Harbeth Monitor 30 Speaker Review

[Spocko]

Speakers seem to have the least amount of raw materials vs retail price ratio.

So do acoustic guitars and paintings, but as with many things of subjective value, manual labor and personal craftsmanship are intangible assets not reflected in a product's weight or materials list. You start with competent engineering (frequency response curve, off-axis dispersion, etc.) and from there begins the "art" of designing the speaker optimized for its intended audience. Just like every acoustic guitar is a soundboard with a hole, there's a fair bit of value in the effort that goes into designing a system that's worth more than the sum of their parts.

 

[amirm]

Someone asked me if I had yet listened to the speaker. I have now. I hooked it up to my main system which means no ability to switch between speakers as I have setup in near-field setting at my workstation. Playing my reference quality track (read: not necessarily good for speaker evaluation) the sound is very good. It certainly belies the plain look of the speakers. SPL handling is also quite good. I can turn up as loud as I can tolerate (500 to 1000 watt on tap from amplifier) and I can't hear any distortion. And this is in a very large space with a single speaker player.

The highs seem to be a bit limited and the bass a bit exaggerated. The latter is of course determined by the placement of the speaker and my seating position.

The real test will be a comparison against another speaker which I cannot do at the moment. So as casual observations go, this is an enjoyable speaker.

 

[ahofer]

Someone asked me if I had yet listened to the speaker. I have now. I hooked it up to my main system which means no ability to switch between speakers as I have setup in near-field setting at my workstation. Playing my reference quality track (read: not necessarily good for speaker evaluation) the sound is very good. It certainly belies the plain look of the speakers. SPL handling is also quite good. I can turn up as loud as I can tolerate (500 to 1000 watt on tap from amplifier) and I can't hear any distortion. And this is in a very large space with a single speaker player.

The highs seem to be a bit limited and the bass a bit exaggerated. The latter is of course determined by the placement of the speaker and my seating position.

The real test will be a comparison against another speaker which I cannot do at the moment. So as casual observations go, this is an enjoyable speaker.

Wait, what about slam, pace, and air? What kind of subjective review is that?

I'll show myself out.

 

[MZKM]

Wait, what about slam, pace, and air? What kind of subjective review is that?

I'll show myself out.

You forgot rhythm and timing.

 

[Spocko]

You forgot rhythm and timing.

And he forgot to rediscover his entire CD collection, like he was "hearing them for the first time".

 

[Spocko]

I think one of the problems with audio 'tweaks' is that they are considered functional until proven otherwise rather than the other way around.

One tweak I thought was quite enlightening but also haphazard was when somebody on YouTube mentioned that there was an amazing sense of air as the "highs appeared out of nowhere" when he placed these platform de-couplers under his speakers. He then realized that by raising the speakers 4 inches, he ended up raising the tweeters and bring the acoustic center to ear level. LOL. So yes, the tweak worked, but this goes to the importance of using adjustable stand mounts rather than his fixed 24 inch mounts. Ironically, this benefit was mentioned nowhere in the product literature. Worse still, what if the speaker was of proper height to begin with, and the tweak just ruined it? LOL @ unintended consequences

 

[Spocko]

Kinda hit the nail on the head. Direct brands offer good value, but usually are not the conclusive best option in their price range; except for maybe Ascend Acoustics as their ~$2800 tower with RAAL and their new 2-EX have excellent measurements. I own bookshelves from HTD and RBH, and while they don’t make me have tears of joy from listening to them, I consider them very worthwhile for their price.

Running a business is hard, and a manufacturing business harder still. The intangible costs of marketing, pre/post sales support, inventory management, quality control, brand management, etc. is why most small speaker companies can never be anything more than a lifestyle business that (if you're lucky) pays for a roof over your head and 3 square meals a day.

 

[Spocko]

A 150% net profit (i.e., after all costs) would surprise me.
I thought PS was selling direct now? The idea that an outfit like PS is going to sell 5 times over their total cost + retail share, direct to consumers, is absurd. On the other hand, maybe they have the fan base that will accept that kind of spread in order to own Paul and Stan's special kind of magic for their average quality gear.

Like the saying goes, if the market can bear it... no worse than paying $500 for Gucci glasses or god forbid, $25,000 for an engagement ring diamond that's worth less than $2,500 in the second hand market.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

Uncool reaction. It's not even a bad review.

Oh I already knew that it would be pointless to try to post it there. The Harbeth user group forums are heavily moderated and under tight lock down.

 

[napilopez]

You forgot rhythm and timing.

I think many subjective terms can be translated into measurements, but it's the timing related ones that really get to me... as if a speaker is going to clap off the beat.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

Someone asked me if I had yet listened to the speaker. I have now. I hooked it up to my main system which means no ability to switch between speakers as I have setup in near-field setting at my workstation. Playing my reference quality track (read: not necessarily good for speaker evaluation) the sound is very good. It certainly belies the plain look of the speakers. SPL handling is also quite good. I can turn up as loud as I can tolerate (500 to 1000 watt on tap from amplifier) and I can't hear any distortion. And this is in a very large space with a single speaker player.

The highs seem to be a bit limited and the bass a bit exaggerated. The latter is of course determined by the placement of the speaker and my seating position.

The real test will be a comparison against another speaker which I cannot do at the moment. So as casual observations go, this is an enjoyable speaker.

Can you measure how loud you are actually listening please. What is the limit you can tolerate?

 

[LTig]

And he forgot to rediscover his entire CD collection, like he was "hearing them for the first time".

... and the wife in the kitchen telling him how much better the sound is compared to his Revels ...

 

[Spocko]

... and the wife in the kitchen telling him how much better the sound is compared to his Revels ...

LOL the classic "straw man" wife. Now, even if my wife DOES come out to make a comment, I'd be too embarrassed to include it in my review. I'd have to go with "the dog refused to leave and sat there dumbfounded by the music, mouth agape."

 

[LTig]

LOL the classic "straw man" wife. Now, even if my wife DOES come out to make a comment, I'd be too embarrassed to include it in my review. I'd have to go with "the dog refused to leave and sat there dumbfounded by the music, mouth agape."

I myself witnessed two such situations with wifes in kitchens coming out due to better sound - believe it or not. The first time I put 4 small Sicomin plates under the feet of my Thorens TD115 (yeah, long ago). The second time sold my old MG 1.6 to a guy with a very reluctant wife (see last paragraph).

 

[twofires]

Someone asked me if I had yet listened to the speaker. I have now. I hooked it up to my main system which means no ability to switch between speakers as I have setup in near-field setting at my workstation. Playing my reference quality track (read: not necessarily good for speaker evaluation) the sound is very good. It certainly belies the plain look of the speakers. SPL handling is also quite good. I can turn up as loud as I can tolerate (500 to 1000 watt on tap from amplifier) and I can't hear any distortion. And this is in a very large space with a single speaker player.

The highs seem to be a bit limited and the bass a bit exaggerated. The latter is of course determined by the placement of the speaker and my seating position.

The real test will be a comparison against another speaker which I cannot do at the moment. So as casual observations go, this is an enjoyable speaker.

What would be amazing would be to one day have a tool that, armed with scores from this data, can take input in the form of 3 or more speakers you enjoy, and from that return results of other speakers that have similar attributes.

I think this is a good use of the data because it seems (from my uneducated perspective) that speaker design is all about compromises, and it seems some compromises matter to some people more than others. Put another way, no matter what your favourite speaker is, someone out there hates it.

 

[DSJR]

You forgot rhythm and timing.

I suppose my take on this has always been boom/stodge or lack of it. Many larger Brit speakers used to specialise in a full-fat sound balance where the 'faster perceived' speakers had little real bass extension and less 'overhang/boom' for want of a better word and often coupled with a projected upper midrange. I think this is changing fast now though. Not sure how an underdamped bass quality can be shown easily in plots...

 

[anmpr1]

Someone asked me if I had yet listened to the speaker. I have now. . ..the sound is very good. It certainly belies the plain look of the speakers. SPL handling is also quite good. I can turn up as loud as I can tolerate (500 to 1000 watt on tap from amplifier) and I can't hear any distortion. And this is in a very large space with a single speaker player.

FWIW, I suggest not posting the review unless it is accompanied with a listening test. Loudspeakers pretty much require that, and a loudspeaker review is really only half done without this. Not like amps, for the most part.

 

[Francis Vaughan]

Hmmm. I would say the opposite. I take the listening component of all of Amir's tests as only what they are. One person's sighted listening in less than controlled or perfect conditions. They are worthwhile, but compared to the objective data, they are very minor. Indeed I think there would be a great deal to be said for always posting the listening experience in a separate post, and allowing the objective data to stand alone.

 

[edechamps]

FWIW, I suggest not posting the review unless it is accompanied with a listening test. Loudspeakers pretty much require that, and a loudspeaker review is really only half done without this.

I feel the exact opposite. I systematically ignore any and all "subjective impressions" in all audio reviews (not just Amir's); to me they're just noise. We all know how reliable sighted, subjective evaluation is when it comes to audio in general.

 

[Costas EAR]

Playing my reference quality track (read: not necessarily good for speaker evaluation) the sound is very good. It certainly belies the plain look of the speakers. SPL handling is also quite good. I can turn up as loud as I can tolerate (500 to 1000 watt on tap from amplifier) and I can't hear any distortion.

Very nice!

Now, how can you explain your findings from listening, with your measurements?

This is the real goal.