Harbeth P3ESR-XD: Badass Mini-Monitors with Tradeoffs & Compromises.
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- čas přidán 24. 09. 2022
- 2 Channel Fanbase starting back up in October - Thank you to those who have supported my efforts and appreciation for our hobby!
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Duncan Taylor Harbeth P3ESR-XD Review: • Synergistic Setups - E...
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System Tested With:
Tested With:
Harbeth M30, Balanced Audio Technology VK-55SE, Balanced Audio Technology VK-3ix, Ayre C-5xe SACD, Musical Paradise MKII Tube Preamp, Peachtree220 amp, Peachtree Novapre, Audio Research VT-100 MKIII, iFi Zen One Signature Dac, Audience & Audioquest cables.
Thank You to intro music provided by
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“Evolution” composed by Ben Tissot
"Rumble" composed by Ben Tissot - Hudba
I've been in love with the old LS3/5a speakers ever since the mid 1980s. They used to have them hanging from the ceiling at the HMV Megastore in London - always sounded fantastic. At work we had dozens of them - they were still "normal" high quality speakers back then...not treated like "works of art" like they are today. They all had scratches all over the cabinets, nobody treated them like they were anything soecial 😥 I was forever replacing the tweeters, too...when the editors put the VTRs in rewind, the high frequency audio would kill them! Thankfully KEF had a trade-in policy for the T-27(?) tweeters, or a re-coiling service. Whatever it was, I'd send several blown tweeters, and get back a bunch of "new" ones. Happy Days. Anyway, they really were incredible speakers, especially with the human voice. Easily sounded like a real person was right there in the room. Equally magical with music. I've heard many reviewers claim that these Harbeths are even better... hopefully one day ill get a chance to check them out. Sadly had to sell my LS3/5As a few years back...financial needs 😭 Anyway, if it is indeed true that these are like the LS3/5A, but even better, they must be pretty amazing! Shame the price is so high...they must be making a very tidy profit on these 🤨
These are my grail speakers. I will own a pair before the year is over to add to my collection. Awesome review.
Don't give up, good luck! Thanks for watching.
This new p3 xd is amazing, what a speaker! Add a pair of fast subs and you have some serious magic. I love them with big solid state power!
Glad you like them Rob, they are neat little speakers.
I have the P3esr and it's intended for small rooms and near-field listening. I listen from about 5 feet away with the speakers fully toed-in on stands for the best imaging. If you like rock, metal, prog (and I do!) you'll need a powerful solid state amp and a quality subwoofer. In this configuration the P3esr does a great job. Of course it's also brilliant with jazz, folk and quieter styles of music. The price hikes by Harbeth over the last couple years are ridiculous, however, and I think the entire lineup is now overpriced.
Thank you for the is contribution David. Sounds like you have the ideal set up for your P3's. There are a lot of imported brands who's prices I find "unfounded" for the sandbox they play in. There are other brands still fighting to keep their prices level or increases minimal and I applaud them. I'm not looking to start a hullabaloo with brand fanboys, so I don't post the big offensive companies. Some should be obvious versus two years ago. I appreciate you watching and adding to the discussion.
Everything is more money now, and the xd series is quite a bit better, so I don’t agree it’s overpriced.
Hello, I have the p3esr SE and also the 30.1, everything you said about those speakers I agree with you. On my little p3 I have been enjoying every kind of music. I don't really hear a lot of rock, but any Jazz and Classical music is very well performed! thank you for the video!😉
Thank you Carlos, I appreciate your contribution and experience.
Exited to see your video on Sunday.👍
Hope you enjoyed it!
Wow Love the harbeth content.
Thank you Ace
Amazing review
Glad you enjoyed it 👍
Dude that Calvin "Nailed It" is toooooo much!!!!!!!!
Glad someone has a good sense of humor ☺️
Actually, the t-shirt's image is of Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer who momentously nailed his ninety five theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg. Jean Calvin was the leading Reformation theologian. Unfortunately, the t-shirt just reveals the utter banality of the expression 'nailed it' in everyday language. That said, it was great insightful review of the Harbeths.
You make an excellent point. You do need to consider where you live- particularly if you live in a room or apartment. Huge bass may not serve you well if you live upstairs!
I've been fortunate to experience setting up several types of rooms and the unique challenges. Luckily there are terrific speakers for every situation and budget level.
great review
Thank you
Great video! I'm looking into these or the Proac Tablette 10--I have a Belles Aria (75wpc) integrated and a REL T7x sub. Have you heard the Harbeths with a REL sub?
Thank you, I have not heard any Harbeth's paired with subwoofers, though very necessary for the P3's and M30's.
Love Shelby Lynne!
She remains underrated they way Brandie Carlile did.
Great review. I listen to tons of rock and metal on my p3's and your description is right on. Looks like you're using some sort of isolation footer between the speaker and the stand?
You are correct, I am using the Sound Addicted Subcone's, 1.75" isolators. Mostly so I could get the correct ear to tweeter height and not invest in new stands for a temporary demo. Thank you for your compliment and taking a look!
@@2ChannelListening Thanks for the info! As for favorite tracks I probably can't pick just one. But speaking of Priest, checkout Sad Wings of Destiny - whole record. The p3's really shine on this! And for something completely different, Sara Bareilles Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (live record called Brave Enough). It's phenomenal.
Sara Live at the Variety in Atlanta is my short list of go to albums, I use Come Round Soon. Thanks for the Sad Wings of Destiny suggestion, I'll give it a spin (per se).
Good work… looking forward to the others in the line up… I always leaned towards the 5’s vs the 7’s but haven’t owned either yet. I did have the P3-2’s way back and found the PRaT wasn’t there for me compared to other mini monitors, but so it goes. However, on the right tracks they could be magic.
Cheers
Thank you Rob. The newer XD series is placating to a more modern sounding speaker, giving up a slight bit of the old warmth for extension.
TMR are stand-up folks.
Hi Blue, thanks for watching
lindsey Webster track ( the way) sounds Amazing 🔉🎶👌
Very smooth like Sade. Thank you for the referral.
Did you find these bright, or forward at all? I do hear of comments about that, but I'm not sure if that's in direct comparison to the original P3s, or speakers generally.
Of the four Harbeths I spent time with in this room, only the M30 (2008 version) gave me some room mode and nasally issues. All three XD speakers, including the P3 were completely fatigue free, even at higher listening levels and with amps I found fatiguing on other speakers. The only caveat with the P3 is I did not try them in a complete nearfield set up, so maybe that could be possible with poor amp matching.
Jason I have to watch all the Harbeth videos and maybe will get the answer to why if you allready owned the M30's (.1 or .2?) hid you opt for the less expensive all rounder 7's?I worked at s hop where we sp;d Krell,Mac,B&W and a co-worker who I was with in the 90's just opened a record store with some limited hifi lines and has Harbeth so I might get the 30.2 XD but I almost positive fr my desktop I am going to get the P3's .The only speaker that has given me pause is the $2K aluminum isocbaric woofer loaded Super Mon Mini which Jay Iyagi and 6Moons raved over and which I sent a note to Sean to give a run as a cheaper alternative to his favorite Hifi item not just speaker the P3's you discuss here.BTW So glad I found your channel
Yeah, as you watched my Compact 7 review, now you understand.
I will go check that Super Mon Mini now, never seen or heard of it - love it. Thank you for watching!
Have you ever heard the Rogers LS 3/5A 15 OHM or the newer licensed BBC versions ?
I've heard their smaller brother LS2, incredibly impressive with female vocals, nice and warm - much too small for my daily tastes unless I could make a desktop system out of them.
@@2ChannelListeningThe Harbeths are based closely on the BBC LS3/5A monitors, right down to the wood cabinet bracing, though in the case of the LS3/5A it's birchwood rather than pine, and the slightly recessed bass drivers. Harbeth were one of the companies that manufactured and sold LS3/5As under the BBC licence, though only the later 11ohm version rather than the original 15ohm version, I believe. Indeed their founder, H.D. Harwood, was Head of BBC Loudspeaker Development through the 1960s and 70s. So this is very much an LS3/5A clone. Better? Some think so. Personally I prefer the older 15ohm LS3/5A, colouration, bass hump and all. Despite its limitations, it is just so expressive, with miraculous soundstaging. Like the P3-ESR you wouldn’t listen to Led Zeppelin on them, and they are quite ruthless of poor source material, but they are my favourite reference speakers to this day.
Great Martin Luther shirt!
Thank you...someone gets the humor in it! Cheers!
Hello from Montreal, I’m assuming the P3 would do the job as a TV speaker. I’m not talking home theatre but to replace and improve the speakers from Sony tv. I know there are cheaper and powered speakers better suited for this use. If so what small amplifier would you suggest to drive this tv setup. An aside, Rush question, what is your take on their last album Clockwork Angels? To me I think think this is one of the best concept albums ever done. The whole steam punk story, the books written by Neil and Kevin Anderson, the tour with the string ensemble. The whole package I think is totally under appreciated. In fact I love the last three albums, the maturity and thoughtfulness to detail. All the best
The good thing about the P3 is they are not that picky regarding amplification. Yes, you need good current to drive them, but one has to respect the P3's limitation past 95 db so there is no need for a heavyweight amp. I would say nothing less than a 35 watt tube amp, or 60 watts SS. With that, you have 10,000 choices...sorry. A little Cyrus HD would be a nice choice for tiny form factor and great pace, plenty of juice. Headroom is nice, Peachtree has a limited time sale on Nova150's for $999 US, that is remarkable performance per $ on a new item, the Naim Nait 5si is now $2K US with no dac...so there you go. I would look at Arcam too. Always depends on what you want to spend.
Ooh, the Rush question...I'm almost afraid to expose myself on this one. I'm being completely candid, I'm more of a 1974-1985 Rush fan (also the Terry Brown years). I started losing interest in the direction of the sound with Hold Your Fire. It has nothing to do with the consistent and amazing writing, lyrics they come up with, but the pace, rhythm and space given to notes changed. Maybe its me, but your example with Clockwork Angel, Geddy's bass guitar is more prominent and flatter. Kind of reminds me of Queensryche's "Hear in the Now Frontier". It doesn't connect with me the way Operation Mind Crime does. Hopefully this doesn't earn me apostate status! lol...
@@2ChannelListening I cannot disagree with any fan. You have the right to your opinion and because we have 40 odd years of quality music to talk about. I was 15 when I got into Rush with Permanent Waves, then right away we got Moving Pictures. So I had a hard time with going back to the older stuff but appreciated the evolution and growth. To me there only few albums I didn’t understand or thought maybe they should have skipped. Signals and Test for Echo are their weakest. I mean these albums to have some good songs but don’t hold up. I really love Vapour Trails, it’s so raw and the themes are really honest and right. I mean the last three albums they bring back what Rush was all about. Some of the best guitar is on those three.
You must be aware that there is a microbrewery up in Toronto that is making a few types of beers with the Rush name. Geddy and Alex have done a few videos. Henderson brewery see the website, just type Rush beer. But what is cool is that’s available in the Us. If you like beer… but it’s actually a good beer. A bit of fun. Have a good week.
@@davidgill2520 Did not know that, I guess I am a hoser eh! 😅 Thank you for sharing, I'll take a look, that's kinda funny. You have a terrific week too David.
Danny tore this speaker a new one when he saw the XO.
Danny can poop on the XO all he wants, the sound results cannot be argued. I admittedly would have biased myself against the Harbeths if I judged solely on parts selection. The drivers are no joke and the product performs.
@@2ChannelListening Everybody raves about this speaker. I heard it once quickly and wondered why. Room was too big perhaps.
I see you have the ifi Zen One signature DAC which I have. Great piece of kit isn't it! What are those weird looking weights that have on it and other components in your system?
What do you think of the Zen One sig?
Thank you, yes, the iFi is a terrific unit. I added nPlayer app to my iPhone and I can stream from my NAS, amazing how many players 2-3x more expensive have a hard time reliably doing this. The iFi is too light, easily moves with cables getting changed on other components, so I weigh it down with an additional 1.5# door stopper. At the making of this video I have the original Peachtree separates, Balanced Audio Tech 3xi and 255SE tube amp, plus an Ayre c5xemp SACD player. (*mind you, I bought all of this second hand market).
@@2ChannelListening Thanks for reply. Not sure if you know Triangle Esprit Titus EZ speakers. They are probably about the same size as these Harbeths but they are the best sounding speaker I have heard for under £1000 UK. I think maybe in the USA they would be a little dearer. Superb speakers if you get a chance to hear them.
@@robertmarshall7712 honestly I have had no exposure to Triangle HiFi yet, their horn loaded tweeters scare me...I would have to borrow a pair first. Unfortunately much of the really good, beautiful European HiFi costs a great deal more compared to an equal counterpart in the US, same visa versa. DHL just raised freight another 8% recently, dashing my hopes for importing another one off product. I thank you for the recommendation, if a local has a pair, I will give Triangle a listen.
@@2ChannelListening Don't be afraid of the horn-loaded tweeters. I hate brightness in a speaker and these Titus never sound bright with my Denon amp, just detailed and airy. I've heard SF Lumina ii, Wharfedale Denton 85, Dynaudio Emit 20 in my system, all beaten by the Titus. Prices here too are going up as well!
Good stuff man! Would liked to hear more on the tonality/flavor of these, especially with your reference tube gear.
Thanks JLo. I'm speculating, the much lower efficiency of the P3ESR's seemed to negate big differences between my components. I had the dial cranked much higher than I am used to seeing for the same SPL's, which makes sense, but also exacerbated volume swings between quality recorded tracks (and dreaded loudness tracks).
Great review. Interesting you felt it a better fit than the 30.2, regarding room size. Do you think the P3esr or 30.2 would be more suited (bass wise) to a room around 11.5ft x 14ft with 8ft ceilings? Thanks
Thank you for the compliment.
If your room has a way to deal with the M30's lower bass, 11.5' is still tight (I feel) for this speaker, unless you can place them along the long wall. I can say with confidence of back to back testing, the M30's have a unique bass profile versus the HL7 and Super HL5. Even the much bigger Super HL5 are more forgiving in my small room with bass. Without given away the farm for my next video, the HL Compact 7 are a sweet spot. However, in a large room, the M30 have a midrange that still outperforms speakers I've owned.
@@2ChannelListening great, thanks. That does seem to be the way with some of these medium BBC types like the 30.2, particularly rear ported versions (e.g. Graham LS6, Spendor Classic 3/1). I love small sealed boxes for their bass speed, coherence, imaging and lack of room interraction...but then crave more scale and dynamics on (some) tracks. Something like the 30.2 seem ideal on the latter, but can then cause issues in a small ish room, on tracks that are mastered more bass-heavily, particularly electronic music. Guess you can't have it all in one speaker!
@@surf6d769 Indeed! I'm still looking for that speaker I cannot live without. If I liked a narrow minded genre of music, there are plenty I could have kept for a lifetime, such as the Avalons. I just have this bad habit of needing to throw on some Judas Priest or Iron Maiden and I start craving my ZU's or Tekton's again. Good luck Surf!
what do you have hooked up to the peachtree nova150/300?
I actually have the older Peachtree separates; Nova/preamp connected to the 220 amp. I am using the newer iFi Zen One Signature Dac. I'm mulling around with adding their iFi Stream.
@@2ChannelListening I'm debating what all I should add to my niva300. Right now I'm just using a Logitech Bluetooth adaptor for spotify. Will be getting internet soon. But I'm using Cornwall 4's with this setup
@@Jason-vi2pj if you want a cheap upgrade, I would subscribe to Amazon HD Music, or Qobuz or Tidal. Streaming from either of those three, you will hear a nice difference through those Cornwalls...there is no way you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
At 2:46 into the video Sean explains that the 40th Anniversary model has upgraded crossover parts as compared to standard production models.
czcams.com/video/22BwUQZ50eQ/video.html
At 11:48 into the video Danny itemizes the parts of in the crossover. He describes the parts quality as "cheesy".
czcams.com/video/34ZLOMndBjM/video.html
I suspect the 40th Anniversary model will have a longer service life.
Alan Shaw has stated in a few of his video's that he expects 30-40 years. As for the upgraded crossover parts in the Anniversary Ed., those become the new standard for the next model year - a way of upping the price and getting existing Harbeth owners to upgrade. Thanks Ron
How much is a pair of new Harbeth P3 now?
I see P3 XD's on sale for $2,990 US for the moment.
Great video. Try listening to bubbles by yosi horikawa
Thank you Sean. I gave it a listen, certainly creates some cognitive dissonance.
@@2ChannelListening yeah it’s bizarre. For a more proper Harbeth tune, Gravity by Alison Kraus and Union Station is a good one.
@@seanb3303 Oh I love Alison. Saw her and Union Station at the Dodge in Arizona. "The Boy Wouldn't Hoe Corn" is one of my rotation songs, among so many from them. Thanks
@@2ChannelListening some great string instruments on that one. Thanks
What state did u move too 🤔
Mississippi
;-)
Harbeth 🙌
I submitted an offer last week and have had no reply. Slow people.
Surprised to hear that Jeff. Ben has always jumped on all my requests. Send me a pm if you do not get resolution. I know another guy who can help out :-)
@@2ChannelListening I do not have a contact there. Just an offer pending. I have purchased Pass gear there in the past. I think business sucks and the staff was cut.
@@jeffkalina7727 I sent a note in to them. 🤞
Appreciate that.
@@jeffkalina7727 so they do not have any record for you under Kalina. You could reach out to Ben directly bgillan@tmraudio.com and see if they can bring your deal back up.
Wow for that money, the crossovrs parts are junk
You would be surprised how many of the big, pricey brands emulate this level of x-over execution.
@@2ChannelListening I have no dought, but I do not know the brands off hand I just saw some very low quality parts.
@@2ChannelListening Buy totem. Very High quality.
@@jasonme3557 I had Totem Element Fires v1. Loved those speakers, very impressed.
Don't know about the sound, but they look pretty ugly, and the frequency response doesn't look impressive for the ridiculously high price.
You leave negative comments on a speaker you have never listened to - very instructive for the audio community.