Harbelth HL5plus


I am looking to replace a vintage pair of Spendor SP-1s and have been looking at Harbeth HL5 plus as they seem to be a more modern version of the Spendor.  I listened to a a pair recently and found the imaging and upper end quite beautiful, but found the lower end a bit lacking.  The retailer explained it away as the speakers had not yet been broken in,  Are there any Harbeth owners out there who can comment on the bass response?
Thanks
MP
mpomerantz
I did see the review, but was surprised by what I heard at the dealer; he even had an LFD amplifier driving the speakers.  But they were fresh out of the box.  Definitely will need to hear them again.  Its interesting you mentioned the D7; as I am interested to audition them as well.  Sadly there are not many Spendor dealers nearby; will need to plan a road trip. I hear they pair well with my Leben amplifier.
Thanks for the feedback.
MP

IMO, never bank on a speaker "breaking in" if you think you heard an aspect you didn't like.

That said...

I owned the Harbeth SuperHL5+ for a while, and have heard it numerous times elsewhere, e.g. stores.

Given it's dimensions and rated specs, I did not find it bass shy - it sounded very full throughout it's entire range (given reasonable expectations).  Of course if you place it nearer, say, the back wall you will get more bass re-enforcement.  But even well pulled away from the wall I found it sounded quite full and I wasn't thinking "this is really lacking bass."

They are fabulous speakers.  I sold them only because I felt I already owned speakers that did everything a bit better.  But whenever I heard the Harbeths, as I just did again last week in a store, I fall in love with that sound again.
Those Grahams are a good recommendation.  Also check out the Spendor Classic 100 (less expensive than the H 40.2).
I own the SHL5+'s and adore them.  They are a bit power hungry, but as long as your amp has enough juice, bass shouldn't be an issue.  That said, I live in an older apt, and rarely crank it up too loud.  But the imagining is phenomenal.
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