Harbeth Compact 7ES3 on demo and in stock!

Yes, indeed, I have in stock the beautiful Harbeth C7ES3s. (I've also got P3ESRs and Super HL5s in stock and on demonstration.) The price of $3650 is for Cherry; Rosewood is an upgrade. I will triple box these for shipping if you ask me to do so.

If you've never heard them, you owe it to yourself to listen to Harbeths. Call JeffStakeHiFi at 812 345 5733 to make an appointment to listen to the Compact 7 ES3 speakers in Bloomington, Indiana. I have them in stock in Cherry and Rosewood and I have made personal deliveries as far away as Lexington, KY, and Chicago, IL. If you are farther away than that, I'll ship. (I am an authorized dealer and Harbeth speakers sold by me come with a full USA manufacturer’s warranty, of course. Beware of goods not imported by the US distributor, because they will not be supported by the US support network.) I am eager to discuss the Harbeth speakers, but please do not write to ask for a discounted price.

Many speakers are able to bring out the details in the music only by accentuating the high frequencies. But that same accentuation of high frequencies brings on listener fatigue. Everything is great for a while, like when you heard them in the store, but over the long run listening is tiresome. In the end, you find that there are fewer and fewer of your albums that you can stand to play. Harbeth is different. Harbeth speakers let you hear the details of the music without boosting the high frequencies. They can do this because the main driver is made of RADIAL material, which is very low in distortion and noise. The result is a speaker that sounds full and rich while also passing the details that make the music sound alive. Voices are especially holographic, with both tube and transistor electronics. Stereo imaging is wonderful.

Harbeth makes speakers you can live happily with for a long, long time. I know, I've done it!

So, make an appointment, take a listen, and drive home with a pair.

To visit the Harbeth website, point your browser to tinyurl[dot]com/6npnom

According to John Marks in the February 2009 Stereophile, these are "Sam Tellig's new personal "last loudspeaker"" and are "an acknowledged champ at portraying tone colors." (He also describes the Harbeth P3 as being "legendary . . . in terms of essential tone".)

If you are still wondering whether it is worth your time to take a listen, read the following excerpts from reviews.

“The Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 is a speaker without fault. It does everything that I could ever want a speaker in this price range to do; play music extremely faithfully without coloration or fatigue. Granted, you will have to spend a lot more money to get that last bit of bass extension or concert hall dynamics, but these speakers are faithful to the music in a way that is very rare these days. They have certainly changed my thinking!” Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio Magazine, June 2008

“Alan Shaw's latest version of his almost twenty-year-old design is practically a textbook on how to make a low-coloration, high-accuracy, compact two-way.” “... the ne plus ultra of BBC 2-way designs, with bass down to 46 Hz, an essentially perfect midrange, and a top end that reproduces ambience fantastically. ... With respect to accuracy, neutrality, and natural tonal balance the [Compact 7ES-3] establishes a new benchmark for compact 2-ways.” The Absolute Sound, October 2007, winning Golden Ear Award and Editor's Choice Award.

“Indeed, for sheer neutrality the 7ES-3 rivals the Harbeth Monitor 40, and in the 2kHz-4kHz range even trumps my reference Quads...I cannot overstate how fantastically these speakers reproduce ambience, whether real or synthesized, large spaces or small...Among major changes, the 7ES-3 has an updated tweeter, a new surround for the woofer, and a substantially redesigned crossover at a slightly lower frequency...The 7ES-3 gets it right - preserving the baritone but restoring what upper-range lightness it has...I am slack-jawed that Shaw has achieved such high resolution and tonal neutrality without the 7s sounding in the least clinical, analytical or edgy...this speaker sets, in my experience, a new benchmark in neutrality and natural tonal balance over its usable range, regardless of price.” Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound Review (April/May 2007).

“accurate instrumental timbre” “grace, wit, fire, nuance, intelligence, and artistic sensibility of the highest order." "reveals the details of the playing, the subtlest of inflections and touch." "allowed the ear to identify instruments, capturing their timbre and subtle sonic signatures with an extraordinarily natural ease ... One could easily identify the different makes of violins from the great Cremona-based masters. The sonic signatures of Fender, Gretsch, and Gibson electric guitars were clearly rendered.” “The Compact 7ES-3 offers an exceptionally well-integrated blend of accurate timbre, sophisticated rhythmic performance, highly articulate reproduction of performance technique, and clear insight into the artistic intent of the music ... with just about any kind of music.” The Stereo Times October 2007.

“These are enormously tuneful, addictive speakers which can create deep sound-stages with pinpoint accurate tone colours.... the timing, speed and imaging made for instant, foot-tapping engagement.” HiFi News, September 2007.

“one of the finest ... most musically satisfying ... loudspeakers I've heard.” “Cellos were magnificent - ripe and woody, anything but cold or clinical. Indeed, all instrumental timbres - woodwinds, brass, strings - sounded convincing ... Pianos had a ripeness that was ravishing. And the Harbeths excelled with voice ... But here's the big surprise: This loudspeaker could rock!” Sam Tellig, The Stereophile, June 2007.

“this is a gem of a design, sounding natural and unforced where most rivals would be delivering a more forward and thinner presentation.... A wonderfully natural-sounding midrange: great dynamics (particularly of the low-level variety); excellent detail resolution.... The crowning glory here is the midrange: fluid, big-bodied and full of finesse, it makes voices articulate and superbly well projected without ever becoming hard or forward ... the Harbeths have a sound that’s hard to better for the money.” What HiFi magazine 5 stars, June 2007.

“delicately balanced sound, with wonderful timbral acuity,” “Excellent body to each instrument” “the ability to convey the emotional impact of a recording,” “few – if any – at the price can touch these loudspeakers.” HiFi World, May 2007.

No. 1 rating in Stereo Sound, Winter 2007.

Stereophile recommended components.

Please support your local Harbeth dealer.