Harbeth P3esr or Neat with LINN?

[Blackmass]

Before you go any further this question is purely specuative,seen as I'm skint:doh::)

Has anyone tried this combination?

Over the past 18 months I've had some major upgrades to my system,well my LP12 has any way.Radikal,Uphorik,Keel,Cadenza Black* and a Dynamik for the Radikal.This has really pushed my system into another league,to my ears anyway:)

I've been thinking about upgrading my speakers.I am very happy with my Katans but would like to have a listen to afew to see whats out there.Grass is greener and all that.
My dealer will be stocking Neats soon so I'll be looking foward to a home demo in the next few months.
I would like to hear a pair of Harbeths, ideally at home but I can't see Harbeth or a dealer (who I've never met) lending me a pair.Which is fair enough.
Any ideas how to get a pair to demo at home:scratch:?

Alittle info:

My room is two and half metres by 3 metres.
I listen to indie,rock,female vocals but very little jazz or classical.Would the Harbeths be suitable?

Apologies for beening soooo long winded.

Cheers.:)

*I'm still running the Cadenza Black in at the mo,hence why I haven't reported back to those who were kind enough to give me their advice on it.
So far it's in a different class to my Kontrapunkt C.:D

[DSJR]

There is a continuing "thing" about the sonics of Linn's current amps. I cannot say more, but when you buy heavily into Linn these days, you really are "locked into" their way of reproducing sound. A drealer I know of has taken on the Linn range to become a "new age" Linn/Naim/Rega dealer. They only really wanted the LP12 but have become lumbered with everything else, which they don't like as much as their other brands. Make of that what you will, but Linn don't now feature as a leading HiFi brand and have their own little closed shop away from what's left of the fickle audiophile industry.....

Katans look good and, in their tight a*sed way, sound quite well balanced but very dry in presentation. Ninka's from the same series were far better and you have the option of going active with them (like the Katan), which took them to another level of refinement, the roughness in passive form (bi-amped or otherwise) all but disappearing. If you went active on the Katans, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised and a 5225? amp with aktiv boards (and a spare unused amplifying channel) would do supremely well in this task.

Back to the P3ESR's. Of course they'll work with the Linn amp - they're an easy load and work with almost anything. Their tonal qualities are second to none for such a small speaker and they really can sound larger than they are, WITHOUT BOOMING (for Ashley James and his cohorts should they read this and report back to him like obedient little schoolboys and who believe a small speaker should have no bass at all and a squeaky over projected upper midrange) and with a grace and lightness of touch Linn haven't heard of in their smaller speakers (or their large ones come to that, but I'm being mean now). The thing is, a good £500ish integrated amp (not just the ones I know) would probably sound as good or better than the Linn amps you have - into the P3ESR's!!!!!!!!!

[Tim]

I would like to hear a pair of Harbeths, ideally at home but I can't see Harbeth or a dealer (who I've never met) lending me a pair. Which is fair enough. Any ideas how to get a pair to demo at home
This is entirely possible IMO, phone around Harbeth dealers and I would be amazed of you could not find one to help you here?


I listen to indie, rock, female vocals but very little jazz or classical. Would the Harbeths be suitable?
Harbeth speakers excel at female vocals, but be prepared to spend a lot more money on female vocal music when you discover how wonderful they sound reproducing the female voice ;)

[Blackmass]

Thanks David.I have run the Katans active some years ago with the LK85/140.I found it abit too much for me to be honest.It still is a (very expense) option to go active with another 2200.
My thinking is maybe just get a better speaker.
By the way I love my Linn system & have done for over ten years now.To each his own I guess.

[DSJR]

Going active CAN make things worse, as flaws in the amps and speakers are shown for all they're worth. Having done this though with Katans and Ninka's I would politely suggest that Linn set the tweeter a tad higher with the active cards (I'm probably completely wrong, but that's how I heard it at the time) and my choice was to always set the tweeter level control a notch or two down on the standard setting, this, FOR ME, giving a nicer and longer term satisfaction. The LK85 was wimpish in sound IMO and only sort of worked with active Keilidhs, although the LK140 was so much better for not much more. The 5225 I'm banging on about was better again, even in stereo, and being a five channel amp was easy for bi-amping or going "Aktiv" with onboard cards fitted... A shame they never did a six channel one, or even a three channel one that could be easily doubled up for driving active 'briks and Espeks etc :(

One thing you could do before the speaker change is check your speaker cables. We sold miles of Chord odyssey at the time, although latter experience shows that the better the system, the more scrappy and "false" it sounds as a speaker cable. Linns own 400 and 600 speaker cable to me is a joke in all honesty. Iffy grade dirty looking copper in a hideous and IMO pointless clunky/chunky outer jacket. Maybe they have some new stuff now? Honestly, the £4 per metre Talk 3 cable should be at least as good and should be widely available from dealers now, although I'd probably go for one of the Fisual speaker cables (2.5mm should do it) in white available on ebay and very cheap to experiment with.

Neat speakers have a very definite "tone" to them, as do Kudos and the PMC Twenty series I've found. A bit of a marmite purchase methinks and possibly little better in real terms to the Katans. You're going to have to have an open heart and mind and do some listening. I was told today that the £600 baby Neats are a bit Kan like, but the P3ESR's in comparison are so much better it's no comparison, if you see what I mean...

Up to you squire. Good luck.

[hifi_dave]

Coincidentally, I did the Neat, Linn, Harbeth demo this morning..:rolleyes:

[Blackmass]

I think you hit the nail on the head with regard to the Lk active cards.I found it too bright and too foward to live with.
I have Chord Rumour 4 speaker cable at the moment.I have no complants so far.My Linn dealer is of the same option as yourself to the K400 cable,horrid stuff.

I really need to listen to some Harbeths.:)

[Blackmass]

Coincidentally, I did the Neat, Linn, Harbeth demo this morning..:rolleyes:

What were your thoughts?

[hifi_dave]

Well, it's more a case of what my customer thought but it's probably best that I don't tell what he ordered..:)

[Patrick Dixon]

I'm sure he ordered what you wanted him to order ...

[Marco]

Ah yes, I forgot that Dave still uses those nipple clamps!

Marco.

[Blackmass]

Well, it's more a case of what my customer thought but it's probably best that I don't tell what he ordered..:)

Oh go on do tell.:D

[DSJR]

I'm sure he ordered what you wanted him to order ...

Dave W is MORE than ancient enough to fight his own battles :lol: but arch salesman he ain't, unlike some in the industry I'm thinking of :)

Remember that many of the few small dealers left have other sources of income and/or are semi-retired, doing this job for the love of it, rather than hand to mouth as many HiFi shops are these days........

[Patrick Dixon]

Ah yes, I forgot that Dave still uses those nipple clamps!

Marco.

Yes, but he has more sophisticated techniques for the customers I'm sure.

[hifi_dave]

Usually involves making the customer comfortable, playing some music, drinking some tea and allowing the customer to make up his/her own mind. If a sale is forthcoming, that's a bonus.