AudioAficionado.org - Harbeth 40.2 Anniversary

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- - Harbeth 40.2 Anniversary (https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=45182)

That’s good news Greg. Glad to see that you finally found “your speakers”. Time to enjoy the music.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHC1 (Post 954334)

I'll second the notion that the Harbeth cabinets are of superb quality. Here is my pair of 40th anniversary in Silver Eucalyptus. Difficult to photograph as they are even more gorgeous in person. :yes:

That's good to hear because I previously thought maybe thin plywood was used, making it look cheap.

Ron

Congrats Greg, it sounds like you have hit pay dirt, enjoy them !

Congratulations Greg. Enjoy! What size is your listening room? The 40.2s are relatively large, I've been considering them for a while but am concerned that my 12x18 room may be too small.

I have to say until I heard the M40.2s, I didn't care much for the other Harbeths I did hear before - including the Compact 7 and the SuperHL5.

I always thought the combined mid/bass RADIAL driver was trying to do too much and ended up muddying the bass. I understand that they were trying to extend the lower frequencies on the LS3/5 design but it just felt off to me.

The M40.2 changed all that. The RADIAL driver was now just acting fully as a midrange driver and what a glorious midrange it produced. The bass from the dedicated woofer was convincing without intruding on the mids.

I also really like the M30.2. Like the M40.2, the RADIAL driver works more like a midrange driver, and is tuned not to extend as low as the Compact7/SuperHL5.

The tontrager stands are also a brilliant design. Unlike other brands which try to create an inert cabinet (Magico et al), Harbeth designed the cabinet to have its own natural resonance, and the little raised corners on the tontrager stands allow even the bottom panel of the cabinet to resonate.

https://www.tontraeger-audio.com//pr...1456679364.jpg

Congrats on finding an awesome system that you also love.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tie_breaker (Post 954379)

Congratulations Greg. Enjoy! What size is your listening room? The 40.2s are relatively large, I've been considering them for a while but am concerned that my 12x18 room may be too small.

Thanks! My room is 18x18. I’m not certain if your room would be too small. There are many who use the 40.2 in 12x12 rooms. Only one way to tell - in home demo!

Quote:

Originally Posted by doggiehowser (Post 954410)

Thanks doggiehoser. Interesting that you made the observations about not liking Harbeth until hearing the 30.2 and 40.2. I was under the same impression for years after having listened to the other models. 30.2 and 40.2 (especially Anniversary models) take things to the next level and address some of the shortcomings of previous models.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreginNH1 (Post 954438)

Agreed. Having auditioned Harbeth many years ago, I was moved but not quite enough to pull the trigger. The slight but not insignificant upgrades have made all the difference to my ears to own a pair and now that I've spent considerable time with them, they are keepers for any foreseeable future. Are they the be all, end all type of a speaker for everyone? Nope, there are plenty of great speakers out there for every taste and budget but they sure do resonate well with my inner music lover and that's more than enough for me. :music: I thought the value on of the 30.2 was simply outstanding. Of course the 40.2 costs substantially more and rightfully so! For some the 30.2 would be a great balance, for others the flagship 40.2 would make more sense! All in all, I think the 40.2 are still a heck of a bargain as compared to the rather insane prices on other speakers that I would be hard pressed to quantify or justify spending that much more on. I've owned enough speakers at various price points to clearly understand and appreciate the value of Harbeth! :thumbsup:

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreginNH1 (Post 954308)

After an exhaustive and expensive search, I have found a speaker that finally brings me into the music like no other.

While I was very pleased with my KEF Blade 2 speakers, there were still moments of annoyance with some of the higher frequencies. Cables did help, going back to a Luxman Class A helped. I wanted a bit more. I was questioning my sources such as my K-01X and embarqued on a search for a MBS DAC.

When questioning one of my local retailers who actually sells Escoteric and MSB, their response was that the Harbeths would take care of what I was trying to accomplish.

The owner and another associate guaranteed that I would love the speakers. They were so sure, that they brought a brand new pair of boxed speakers for my in-home demo NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

I was amazed at how these speakers performed in terms of realism and neutral presentation. Gone are the annoying parts of my reference tracks.

I’m sure there are many who are rolling their eyes as the read this post but if you haven’t heard these speakers, you might be very surprised.

Now it’s time to listen to MUSIC! :banana:

Congratulations on the 40.2 Anniversary speakers!

I'm thinking about them as well, unless you bought the last pair that the importer had in stock (which were Tamo Ash), as of a few weeks ago!
There's supposed to be a wait for new orders of up to a few months.

Did you hear both the 40.2 and the Anniversary models? I've been told I'd be happy with either and it would be hard to tell the difference.