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Harbeth M30 -

I currently own a pair of M30's driven by a McCormack DNA-125/MAP-1 combo, source being a UDP-1 Deluxe. The latter components were recent purchase (dare I say it, recent upgradess). It is a very nice musical combination, with great mid-bass and wonderful vocals (I listen to jazz, opera/classical and rock). Also, there is decent low end punch that is well defined

The Question:
Those who currently own Harbeths (esp. the M30) or have recently owned and upgraded, what is the next logical upgrade path? What was your next speaker choice and the underlying reasons for that decision.

My Choices
I am considering another (better?) monitor with fuller bass extension or, a full range of modest size as my room dimensions are not large. Price range, up to 4k used. Speakers I am considering,:
- older pair of Dynuadio Confidence 3,
- Totem Manis' II,
- Opera or Sonus faber (Cremona Auditor),
- Gallo 3.0 or 3.1's or,
- Verity Audio Tamino.
- Spendor SP100 or 9e

This above list is by no means exhaustive, just some of my initial thoughts.

Any further feedback or thoughts would be highly welcome.
Thank you in advance!
petek
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
What are the dimensions of your room? The Harbeth sound is special.
magnumpi205
504 posts
 
Once you have owned either Harbeth or Spendor, it becomes very hard to change brands. I hate to use the term- but they are musical. Heard many very linear boring speakers at the RMAF. Heard many people auditioning speakers with bird chirps and tap dancing. I really prefer music.
Have both the Harbeth 7es2 and the Spendor Sp100s. Have auditioned the Harbeth m30s many times.
The Harbeths will tend to bottom out under pressure while Spendors will hang in there. Have a slightly different sound, catering to slightly different tastes. The Harbeth has that recessed LS3/5a euphonic midrange while the Spendor is a little flatter.
Heard the M40s at the RMAF and they are superb. Definitely an upgrade over the SP100s in the bottom end and can also play loud.
AS I've stated the midrange is your preference area.
Have heard all the other speakers on your list and they are all a downgrade from what you have. Rel subs are a very good option also.
petek OP
33 posts
 
Thank you for your responses. I appreciate the opinions expressed, admittedly I had not seriously considered the influence of room acoustics.

I should clarify the dimensions of my modest living room as 11 feet by 17 feet. The Harbeths are at least 3 feet from the rear walls and about about 1 foot in.

The are not bi-wired as seems to be the general consensus on preference from other owners (and I believe Alan Shaw himself). For cabling I decided to use Cardas neutral references, not having experimented much there (just looking for a neutral cable with minimal sonic imprint).

Also, I tend not play music too loud, my wife often set the dB limits of the household (probably correctly so). Importantly, I find that the M30's sound equally as good at low levels. This is also an important consideration.
glai's avatar
glai
442 posts
 
petek,

i own m30, avalon, quad esl.

most speakers on your list are lateral or downward moves. i used to own cremona auditor & thiel 2.4 and easily prefer the m30. the grass looks greener on the other side or the cabinets are fancier on other speakers

Try biamp or sub or better cables.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Sounds like the consensus is you have pretty good speakers and the M40s would be you next logical upgrade but I would discuss with Harbeth or you dealer whether you room is big enough to take advantage of the additonal bass capabilities of the M40, you could overload the room - but I'm no expert on that. With what you have, I would not make a move too quickly. Let us know what you do.
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