Harbeth now with active version

[CapMan]

I somehow think this will not be the final product. The product page ist not really incorporated yet and Alan Shaw is at High End Munich presenting the waveguided Version.

View attachment 369774

That's encouraging

 

[ahofer]

Well that's making the LinkWitz LX521s a bargain. At Axpona the speakers w the ASP/Amp all in one was ~23.9K USD (If memory serves. )
[Its more if you go w a fancy baffle upgrade. ]

You could get a pair of Blades, or Genelec 8361s…

 

[im_gumby]

You could get a pair of Blades, or Genelec 8361s…

But are they active?

 

[Vacceo]

But are they active?

Genelecs are indeed active.

 

[ahofer]

But are they active?

…and in the case of the blades, have enough left over for some good amps and a used car

 

[CapMan]

NLE-1

The Nelson bass extender + stand solution delivers intense bass performance for mini monitors without compromising space.

harbeth.co.uk

It's a pretty looking thing. But previous comments stand !

 

[dfuller]

NLE-1

The Nelson bass extender + stand solution delivers intense bass performance for mini monitors without compromising space.

harbeth.co.uk

It's a pretty looking thing. But previous comments stand !

Well, I've certainly seen worse. I'd like to see this on the NFS. Maybe I'll hit up Erin about it?

 

[Phorize]

I have always valued the largely objective nature and ethos on the HUG. Ultimately it is a manufacturer moderated forum so contributors need to colour inside the lines so to speak!

I sense alot of pride over at Harbeth HQ at what they have achieved in this little speaker. I would not spend my own money on one, but fair play to them for creating something completely new in their product line. It's no easy feat to bring a product to market.

My experience is that objective discussion is generally welcomed for non Harbeth products at the HUG but the company doesn't really get into objective discussions around it's own products. It's difficult for Harbeth; the company built a reputation within the audiophile community when things were at peak woo woo and the fallacious claims being made by many manufacturers and the press were at their most extreme. Harbeth relied on the BBC heritage branding to cut through, and didn't need to resort to more deranged marketing of some manufacturers. The BBC research was valid 40 years ago, and Harbeth have refined the original designs as much as is feasible for a company with very little r and d capacity. If I ran the company I would have no idea how I'd chart a transition to more modern way of doing things without losing most of their existing customers.

 

[CapMan]

My experience is that objective discussion is generally welcomed for non Harbeth products at the HUG but the company doesn't really get into objective discussions around it's own products.

Yep - that's a very fair summary.

 

[ahofer]

My experience is that objective discussion is generally welcomed for non Harbeth products at the HUG but the company doesn't really get into objective discussions around its own products. It's difficult for Harbeth; the company built a reputation within the audiophile community when things were at peak woo woo and the fallacious claims being made by many manufacturers and the press were at their most extreme. Harbeth relied on the BBC heritage branding to cut through, and didn't need to resort to more deranged marketing of some manufacturers. The BBC research was valid 40 years ago, and Harbeth have refined the original designs as much as is feasible for a company with very little r and d capacity. If I ran the company I would have no idea how I'd chart a transition to more modern way of doing things without losing most of their existing customers.

I once said on the forum that I thought all speakers should have a spinorama and Shaw expressed skepticism that it would be useful (“what would that tell you?”). He also threw shade on the Klippel methodology relative to anechoic measurements. He has never addressed dispersion characteristics in his posts to my knowledge, and has deleted my posts mentioning it. All without really discussing any shortcomings he may believe or have found.

So while I broadly agree, he has gone a bit too far talking book, IMO.

 

[teched58]

I once said on the forum that I thought all speakers should have a spinorama and Shaw expressed skepticism that it would be useful (“what would that tell you?”). He also threw shade on the Klippel methodology relative to anechoic measurements. He has never addressed dispersion characteristics in his posts to my knowledge, and has deleted my posts mentioning it. All without really discussing any shortcomings he may believe or have found.

So while I broadly agree, he has gone a bit too far talking book, IMO.

Because Shaw is not an engineer, and is not capable of engaging in a deep and nuanced technical argument.

 

[Phorize]

I think it may be more that he doesn't want to alienate dealers and customers who think that loudspeakers have magical properties. If I were a loudspeaker designer I'd be terrified of having to go toe to toe with KEF and the rest. Even small designers like Philharmonic or Ascend have levels of knowledge and skill that are very hard to compete with.

 

[Ktacos]

I once said on the forum that I thought all speakers should have a spinorama and Shaw expressed skepticism that it would be useful (“what would that tell you?”). He also threw shade on the Klippel methodology relative to anechoic measurements. He has never addressed dispersion characteristics in his posts to my knowledge, and has deleted my posts mentioning it. All without really discussing any shortcomings he may believe or have found.

So while I broadly agree, he has gone a bit too far talking book, IMO.

Genuinely don't understand how people become this stupid and stubborn.

 

[ahofer]

Genuinely don't understand how people become this stupid and stubborn.

When their living depends on it. Shaw has a difficult path to tread - many, if not most, of his customers are hardcore subjectivists and he risks offending them. I'm a little surprised he is such a hardline public objectivist about electronics (see my quotes).

 

[Willem]

If I ran the company I would have no idea how I'd chart a transition to more modern way of doing things without losing most of their existing customers.

He is doing this carefully. He has hired a few engineers with the technical skills, and commercially he is first positioning the new products for the professional market, where he knows there will be no audiophoolery criticizing him.

 

[Ktacos]

When their living depends on it. Shaw has a difficult path to tread - many, if not most, of his customers are hardcore subjectivists and he risks offending them. I'm a little surprised he is such a hardline public objectivist about electronics (see my quotes).

I bet if I tried my hand at a speaker company, it would fail for this very reason. I don't know how anyone has patience for the idiocy that permeates this hobby.

 

[sktn77a]

Honestly, you just can't anything seriously on the HUG - it's so heavily censored against anything negative about their speakers (and I own two pairs of Harbeths - M30s and P3ESRs).

 

[ahofer]

Honestly, you just can't anything seriously on the HUG - it's so heavily censored against anything negative about their speakers (and I own two pairs of Harbeths - M30s and P3ESRs).

Yes, Shaw is very particular about scientific accuracy - so long as it includes only amplification or the science that makes his speakers look good. Directivity…not a welcome topic.