Harbeth Owners - I Need Some Help


Just got a pair of Compact 7ES-2s and have these questions:

1) Grills on or off? I know Harbeth says to leave them on - what's been your experience?

2) Stands - what are you using and what do you like?

3) Am I wrong or are these speakers not really height sensitive? I mean, adjusting 2-3 up or down in stand height may not make a great difference. Is this your experience?

Thanks, A'goners.
tomryan
Grills on. I'm using custom made Target 19" stands--with the spikes it raised the speaker 20" from the floor. I had the top plate cut so it would fit just inside the dimensions of the speaker. They look great and work very well. Sound Anchor can do something similar, though the Targets give a more finished appearance. Speakers mated to the stands with little squares of sorbothane. One thing about the Harbeth's I've found to be true is that they are not really picky about stands, electronics, etc. You can get better sound than 90% of what is out there with very little effort. Don't obsess, just put some clean solid state power behind them (min 100wpc) and let them sing.
I think they are somewhat height sensitive, as most speakers are. The treble balance and depth perspective change some with height, so it's worth experimenting. But 20" seems to be the near-universal recommendation for the 7ES.

The Skylan stands from Canada have gained some popularity for Harbeths and are what I'm thinking of getting.
I use the Skylan 20" 4 post stands and I have them filled with sand. Each stand takes 50lbs. I also keep the grills on.
Thanks for the info, guys. I'm checking out Sound Anchor since they have that "open" top plate design which someone told me is best for Harbeths because of the lossy cabinets. Supposedly allows them to flex more properly but we may be getting into some minute actions that don't mean a thing. Why are these Sound Anchors so expensive - I mean why are they $600.00+ for the four post versions? I'm currently checking the Skylans which are substantially less expensive but their website doesn't give much info; dimensions, etc.
Skylan customizes their stands and they have one specifically for your model Harbeth. The tops are not open, however, and I don't have an opinion on that. Some people will tell you not to use a rigid stand with the Harbeth, their thinking apparently being that a lossy cabinet needs a lossy stand. I don't think one follows from the other, however. Give Skylan a call. Noel is a hoot to talk to.