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Harbeth P3ESR vs Fritz Rev 5 vs DeVore Gibbon 3XL

Ok, here's the deal.....

I'd like to assemble a secondary two channel music system in my small den. It is only 11.5 ft by 11.5 ft .....so not only is it very small, but also square! Also, because the room is so small, the speakers will have to be placed quite close to the wall that resides behind the back of the speaker. Yikes!

The music I'd like to listen to in this room would be vocals, violin/cello sonatas, piano, and anything acoustical in nature.

Tone and timbre are of paramount importance to me. I do not want to use a subwoofer.....hoping one would not be needed for the above listed music types.

There are no Fritz dealers, but he does allow an in home trial....very nice!
The closest DeVore dealer is several states away from me.
The closest Harbeth dealer is a 12 hour round trip car ride for me.

So, if anyone here has had any experience with the above mentioned speakers and could share any insight of how they may perform in my small and non-optimum room.....it would be greatly appreciated.
no_regrets
arh
366 posts
 
Here is an excellent review of the DeVore
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/devore9/1.html
This is the speaker I would recommend
Alan
no_regrets OP
245 posts
 
Hi Tom6897, I am located in Wisconsin.

Hi Yogiboy, thank you for your comments. I am seriously considering the little Harbeth. I think there is a good chance that it would work in my small room and if not, it seems to be popular enough that I could probably resell quite easily.

Hi Arh, Thank you for the link in regards to the DeVore's. It was this review that had gotten me interested in the DeVore 3XL's. Have you heard them yourself? These are rear ported speakers.....any idea on how close they can be placed to the wall that is behind them?

DeVore has a great reputation, they are unique looking, and I'm would imagine that they sound splendid....I'm just concerned on whether or not they would work well in my small room being close to the wall that is behind them.
tom6897's avatar
tom6897
1,029 posts
 
No_Regrets,

If you have the time and do not need the speakers right now, I would like to suggest that you go to AXPONA in Chicago, IL. March 8-10 and visit/listen/meet many of the manufacturers who will be there to demo there wares. I plan on attending to do the same! Good Luck!
team212's avatar
team212
223 posts
 
No contest the Harbeths all the way-however I have not heard the Fritz

so by all means compare that brand.

Good Listening,

Des
mightyburner
30 posts
 
I have the Fritz Rev 5 and love them. Fritz is a great guy to deal with and he is very generous with his home trial offer. I had a set for a month before I purchase mine. Fritz and I had several conversations about which of his speakers would be appropriate and possible upgrades. He didn’t even attempt to up sell when I inquired about the Rev 7 (refer to the review in Part Time Audiophile). I initially had the speakers in a room about the same size as yours and for me the bass was a little overwhelming. Although the speakers are non-fatiguing, the bass on certain tracks was just too much (for me). FYI- I listen mostly to jazz. For a temporary solution I took some foam I had lying around and plugged the ports and the problem was solved. Soon after I picked up a DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 and a nasty peak was eliminated. I'm now in a larger room (16.5x12) and consider myself off the speaker merry-go-round for some time to come. One last point about Fritz. On New Years Eve he called me to wish me a happy new year and to make sure I was satisfied with the speakers. That was four months after I purchased the speakers.

Gvien your choices, I don't think you cold make a bad decision. Good Luck!

MB
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