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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
no_regrets OP
245 posts
 
Hello Tom6897,

That is a wonderful suggestion! I am in no rush as I have my reference system that I enjoy immensely and I do want to make sure that I choose the right speaker for this difficult room. With any luck, some of my choices will be represented there.

Many years ago, I attended the Stereophile show in Chicago and had a blast. Met several nice people, heard a lot of different systems, took in some live music, but a ton of vinyl..... Just a fantastic weekend overall.
no_regrets OP
245 posts
 
Hello Team212,

Thank you for your post. Have you heard the DeVore 3XL's? If so, how do they compare or differ from that of the Harbeth P3ESR?

Are you currently using Harbeths? If so, which model?
no_regrets OP
245 posts
 
Hello Mightyburner,

Thank you for your post. Yes, Fritz does seem like a really great guy. We have been emailing back and forth a few times.

When you mentioned that the bass seemed a little overwhelming.....that is a big concern of mine. With this room being so small and being square, it will be difficult to find a speaker to work well, I'm afraid.

I tried stuffing the ports of my vintage Tannoys when I had them in this room. I felt that it changed the sound too much in a negative way. It simply didn't sound "right". Did you notice anything when you stuffed the ports on your REV 5's?

I suppose I could look into digital room correction. I have never done so before and so this would be completely new to me.

I appreciate your response !
no_regrets OP
245 posts
 
Hello R_burke,

For this room, I am planning on using a custom tube amp that utilizes a pair of German EL84's per channel, with a very robust power supply that will give me a very fast, dynamic, yet full bodied 15 watts in push/pull.

Both Fritz and a dealer for the DeVore 3XL thought that this amp would work well with there speakers. I know that the sensitivity of the Harbeths are on the low side, but it's been said that they are a pretty easy load.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this though.
r_burke
212 posts
 
So on paper your best bet spec wise is the DeVore, but I haven't heard it, so can't speak to voicing of the speaker, but speaker choice is more than just specs. I have a similar amp, Manley Mahi and in triode it is ~18W. I prefer the voicing of the Fritz over the Harbeth because I think it is more lively, I personally find the Harbeth somewhat sterile, others would applaud this as neutral.
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