The Duos bring the performance a little closer to you than the Harbeth perspective, and they are both smoother and more detailed overall. The Harbeths sound more extended in the high frequencies, though, and a Radio Shack sound level meter and Stereophile's Test CD 2 confirmed this: The Duo tweeters sign off above 16 kHz somewhere (the next step on the CD is 20K which the Duos don't register at all) while the Harbeths' keep on sailing up to 20 kHz. It's another story with the low frequencies. The Duos can go flat to 20Hz whereas the Harbeths start rolling off pretty quick below 50 Hz, and are down 16dB at 20. But think about that for a minute. The Harbeths still arrive at 20 Hz, and that with the 3-watt Fi dwarf! I guess that sort of amazes me, but there's more: These monitors are down only 10dB at 31.5Hz. Deep bass is thus not MIA but rather peeking out at ya discreetly from a distance. So here's the take-home story: The Harbeths do well with bass extension for a small two-way speaker. When you are listening, you'll never notice anything missing. |
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I really like the fingerstyle guitar album LJ Plays the Beatles [Solid Air Records SACD200]), by Lawrence Juber whom Paul McCartney had asked back in 1978 to play lead guitar for the Wings. You could say that next to Beatle McCartney, LJ may have more insight into the feel of the Beatles music than any other guitar player around. On this all-acoustic set of fingerstyle solos, LJ plays fourteen Beatles gems in inspired arrangements of his own. With DADGAD tuning on most of the songs, CGDGAD on two and standard tuning on four songs. LJ's playing is spectacular. Through the Harbeths, Juber's guitar technique is full of life and musical color. There is a percussive nature, a note-by-note dynamic reactivity that keeps me in continual state of surprise and awe. The Monitor 30s slightly soften and round the sound of the guitar, warming it up a little compared to real life, albeit in a way that is entirely consonant with the music. Every time I listen to "Let It Be", I am enthralled by the emotiveness that LJ evokes with his playing. Listening to "Let It Be" through the Monitor 30s is the auditory equivalent of viewing a beautiful sunset: There is cheerful warmth of color, beautiful interplay of light and dark elements, and a sense of awe and reverence at a wondrous moment of beauty. |
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I experimented with several speaker placements during the review period. I placed the speakers about 6 to 7 feet apart depending on distance from the front wall, and at positions approximately 24, 36, and 59 inches out into the room, toed in so that the listening seat showed only the front baffle. The Harbeths sounded good everywhere I placed them but were at their best when placed further out into the room, 36 or 59 inches. With the Fi & Vibe combination, they were impressive in a nearfield setup, the rear of the cabinet 59 inches from the front wall, speakers 7 feet apart and 7.5 feet from the listening position. When using the Naim NAC 112 preamplifier and NAP 150 amplifier, I placed the Harbeths 36 inches into the room and the soundstage really opened up over the 24 inch position, to give a nice layered effect from front to back and well localized, solid life-like images. |
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Let's talk about the Fi-Vibe combination versus the Naim 112/150 combination for a moment. There's no question in my mind that through the Harbeths, the Fi-Vibe combo sounded better than the Naim combo. When played through the Avantgarde Duos, the Fi-Vibe combination is spellbinding: The added resolution, soundstaging, dynamics and expanded palette of tonal colors make it the most satisfying system I have ever owned. Yet in terms of the Monitor 30s, the Naim played music better, and in a more engaging fashion than the Fi-Vibe combo. There are some magical combinations of gear where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts: ProAc 2.5 loudspeakers with Cary 805C amplifiers; Merlin loudspeakers with Joule Electra amplifiers; Cain & Cain loudspeakers with Art Audio amplifiers, to name a few. Add to that list the Harbeth Monitor 30 loudspeakers with the Naim 112/150 duo - it's magic! |
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Harbeth had very specific design goals for their monitoring loudspeakers like the 30. They wanted a high level of clarity, a sense of spaciousness and low coloration. They also wanted a natural sound that'd be easy to live with during long studio sessions, and a well- balanced frequency response. Finally, Harbeth wanted their monitors to have high value for their price. That's a pretty ambitious list of goals. How does the report card turn out? I'd say Harbeth largely accomplished their goals. The Harbeths possess clarity, but perhaps not über-alles resolution. They are slightly colored by being somewhat warm but serve the music and beat lean-sounding every time in my book. They are distinctly easy on the ears during long-term listening. As an important bonus, they convey the entire musical message convincingly at low listening volumes, something few loudspeakers seem to manage but which is an important factor for me. Frequency response? You'll have to listen for yourself to decide whether or not you think the Monitor 30s are truly balanced. They can put out prodigious bass for what is essentially a small two-way loudspeaker. I find them cannily balanced in the bass, and a little careful positioning during setup can get them dialed to your tastes. | |||||||||||||||
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Manufacturer's UK website |
US distributor website
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