Harbeth P3ESR XD

Randy Myers

Randy Myers

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
6,069
Location
Kansas
I have always been a huge KEF fan, and a British speaker fan in general. I absolutely loved my KEF 104aB speakers that I used for a number of years back in the day. Most of the time, the speakers I most prefer are rated low sensitivity, 82-85 seems to be the norm.

I have had KEF LS50 and then LS50 Metas, which I still own today. I have a small room and very much prefer stand mount speakers. I also do not care about playing extremely loud and prefer speakers that play open, superb mids and highs, tremendous sound stage, and they do not need a ton of bass. The subs will take care of that.

For years I have read about the various LS3/5a BBC type speakers. Chartwell, Spendor, Rogers, Falcon, Music Fidelity, etc. Even KEF Ref 101 from back in the day were supposed to be competitive in this type of speaker. I recently started researching again knowing that several famous reviewers use these speakers as reference in their own systems and when comparing others. One the TAS reviewers swears that the Falcon LS3/5a are the only speaker he could not live without.

I also have heard about and have a ton of respect for Harbeth speakers. I like that they are a rarity in that they are still hand made in England. They were also involved in the BBC speaker development back in the day (especially after the KEF fire, when limited production capacity made it apparent that they could no longer keep up with the driver demand for BBC speakers). I also like that Harbeth specializes in stand mount monitors, forgoing floor standing models.

Recent research has shown me that many people own both LS3/5a models from various manufactures and Harbeth. Of these, almost every one that I have read their comparisons have preferred the Harbeth. That made the choice simple for me. Harbeth P3ESR XD are arriving today! I know they will soon be releasing the XD2 versions, but the price difference for the slight upgrades did not make a ton of sense to me. I do have some time if I decided I would prefer having the XD2s instead.

I am very much looking forward to getting these "bad boys" (as quoted by one of the professional reviewers) in my system!
 
Randy - I luv my P3ESR XD in my study - I have them positioned at about 3.5' from each ear at about a 160 deg angle. The experience is holographic mind blowing, like headphones. Absolutely can't imagine anything better for a near field experience - attaching a photo - hopefully.
 

Attachments

  • Harbeth P3ESR.jpg
    Harbeth P3ESR.jpg
    276.6 KB · Views: 19
I listened to them a little yesterday. We had a show to go to so I only had a short time before and afterwards. They seem to be very good. I loved the KEF, but these are definitely a nice step up. They are also quite a bit more expensive than the KEF. The Harbeth appear to work perfectly with the KEF stands! So far I can see why people rave about Harbeth and most that have compared, like these better than the LS3/5a (BBC) speakers.

One thing I have been debating in my mind is using them with or without the grills. I have always had grills off on my speakers, however Harbeth specifically states in their manuals that they are designed to be used with the grills on (even though they always show the speakers with the grills off).
 
Mike said:
/Check out the Falcon LS35A gold badge. I have both and prefer the Falcon.
Click to expand...
Nice... I know they are highly rated. Almost got a barely used pair of Falcon gold badge LS3/5a, but he sold them a few minutes prior to me messaging him :(.

I really like how Harbeth goes about their business (or how it appears to anyway because I have no inside knowledge). I am pretty sure that Falcon also builds their speakers in England. I really like that Harbeth still does.

I would think I might step up in the Harbeth line down the road, but as a direct replacement to my LS50 Metas, these little guys seem to be a very good choice. I also have to be a little careful with finances now that my wife and I are retired and also extremely concerned with the current state of how things are going. So the added expense of a higher model, 30.3 XD2 :), is probably not in the cards right now. With stands they would push the budget a bit too far. The ones I got work perfect on my KEF stands for now.
 
I heard Harbeth sometime back and liked them. Nice presence and imaging. I thought added a bit more low end to female vocals than what I was used to but it could have also been the gear or set up.

Congrats. I like KEF as well but feel Harbeth would be an upgrade for you.
 
Yea, I believe they are a nice upgrade. I still like my KEF and will probably hang on to them for now. The KEF stands fit the Harbeth, and two KEF subs work great filling in the bottom.
 
After really getting into listening for a while I believe the Harbeth are quiet amazing. Very open and very smooth. What I have always loved about British speakers. The imaging is off the charts. It literally sounds like the entire front half of the room is the speakers creating this beyond amazing image.

For the first time in a long while I have been completely taken by the pure musicality of these fantastic little speakers. I can see why all of these reviewers use these and the LS3/5a speakers as references.

Upon further research I found out that H.D. Harwood, the founder of Harbeth, was the head of BBC Loudspeaker Development through the 1960s and 70s... so it makes sense that the LS3/5a and the Harbeth are so very close.

With Harbeth I have finally found that incredible British speaker that I always loved in my KEF 104aBs. At some point I might go up in the Harbeth line, but for now, especially with how my current music room is so small, these little guys should do the trick just fine. They work great with the KEF stands and subwoofers as well! The P3ESR XD are a nice upgrade to my KEFs. I will probably be hanging on to my LS50 Metas for now, as a very nice alternative to the Harbeth!
 
Last edited:
I am asking for opinions. More or less curiosity. I have always listened to speakers with grills off, however the Harbeth manual states that the grills should remain on for their speakers. Any thoughts? Any experience if Harbeth is different then other companies in this regards?
 
Randy Myers said:
I am asking for opinions. More or less curiosity. I have always listened to speakers with grills off, however the Harbeth manual states that the grills should remain on for their speakers. Any thoughts? Any experience if Harbeth is different then other companies in this regards?
Click to expand...
I remember reading that Alan voices them with grills on. Grills off is a bit more “detailed” he said.

Still prefer the Falcon LS35A. Paul does too.
 
Randy Myers said:
I am asking for opinions. More or less curiosity. I have always listened to speakers with grills off, however the Harbeth manual states that the grills should remain on for their speakers. Any thoughts? Any experience if Harbeth is different then other companies in this regards?
Click to expand...
My understanding is...Yes, they are different than other companies in this regard.

I have the 30.2 40th Anniversary Harbeths (which, to my understanding, was a higher-spec 30.2 than the XD version) and I have always listened to them with the speaker grilles on as, because just as you have stated, this is exactly what the Harbeth manual specifies to do.

My understanding is they were voiced during development with the grilles in place, which is consistent with the guidance in the manual. So....I've never used them without the grilles on the cabinets. And, my recommendation would be to do as as the just as the manual specifies, and use them with the grilles in place. If you remove the grilles, you'll get "something", as it were, but it will not be what Alan Shaw of Harbeth intended or designed the speaker to do.
 
Last edited:
Mike said:
I remember reading that Alan voices them with grills on. Grills off is a bit more “detailed” he said.

Still prefer the Falcon LS35A. Paul does too.
Click to expand...
I would definitely like to get a pair of ls35a at some point in time. I know that Paul loves the Falcon Gold Badge. I guess my over arching plan would be to have the Harbeth, Falcon, and KEF. This would give a variety of what I would consider the finest mini monitors on the planet (I am fairly certain that Paul has mentioned that he has a pair of KEFs that he uses occasionally also).

Unfortunately I cannot swing a pair of Falcons at this point in time. Hopefully sometime soon i will be able to. They are also not the easiest to obtain. Used pairs do show up sometimes.
 
Puma Cat said:
My understanding is...Yes, they are different than other companies in this regard.

I have the 30.2 40th Anniversary Harbeths (which, to my understanding, was a higher-spec 30.2 than the XD version) and I have always listened to them with the speaker grilles on as, because just as you have stated, this is exactly what the Harbeth manual specifies to do.

My understanding is they were voiced during development with the grilles in place, which is consistent with the guidance in the manual. So....I've never used them without the grilles on the cabinets. And, my recommendation would be to do as as the just as the manual specifies, and use them with the grilles in place. If you remove the grilles, you'll get "something", as it were, but it will not be what Alan Shaw of Harbeth intended or designed the speaker to do.
Click to expand...
Thank you. This is the type of educated and experienced opinions I am looking for. I have listened to them without the grills, but mostly with. The grills do seem to "tame" them a bit. Without appeared to be a slightly higher "edge" in the high frequencies.
 
I listen to my 40.2 speakers without the grilles as is my preference though in the past with brighter sounding cables I experimented with grilles "on" which worked better for that circumstance.
I find there is more separation in the sound with grilles off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top