Harbeth Super HL5plus Speakers (Striped Ebony Finish) – Like New With Less Than 20 Hours Use

(Includes $1,500 Resonant Woods custom Curve stands & a pair of custom speaker cables)

I’m selling a pair of Striped Ebony Harbeth HL5+ speakers that have been used for LESS THAN 20 HOURS and are in like new condition. Included is a pair of custom Resonant Woods Curve stands plus an 8 foot pair of high-end custom speaker cables. The speakers and stands will be shipped in their original factory boxes (4 boxes in total).

Photos are included with this ad showing the actual speakers, stands, and cables that you’ll receive.

My selling price for the speakers, stands, and cables is $5,795. (Original price for these items is $9,525)

I will also consider selling the speakers without the stands. See the info below for the price and terms.

WHY AM I SELLING THEM?

I purchased these speakers to create an audio system for my daughter. Unfortunately, my love for audio took over my common sense. I wanted her to have an audio system 2nd to none (my goal – not hers) so I purchased this pair of speakers, a custom pair of stands a Vinnie Rossi LIO and a new Mac Mini along with various cables.

My daughter is a violinist and appreciates music but for some strange reason, she didn’t enjoy sitting and listening to her beautiful audio system. Instead she continued to listen to Spotify through her iPhone and even the Tidal subscription (that I’ve been paying for) hasn’t been used.

So . . . when I figured that out, I suggested that we sell her system and she quickly agreed. She’s put on less than 20 hours listening time on these speakers and they were purchased new in original factory packaging.

The Tiger Ebony finish is stunning and my absolute favorite of the various finishes Harbeth offers. If you saw them in person, I’m sure you’d agree that they look more substantial and expensive and are more versatile in home decors than the other finishes.

CONDITION

These speakers are better than a typical dealer demo pair that has been moved around and plugged and unplugged numerous times. Instead, these have been sitting where they were taken out of their factory packages when brand new and have collected dust. They’re dusted off and are now re-packaged in their original factory boxes and ready to ship to a new owner. They are in a superb condition and haven’t even been broken in yet.

CUSTOM STANDS  & CUSTOM SPEAKER CABLES ARE INCLUDED WITH THIS PURCHASE

These speakers are large monitors (12.7” wide x 25” tall x 11.81” deep) and require a stand for proper listening. I went overboard and ordered a custom pair of Resonant Woods Curved Stands. These are the best money can buy and a beautiful expression of woodworking craftsmanship plus the best sonic quality. I also had Resonant Woods install a set of Herbie’s threaded stud glides rather than use their low cost footers. The Herbie's gliders work both on hard floors as well as carpeting.

The stands cost $1,500 a pair and the Herbie’s threaded stud glides and inserts that I supplied prior to construction cost me approximately $80. The build time for these stands is 6-8 weeks minimum and are available by custom order only. They’re now immediately available with this sale and will be shipped with the speakers.

These Curve stands require considerable skill and time to build and are unique to Resonant Woods. I haven’t found anyone else offering this high level quality (build or sonic quality). If you purchase this pair of Tiger Ebony Harbeth HL5+ speakers, I’ll include the Curve stands and a pair of custom speakers cables for no additional cost. That’s $1,500 + $80 + 650 = $2,230 in additional value that are included with these speakers (no extra charge).

The speaker cables you’ll receive are professionally built and sheathed and use 15 gauge Furutech alpha OCC wire (superb sounding wire) and have solid silver WBT locking banana connectors on one end and rhodium plated Furutech spade connectors on the other end. All connectors have the expensive gold crimped WBT connector sleeves installed (using the specialized Furutech gold plated pliers to install them) to make the screw connections the best possible. Terminations are the best, wire quality is superb, connectors are really really nice, and sheathing is beautifully and professionally done.

PRICE FOR SPEAKERS WITH STANDS & CABLES IS $5,795

These speakers cost $7,295 for the pair, the stands cost $1,500 (plus $80 for footers) for the pair, and the cables parts cost of $650 for a total of $9,525.

I’m asking $5,795 for the pair of speakers plus the pair of stands and the pair of cables. I’ve also paid $150 for the cost of this ad and will pay an additional $150 toward the cost of shipping all 4 boxes. That’s an extremely fair price and as low as I will go. My net = $5,795 - $120 - $150 = $5,495 (for $9,525 worth of components).

I will not accept paying an additional PayPal fee or any other costs, and I will accept a personal check, cashier’s check, money order, or wire transfer.

As I’ve shared, I’ll contribute $150 toward the total cost for shipping all 4 boxes. If you live far away and shipping is higher than that, you pay any amount above $150. That is fair and eliminates the disparity based upon how far away the purchaser actually is.

PRICE WITHOUT STANDS & CABLES IS $5,295

If you don’t want the stands, I’ll reduce the total $5,795 I’m asking by $500. I’ll also reduce the amount I’ll contribute toward shipping cost from $150 to $100.

So if you don’t want the stands, your cost will be $5,295 plus the actual shipping cost above $100 (and no PayPal or other additional fee on my end).

I WILL NOT INCLUDE the custom speaker cables if you choose not to purchase the stands! I’m providing these cables as an incentive to purchase the speakers and stands together so I don’t need to create multiple ads and transactions.

SPEAKER CABLE SPECIFICATIONS

WBT=0610Ag NextGen Banana connectors @$99 each x 4 connectors

Furutech FP-201R rhodium spade connectors @96.66 for 4 connectors

5 meters of Furutech alpha OCC 15 gauge wire @$61/meter
(to make two 8 foot cables)

Sheathing and heat shrink + WBT crimp connectors $45

Total Parts Cost Is Approximately = $650

These speaker cables will provide excellent flexibility for your system since either end (banana or spade) can be connected to the Harbeth speaker posts and the remaining end used to connect to your amp.

The total parts cost for this pair of cables is approximately $650 (without labor cost added) and the typical retail price would be at least 2 to 3 times (and more) than that amount - so this is a substantial value that will be included with this sale at no additional cost to the purchaser – but only if you purchase the Resonant Woods stands with the speakers.

WHERE THE SPEAKERS WILL BE SHIPPED FROM

The speakers, stands, and cables are located in Boston, MA in my daughter’s home and she has already carefully boxed everything with my help and will take the packages to her local shipping station for shipping (either UPS or FedEx – your choice) once payment has been made. I do require that all boxes be fully insured (for total value for both speakers and stands) so neither of us hold considerable liability should something happen during shipping.

HL5+ SOUND QUALITY

The HL5+ is my absolute favorite Harbeth speaker as well as the top pick for many other people. Harbeth’s Super HL5plus produces breathtaking transparency, a huge soundstage and total immersion in the performance. This speaker creates a rich bass and sweet midrange that brings acoustic music alive. This is the latest generation of Dudley Harwood’s original HL-Monitor, and the cabinet is still engineered in the BBC tradition of removable ‘thin-wall’ panels for a totally true-to-life sound.

Retaining the classic ‘two cubic foot’ proportions found in the very best BBC monitors, the HL5plus relies on the exclusive Harbeth-made 200mm RADIAL2™ bass/mid driver. This produces a big, warm and powerful sound that underpins the incredible midband clarity.

The 25mm main tweeter is augmented by a 20mm SuperTweeter for an extended and even dispersion to the upper edge of the audio band.

Basically, the HL5+ is slightly more forgiving, nicer, warmer version of the M30.1 with a much bigger sound overall that scales and fills a room with less effort  - more in the vein of what the M40.2 does versus the M30.1 with the woofer underneath. It doesn’t have the same scale and resolution capability of the big boy in the lineup (the 40.2), but it’s just about the perfect compromise, imho.

The HL5+ comes in a package that still has great WAF, can be placed in the room MUCH easier than the M40.2 big boys, and saves you enough money compared to buying the 40.2’s that you can go all out and upgrade your electronics, too at the same time. If you want the best, however, the M40.2 is still king – but you’re going to pay for it in money, size, the quality of your front end, and substantial additional room treatment.

SPECIFICATIONS

Transducer system

3-way vented: 200mm Harbeth RADIAL2™ bass/mid; 25mm ferro-cooled done tweeter, 20mm dome SuperTweeter

Frequency response

40Hz - 20kHz ±3dB free-space, grille on, smooth off-axis response

Impedance

6 ohms, easy to drive

Sensitivity

86dB/1W/1m

Amplifier suggestion

Works with a wide range of amplifiers, suggested from 25W/channel. Vinnie Rossi’s LIO (at 25w/ch) is a superb match for these speakers and one of the best available anywhere.

Power handling

150W programme

Connectors

Four 4mm gold-plated binding posts for wires or plugs (biwireable)

Dimensions

635 x 322 x 300mm (+12mm for grille and binding posts)

Finish

These are Tiger Ebony. Price new is $7,295.

Space needs

Overall response optimised for use away from walls.

Stands

Optimally to bring ears level with tweeters: typically 16-20 inches. (Tweeter: 475mm up from cabinet base)

Weight

15.8kg each, unpacked

Packing

Single speaker per protective carton