Harbeth C7ES-3 vs Spendor SP1/2

travellersol

Active Member
I have on two different occasions listened to Harbeth C7ES-3 and Spendor SP1/2, both presented very excellent imaging and mid range. To me ears they both are very balanced, even their bass are good despite the woofers not being big. I found that their sound is what I'm looking for, but unfortunately, there's no way to A/B them because one is in a dealer's audition room and the other is in a private home.

I wish to hear from people who have experienced both these two models to shed some light on a comparison.

Would the Harbeth's use of the exclusive radial cone material gives them an added advantage sonically? Or is it just a hype?

Harbeth C7ES-3 as a two-way speaker, would it matter much against Spendor SP1/2 which is a 3-way speaker? Or if I go the Harbeth way, would the SHL5 sound better as a 3-way speaker?
 
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I have not heard both side by side, or directly compared. I have the C7s so that sort of tells you what I think. You might reach out to Gene Rubin, he is a dealer for both and is a straight shooter. I believe there is something special about a well-executed 2-way speaker. Good luck - don't be in a rush.
 
I sent an email to Gene Rubin asking for info on those Spendors and a model of Stirling speakers. His response was a strong argument for Harbeth speakers.
 
I sent an email to Gene Rubin asking for info on those Spendors and a model of Stirling speakers. His response was a strong argument for Harbeth speakers.
Which models he was referring to? I think it might be more relevant to compare similar size/design/price from the two makers, like comparing 3-way to 3-way.............
 
Which models he was referring to? I think it might be more relevant to compare similar size/design/price from the two makers, like comparing 3-way to 3-way.............


Here is his response: Thank you for asking me. I love the British monitors. I can say that the Harbeth really are the best of the lot, and by a substantial amount. Is there any reason you did not mention Harbeth in your email? The Compact 7 es3 is less expensive than the Classic 2/3 yet a better speaker. The LS3/6 and the HL5 are about the same size, though the HL5 is more money but better sound. Here’s my favorite of all. It is the Harbeth 30.2. I am a professional violinist and I can say, the 30.2 is the most musically involving speaker I have ever owned.
 
To the OP, I owned a pair of 90's vintage SP1/2's for a while. They were wonderful on vocals and very smooth sounding. Previously, I had Klipsch La Scalas and found the Spendors weren't dynamic enough for my taste. To be fair, the La Scalas are extremely dynamic and few speakers would keep up with them in that category. Unfortunately, I don't know how the current SP1's compare to the older ones I had.
 
I didn't mean to imply that La Scalas are monitors or particularly accurate. I was trying to let the OP know why I found the dynamics of the Spendors lacking.
 
The only opinion that is important is your own. I wouldn't buy anything unless I heard them. That is just me.

The dealer only points me to brands I would like, not to make the actual decision to buy.
I agree, my only problem now is that I have heard them separately and I liked their sound, but just that I have no chance to A/B them in one place, so it makes it hard for me to decide.
 
To the OP, I owned a pair of 90's vintage SP1/2's for a while. They were wonderful on vocals and very smooth sounding. Previously, I had Klipsch La Scalas and found the Spendors weren't dynamic enough for my taste. To be fair, the La Scalas are extremely dynamic and few speakers would keep up with them in that category. Unfortunately, I don't know how the current SP1's compare to the older ones I had.
I have a pair of Klipsch KG4, never heard La Scala or any other Klipsch models. Not dynamic enough-is it for rock kind of music? what about for vocal and jazz?
 
I thought the Spendors were great for vocal and jazz. They didn't do loud rock very well (for my taste). They may have been more dynamic with a quality sub and different amplification than I had at the time. Part of the problem may have been my room. When I auditioned the Spendors at the dealer, they seemed to have plenty of punch. After I sold them, I bought a speaker that is kind of a tweener as far as the dynamics vs. pretty sound go (by "pretty sound," I mean lack of harshness or brightness). They are more dynamic than the Spendors but not quite as pretty sounding. How big is your room?
 
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