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From KEF 103.2 to Harbeth 30.1 and back....Your advice sought.

I was a happy KEF 103.2 owner for over 15 years...then the upgrade bug hit.

6 months later I'm out of love. Sure - the Harbeths have gorgeous mids and realistic timbres. But they lack guts. There's no oomph. Piano music and jazz sound great - but forget Lou Reed. The Stooges can't get loud enough. Even classical sounds cut off at the waist. 

I'm tempted to upgrade back to the 103.2s. (And pocket several thousand while I'm at it.) Listening to them was effortless, and warm. Perhaps not as detailed or as accurate, but much more satisfying. 

Only, I'm left wondering if something else might fit my fancy. A *new 103.2, so to speak.

I'm eyeing the NOLA BOXER II, for example...I also spent about a week with a pair of KLIPSCH 160s off Amazon. Fatiguing as hell, but that horn tweeter was awfully exciting. Really made me wonder what a high-end or vintage Klipsch might be like...

Can you folks point me in some directions??? My criteria are rather straightforward: 

- Sub $3500, used or new. I have no "lower" limit. I'll try anything. 
- Preferably not floor standing
- Well-suited for rock and roll, classical (orchestral), jazz and blues (in that order) 
- Will play nice with a a Sonneteer Alabaster SS amplifier

With thanks for your time! 
pupil
jperry
1,408 posts
 
If you were happy with KEF look at some new KEF speakers. I tried Harbeth and ended up going back to Proac. The Harbeth was not for me.
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
2,678 posts
 
I’ve owned the 103 many moons ago. IMO, a sealed speaker is allot more room friendly than those ported Harbeths. It's too bad that there are not many sealed designs anymore. Maybe you should go back to the 103 if you can find them in good shape!
ryder
946 posts
 
Although the Sonneteer Alabaster may be underpowered for the Harbeth M30.1, the speakers are still not the best for rock n' roll. As a matter of fact, the 30.1s are the worst speakers in the Harbeth line for rock n' roll. They are cut out more for smooth jazz and small ensemble music.

For some rock n' roll, you might want to try the Compact 7ES3 and Super HL5 Plus. These are more of an all-rounder, much better than M30.1 with rock music.
iscm
38 posts
 
I still say that it may be an idea to try another amp, as amp to speaker matching can be a bit of a black art.
This can make a massive difference. Your amp runs hot anyway, so why not try a tube.
It could not hurt to try and It may be that your amp and speakers are just not working together at their best.

If you really need to change speakers, how about Tannoy.
I mean the dual concentric type with paper cones.
These are usually very efficient with very good dynamics. (Efficiency and dynamics seem to go together) 
However I find that they will show up any deficiencies in source and amplification.

There is a good reason why old Tannoy’s fetch good money these days.
maynardgkeynes
1 posts
 
The Harbeth 30.1, which I own, is a far better speaker than the KEF 103.2, which the Harbeths  replaced in my system. Seriously, no comparison, which is not to say the the KEFs are not excellent, especially for their era. The KEF 103.2s have a noticeable bass tilt, which is what you are hearing. That was designed-in by KEF, to make the speaker sound bigger than it is. In fact, they sounded even bassier than the 105.2s of that era, which had a huge bass driver. Since this thread is now almost a year old, it's probably too late for me to advise you to experiment more with room placement on the Harbeths. I did move mine closer to the wall than AS recommends, but in my room, it did the trick.  In truth, neither the KEFs nor the Harbeth 30s are the best choice for hard rock listening; their virtues lie elsewhere.   
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