I recently bought a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs. I had a pair of P3s a few years ago and was very fond of their presentation of music in my smallish listening room.
I had an uneasy feeling when selling them. That I was making a mistake. This feeling never went away. It lay dormant and would come up at random moments every now and then. As my unreliable memory serves they produced a very enjoyable sound stage with precise layered audio imagery. While the bass frequencies from this tiny speaker with a 5” woofer and a sealed enclosure was never lacking for me, the addition of a sub (KEF KC62) totally elevated the presentation to a much higher level. They played well with a variety of different amplifiers too.
I still can’t explain why I sold these.
But when a pair came up for sale recently I bought them even though I certainly don’t need another pair of speakers.
When they arrived and I started to play my current favourite music it all came back to me: why I love these speakers so much.
Whether you are a seasoned audiophile who has never heard them or a new entrant to this hobby, do yourself a favour and listen to these at a dealer, or someone who has a pair set up. To audiophiles who have experienced Harbeths in the past, I would suggest a listen again (remember your first love?)
They are not without their limitations; but then which speakers don’t have their limitations?
Excerpt from John Atkinson review (Stereophile) describes it well:
“Everyone wants something different from a loudspeaker. Some people value midrange neutrality above all, while others will sacrifice some of that accuracy to get extended lows or a speaker that will play immensely loud with only a few watts of power. Some want stereo imaging that is sufficiently delicate, stable, and accurate that the speakers open a transparent window on the recording's original performing space. Some will sacrifice all of the above to get a speaker whose "jump factor" can jerk zombies out of their stupor. And there are those who are prepared to lose just a little bit of everything in order to have a speaker that may not excel in any of these areas, but communicates what they want from their music in the most effective overall manner….I love the Harbeth P3ESR. I think it's the best iteration yet from any manufacturer of the BBC LS3/5A minimonitor concept.”
Thoughts ?
I had an uneasy feeling when selling them. That I was making a mistake. This feeling never went away. It lay dormant and would come up at random moments every now and then. As my unreliable memory serves they produced a very enjoyable sound stage with precise layered audio imagery. While the bass frequencies from this tiny speaker with a 5” woofer and a sealed enclosure was never lacking for me, the addition of a sub (KEF KC62) totally elevated the presentation to a much higher level. They played well with a variety of different amplifiers too.
I still can’t explain why I sold these.
But when a pair came up for sale recently I bought them even though I certainly don’t need another pair of speakers.
When they arrived and I started to play my current favourite music it all came back to me: why I love these speakers so much.
Whether you are a seasoned audiophile who has never heard them or a new entrant to this hobby, do yourself a favour and listen to these at a dealer, or someone who has a pair set up. To audiophiles who have experienced Harbeths in the past, I would suggest a listen again (remember your first love?)
They are not without their limitations; but then which speakers don’t have their limitations?
Excerpt from John Atkinson review (Stereophile) describes it well:
“Everyone wants something different from a loudspeaker. Some people value midrange neutrality above all, while others will sacrifice some of that accuracy to get extended lows or a speaker that will play immensely loud with only a few watts of power. Some want stereo imaging that is sufficiently delicate, stable, and accurate that the speakers open a transparent window on the recording's original performing space. Some will sacrifice all of the above to get a speaker whose "jump factor" can jerk zombies out of their stupor. And there are those who are prepared to lose just a little bit of everything in order to have a speaker that may not excel in any of these areas, but communicates what they want from their music in the most effective overall manner….I love the Harbeth P3ESR. I think it's the best iteration yet from any manufacturer of the BBC LS3/5A minimonitor concept.”
Thoughts ?
absolutely. Mid range "British" sound is something that a lot of people appreciate.
