Harbeth vs JM Reynaud

This thread is supposed to be about comparing Harbeth to JM Reynaud. I've owned 3 of the Harbeths (Compact 7's, 30.1s and HL5 pluses) and had the JM Reynaud Bliss Silvers at the same time as the HL5 pluses and frankly there was no comparison. The JM Reynaud is the better speaker in every area at less than half the cost of the Harbeth. The Harbeth is laid back and colored and is a Jekyll and Hyde speaker. Sometimes they sound really good and other times they sound really average. It's happened with all 3 models.

The Reynaud is more present, more realistic in the presentation with more detailed bass and wonderful mids. It's hard to describe the sound of the speaker if you haven't heard it, but it is one of the better speakers under $5k in my opinion. I was so taken with the Bliss Silvers that I traded them toward a pair of the Orfeo Supreme V2 and now I'm in heaven. The Orfeo is a world class speaker and will compete with anything $30k and below. If you're in the market for a Harbeth speaker, you owe it to yourself to listen to JM Reynaud. I've listened to and owned many speakers and the Reynauds are the one I'm going to keep for some time.

10-10-15: Wim1983
@Ryder: if a speaker sound too analytical and ruthlessly revealing, any solution to tame those extra details using preamp? Or it would be difficult to find such gear and do the matching? I see Harbeth is very forgiving if you just wanna listen to music, especially a broad range of music genre from your collection

Usually we build a system around the speakers, but sometimes we do it the other way round in order to make the speakers sound the way we want them to be. In most cases, the room (acoustics) and placement of speakers will bring more tangible difference/improvement than a change in electronics. Having said that, you may consider different amps to tone down the brightness of your Wharfedale Jade 3. I have read the Stereophile review of the Wharfedale Jade 3 and noticed that they used tube amplification to drive the speakers. Audio Research tube power amp and Audio Valve Eclipse tube preamp. The smoothness and warmth from tube amplification may have formed a great combination with the analytical and detailed Jade 3s.

"10-10-15: Wim1983
@Ryder: if a speaker sound too analytical and ruthlessly revealing, any solution to tame those extra details using preamp? Or it would be difficult to find such gear and do the matching?"

If you want to build a system that you're happy with over the long term, that's not a good way to do it. Each component should be able to stand on its own without any help. The last thing you need is to buy a speaker and immediately after, start buying components in an attempt to fix problems. And even is you somehow manage to get it right, it makes upgrades a nightmare.

"Having said that, you may consider different amps to tone down the brightness of your Wharfedale Jade 3. I have read the Stereophile review of the Wharfedale Jade 3 and noticed that they used tube amplification to drive the speakers. Audio Research tube power amp and Audio Valve Eclipse tube preamp. The smoothness and warmth from tube amplification may have formed a great combination with the analytical and detailed Jade 3s."

Buying tubes doesn’t guarantee anything. You can still have the same exact problem with tubes in the chain. If you're looking for a "warm and smooth" sound, you can just as easily get it with solid state.

Looking at the Jade 3 bright/harsh issue, most of the suggested fixes, are in some way looking to cover the problem up, not fix it. Rolling off a speaker with other components does nothing to resolve the underlying issue. Most of the time, problems with high frequencies, comes down to a matter of timber. For example, cymbals don't sound like cymbals, they sound like someone dropped a piece of metal on a concrete floor. The proper fix would be to make the cymbal sound like what its supposed to. Do that, and you'll have a system that plays fully extended highs, without sounding bright/harsh.

Buying tubes doesn’t guarantee anything. You can still have the same exact problem with tubes in the chain. If you're looking for a "warm and smooth" sound, you can just as easily get it with solid state.

Looking at the Jade 3 bright/harsh issue, most of the suggested fixes, are in some way looking to cover the problem up, not fix it. Rolling off a speaker with other components does nothing to resolve the underlying issue. Most of the time, problems with high frequencies, comes down to a matter of timber. For example, cymbals don't sound like cymbals, they sound like someone dropped a piece of metal on a concrete floor. The proper fix would be to make the cymbal sound like what its supposed to. Do that, and you'll have a system that plays fully extended highs, without sounding bright/harsh.

Yes, I agree that getting tube amplification does not guarantee anything, and I am fully aware of that. As a matter of fact, ANY ACTION does not guarantee anything, not even getting new speakers. In the end, it will depend on the listener's expectations in getting the sound that he wants from his system.

For wim1983's case, he can choose to fix the issues of his system in many ways. For me, it would be in the order of the room/speaker placement > speakers > amplification/source > accessories (cables and stuff). Usually there is not much that can be done to the room as most room acoustic products have low WAF which will look out of place in most domestic listening environment. So it's usually down to speaker placement, loudspeakers and then the electronics.

Let's assume wim1983 chooses not to go with tube amps and opts for a new speaker to replace his Jade 3. There is no guarantee that the speakers will work in his room, even if he has listened to them in-store. Having said that, I agree that getting the electronics to "cover up" the problem may not be a permanent fix, but sometimes that can actually be a fix to compensate for the imperfect listening environment/room acoustics. The room itself is the biggest factor that gives coloration to the sound or the system.

In summary, for wim1983's case, if he feels that the sound of the speakers (although bright) is still within the 90% of his ideals, he can still consider to tweak the system to make it work. The caveat is the experiment can turn out to be a costly affair. Otherwise, get a new pair of speakers and start all over - which in turn may not necessarily guarantee 100% satisfaction. In the end, it's all about managing expectations.

You can't fix a high frequency timber problem with room acoustics. I've tried to do this many times. The directionality of the high frequencies just doesn't allow for it. There's a direct line of sight between the ear and the tweeter, and the only way to make any progress, is to change the sound coming out of the drivers themselves.

"Otherwise, get a new pair of speakers and start all over - which in turn may not necessarily guarantee 100% satisfaction. In the end, it's all about managing expectations."

True, but the only way to manage expectations, is to demo equipment before you buy it. Otherwise, its just guessing and hoping for the best.