Harbeth Compact7s annoying freq spike?

the keester

I dig music.
I've had these speakers for a few years now. Currently I am powering them with a vintage Mcintosh 2155 150 watt solid state amp. I've always wished they were a little quitter and like I said there's a quality that hurts my ears. Besides that they sound very good. Articulate and smooth otherwise.

Has anyone else experienced this or are my ears broken :)

What other speakers in their class would work better with my amp?
 
Have they always sounded that way to you...no matter where you've listened to them or what kind of electronics they've had in front of them?
 
Have they always sounded that way to you...no matter where you've listened to them or what kind of electronics they've had in front of them?

Yes. I ran them with a Macintosh mc225 25 watt tube amp and still had the same listening experience although they def sound better with the solid state amp. The 225 just wasn't the appropriate amp for them.
 
It appears that the Compact 7 is nearing 20 years old - This review http://www.regonaudio.com/Harbeth Compact 7.html is from 1997. It's possible that the crossover components are out of spec or that one or both tweeters haven't aged well.

You might try Harbeth's forum (http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/forum.php) though Alan isn't likely to suggest replacing crossover components. Harbeth may well be able to tell you something about the history of the speakers based on their serial number(s).

Good luck!
 
It appears that the Compact 7 is nearing 20 years old - This review http://www.regonaudio.com/Harbeth Compact 7.html is from 1997. It's possible that the crossover components are out of spec or that one or both tweeters haven't aged well.

You might try Harbeth's forum (http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/forum.php) though Alan isn't likely to suggest replacing crossover components. Harbeth may well be able to tell you something about the history of the speakers based on their serial number(s).

Good luck!

These are the anniversary model. I'm pretty sure they're only 10 years old at most.
 
Reflections can cause unpleasant spikes, is there glass in the immediate area or ceramic tile that sort of thing?
 
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