{"title":"Harbeth","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"harbeth-m40-3-xd-speakers","title":"Harbeth M40.3 XD Speakers","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout The Harbeth M40.3 XD Speakers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eListening to the Harbeth Monitor 40.3 XD loudspeaker is simply the closest to actually being in the studio, but from the comfort of your own home. An advanced three-way design which gets the very best from Harbeth's drive unit mastery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Absolute Pinnacle Of Loudspeaker Design - Recommended As 'The Most Musical Monitor Ever': \u003c\/strong\u003eThe result of a passionate and tireless quest for audio perfection. Built on the success of the global award-winning M40.2 40th Anniversary, this new generation Harbeth achieves a leap in performance delivery. Stunning realism, expansive bass and lifelike transparency delivers an ultimate experience for even the most critical listener.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdaptable to a wide range of listening environments, accurate across the entire audio band, emotionally engaging and easy to drive, the M40.3 XD takes the acclaimed Harbeth sound to a new level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrepare yourself for true musical indulgence like you have never experienced before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeautiful Sound At Home: \u003c\/strong\u003eCrafted by one designer to convey the recording not to reinterpret it, there is consistent musicality right across the Harbeth loudspeaker range. Deciding on the best Harbeth for your system will come down to three things: what size speaker you're comfortable with, what power handling and frequency range you need, and what your budget can stretch to. No matter which model you choose you can be sure your speakers will have the natural, realistic, engaging sound Harbeth's are renowned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fantastic tonality, the selection and use of the finest materials throughout and sourced from the best suppliers around the world all combine to a lifetime of listening satisfaction and pride of ownership. Customers regularly comment that their Harbeths are the best investment money can make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRadial Cone Technology: \u003c\/strong\u003eIn 1990 Harbeth embarked on an ambitious three year research programme, supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) to develop a new speaker cone material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Shaw: \"We had three graduate engineers here, half funded by the government and half funded by us, who looked at the whole mysterious business of the acoustical properties of loudspeaker cones. It was an enormous project, and part of the ongoing process was to invent a material, make a number of samples of it and then from that, calculate its density and acoustic properties and so on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe plotted the mechanical properties of the materials versus frequency, and started to understand what was going on acoustically inside the plastics. Eventually we realised that what we wanted was something that was very stiff in one frequency band and had certain characteristics, and yet had different characteristics in another band and yet other characteristics in yet another frequency band! So we got into the business of blending different materials whereby we could optimise the frequency response and the acoustic quality according to the ratio of different materials we had combined in the blend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of it we came up with an injection-moulded material which we called RADIAL (from Research and Development In Advanced Loudspeakers). It would have been very hard to get a supplier to make suitably small quantities of this custom-blend as sheet material for vacuum forming. Fortunately, injection-moulding overcame this problem and gave a huge performance benefit as well.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRADIAL™, now in Mk 2 form, is still unbeatable for clarity and resolution and is used in all Harbeth speakers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinfield Factory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lindfield production is the hub of the Harbeth operation, where batches of loudspeakers are assembled every day. One day you'll see P3ESR's alongside and dwarfed by the mighty Monitor 40.3s under assembly, the next day the SHL5plus alongside the C7ES-3. Harbeth only builds to order, and with 95% of production in-bulk and destined for export customers, the factory has a full order book for months ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoudspeaker design and manufacture, rather like the crafting of musical instruments, is a particular combination of art and science. Aside from the natural variations in veneers — which make for variety on the production line — art hands over to science as the only way to control consistency. There are a hundred or so piece parts that combine onto a finished loudspeaker, and all of these are hand-assembled by experts who have worked together at Harbeth for a combined 60 years. Harbeth know their products inside out!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Visitors are amazed at how efficient Harbeth is at production.\" Alan Shaw – Designer, Harbeth Audio Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarbeth In Society:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harbeth Audio has been hand-making high-quality loudspeakers for over thirty years. The products are exported to Hi-Fi enthusiasts around the world, and the brand is also popular with broadcasters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike modern, snap-together boxes Harbeth speakers give many decades of service, often outliving their users. Since they have a virtually indefinite life there's no need for any Harbeth speakers to be thrown away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Harbeth is made in an environmentally-friendly way, using long-established methods. They can therefore be rejuvenated because of the expensive, but traditional, way they are designed and built. Further, Harbeth work closely with their suppliers to encourage the most sustainable approach possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUnderstanding The XD Series – An Interview with Alan Shaw\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith the success of the previous series, why did Harbeth need to change it? \u003c\/strong\u003eAs you know, we have been running the Standard series alongside the Anniversary series on our production line for a few years. You would be surprised at how few components are common to these two series. The cabinets are different (veneer choices and cut-out for the terminals), all the capacitors are of a different style, shape and size on the crossover boards and there is an adaptor board in the Anniversary speaker to convert the connection of the WBT terminals into a long-term 'Harbeth standard' for internal wiring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaken together, this has expanded the number of unique products that we offer to over forty-five, and that has proved to be a complex logistical matter for a small company. So the core rationale behind the planned phase-out of the Anniversary series has been 'simplification and standardisation' – the new XD series has reduced forty-five product lines into sixteen, with efficiency gains throughout production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow did you first approach the challenge of improving the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eInteresting question. My first desire was to eliminate all the cosmetic features of the Anniversary series as that moment of celebration has now passed. That means, any elements which added complexity (such as the WBT connectors), even though they looked impressive, had to be removed. Of course, the customers had become accustomed to the Anniversary sonic performance and we had to at least match that in the XD series, but in a simplified package. The art was to know what features added complexity without justified sonic advantage and remove only those.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the main innovations that have made the difference to the sound of the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eMy test and measurement facilities give me a sonic 'microscope' into the performance of the speaker. Over the years I have invested in a more and more powerful analytical 'microscope', and small deviations from perfection that I could not observe years ago are now very obvious. So I have flattened-out small 'lumps and bumps' in the frequency response by using custom made resistors, coils and capacitors. So the overall sound is better integrated bass\/mid\/top.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn particular, which speaker are you most proud of in the new range?\u003c\/strong\u003e I've always had a particular fondness for the Compact 7. I like the form factor. When I heard the Compact 7ES-3 I could hardly believe that it was the product of my own creation! Of course, the completely redesigned P3ESR-XD is also very special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you had to summarise the effect of all these changes? \u003c\/strong\u003eI have, coincidentally, been reading over the last year about Japanese management practice, and in particular the influence of Honda in LEAN manufacturing philosophy. It seems that business efficiency is really the secret of great success, and the XD series is not just another Harbeth family, but the encapsulation of a shift in Harbeth's approach to production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have the space and the budget, the Monitor 40.3 XD is the one to have. This speaker has a top to bottom clarity and dynamics that are downright scary. Make no mistake, these are big 3 way speakers that work best in a larger listening environment, well away from walls, on suitable stands. They also come alive with a bit of refined power on tap. Harbeth say you can drive them with just 35 Watts and if you don't have a huge room and don't play them very loud and perhaps you have a favourite valve amp of around that wattage then this could very well be the way to go. However, from our experiments, several hundred Watts, Harbeth say up to 650 Watts, makes these puppies really sit up and take notice. Suitably powered these are the ultimate rock speaker and are obviously ideally suited to large scale classical pieces as well as big band and organ. Of course, smaller scale works are also handled with aplomb as well as intimate vocals and solo guitar and if you couldn't see them you'd never know they were monstrous three ways. Although monstrous is a relative term and we only mean this in the context of the Harbeth lineup. After all, they do use the 8\" RADIAL2 driver as a midrange (!) and then add a 12\" woofer to handle the bass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have the space, the budget and the amplification, these speakers will do absolutely anything you want them to, and keep you coming back for more, and more, and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbeth","offers":[{"title":"Rosewood","offer_id":43253044052104,"sku":"741921878291","price":33000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cherry","offer_id":43253043986568,"sku":"500012012","price":33000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Okoume","offer_id":43253044019336,"sku":"500012405","price":33000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Walnut","offer_id":43253044084872,"sku":"500012014","price":33000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0663\/9317\/8248\/files\/harbeth-m40.3-rosewood-2s_1_2.jpg?v=1737435368"},{"product_id":"harbeth-shl5plus-xd-speakers","title":"Harbeth SHL5plus XD Speakers","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout The Harbeth SHL5plus XD Speakers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model line that launched the Harbeth company is universally revered for its big, beautiful sound. The SHL5plus XD loudspeaker version takes the Harbeth tradition of stunning musical involvement to another performance level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Ultimate British Domestic Monitor - A Loudspeaker That Is Both Explicit \u0026amp; Truthfully Beautiful: \u003c\/strong\u003eThe definitive Harbeth loudspeaker delivers the ultimate high-end audio experience. The SHL5plus XD gets the very best from the Harbeth-made 200mm RADIAL2™ bass\/mid driver in a cabinet that is skilfully designed according to the pioneering research undertaken by the BBC. The system sound is large, powerful and transparent with an astonishing freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are music experiences in life so epic that you wish they never end, with the SHL5plus XD you can relive that moment again, and again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBeautiful Sound At Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrafted by one designer to convey the recording not to reinterpret it, there is consistent musicality right across the Harbeth loudspeaker range. Deciding on the best Harbeth for your system will come down to three things: what size speaker you're comfortable with, what power handling and frequency range you need, and what your budget can stretch to. No matter which model you choose you can be sure your speakers will have the natural, realistic, engaging sound Harbeth's are renowned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fantastic tonality, the selection and use of the finest materials throughout and sourced from the best suppliers around the world all combine to a lifetime of listening satisfaction and pride of ownership. Customers regularly comment that their Harbeths are the best investment money can make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRadial Cone Technology\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1990 Harbeth embarked on an ambitious three year research programme, supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) to develop a new speaker cone material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Shaw: \"We had three graduate engineers here, half funded by the government and half funded by us, who looked at the whole mysterious business of the acoustical properties of loudspeaker cones. It was an enormous project, and part of the ongoing process was to invent a material, make a number of samples of it and then from that, calculate its density and acoustic properties and so on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe plotted the mechanical properties of the materials versus frequency, and started to understand what was going on acoustically inside the plastics. Eventually we realised that what we wanted was something that was very stiff in one frequency band and had certain characteristics, and yet had different characteristics in another band and yet other characteristics in yet another frequency band! So we got into the business of blending different materials whereby we could optimise the frequency response and the acoustic quality according to the ratio of different materials we had combined in the blend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of it we came up with an injection-moulded material which we called RADIAL (from Research and Development In Advanced Loudspeakers). It would have been very hard to get a supplier to make suitably small quantities of this custom-blend as sheet material for vacuum forming. Fortunately, injection-moulding overcame this problem and gave a huge performance benefit as well.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRADIAL™, now in Mk 2 form, is still unbeatable for clarity and resolution and is used in all Harbeth speakers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinfield Factory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lindfield production is the hub of the Harbeth operation, where batches of loudspeakers are assembled every day. One day you'll see P3ESR's alongside and dwarfed by the mighty Monitor 40.3s under assembly, the next day the SHL5plus alongside the C7ES-3. Harbeth only builds to order, and with 95% of production in-bulk and destined for export customers, the factory has a full order book for months ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoudspeaker design and manufacture, rather like the crafting of musical instruments, is a particular combination of art and science. Aside from the natural variations in veneers — which make for variety on the production line — art hands over to science as the only way to control consistency. There are a hundred or so piece parts that combine onto a finished loudspeaker, and all of these are hand-assembled by experts who have worked together at Harbeth for a combined 60 years. Harbeth know their products inside out!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Visitors are amazed at how efficient Harbeth is at production.\" Alan Shaw – Designer, Harbeth Audio Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarbeth In Society:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harbeth Audio has been hand-making high-quality loudspeakers for over thirty years. The products are exported to Hi-Fi enthusiasts around the world, and the brand is also popular with broadcasters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike modern, snap-together boxes Harbeth speakers give many decades of service, often outliving their users. Since they have a virtually indefinite life there's no need for any Harbeth speakers to be thrown away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Harbeth is made in an environmentally-friendly way, using long-established methods. They can therefore be rejuvenated because of the expensive, but traditional, way they are designed and built. Further, Harbeth work closely with their suppliers to encourage the most sustainable approach possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUnderstanding The XD Series – An Interview with Alan Shaw\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith the success of the previous series, why did Harbeth need to change it? \u003c\/strong\u003eAs you know, we have been running the Standard series alongside the Anniversary series on our production line for a few years. You would be surprised at how few components are common to these two series. The cabinets are different (veneer choices and cut-out for the terminals), all the capacitors are of a different style, shape and size on the crossover boards and there is an adaptor board in the Anniversary speaker to convert the connection of the WBT terminals into a long-term 'Harbeth standard' for internal wiring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaken together, this has expanded the number of unique products that we offer to over forty-five, and that has proved to be a complex logistical matter for a small company. So the core rationale behind the planned phase-out of the Anniversary series has been 'simplification and standardisation' – the new XD series has reduced forty-five product lines into sixteen, with efficiency gains throughout production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow did you first approach the challenge of improving the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eInteresting question. My first desire was to eliminate all the cosmetic features of the Anniversary series as that moment of celebration has now passed. That means, any elements which added complexity (such as the WBT connectors), even though they looked impressive, had to be removed. Of course, the customers had become accustomed to the Anniversary sonic performance and we had to at least match that in the XD series, but in a simplified package. The art was to know what features added complexity without justified sonic advantage and remove only those.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the main innovations that have made the difference to the sound of the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eMy test and measurement facilities give me a sonic 'microscope' into the performance of the speaker. Over the years I have invested in a more and more powerful analytical 'microscope', and small deviations from perfection that I could not observe years ago are now very obvious. So I have flattened-out small 'lumps and bumps' in the frequency response by using custom made resistors, coils and capacitors. So the overall sound is better integrated bass\/mid\/top.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn particular, which speaker are you most proud of in the new range?\u003c\/strong\u003e I've always had a particular fondness for the Compact 7. I like the form factor. When I heard the Compact 7ES-3 I could hardly believe that it was the product of my own creation! Of course, the completely redesigned P3ESR-XD is also very special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you had to summarise the effect of all these changes? \u003c\/strong\u003eI have, coincidentally, been reading over the last year about Japanese management practice, and in particular the influence of Honda in LEAN manufacturing philosophy. It seems that business efficiency is really the secret of great success, and the XD series is not just another Harbeth family, but the encapsulation of a shift in Harbeth's approach to production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHarbeth SHL5 Plus XD Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"More than one audiophile has found hi-fi contentment in a pair of Harbeth loudspeakers. Founded by former BBC engineer Dudley Harwood, in West Sussex, England, Harbeth Audio Ltd. has sold thousands of loudspeakers to people who cherish clean musical expression, luminous tone, and exceptional midrange lucidity, achieved with the company's unusual thin-walled cabinetry. Though generally requiring more than flea watts to drive, Harbeths work well with a wide range of amplification: solid state, reasonably powerful, push-pull tubes—even, probably, high performance class-D. Harbeths have this reputation: That they can put an end to audiophilia nervosa, becoming one's final loudspeaker purchase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarbeth's finishes are almost as revered as their sound. Everyone visiting my Manhattan listening den during the review period was knocked out by the review pair's rosewood boxes even before they started making music. Equally lovely were the German-made TonTräger stands, built especially for the SHL5plus XD.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Super HL5plus XD succeeded at being exceptionally refined, robust, and fun, in roughly equal parts. It was ultradetailed but never surgical. Its immaculate resolution never sounded less than natural, smooth, never processed. The seamlessness the SHL5plus XD bestowed on music, in both tone and dynamics, coupled to its ability to disappear completely, startled me first, then soothed  me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWriting about an earlier version of this speaker, Art Dudley noted its \"beauty.\" Indeed, this may be the most beautiful-sounding speaker ever to grace my West Village crib. But it also conjured a mysterious, beyond-its-specs, inscrutable magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI found the SHL5plus XD transparent, in the sense of faithfulness to the recorded event. It didn't turn bad recordings into good ones, but it made listening to well recorded sounds a special, consuming experience. The SHL5plus XD played with more ease, fluidity, and seamless dynamics than most speakers. Not to sound daft, but at the same time, they seemed to exude a spiritual quality, a life force beyond that of conjoined wood, paper, metal, and polypropylene. They practically gleam from the inside out. This speaker was at once literal—natural—and something more. Magical. Luminous. To the sense of a piece of music recorded in a specific time and place, they added something more, as if those (cabinet?) resonances were not just physical but emotional—as if the speaker tapped memories buried in the music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy this point, you must think I've snorted fairy dust. I am not suggesting magic in any literal way. I'm trying to find ways to communicate the faultless musicality, exquisite voicing, tone, articulation, lyricism, and mojo I heard from the SHL5plus XDs, which seem to add up to something more than those individual elements. My Spendor BC1s sound sweeter, warmer, soggier. They have a rounder, less dynamic low end. But they lacked that spiritual quality the Harbeths exuded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy audio running buddy Dr. Cohen noted, while listening to Hermeto Pascoal's Zabumbê-bum-á (LP, Polysom 33368-1): \"While the speakers do the basic chores of having excellent frequency balance and soundstage cohesion, it's their liquidity and lack of upper midrange and lower treble grit that is perhaps the most intoxicating element to the sound.\" While visiting and enjoying John Coltrane's Crescent (LP, Impulse! AS-66), Stereophile colleague Alex Halberstadt said, \"Though they are smaller speakers in a smaller space, the Harbeths have a life force and openness similar to the Klipsch La Scalas. They are unambiguously amazing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf anything, you'd expect an intentionally resonant box to get in the way of decay tails, interfering with themselves and making them shorter; instead, they were off the charts. You might also expect such a design to collapse the stereo image, attaching it to the box. Didn't happen. Imaging and soundstage were similarly profound: an enveloping 3D soundfield, at least with recordings with that potential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e… the Harbeth Super HL5plus XD is easily the finest standmount speaker I've heard, and it challenges most floorstanders for pure musicality and enjoyment. It manages to combine high definition, warmth, soundstage dimensionality, intimacy, lyricism, gracefulness, refinement, insight, and clarity, and to weave those elements into a beautiful, sensuous, fulfilling whole.\" \u003cstrong\u003eStereophile\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the one. If you're saving up your shekels and wondering which Harbeth is the best one for you, this is it. Obviously there are a few provisos. You'll need an amplifier of at least 25 Watts but they can handle a lot more and they truly come alive when there's a bit of power on tap. Obviously if your listening room is the size of a cathedral then you should go for the M40.3 XD and if you're restricted to listening in a small bedroom then the P3ESR XD or at a stretch the M30.2 XD would be better choices. But for the vast majority of rooms from medium to larger ones, with all sorts of acoustic properties and with almost any music, the Harbeth SHL5plus XD are the best speakers in the world at anywhere near their price point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou could extoll their virtues for days, there's just so much to love, but ultimately it comes down to one thing – when you hear these speakers, you just want to keep listening to music. And that, dear listeners, is music to our ears. Save up, buy them, and never think about changing your speakers again.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbeth","offers":[{"title":"Cherry","offer_id":43253044117640,"sku":"500012016","price":9990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Okoume","offer_id":43253044150408,"sku":"500012404","price":9990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Rosewood","offer_id":43253044183176,"sku":"500012017","price":9990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Walnut","offer_id":43253044215944,"sku":"500012018","price":9990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0663\/9317\/8248\/files\/harbeth-shl5-xd-rosewood-2s_1.jpg?v=1737435376"},{"product_id":"harbeth-m30-2-xd-speakers","title":"Harbeth M30.2 XD Speakers","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout The Harbeth M30.2 XD Speakers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Monitor 30.2 XD loudspeaker inherits the Reference standard sound of the acclaimed Monitor 40.3 XD.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Refinement Of The BBC LS5\/9 Speaker - A Speaker For The Critical Listener: \u003c\/strong\u003eHarbeth's design team has redefined the virtues of a speaker which has won worldwide accolades to a new intensity. Allowing rarefied audio transparency to be revealed and ultimately enjoyed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe smallest Harbeth to be engineered around the exclusive 200mm (8\") RADIAL2™ mid\/bass driver – derived from the reference M40.3 – this space saver monitor disappears into any listening room. The outstanding midrange clarity and controlled bass bring music to life in a wide range of domestic listening environments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe M30.2 XD loudspeaker takes the Harbeth tradition of stunning musical involvement to another performance level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeautiful Sound At Home: \u003c\/strong\u003eCrafted by one designer to convey the recording not to reinterpret it, there is consistent musicality right across the Harbeth loudspeaker range. Deciding on the best Harbeth for your system will come down to three things: what size speaker you're comfortable with, what power handling and frequency range you need, and what your budget can stretch to. No matter which model you choose you can be sure your speakers will have the natural, realistic, engaging sound Harbeth's are renowned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fantastic tonality, the selection and use of the finest materials throughout and sourced from the best suppliers around the world all combine to a lifetime of listening satisfaction and pride of ownership. Customers regularly comment that their Harbeths are the best investment money can make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRadial Cone Technology: \u003c\/strong\u003eIn 1990 Harbeth embarked on an ambitious three year research programme, supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) to develop a new speaker cone material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Shaw: \"We had three graduate engineers here, half funded by the government and half funded by us, who looked at the whole mysterious business of the acoustical properties of loudspeaker cones. It was an enormous project, and part of the ongoing process was to invent a material, make a number of samples of it and then from that, calculate its density and acoustic properties and so on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe plotted the mechanical properties of the materials versus frequency, and started to understand what was going on acoustically inside the plastics. Eventually we realised that what we wanted was something that was very stiff in one frequency band and had certain characteristics, and yet had different characteristics in another band and yet other characteristics in yet another frequency band! So we got into the business of blending different materials whereby we could optimise the frequency response and the acoustic quality according to the ratio of different materials we had combined in the blend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of it we came up with an injection-moulded material which we called RADIAL (from Research and Development In Advanced Loudspeakers). It would have been very hard to get a supplier to make suitably small quantities of this custom-blend as sheet material for vacuum forming. Fortunately, injection-moulding overcame this problem and gave a huge performance benefit as well.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRADIAL™, now in Mk 2 form, is still unbeatable for clarity and resolution and is used in all Harbeth speakers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinfield Factory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lindfield production is the hub of the Harbeth operation, where batches of loudspeakers are assembled every day. One day you'll see P3ESR's alongside and dwarfed by the mighty Monitor 40.3s under assembly, the next day the SHL5plus alongside the C7ES-3. Harbeth only builds to order, and with 95% of production in-bulk and destined for export customers, the factory has a full order book for months ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoudspeaker design and manufacture, rather like the crafting of musical instruments, is a particular combination of art and science. Aside from the natural variations in veneers — which make for variety on the production line — art hands over to science as the only way to control consistency. There are a hundred or so piece parts that combine onto a finished loudspeaker, and all of these are hand-assembled by experts who have worked together at Harbeth for a combined 60 years. Harbeth know their products inside out!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Visitors are amazed at how efficient Harbeth is at production.\" Alan Shaw – Designer, Harbeth Audio Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarbeth In Society:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harbeth Audio has been hand-making high-quality loudspeakers for over thirty years. The products are exported to Hi-Fi enthusiasts around the world, and the brand is also popular with broadcasters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike modern, snap-together boxes Harbeth speakers give many decades of service, often outliving their users. Since they have a virtually indefinite life there's no need for any Harbeth speakers to be thrown away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Harbeth is made in an environmentally-friendly way, using long-established methods. They can therefore be rejuvenated because of the expensive, but traditional, way they are designed and built. Further, Harbeth work closely with their suppliers to encourage the most sustainable approach possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUnderstanding The XD Series – An Interview with Alan Shaw\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith the success of the previous series, why did Harbeth need to change it? \u003c\/strong\u003eAs you know, we have been running the Standard series alongside the Anniversary series on our production line for a few years. You would be surprised at how few components are common to these two series. The cabinets are different (veneer choices and cut-out for the terminals), all the capacitors are of a different style, shape and size on the crossover boards and there is an adaptor board in the Anniversary speaker to convert the connection of the WBT terminals into a long-term 'Harbeth standard' for internal wiring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaken together, this has expanded the number of unique products that we offer to over forty-five, and that has proved to be a complex logistical matter for a small company. So the core rationale behind the planned phase-out of the Anniversary series has been 'simplification and standardisation' – the new XD series has reduced forty-five product lines into sixteen, with efficiency gains throughout production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow did you first approach the challenge of improving the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eInteresting question. My first desire was to eliminate all the cosmetic features of the Anniversary series as that moment of celebration has now passed. That means, any elements which added complexity (such as the WBT connectors), even though they looked impressive, had to be removed. Of course, the customers had become accustomed to the Anniversary sonic performance and we had to at least match that in the XD series, but in a simplified package. The art was to know what features added complexity without justified sonic advantage and remove only those.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the main innovations that have made the difference to the sound of the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eMy test and measurement facilities give me a sonic 'microscope' into the performance of the speaker. Over the years I have invested in a more and more powerful analytical 'microscope', and small deviations from perfection that I could not observe years ago are now very obvious. So I have flattened-out small 'lumps and bumps' in the frequency response by using custom made resistors, coils and capacitors. So the overall sound is better integrated bass\/mid\/top.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn particular, which speaker are you most proud of in the new range?\u003c\/strong\u003e I've always had a particular fondness for the Compact 7. I like the form factor. When I heard the Compact 7ES-3 I could hardly believe that it was the product of my own creation! Of course, the completely redesigned P3ESR-XD is also very special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you had to summarise the effect of all these changes? \u003c\/strong\u003eI have, coincidentally, been reading over the last year about Japanese management practice, and in particular the influence of Honda in LEAN manufacturing philosophy. It seems that business efficiency is really the secret of great success, and the XD series is not just another Harbeth family, but the encapsulation of a shift in Harbeth's approach to production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHarbeth M30.2 XD Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-block\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"details-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"description\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\"The best compact two-way speaker system PS has heard outside of Harbeth's 40.1, the M30.2 boasts high neutrality, superb resolution, and a matching of drivers with respect to sonic character that is equaled by only a small handful of multiple-driver dynamic loudspeakers. Speaking with a single voice in a way reminiscent of Quad ESLs, it is also of vanishingly low coloration and distortion, high transparency, and sheer musical authority, with a ravishing midrange. You can listen to it without fatigue for hours on end.\" \u003cstrong\u003eThe Absolute Sound Best Loudspeakers $5,000 - $10,000\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want a more relaxed listen, then the C7ES-3 XD is the speaker for you. But, if you love to hear absolutely every detail presented as clearly as possible then the M30.2 XD could be right up your alley. Don't get us wrong, the M30.2 still has that refined Harbeth sound with no sharp edges and if you are operating in a smaller room and maybe have to place your speakers a little closer to the wall then the M30.2 might be the better bet. It features a slightly flatter frequency response through the midrange which has the marvellous effect of exposing every previous hidden detail in your recordings. If its insight you want, this is it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeing the smallest Harbeth to be engineered around the exclusive 200mm (8\") RADIAL2™ mid\/bass driver – derived from the reference M40.3 – this space saver monitor disappears into any listening room. The outstanding midrange clarity and controlled bass bring music to life in a wide range of domestic listening environments. The M30.2 XD loudspeaker takes the Harbeth tradition of stunning musical involvement to another performance level.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbeth","offers":[{"title":"Cherry","offer_id":43253044248712,"sku":"500012020","price":8400.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Okoume","offer_id":43253044281480,"sku":"500012403","price":8400.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Rosewood","offer_id":43253044314248,"sku":"500012021","price":8400.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Walnut","offer_id":43253044347016,"sku":"500012022","price":8400.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0663\/9317\/8248\/files\/harbeth-m30-xd-cherry-1s_1.jpg?v=1737435404"},{"product_id":"harbeth-p3esr-xd-speakers","title":"Harbeth P3ESR XD Speakers","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout The Harbeth P3ESR XD Speakers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmazing clarity and astonishing bass from beautiful shoeboxed-sized speakers; the Harbeth P3ESR XD loudspeaker is the ultimate mini-monitor. The clean, clear Harbeth sound, in miniature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Best Iteration Of The 'BBC Mini-Monitor', By Far: \u003c\/strong\u003eHarbeth's development team has, once again, redefined what is possible from this use anywhere loudspeaker. The completed redesign maximises the performance potential of the Harbeth exclusive 110mm RADIAL2™ Cone Technology – delivering breathtaking transparency, accurate bass and dynamic integration across the audio spectrum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArguably one of the most advanced speakers in its class, the P3ESR XD is capable of being used in a wide range of listening environments and is optimised to present an easy electrical load to even low powered amplifiers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGet ready to re-experience your music collection from one of the most ground breaking speakers ever released by Harbeth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeautiful Sound At Home: \u003c\/strong\u003eCrafted by one designer to convey the recording not to reinterpret it, there is consistent musicality right across the Harbeth loudspeaker range. Deciding on the best Harbeth for your system will come down to three things: what size speaker you're comfortable with, what power handling and frequency range you need, and what your budget can stretch to. No matter which model you choose you can be sure your speakers will have the natural, realistic, engaging sound Harbeth's are renowned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fantastic tonality, the selection and use of the finest materials throughout and sourced from the best suppliers around the world all combine to a lifetime of listening satisfaction and pride of ownership. Customers regularly comment that their Harbeths are the best investment money can make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRadial Cone Technology: \u003c\/strong\u003eIn 1990 Harbeth embarked on an ambitious three year research programme, supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) to develop a new speaker cone material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Shaw: \"We had three graduate engineers here, half funded by the government and half funded by us, who looked at the whole mysterious business of the acoustical properties of loudspeaker cones. It was an enormous project, and part of the ongoing process was to invent a material, make a number of samples of it and then from that, calculate its density and acoustic properties and so on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe plotted the mechanical properties of the materials versus frequency, and started to understand what was going on acoustically inside the plastics. Eventually we realised that what we wanted was something that was very stiff in one frequency band and had certain characteristics, and yet had different characteristics in another band and yet other characteristics in yet another frequency band! So we got into the business of blending different materials whereby we could optimise the frequency response and the acoustic quality according to the ratio of different materials we had combined in the blend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of it we came up with an injection-moulded material which we called RADIAL (from Research and Development In Advanced Loudspeakers). It would have been very hard to get a supplier to make suitably small quantities of this custom-blend as sheet material for vacuum forming. Fortunately, injection-moulding overcame this problem and gave a huge performance benefit as well.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRADIAL™, now in Mk 2 form, is still unbeatable for clarity and resolution and is used in all Harbeth speakers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinfield Factory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lindfield production is the hub of the Harbeth operation, where batches of loudspeakers are assembled every day. One day you'll see P3ESR's alongside and dwarfed by the mighty Monitor 40.3s under assembly, the next day the SHL5plus alongside the C7ES-3. Harbeth only builds to order, and with 95% of production in-bulk and destined for export customers, the factory has a full order book for months ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoudspeaker design and manufacture, rather like the crafting of musical instruments, is a particular combination of art and science. Aside from the natural variations in veneers — which make for variety on the production line — art hands over to science as the only way to control consistency. There are a hundred or so piece parts that combine onto a finished loudspeaker, and all of these are hand-assembled by experts who have worked together at Harbeth for a combined 60 years. Harbeth know their products inside out!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Visitors are amazed at how efficient Harbeth is at production.\" Alan Shaw – Designer, Harbeth Audio Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarbeth In Society:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harbeth Audio has been hand-making high-quality loudspeakers for over thirty years. The products are exported to Hi-Fi enthusiasts around the world, and the brand is also popular with broadcasters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike modern, snap-together boxes Harbeth speakers give many decades of service, often outliving their users. Since they have a virtually indefinite life there's no need for any Harbeth speakers to be thrown away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Harbeth is made in an environmentally-friendly way, using long-established methods. They can therefore be rejuvenated because of the expensive, but traditional, way they are designed and built. Further, Harbeth work closely with their suppliers to encourage the most sustainable approach possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUnderstanding The XD Series – An Interview with Alan Shaw\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith the success of the previous series, why did Harbeth need to change it? \u003c\/strong\u003eAs you know, we have been running the Standard series alongside the Anniversary series on our production line for a few years. You would be surprised at how few components are common to these two series. The cabinets are different (veneer choices and cut-out for the terminals), all the capacitors are of a different style, shape and size on the crossover boards and there is an adaptor board in the Anniversary speaker to convert the connection of the WBT terminals into a long-term 'Harbeth standard' for internal wiring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaken together, this has expanded the number of unique products that we offer to over forty-five, and that has proved to be a complex logistical matter for a small company. So the core rationale behind the planned phase-out of the Anniversary series has been 'simplification and standardisation' – the new XD series has reduced forty-five product lines into sixteen, with efficiency gains throughout production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow did you first approach the challenge of improving the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eInteresting question. My first desire was to eliminate all the cosmetic features of the Anniversary series as that moment of celebration has now passed. That means, any elements which added complexity (such as the WBT connectors), even though they looked impressive, had to be removed. Of course, the customers had become accustomed to the Anniversary sonic performance and we had to at least match that in the XD series, but in a simplified package. The art was to know what features added complexity without justified sonic advantage and remove only those.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the main innovations that have made the difference to the sound of the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eMy test and measurement facilities give me a sonic 'microscope' into the performance of the speaker. Over the years I have invested in a more and more powerful analytical 'microscope', and small deviations from perfection that I could not observe years ago are now very obvious. So I have flattened-out small 'lumps and bumps' in the frequency response by using custom made resistors, coils and capacitors. So the overall sound is better integrated bass\/mid\/top.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn particular, which speaker are you most proud of in the new range?\u003c\/strong\u003e I've always had a particular fondness for the Compact 7. I like the form factor. When I heard the Compact 7ES-3 I could hardly believe that it was the product of my own creation! Of course, the completely redesigned P3ESR-XD is also very special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you had to summarise the effect of all these changes? \u003c\/strong\u003eI have, coincidentally, been reading over the last year about Japanese management practice, and in particular the influence of Honda in LEAN manufacturing philosophy. It seems that business efficiency is really the secret of great success, and the XD series is not just another Harbeth family, but the encapsulation of a shift in Harbeth's approach to production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHarbeth P3ESR XD Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This latest version of Alan Shaw's subcompact monitor is so cannily designed it almost transcends the limitations of its genre. Neutrality and natural tonal balance reign supreme, but this one can also play loud and descend to depths in the bass. Exceptional driver integration, coherence, and openness also characterize the design.\" \u003cstrong\u003eAbsolute Sound 2023 Editors' Choice: Best Loudspeakers USD $3,000 - $5,000 \u003c\/strong\u003e(= Approx. AUD $5,000 - $8,000 incl 10% GST)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're a bass freak you can stop reading now. However, if the all-important midrange, especially vocals, is the reason you love your stereo system then you have got to hear the Harbeth P3ESR XD. These speakers are small, so no amount of wizardry is going to conjure deep bass out of them. We're not saying they have no bass, in fact they give a lovely illusion of being far more full range than their diminutive size would suggest, it's just that these are definitely not going to flap your trouser leg. But, if you have a smaller room, or listen at lower volumes or are prepared to put in a little work integrating one, or two, of the smaller REL subwoofers then these little giant slayers may very well be your loudspeaker of choice. There's a reason that the 'BBC Mini-Monitor', originating with the LS3\/5A back in 1975, has been wildly popular with music lovers the world over since it was released. The Harbeth P3ESR XD is the best iteration of the 'BBC Mini-Monitor', by far.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbeth","offers":[{"title":"Cherry","offer_id":43253045428360,"sku":"500012028","price":4990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Okoume","offer_id":43253045461128,"sku":"500012401","price":4990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Rosewood","offer_id":43253045493896,"sku":"500012030","price":4990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Satin Black","offer_id":43253045526664,"sku":"500012029","price":4990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Walnut","offer_id":43253045559432,"sku":"500012031","price":4990.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0663\/9317\/8248\/files\/harbeth-p3esr-xd-cherry-2s_2.jpg?v=1737435404"},{"product_id":"harbeth-c7es-3-xd-speakers","title":"Harbeth C7ES-3 XD Speakers","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Harbeth C7ES-3 XD  Bookshelf Speakers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn all-around satisfying listen, the Compact 7ES-3 loudspeaker has fantastic micro-resolution and an electrifying clear presentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Icon Of Clarity, Detail, Essential Neutrality \u0026amp; Natural Tonal Balance: \u003c\/strong\u003eAllow sensational music moments to come to life in the comfort of your home with the multi-award winning, medium-sized C7ES-3 XD loudspeaker. Acclaimed for its accurate three-dimensional sound, this speaker will impress even the most religious demands of an audiophile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Harbeth secret for accuracy and lifelike sound is the meticulous attention to detail during the design stage. Critically important, but hidden, is the crossover, which carefully integrates the drive units across a wider horizontal and vertical arc. Incremental changes to this fundamental component have allowed this legendary loudspeaker to present the most challenging instruments with increased presence and transparency. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo other loudspeaker communicates the emotional power of the artist so eloquently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeautiful Sound At Home: \u003c\/strong\u003eCrafted by one designer to convey the recording not to reinterpret it, there is consistent musicality right across the Harbeth loudspeaker range. Deciding on the best Harbeth for your system will come down to three things: what size speaker you're comfortable with, what power handling and frequency range you need, and what your budget can stretch to. No matter which model you choose you can be sure your speakers will have the natural, realistic, engaging sound Harbeth's are renowned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fantastic tonality, the selection and use of the finest materials throughout and sourced from the best suppliers around the world all combine to a lifetime of listening satisfaction and pride of ownership. Customers regularly comment that their Harbeths are the best investment money can make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRadial Cone Technology: \u003c\/strong\u003eIn 1990 Harbeth embarked on an ambitious three year research programme, supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) to develop a new speaker cone material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlan Shaw: \"We had three graduate engineers here, half funded by the government and half funded by us, who looked at the whole mysterious business of the acoustical properties of loudspeaker cones. It was an enormous project, and part of the ongoing process was to invent a material, make a number of samples of it and then from that, calculate its density and acoustic properties and so on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe plotted the mechanical properties of the materials versus frequency, and started to understand what was going on acoustically inside the plastics. Eventually we realised that what we wanted was something that was very stiff in one frequency band and had certain characteristics, and yet had different characteristics in another band and yet other characteristics in yet another frequency band! So we got into the business of blending different materials whereby we could optimise the frequency response and the acoustic quality according to the ratio of different materials we had combined in the blend.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of it we came up with an injection-moulded material which we called RADIAL (from Research and Development In Advanced Loudspeakers). It would have been very hard to get a supplier to make suitably small quantities of this custom-blend as sheet material for vacuum forming. Fortunately, injection-moulding overcame this problem and gave a huge performance benefit as well.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRADIAL™, now in Mk 2 form, is still unbeatable for clarity and resolution and is used in all Harbeth speakers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinfield Factory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lindfield production is the hub of the Harbeth operation, where batches of loudspeakers are assembled every day. One day you'll see P3ESR's alongside and dwarfed by the mighty Monitor 40.3s under assembly, the next day the SHL5plus alongside the C7ES-3. Harbeth only builds to order, and with 95% of production in-bulk and destined for export customers, the factory has a full order book for months ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoudspeaker design and manufacture, rather like the crafting of musical instruments, is a particular combination of art and science. Aside from the natural variations in veneers — which make for variety on the production line — art hands over to science as the only way to control consistency. There are a hundred or so piece parts that combine onto a finished loudspeaker, and all of these are hand-assembled by experts who have worked together at Harbeth for a combined 60 years. Harbeth know their products inside out!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Visitors are amazed at how efficient Harbeth is at production.\" Alan Shaw – Designer, Harbeth Audio Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarbeth In Society:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harbeth Audio has been hand-making high-quality loudspeakers for over thirty years. The products are exported to Hi-Fi enthusiasts around the world, and the brand is also popular with broadcasters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike modern, snap-together boxes Harbeth speakers give many decades of service, often outliving their users. Since they have a virtually indefinite life there's no need for any Harbeth speakers to be thrown away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Harbeth is made in an environmentally-friendly way, using long-established methods. They can therefore be rejuvenated because of the expensive, but traditional, way they are designed and built. Further, Harbeth work closely with their suppliers to encourage the most sustainable approach possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUnderstanding The XD Series – An Interview with Alan Shaw\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWith the success of the previous series, why did Harbeth need to change it? \u003c\/strong\u003eAs you know, we have been running the Standard series alongside the Anniversary series on our production line for a few years. You would be surprised at how few components are common to these two series. The cabinets are different (veneer choices and cut-out for the terminals), all the capacitors are of a different style, shape and size on the crossover boards and there is an adaptor board in the Anniversary speaker to convert the connection of the WBT terminals into a long-term 'Harbeth standard' for internal wiring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaken together, this has expanded the number of unique products that we offer to over forty-five, and that has proved to be a complex logistical matter for a small company. So the core rationale behind the planned phase-out of the Anniversary series has been 'simplification and standardisation' – the new XD series has reduced forty-five product lines into sixteen, with efficiency gains throughout production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow did you first approach the challenge of improving the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eInteresting question. My first desire was to eliminate all the cosmetic features of the Anniversary series as that moment of celebration has now passed. That means, any elements which added complexity (such as the WBT connectors), even though they looked impressive, had to be removed. Of course, the customers had become accustomed to the Anniversary sonic performance and we had to at least match that in the XD series, but in a simplified package. The art was to know what features added complexity without justified sonic advantage and remove only those.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the main innovations that have made the difference to the sound of the new XD series? \u003c\/strong\u003eMy test and measurement facilities give me a sonic 'microscope' into the performance of the speaker. Over the years I have invested in a more and more powerful analytical 'microscope', and small deviations from perfection that I could not observe years ago are now very obvious. So I have flattened-out small 'lumps and bumps' in the frequency response by using custom made resistors, coils and capacitors. So the overall sound is better integrated bass\/mid\/top.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn particular, which speaker are you most proud of in the new range?\u003c\/strong\u003e I've always had a particular fondness for the Compact 7. I like the form factor. When I heard the Compact 7ES-3 I could hardly believe that it was the product of my own creation! Of course, the completely redesigned P3ESR-XD is also very special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you had to summarise the effect of all these changes? \u003c\/strong\u003eI have, coincidentally, been reading over the last year about Japanese management practice, and in particular the influence of Honda in LEAN manufacturing philosophy. It seems that business efficiency is really the secret of great success, and the XD series is not just another Harbeth family, but the encapsulation of a shift in Harbeth's approach to production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHarbeth C7ES-3 XD Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Over the past three years, Alan Shaw has completed a project of upgrading the entire line of Harbeth loudspeakers to XD status, which stands for \"eXtended definition\": greater transparency, extensive crossover work for better integration of drivers, and RADIAL 2, the latest formulation of Shaw's proprietary polymer compound widely recognized for reducing coloration and distortion in cone materials. This latest version of the Compact 7 is over most of its range one of the most neutral transducers I've heard in my six decades as an audiophile, and unquestionably one of the most musically natural, boasting a truthfulness to voices and the timbre of instruments and a coherence, transparency, and lack of coloration that rival the best in my experience. It also has a life, vividness, and dynamic window that completely belies its compact size and (only apparent) simplicity. Its bass extension approaches the bottom octave, albeit at reduced level and power (though more than adequate for the vast majority of acoustic music, including most symphonic music and even a lot of rock and roll). For its size and design type, this loudspeaker is at once a true reference standard and a music lover's dream.\" \u003cstrong\u003e2023 Golden Ear: The Absolute Sound\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Harbeth C7ES-3 XD is a superb all-rounder. It's a little like a Goldilocks speaker, not too big, not too small, not too expensive and able to fill even quite large rooms with near full range sound. The secret sauce is the Harbeth designed RADIAL2™ Mid\/Bass driver which is possibly the most neutral speaker cone ever developed. It speaks with one voice over most of the frequencies which are important to the reproduction of music in a smooth and effortless fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course the fabulous cabinetry, top class crossover and ferrofluid-cooled tweeter all play their part but we keep coming back to that driver. Oh, and there's also the not inconsiderable talent that designer (and owner) Alan Shaw brings to the party. Without his almost obsessive level of attention to every detail involved in the design of this speaker including the hundreds of hours of listening required to finalise the design we just wouldn't have this, or any other Harbeth. You can't buy him and take him home but you can buy his creations and the C7ES-3 XD is one of his sweetest.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbeth","offers":[{"title":"Cherry","offer_id":43253045592200,"sku":"500012024","price":7000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Okoume","offer_id":43253045624968,"sku":"500012402","price":7000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Rosewood","offer_id":43253045657736,"sku":"500012025","price":7000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Walnut","offer_id":43253045690504,"sku":"500012026","price":7000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0663\/9317\/8248\/files\/harbeth-c7es-3xd-walnut-1s_1.jpg?v=1737435392"},{"product_id":"harbeth-nelson-powered-subwoofer-speaker-stand","title":"Harbeth Nelson Powered Subwoofer \u0026 Speaker Stand","description":"\u003ch2\u003eHarbeth Nelson Powered Subwoofer \u0026amp; Speaker Stand\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nelson subwoofer + stand solution delivers intense bass performance for mini monitors, including all Harbeth P3ESR and BBC LS3\/5A models, without compromising space. Its innovative design incorporates a Harbeth 5-inch (127 mm) drive unit and 50 Watts of digital amplifier power, resulting in exceptional bass control, perfect integration and power output. Remove the stress of stand selection by choosing Nelson – the ultimate Harbeth stand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePower with Control: \u003c\/strong\u003eWith the sub-level control, the listener can adjust the bass up and down to suit personal preference, listening material and room characteristics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Smart Approach: \u003c\/strong\u003eThe Nelson's digital signal processing unit optimises the crossover frequency, phase and shape so the Nelson takes over seamlessly as the host speaker's bass rolls off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo test equipment or technical knowledge is needed to integrate Nelson into your system. It's truly a plug-in-and-play system with only one control for bass level, which you can set to taste.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLinfield Factory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lindfield production is the hub of the Harbeth operation, where batches of loudspeakers are assembled every day. One day you'll see P3ESR's alongside and dwarfed by the mighty Monitor 40.3s under assembly, the next day the SHL5plus alongside the C7ES-3. Harbeth only builds to order, and with 95% of production in-bulk and destined for export customers, the factory has a full order book for months ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoudspeaker design and manufacture, rather like the crafting of musical instruments, is a particular combination of art and science. Aside from the natural variations in veneers — which make for variety on the production line — art hands over to science as the only way to control consistency. There are a hundred or so piece parts that combine onto a finished loudspeaker, and all of these are hand-assembled by experts who have worked together at Harbeth for a combined 60 years. Harbeth know their products inside out!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Visitors are amazed at how efficient Harbeth is at production.\" Alan Shaw – Designer, Harbeth Audio Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarbeth In Society:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harbeth Audio has been hand-making high-quality loudspeakers for over thirty years. The products are exported to Hi-Fi enthusiasts around the world, and the brand is also popular with broadcasters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike modern, snap-together boxes Harbeth speakers give many decades of service, often outliving their users. Since they have a virtually indefinite life there's no need for any Harbeth speakers to be thrown away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Harbeth is made in an environmentally-friendly way, using long-established methods. They can therefore be rejuvenated because of the expensive, but traditional, way they are designed and built. Further, Harbeth work closely with their suppliers to encourage the most sustainable approach possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Harbeth\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarbeth was founded in 1977 by BBC veteran Dudley Harwood to produce the HL Monitor (Mk1), built around his newly-patented polypropylene-coned bass-midrange woofer, the world's first. The name Harbeth came from his surname, Harwood, and his wife's first name, Elizabeth – Har-beth. In 1986 the company was taken over by Alan Shaw who set about streamlining production whilst retaining the heritage of the brand. In the early 90's a radical new cone material called Radial was developed which has been used in first generation and now Radial MK 2 form in every speaker since.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarbeths are known for their easy natural sound that just makes you want to listen to music. They are a very easy load which means almost any amplifier can drive them. This is extremely useful when you're wanting to move into the Harbeth universe from an existing system. The only thing you really need to change is the speakers. The selection of the optimum Harbeth for your system is just a matter of size, power handling, and budget as all excel at believable, natural, realistic, engaging sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHarbeth Nelson Review\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The Harbeth smoothness that makes for continued fatigue-free listening is further enhanced with the extra richness the Nelson subwoofer stand has brought to the mix. If you own a pair of Harbeth P3ESR or LS3\/5A equivalents, you owe it to your ears to match them with this ultimate accessory.\" \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Edwards - Bafta-Award Winning Sound Director\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Take On The Harbeth Nelson\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe P3ESR XD has always been a tough little speaker when it comes to finding suitable stands that are actually stable. As much as we love TonTräger stands, the thin tall models for the P3ESR XD are a non-starter if you have children or pets as they can be knocked over far too easily. So, in effect, Harbeth have created a product that addresses two problems at once. Firstly, the Nelson is a very effective stand that is stable and lifts the speaker to the correct height and secondly the Nelson extends the bass response down to a very satisfying 35 Hz. And, because it's designed for the P3 or any BBC LS3\/5A type speaker it is set up out of the box to play seamlessly without endless adjustments. In fact the only control is a volume control which you adjust to taste. So, the Nelson (named after Nelson's Column) is simple to set up and use and will be the perfect base to give your little speaker more bass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMain Features \u0026amp; Specifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign: Powered Subwoofer \u0026amp; Speaker Stand - Sold as a Pair\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpeakers available separately\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDigital subwoofer optimised for use with \u003cspan style=\"color: #333399;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"\/harbeth-p3esr-xd-speakers.html\" style=\"color: #333399;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHarbeth P3ESR\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, BBC LS3\/5A or any unvented bookshelf loudspeaker unit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e5\" (127mm) Harbeth-made bass drive unit in bandpass enclosure\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrequency response: 35 – 75Hz ±3dB free-space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImpedance: Active, \u0026gt;5 kilohm transformer balanced input – presents virtually no load to main amplifier\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePower: 50W RMS\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConnectors: A fitted lead connects to the binding posts of the host loudspeaker\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePower supply: Requires 24V D.C. 2A power supply. 5.5 \/ 2.1mm, centre positive. Reverse polarity protected.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncluded Accessories: Power Supply, Floor Spikes, Silicone Pads\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinish: Black\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight (+ 20mm with spikes)\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e730mm to top of speaker mounting plate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1,145mm to top of P3ESR\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e970mm to P3ESR tweeter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiameter: 350mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 7.6kg each\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eManufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Features \u0026amp; Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E\u0026amp;OE.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harbeth","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43253160509576,"sku":"500012730","price":6590.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0663\/9317\/8248\/files\/harbeth-nelson-speaker-subwoofer-1s.jpg?v=1737440745"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.audiotrends.com.au\/collections\/harbeth.oembed","provider":"Audio Trends","version":"1.0","type":"link"}