Elephantears
20-09-2017, 20:15
Harbeth Super HL5 Plus speakers in cherry Finish, with original box and owner’s certificate. Used in a no smoking environment at modest volume. A couple of very minor and virtually invisible marks, but basically in superb condition.
Numerous pictures showing every surface (other than the undersides) here:
https://ibb.co/album/g2yz1F
£2400 collected from SE London or postage at cost. No offers. They are on Ebay at a higher BIN price.
If the buyer collects I have a couple of options for stands at varying price points: either a really superb custom made pair of heavy steel stands which can be used with or without spikes. Or I can provide for free a modified pair of IKEA Oddvar stools, with the tops removed, which I painted in a special matte black paint.
The Harbeth website here has all the specs, and links to the quite extraordinary number of rave reviews:
http://www.harbeth.co.uk/hifi-speake...er-hl5plus.php (http://www.harbeth.co.uk/hifi-speakers/super-hl5plus.php)
To add to the wave of adulation, here are some of my thoughts:
These were one the very few contemporary speakers that impressed me when I said goodbye to my ESL 63s. They were the only speaker that could work in my room that had a similar fidelity to the Quads across the mid-range, but supplemented this with greater reach and openness, and more satisfying dynamics than the Quads, particulalry in the bass.
I know all the Harbeth range except for the M40s intimately, and what makes these special is not just their greater reach in the bass (they are flat to 40Hz and roll off smoothly into sub-bass). They are perhaps the only speakers I’ve had in the house (other than the ESL63s) that represent the full range of a tenor saxophone in a balanced way, without emphasizing the upper octave, as nearly all small speakers seem to do. Their tonal fidelity works across the range, so that they are equally faithful to a cello or a soprano voice, and crucially, to the left and right hands on the piano. With orchestral music they have a wonderful scale and richness, giving weight to the double basses and letting the upper strings float in the air. This much is common knowledge. What is less appreciated is that if you give them a good tight amp they sound great with all forms of dance music too. You don’t actually need lots of power for this; my 20W Eastern Electric M520 drives them nicely at modest volume.
I’ve tried all sorts of equipment with these speakers, from a budget Kenwood integrated to an Audio Research LS26 and VTL ST150 combo (that was really good!). Alan Shaw is a little misleading in what he says about amps, but there is some truth in his suggestion that you should place most of your emphasis on the speakers. The SHL5Plus really did sound great with the budget Kenwood integrated, and better with my old Onix OA 21. I have found they really thrive with hybrids. Croft 25R/7R is a well known classic, but the best of all for me were my Unison Research Unico Pre and DM. With the SHL5Plus you get a system that combines tonal naturalism and dynamics with an open soundstage. A Sonneteer Alabaster was another classic combination.
The Plus version have much better driver integration than the previous model; Harbeth really made a big leap in this respect. And the bass is much more neutral, allowing easier placement in small to medium sized rooms. If you have a big room you will certainly get the best of them, but they are spectacular in a small room when used in a near-field configuration; then you get a combination of stage depth and intimacy that is quite magical.
https://ibb.co/ePVwM5
Numerous pictures showing every surface (other than the undersides) here:
https://ibb.co/album/g2yz1F
£2400 collected from SE London or postage at cost. No offers. They are on Ebay at a higher BIN price.
If the buyer collects I have a couple of options for stands at varying price points: either a really superb custom made pair of heavy steel stands which can be used with or without spikes. Or I can provide for free a modified pair of IKEA Oddvar stools, with the tops removed, which I painted in a special matte black paint.
The Harbeth website here has all the specs, and links to the quite extraordinary number of rave reviews:
http://www.harbeth.co.uk/hifi-speake...er-hl5plus.php (http://www.harbeth.co.uk/hifi-speakers/super-hl5plus.php)
To add to the wave of adulation, here are some of my thoughts:
These were one the very few contemporary speakers that impressed me when I said goodbye to my ESL 63s. They were the only speaker that could work in my room that had a similar fidelity to the Quads across the mid-range, but supplemented this with greater reach and openness, and more satisfying dynamics than the Quads, particulalry in the bass.
I know all the Harbeth range except for the M40s intimately, and what makes these special is not just their greater reach in the bass (they are flat to 40Hz and roll off smoothly into sub-bass). They are perhaps the only speakers I’ve had in the house (other than the ESL63s) that represent the full range of a tenor saxophone in a balanced way, without emphasizing the upper octave, as nearly all small speakers seem to do. Their tonal fidelity works across the range, so that they are equally faithful to a cello or a soprano voice, and crucially, to the left and right hands on the piano. With orchestral music they have a wonderful scale and richness, giving weight to the double basses and letting the upper strings float in the air. This much is common knowledge. What is less appreciated is that if you give them a good tight amp they sound great with all forms of dance music too. You don’t actually need lots of power for this; my 20W Eastern Electric M520 drives them nicely at modest volume.
I’ve tried all sorts of equipment with these speakers, from a budget Kenwood integrated to an Audio Research LS26 and VTL ST150 combo (that was really good!). Alan Shaw is a little misleading in what he says about amps, but there is some truth in his suggestion that you should place most of your emphasis on the speakers. The SHL5Plus really did sound great with the budget Kenwood integrated, and better with my old Onix OA 21. I have found they really thrive with hybrids. Croft 25R/7R is a well known classic, but the best of all for me were my Unison Research Unico Pre and DM. With the SHL5Plus you get a system that combines tonal naturalism and dynamics with an open soundstage. A Sonneteer Alabaster was another classic combination.
The Plus version have much better driver integration than the previous model; Harbeth really made a big leap in this respect. And the bass is much more neutral, allowing easier placement in small to medium sized rooms. If you have a big room you will certainly get the best of them, but they are spectacular in a small room when used in a near-field configuration; then you get a combination of stage depth and intimacy that is quite magical.
https://ibb.co/ePVwM5