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Dynaudio Confidence 5 vs Harbeth

Hi All,

Looking at changing my my C5 out to the Harbeth range. For those that know the C5 it has a great mid range, in fact the overal presentaion is very good, just a hard speaker to drive. It has been compared to the temptation in the way of sound. It is a lot nicer speaker than any of the current confidence range by far.

Anyone done a side my side comparison with the C5 and the Harbeths or heard both? Would love to hear your thoughts. I can't hear the harbeths (as no distributor in my country) so I'm taking a wild guess here.

I found the Proac (Tablette Ref 8 Sig) to quite frankly sound harsh in the mids / highs compared to the C5 which were silky smooth. We are talking two diferent prices here. The Dyns cost over twice the value of the Harbeths when I brought them. So am I expecting to much from the Harbeths?

Obviously looking at improving the sound. Mainly into vocals and going to harbeth I can afford to change to a lot smaller amp. Presently using 220W of OTL to drive the Dyns and they do a great job of it (dont go past 12 o'clock) on the pre amp.

Thanks all for your input.
che13
ryder
946 posts
 
Hi Che13,

No problem. I have owned the Proac Tablette 50 Signatures and similarly they lasted less than 2 months in my system due to their leanness and lack of body. No doubt the Proacs possess excellent pin-point imaging but their lean sound and treble cause a high-listening fatigue as my ears couldn't tolerate the piercing treble in extended listening sessions. Most folks who use Proac bookshelves compensate the brightness with the warmth of tube amps. The floorstanders don't sound as lean as the added bass gives a more fuller sound.

Good luck in auditioning some Harbeth speakers when you are in the US.
toetapfactor
77 posts
 
IMO, just because 1 guy sold his C4s and bought Harbeths doesnt make it a good move..The Dynaudio Confidence line is in another league to the Harbeth 40.1s and its siblings.I would strongly suggest listening to them for a long time before moving in a backward direction..Oh ,I much prefer the C4s to the older C5s you have..Easier to drive & better tweeters..Just my take.
ryder
946 posts
 
Agreed that everything is IMO. In this hobby everything is subjective as the listener's musical preference will take precedence over anything else. The Dynaudio Confidence may be in another league for one and the Harbeth to another. I have listened to the Dynaudio C4s at hifi shows driven by equipment that can buy a nice house and I preferred the sound of the Harbeth. Not to say the Harbeths are in another league. It is more appropriate to say the Harbeth house sound suits my listening preferences more than the Dynaudios.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
chashas1
596 posts
 
I would say that most listeners who like or own Harbeths would not like Dynaudios....I certainly don't. And yes, I've heard a good deal of the line. :)
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
828 posts
 
Ryder hit the nail on the head when he said:
"In this hobby everything is subjective as the listener's musical preference will take precedence over anything else. The Dynaudio Confidence may be in another league for one and the Harbeth to another."

From what I have read, the C-5's have a fine reputation. What don't you like about them other than being difficult to drive?

In my case, I tired of the C-4's inability to sound good at low to moderate volume levels, and they were not as musically involving as I would have liked. The M-40.1's driven by a moderately powered Mac tube amp have delivered in those areas my C-4's did not.

I'm not saying you should make the switch... but for me, it was the right decision.
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