gale 401s the guy had before them), also in similar sized rooms, Tannoy 15 inch monitor golds, IMF, ATC and a lot of others .. you are getting a good sized room .

You need to go and get your ears around as much as possible and deternine what they like so take your time. In your position I would try your Harbeths in there first and see what you think is missing or could be improved and then work from their in narrowing down what might be best for you. Shame you do not live close, I have a pair of Timewindows in the garage you could have borrowed until you find your ideal.

Take your time and do not rush

 

[DomT]

What music do you like and what sort of sound you trying to achieve?


Home demo- a dealer should provide this service the amount you are going to spend.


Good luck.

I live in Portugal. There is only one dealer who will do home demo of a few days and that’s for cheap items. Expensive items no home demo unless the distributor agrees and the distributor will come to your house for a few hours. It’s frustrating but it’s how it is.

Same for proaudio gear. I my my proaudio gear from Germany as if I don’t like it I can send it back. Same laws but a different application.

Music is mostly 70s funk, R&B and Soul, New Wave, electronica, ‘easy listening’.

Having owned explicit speakers like Wilson Benesch it’s a double edge sword. The Harbeths I can listen to all day but if I could have a bit more speed and transparency that would be great but without loosing the naturalness. Am tempted by Tannoy Legacy that I heard briefly at a dealer and also the Spendors that @ChemMan bought or some Audio Notes that I have heard many times although I never liked them with S/S amps - and this is the thing it’s the whole chain that counts. The very safe option is SHL5 Plus that @Rockchild suggested but I fancied something different. ATC 40s might be an idea but 6x4 may be too small for them unless I can treat the room really well - which is the intention in any event.

 

[Rockchild]

I live in Portugal. There is only one dealer who will do home demo of a few days and that’s for cheap items. Expensive items no home demo unless the distributor agrees and the distributor will come to your house for a few hours. It’s frustrating but it’s how it is.

Same for proaudio gear. I my my proaudio gear from Germany as if I don’t like it I can send it back. Same laws but a different application.

Music is mostly 70s funk, R&B and Soul, New Wave, electronica, ‘easy listening’.

Having owned explicit speakers like Wilson Benesch it’s a double edge sword. The Harbeths I can listen to all day but if I could have a bit more speed and transparency that would be great but without loosing the naturalness. Am tempted by Tannoy Legacy that I heard briefly at a dealer and also the Spendors that @ChemMan bought or some Audio Notes that I have heard many times although I never liked them with S/S amps - and this is the thing it’s the whole chain that counts. The very safe option is SHL5 Plus that @Rockchild suggested but I fancied something different. ATC 40s might be an idea but 6x4 may be too small for them unless I can treat the room really well - which is the intention in any event.

I would be a rubbish sales person in a Hifi dealer because I’d be trying to get what you already have to work first before I change anything 😊

Yes Dom, the plus version are more open and transparent but not to the extent of some alternatives where outright detail rules the mids and lows. I’m hearing better things just using the Gaia’s !

The truth is, you really don’t have to spend astronomical funds to achieve a truly rewarding sound. Take your time.

 

[DomT]

I would be a rubbish sales person in a Hifi dealer because I’d be trying to get what you already have to work first before I change anything 😊

Yes Dom, the plus version are more open and transparent but not to the extent of some alternatives where outright detail rules the mids and lows. I’m hearing better things just using the Gaia’s !

The truth is, you really don’t have to spend astronomical funds to achieve a truly rewarding sound. Take your time.

Agreed at this stage we are just locking down the room size. Harbeths will work in 6x4 but not sure about the ATC 40.

 

[Jezzer]

I always found Dynaudio speakers to have good tonality and detail without sounding bright and aggressive…

 

[marko]

Audio Note E’s and J’s. Whether they are better than Harbeths I don’t know, though both sound fabulous in our old 8x5m and current 5x3m rooms.

 

[Turn it up!]

Audio Note E’s and J’s. Whether they are better than Harbeths don’t know, though both sound fabulous in our old 8x5m and current 5x3m rooms.

These were my suggestions. As always not better as such but different in a good way and still complimentary to someone who enjoys Harbeth. I think the OP would find them a very enjoyable alternative sound and will reveal differences in the musical presentation. If I go back to passives these are definitely on my wish list.

 

[Nativebon]

One of the brand's which is not spoken about often here is Audiovector speakers. I really liked their range of speakers. Things really began to happen from 4k UK pounds.

For your type of music the Vectors will really boogie down. Their sound signature is like ATCS but with a little more meat on the bone.

 

[ChemMan]

Spendors that @ChemMan bought

My speakers and the SHL5+ were/are a lot different. In side by side comparison, I like the Harb better for acoustic work. The D7 has better bass an a better soundstage and was more suited to a bigger room. I think you should listen to the Spender Classic 1/2. Here's a comparison: https://darko.audio/2020/01/spendor-the-classic-1-2-versus-the-d7-2/

 

[MartinC]

If you're truly still deciding on room dimensions you might want to look into what sort of ratios of length/width/height may be best acoustically. You could look into things like non-parallel side-walls to avoid early side reflections, or building acoustic treatments into the walls of the room too?

 

[DomT]

If you're truly still deciding on room dimensions you might want to look into what sort of ratios of length/width/height may be best acoustically. You could look into things like non-parallel side-walls to avoid early side reflections, or building acoustic treatments into the walls of the room too?

Hi Martin the plan is to build acoustic treatment into the room as it’s built so it will not be so ‘visible’. We have a few givens due to the m2 floor plan and other essential rooms on the ground floor.

 

[hiesteem]

I agree with Rockchild. Makes sense to try the Harbeths in your new room.
However, If you like the BBC sound signature, the Graham Audio LS8/1 would be my first point of call.

 

[TIU]

I always found Dynaudio speakers to have good tonality and detail without sounding bright and aggressive…

I believe my Totem standmounts have Dynaudio woofers.

 

[Jezzer]

I believe my Totem standmounts have Dynaudio woofers.

Your Totems are damn fine speakers.

 

[deggie]

The harbeths major in the midrange ...Texture and timbre is hard to beat.
If I think back my Mowgan Mabon speakers have a modified Dynaudio mid unit
Which is why they excell sound wise.

 

[andreweast]

Having owned a number of Harbeths, including SHL5Plus (and years ago having demoed SHL5), and now owning Tannoys (both 70s and Legacy), I potentially have a lot to say on this question. But I think it's being asked too soon. I really think you need to be in the room to ask the question. See how it's working with what you've got first. Then ask again what you're missing. Sorry if that's stating the obvious, but I think it is a strategy that can potentially save a large amount of money and disappointment.

 

[DomT]

Having owned a number of Harbeths, including SHL5Plus (and years ago having demoed SHL5), and now owning Tannoys (both 70s and Legacy), I potentially have a lot to say on this question. But I think it's being asked too soon. I really think you need to be in the room to ask the question. See how it's working with what you've got first. Then ask again what you're missing. Sorry if that's stating the obvious, but I think it is a strategy that can potentially save a large amount of money and disappointment.

Andrew thanks for the response. At this stage I need to decide on a room size for planning permission based on potential speakers. Of course once once our house is built we can talk further.

@andreweast Quick question would the Legacy work in a room 6x4 meters with 2.8 ceiling?

 

[andreweast]

Andrew thanks for the response. At this stage I need to decide on a room size for planning permission based on potential speakers. Of course once once our house is built we can talk further.

@andreweast Quick question would the Legacy work in a room 6x4 meters with 2.8 ceiling?

I think the world's your oyster in a room that size really. The Legacy Eaton might be a little small - I'd suggest going for a larger model, though I've not heard the Cheviots.

Three things about the Tannoy Legacy models:

1) The bass is tuned for close to wall placement so starts to roll off quite high. I find it quite puzzling - they go deep, but sometimes it can be hard to get the impact , which leads to ...

2) They need loads of power - some would say an unreasonable amount - to really get a grip on the bass. The Rose RA180 which I recently reviewed got a grip on it in 400W bridged mode, for sure, but that's a lot to ask for!

3) They have an odd quirk where to get the right FR, to my ears, they really need to be bi-wired. I don't know why this is the case, as jumpers should not make much difference, but it is.

Generally though, I'd say the Eatons have superb clarity. I don't quite hear them the same way as Phil (above), who has been their greatest champion on the forums. I think they have better mid-range than the SHL5Plus, because the mid-range is not something in isolation. The HF is purer and more refined on the Eaton than any of the Harbeths, and so the whole range sounds more clear and natural. It's just the bass I find a tiny bit frustrating, because it's so demanding on an amp.

 

[ssfas]

Hello everyone

As some may know we are building a new home and are trying to finalise the floor plans. We will have a 10x5 meter kitchen/diner/lounge and we have pretty much decided that the Harbeth SHL5 will live there fed by an Audio Research DSI200 amp.

So I now need to plan the speakers for the separate lounge and finalise the size of the lounge. Initially it was to be 6x4 meters but speaking to my local dealer he was sceptical of putting speakers larger than the SHL5 in a room that size. This seems contrary to what many have said on here. So the way I am thinking about this is to decide the room size based on the ideal speaker. After a lot of reflection I like the Harbeth type of sound. Having flirted with Wilson Benesch I don’t want a ‘detail first’ type of sound but I would prefer a speaker a bit faster and more transparent than the SHL5 without losing what the SHL5 does so well in realism’s an tone.

I wonder if the newer SHL5 would do this? Maybe? ATC is another option and the Tannoy Legacy could be a contender. Other than that Audio Note J or something from Proac or Spendor? Budget is 5-8000€ new retail but ok with Portugal/Spain secondhand market but it’s limited.

Which speaker would give me what I am looking for and would 6x4 meter room be ok and if not what size?

Amp likely to be my current Audio Research SP17/D130 (D130 = solid state and drove ATC SCM11 effortlessly).

Thanks

I had SHL5+ and then SHL5+ 40th AE in an L-shaped living room.

I built a dedicated room roughly 6m x 4m, much smaller than the previous room, and put in a pair of Wilson Sabrina. Tonally very similar, but just more of it and better imaging and soundstage.

I put an image here. Even though a smaller space, more of a mid-field listening set-up with the speakers quite far from the walls and sitting quite close. #1,324

 

[hifinutt]

thanks andre for your comments . a few years back we had a few folks round to hear the incredible thrax enyo 70 watt valve integrated with the shl5plus and tannoy eaton legacy in a very damped room about 13ft by 17ft . for some reason the harbeths sounded like they were on steroids and generally the reaction was not brilliant . seemed to excite a node in the room but they were a bit near side walls . the eatons went down a storm with the thrax... wow .. wish i could have had one because it was pretty incredible !!

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