Harbeth SHL5+ Review.

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I'm impressed by your review! I haven't heard any of the Harbeth line of speakers . This is another example of how you have given speaker manufacturers their due, in fairness. No night and day hyperbole. Just appreciation. I also like your discussion about the process you have gone through to discover the potential of your Spendors.

[@benhoog4157]

I agree with everything you say. I'm really in love with my SHL5+ 40th. Especially since I have a separate power-group in my home. And the final touch when I changed my Chord Qutest for a Holo Spring 3 KTE + pre. Now the sound is so full, so emotional, so deep, so tight. The higher the volume, it doesn't matter. Never loses grip on the music. And even at loud volume, the dynamics don't suffer. I'm so impressed, every time again. Have them for 4 years now, and they will remain for a couple of years. People who sell the Harbeth's, I think they didn't had good equipment behind the Harbeth's.

[@jeffinnh76]

Would these do well in a large room?

[@nigelgauntlett582]

Those are awesome speakers Kev ! Best of both worlds in my opinion ; musicality and detail and by all accounts the type of speaker you immerse yourself in the music ! Love to hear them ( on my bucket list now! ) Just had a similar experience listening to a pair of Audionote ANK- J Hemps ; totally shocked at how musical these baby’s are too!

[@haycrossaudio5474]

Great video. Clearly a great speaker well designed. The use of a tweeter and super tweeter is still a winning combination. Lovely cabinets to.

[@64bakes]

Good review! I bought a pair of C7ES3 40th's when that anniversary range was the latest release from Harbeth. I auditioned the HL5's first and fell in love with them. Unfortunately though, they were a fair whack more than the C7's and at the time my room was way to small to do the HL5's justice. I found them more open in the upper midrange as you noted, but what I do like about the C7's is that they struck me with their impressively tight bass compared to the HL5's, and still with a nice revealing midband as well. At the time I was upgrading from a very sentimental pair of HB1's and I wanted to retain that sound signature I liked, and the C7's with their similar size, do that and add much more detail as an upgrade.
One consistent characteristic Alan has managed to design into the entire range is the lack of fatigue you may find when listening to other brands of speaker. All Harbeths are very easy on the ears in my view.

[@Tony-qx9yb]

I have the HL5 40th anniversary on ton Traker stands with pass labs int-250 integrated amp with 2 large rel subs soekris ladder dac
Mind blowing epic sound has to be heard to be believed

[@surf6d769]

Great review again. If one day I have a bigger room, would love to give these a good listen.

[@tony-hifi-music951]

I've got my Harbeth SHL5+ hooked up to a Quad 405/2 and i agree with you all the way a great all rounder speaker love them. keep up the great work.

[@michaelorton2659]

Þ

[@xsamitt]

I had the big 40's but was too much for my smallish room! I now have the SHL5 XD's. And i love these speakers! Everything he says is spot on!

[@steenj938]

I am very much in love with my HL5 super XD ❤️ Combined with my Lyngdorf TDAI-3400, I am very satisfied 🙂
Greetings from Denmark 🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰

[@Crmsnraider]

Glad to hear a word or two on these Harbeth speakers. *thumbsup*

[@xsamitt]

Harbeths for life!

[@ChrisMag100]

I love that you mention Deadmau5. I also use his music for evaluation. “Let Go” in particular. Also, Miss Monique’s FGiX continuous mix.

[@paulrose8967]

Excellent detailed review on a speaker that I've been considering

[@dittonworks]

Thanks for watching

[@chriswright5016]

A fabulous speaker and I find it interesting that they so comprehensively best the Compact 7's. It doesn't even seem like an incremental improvement from what you're saying Kev.

[@powerslavenegi]

It would be good to know about M30.2 versus these SHL5+ . Specially how good they are with aider genres of music .

[@poonkinsun6251]

You've got so many awesome equipments👍. Can you review on speaker stands in the future? Thank you.

[@dittonworks]

I’ve reviewed stands in the past..
Open Vs high mass and I did one on Hifi Racks fortis for my Spendor Classic 2/3.. thanks for watching

[@malcolmemsley5909]

According to A.S. Harbeth work on most stands. I initially I had Something Solid stands for my SHL 5 + 40th Anniversary. They did the job but I couldn't bare to look at them as I was a Sheet Metal Worker Fabricator by trade and the workmanship and welding on them was atrocious, but you would have to be in the game to know. I sold those and picked up a pair of HiFi Racks as made for SHL 5 at a great price. They work a treat and they are beautifully made .

[@chico1287]

Totally agree with you Kevin that you need to change speakers out of curiosity otherwise you don't know how good your system can sound. I recently acquired a pair of Monitor Audio R852's (Robin Marshall designed) and omg! they are just the most musical and natural sounding speakers that I have ever layed my hands on to date. I wish I could afford Harbeths, but I think I am closer than ever to that natural and musically engaging sound!

[@dittonworks]

I’ve had a couple of pairs of those. Really pretty good speakers, enjoy.
Thanks for watching

[@stevenbirds2920]

It’s very refreshing to see content like this from a domestic UK user. So often Harbeth speakers only seem to feature in content from overseas based channels.
I would however politely question one of your remarks about Harbeth not having a house sound. The compact model sits outside the other speakers in the range in so far as it was, I understand, an Alan Shaw design from the ground up. The others are all derived from original BBC requirements and for these I think it’s generally accepted that you simple pick the one which most suits the particulars of your room and budget.
Might I also suggest that irrespective of which model you listen to in the Harbeth range you leave the speaker grills in place. They were designed to work that way.
Also, take a very serious look at the M30.2.
I purchased the M30.1 35th Anniversary Model when it was introduced some years ago. I pair them, perhaps unusually with the Quad ii Classic integrated amplifier and LFD speakers cable.

[@dittonworks]

Thanks for watching.
That makes sense regarding the house sound.
Yes grilles on for listening 👍

[@stevenbirds2920]

As an aside, my very first pair of speaker were Celestion Dutton 15s. I took a holiday job at end of lower sixth and saved to buy my first system. Had my heart set on the B&W DM4 but budget would not stretch that far and the Celestion was my next best option. My father did not like idea of them being placed directly onto the carpet- as most people did in those days- and so we had them on a short stand, no more then about 4-6 inches in height. If only he had realised - speaker stands - now there’s an idea for a business 😂
You seem to have an interest in Quad too? If you get the opportunity and come across their now discontinued Platinum Range, give their DMP and it’s matching Stereo or Mono Block Amplifiers a listen with those Harbeths. I think they are another overlooked gem.

[@dittonworks]

@@stevenbirds2920 great story 👍

[@malcolmemsley5909]

I have these in 40th Anniversary . I am now using them with Unison Research Performance valve amp. I have seen on the HUG forum some say not to use valve amps with Harbeth. I refute this, I am no electronics expert I only know what I hear. I have had Quads and Luxman L 509X. The Unison is on another level, the openness and realism is astounding. Norah Jones is right in front of you like she is there. As for power with the 40 watts its plenty and I cant get past 10 to on the volume as that would just be too loud. My room is only 12 ft x 15ft 6in a modern house so maybe 7 ft high. I have thought maybe these speakers are a little big for my room, and talking to A.S. at Bristol show just before Covid he did say the CS7 would be well suited to my room , but after listening to your take on the two I think I made the right choice. Looking at some Unison reviews I remember one stating that the Harbeths work exceptionally well with them but it wasn't the Performance, but I think it gives some idea. I did have the M30.1 Initially , there is something I miss about those, but at the time I felt some of the bottom end went missing , however that wasn't with this amp. Thanks for a great review , I have subscribed. As for the grilles, I normally listen with them in place, but when I remove them I really cant tell any difference and the speakers look way better without them.

[@bigpapa12]

Great review. In my experience front firing super tweeters introduces significant comb filtering and other nasties. Facing them to the ceiling general gives a better response. Further, if possible, I find if you can place them on axis with the tweeter voice coil is best and adding an L-pad gives the ability to fine tune them. Cheers.

[@terryilett9437]

have you checked out the Aperion line of super tweeters with adjustable crossovers, i am impressed by mine on vintage speakers, cheers

[@nodyaheads5111]

Nice review. Which iteration of SHL5+ did you test? XD ?

[@jozefserf2024]

A comparison with the Derek Hughes designed baltic birch cabinet Graham Audio speakers should be interesting.

[@eldloppa2]

What's the recording played at the start of the video?

[@Borednlonely]

The XD version is very very good. Super fast bass. But my fav is 30.2xd

[@user-te6vk3cd2o]

What makes the 30.2XD better?

[@charleskatz2606]

Nice explanation.Check out a guy "2 Chanel Audio" who does a P3esrXD.,7ES,XD,,HL-5 XD that were loaned to him and a pair of 30;s he had on hand in a shoot out.He goes inside speakers. Spoiler alert he liked the HL-5 XD's most.He also thought the 7XD's are better all 'rounders than his 30's as he thought the latter were harder to set up an more acoustic genre specific.Plus he shows that 7XD's had some crappy components.Like you he thought the HL5's were in another league.BTW what year are your HL5's?I'd love a pair but in USA at $8K they are up against some pretty amazing speakers like Revel's FE226Be.Plan to definitely get some P3esr's to replace my near field LS50's as I have yet to hear an compact that betters them

[@Benvos]

I’ve always liked the idea of Harbeth’s, I own new Spendor D7.2s. Lovely sound but don’t provide ultimate scale and punch for things like Classical and Rock. Do the Harbeths give that extra in those areas?

[@dittonworks]

Interesting.. I would have thought the D series would have excelled in that area, my Classic 2/3’s do

[@Benvos]

@@dittonworks I’m assuming the classic series might be the answer, the D series are accurate and quick, but I’m sometimes looking for that huge scale of the production which the larger classic series woofers might give. The D series are fantastic for EVERYTHING else though, hence why I’ve still got them.

[@dittonworks]

@@Benvos I love mine but as I eluded to in the video, they needed a bit of fettling.. iso feet and super tweeters etc

[@cremersalex]

In my experience, linearity is never a problem, but poor recordings or remasters (due to extra EQ enhancements) don't like speakers with bumps in the mids or treble. People always praise the mid-range of the Compact 7, but maybe their magic has to do with certain accentuations in the mid-range?

[@pungvarlarsson6451]

"Neutral, accurate" e t c is also coloured. It is high contrast. Like flooding an object in 10.000W flourescent light, does the object actually look like that? Maybe, or maybe not, depending on your perspective. I any case, it probably wasn't created to be viewed in that light.

[@DH-og5yr]

Interesting point

[@darrellsmith4463]

For someone who listens to soft rock with lots of vocals and instrumental music, how would Proac’s D2R’s compare against the Harbeth’s pluses?

[@dittonworks]

I’d go for the ProAc 👍

[@rotorfix]

I have the Classic 2/3 and am interested in how they compare to the SHL5+ in stock/standard form. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[@dittonworks]

Keep the Spendor’s, they’re more versatile and forgiving

[@rotorfix]

@@dittonworks
That was my suspicion. Thanks

[@superdougie10]

I have Celestion SL6si which is very close to the kingston's or the 700's.....Mine are from 1987.......and these little brits are adored indeed, I hope I never get ride of them they are keepers.

[@andyandy2684]

Hello… is this review on the shl5+ XD? Thanks. I have the 40th anniversary.

[@user-te6vk3cd2o]

Semplicemente perfetto! E magico!

[@philipng476]

I wonder how does this Harbeth SHL5+ stack up against Spendor Classic 1/2...

[@dittonworks]

Probably similar but I’d bet the Harbeth has a touch more detail in the hf.
My spendor Classic 2/3’s have a deeper soundstage

[@morayjames92]

thanks for this video. I wanted to ask you you if you have a preference with BBC style speakers for stands which are open to the bottom of the loudspeaker Vs stands with a solid top plate? Thank you.

[@dittonworks]

Open frame work best tbh

[@morayjames92]

@@dittonworks thanks for your reply. could you comment on the differences you hear, I don't have access to an open top stand but I do suspect that with a BBC style cabinet they make more sense than using a solid top stand. thanks.

[@dittonworks]

@@morayjames92 there’s a video on this channel all
About this subject 😊

[@morayjames92]

​@@dittonworks ok will look for it. I asked because I don't know anyone who uses this type of stand so I can't just go for a listen and check them out. But from a logical point of view for lossy panel loudspeakers they make sense to me. thanks for the video and the heads up to it.

[@morayjames92]

@@dittonworks do you recall what speakers were used so I can have a better chance of finding that video or do you recall the title? thank you.

[@jamestartaglia7686]

How big a jump are these from the q acoustics in the dyn audio type of sound

[@dittonworks]

Totally different kind of tonal qualities

[@jamestartaglia7686]

@@dittonworks okay I understand what you're saying you can even hear the difference on TH-cam or your phone 👍

[@user-ys4og2vv8k]

Have you ever tried ATC speakers, for example the ATC SCM 19?

[@dittonworks]

I’ve extensively listened to ATC SCM40’s.. excellent 👌

[@alperkaraalp8094]

Thanks Kevin .

[@paulf.724]

How much power would you recommend for the 5’s?

[@dittonworks]

50 watts plus would be my recommendation

[@paulb.3227]

I have 2x44W PrimaLuna amps ( tubes!) in an average room and they blow the windows out with my HL5's !

[@paulb.3227]

These speakers are very easy to drive.

[@andredevries4987]

Hi Kevin.
These are beautiful speakers.
Is there going te be a video of the kingstons.
Gr André de vries.

[@dittonworks]

I will do one on them soon

[@edform7080]

Romantic? 🤩

[@briancampbell7712]

if you have only 2 channel system what set of speakers would you use - no subs just a pair of 2 channel speakers?

[@dittonworks]

Depends on budget room size and the rest of the equipment.
Dynaudio’s Evoke series are great all rounders, room friendly and not amp fussy. That’s what I’d go for

[@briancampbell7712]

@@dittonworks
I thought you liked Spendor ? and my room size is 15x20...also i like bbc sound

[@briancampbell7712]

then why didn't you recomend what Spendor you use with that special tweeter?

[@DH-og5yr]

@@briancampbell7712go listen yourself and buy what you like

[@philipgardiner2003]

No run-in?

[@dittonworks]

We’re run in

[@progvinyl9021]

Mine was to bright i didnt like them so mutch

[@Synthematix]

Hang on a minute, you added tweeters to improve the bass? whats this more "audiophile" bs

[@DH-og5yr]

100%. He paid closer attention justifying the change. And by contrast, more treble may have made the bass sound deeper.

[@tetrapro2010]

Which he was right, ironically.

[@henry66699]

Again only talk...not a soundsample....its getting boring...

[@dittonworks]

Thanks for watching

[@simonirvine1628]

What we all want to know is, do you prefer the SHL5+ over your beloved Spendors...⏏⏹⏺⏪▶⏩⏸

[@dittonworks]

Oooh that’s hard to answer.

[@mullerurs3766]

@@dittonworks How are the mids and vocals compared to the P3? I love my P3 but my room is too big...so I'm thinking to move ub to SHL 5.