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The Harbeth phenomenon

In my search for a new pair of speakers, I've gone through many threads here and noticed that many owners or fans of Harbeth have almost a love-like connection with Harbeth speakers. It is almost as if the speakers cast a spell upon them. I know many audiophiles love their speakers but Harbeth owners seem especially enamored with theirs. I am extremely puzzled by this phenomenon because on paper Harbeth speakers look average at best and lack many of the attributes that generally make a great speaker.

Their sensitivity of generally around the 86dB mark makes them rather inefficient and therefore, at least in theory, not a good match for many lower powered tube amps, or any amps below 100wpc. Their frequency range is simply inferior to most high-end speakers since they don't go below 40 Hz. This alone should, again at least in theory, disqualify Harbeth speakers from consideration as top high end speakers. And yet I've never heard anyone complain about their bass, while people complain about lack of bass in the Gibbon Nines from DeVore, which is a fantastic speaker. Their cabinets look like a cheap DIY enclosure (disclaimer: I've never seen a Harbeth up close, only pictures). The 7ES-3 is rated B-Restricted, while the smaller and cheaper Usher Be-718 A-Restricted in Stereophile but garners nowhere near the same amount of admiration, praise and following among audiophiles.

So what's going on here? Is this a big conspiracy plot by the company that paid off a few hundred of people to infiltrate audiophile internet forums and a few reviewers? I am of course joking here, but the question is serious. How can speakers so average on paper be so good in real life? I know the opposite is often true, but you rarely see this phenomenon.

Please speak up.
actusreus
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,333 posts
 
It is called mid range. Some people hear it and some don't. Those who love mid range will hold dear the qualities of a speaker like Harbeth. Soundlabs are another example and Quad ESL 57's are an extreme example ( precious little else is good on these speakers but the mid range is exceptional ).

Unfortunately in all the pizazz and boom boom tizz of speaker performance, many people have lost the ability to hear timbre and a good mid range. Like an action movie junkie that lives for the next car chase or explosion, most audiophiles are chasing these extremes rather than paying attention to the quality and detail expressed in the cinematography.

If you have an ear for mid range quality then you cannot help but admire Harbeth. If you are unable to appreciate this then they are rather boring speakers...
mmike84
309 posts
 
I lived with a pair of Super HL5's and I am still haunted by what they did well. Here's my take.

For me it all comes down to what you value and listen to, and how you listen. If you find yourself listening to Black Sabbath, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead HI don't think Harbeths are not going to be your speaker. If you value deep full bass more than anything else they are also not your speaker. If you value musicality and listen to more acoustic leaning music or jazz and female vocals, and you listen to this type of music more than anything else, I'm willing to wager you'll really like them. I used a VAC Avatar Super on them at 85 wpc and it was plenty.

In terms of build and design. I found them pleasantly understated. It was fun to watch people's mouths drop when they heard them expecting much less from their visual impressions. Another speaker that is somewhat similar and coincidentally garners the same sort of following is Audio Note. I think they have some similarities in their designs. I'm no speaker designer, or techno expert so I apologize if I don't explain this correctly. Both makers have basic uncomplicated cabinets and design around the cabinet resonances rather than trying to eliminate them. I found that to be very very appealing and gives music played through them an organic, and often real characteristic that made them intoxicating. Another might find it annoying, or a coloration and that's ok. For my listening habits and music it was excellent.

You should listen for yourself of course before buying, and it does take some time to "get it", but if you fit the profile you'll likely be on the payroll soon too. ;)
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
Many speaker designs look similar and in general sound more similar than not as well.

Harbeths are distinctive looking and sounding compared to most others these days as well from what I gather. They are also well made as best I can tell. So they have a distinctive identity among many quality products as a result to help distinguish them from the pack. That's a good thing in general for a product to have, even speakers, where it largely seems that many are chasing essentially the same goals in various subtly different ways.
actusreus OP
733 posts
 
Awesome post Mmike84. I too noticed the similarity to Audio Note, but shockingly to me, some of the more expensive Audio Note speakers go really low, which belies their appearance and size.
I also get the distinctive look argument, but in my humble opinion, it should only work against Harbeth as they look rather dated, especially with their grills on. Reminds me of old Advents.
I'd love to audition a pair of 7ES-3s, but it seems it's easier to find Harbeth lines online than in a brick and mortar dealer.
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onhwy61
4,163 posts
 
This is the most insidious marketing campaign I've ever seen. Actusreus (an anagram for "curates us") is clearly a plant for Harbeth or its U.S. distributor. "We don't do deep bass, we're inefficient, we're plain looking" -- but people just love us. HAH! It's like that Volvo ad where they said the car is ugly. Very clever, sophisticated even, but it's nothing more than a tease. Prove I'm wrong!
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