Harbeth 7ES-3 vs Klipsch Heresy III

Opening up for advice, opinions, experience, etc...

I will (probably) be running the speakers with a Luxman 505u. I currently have the H3s and waiting for the 505u.

My unofficial plan: if for some reason the H3s do not match well with the 505u, the Harbeths could replace the H3s.

Cheers,

Kenny

I think the Harbeth is a far more refined and better sounding speaker than the Heresys I've heard and owned though I haven't heard the latest model Heresy. The Harbeths are smoother, have much better tonal balance with deeper bass and more extended highs and image and stage better. The Heresys certainly have livelier dynamics though.

I never heard a Harbeth I didn't like. I mean like a great deal and this from an old Altec-JBL horn guy. My opinions you understand.

Have you heard the Harbeths? If so what do you make of them?

Pretty dissimilar speakers. I too am interested if you have heard both.

cubdog

Tom Brennan said:

I think the Harbeth is a far more refined and better sounding speaker than the Heresys I've heard and owned though I haven't heard the latest model Heresy. The Harbeths are smoother, have much better tonal balance with deeper bass and more extended highs and image and stage better. The Heresys certainly have livelier dynamics though.

I never heard a Harbeth I didn't like. I mean like a great deal and this from an old Altec-JBL horn guy. My opinions you understand.

Have you heard the Harbeths? If so what do you make of them?

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Thanks Tom...that's my dilemma, I have not heard the Harbeths, but I have been reading about them a lot. I have come across quite a bit of dialogue that includes them being paired with the Lux with very good results.

I like the H3s and will give them a solid chance when the Lux arrives. I can find nothing on the H3s and the Lux being paired.

K.

They're very different speakers. I had Compact 7s and moved to the SHL-5s. I agree with Tom in that the Harbeth will be a more refined and better sounding option for that very well regarded Luxman amp. The 7s need some attention to room and stand-height to sound their best (I prefer rigid, open stands, like the Foundation stands specifically built for the Harbeths, but there's a lot of different opinions about that). I'm not really much of a Heresy fan so take my opinions on the pairing with a grain of salt. I've not heard the newest iteration of them, however. If the newer ones are like the older ones, the Harbeths will have better imaging, a more balanced and natural tone/timbre, and probably a tighter bass response. They're very nice speakers and that Luxman integrated is right in their sweet spot as far as power. Too little and they get kind of closed-in sounding, too much and its just wasted. Lots of fans of the Lux/Harbeth pairing out there as you've found.

I have the H3s paired with a SS now. Sounds alright, not great. Nearly everything I read on the H3s states that they are better paired with tubes, not necessarily all tubes, though.

Although I have considered going the tube direction, in the end I have chosen to go with a better quality SS. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the 99db H3s will suit the Lux.

I have been reading a lot about the Harbeths and I have become a sideline fan without hearing them. Irrelevant, but I also like the look. Kind of a retro styling similar to the H3s.

K.

I recently heard some Harbeth monitor 40.1 (i think they were called, 3 way) in a buddies home studio. He upgraded his mixing station and just got these and was raving. I went and heard them and was floored. Very well balanced, nice smooth timber top to bottom, just seemed to do everything right. This is in a well setup and damped studio environment.

The dealer from which I am buying the Lux has offered to let me demo these speakers for a week or two if for some reason the H3s don't do well with the Lux.

He raved about them...

http://www.evolutionacoustics.com/loudspeakers/mmmicroone/

http://www.tonepublications.com/blog/best-sound-at-t-h-e-show/

http://**************************ge...eakers-playback-designs-mps-3-player-ces.html

I would suggest that you take up the offer for a home demo even if you like the Klipsch, to giv some context for what is possible as far as differences. If you don't like them, no harm done. I have a feeling you'll know within the first day whether it's a direction that you want to go in or not.

I say this knowing that they didn't work out well in my place. But I've heard them as part of one of the most memorable systems I auditioned in the last two years.

JohnVF said:

I would suggest that you take up the offer for a home demo even if you like the Klipsch, to giv some context for what is possible as far as differences. If you don't like them, no harm done. I have a feeling you'll know within the first day whether it's a direction that you want to go in or not.

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Good suggestion...thanks

K.