At this price, they have no strengths I can see against other decent speakers in the same price range and some at a quarer of the price.

Not open, poor detail, lack of bass to a fault, and build quality extremey poor at any price.

Harbeth provided me with a brand new pair C7's - which I and the dealer then ran-in before assessing them sonically.

Cosmetics - Woodwork was nothing special, even compared to many others at lower cost. Mid-Bass driver unit was not well made, quality control for these drivers seemed to have been neglected - as it looked dirty, radial plastic had marks which had to have been the results of poor moulding.

Anyhow, forget all that, how did they sound (at this stage I was still hoping I would forgive all the QC problems)

Well... I have a pair of B&W 602s2's (which are £1000 less) and they beat the harbeths on every account - I am only being honest.

Other speakers have provided more detail, better sound staging with plenty of ambiance from the recording venue which these Harbeths masked. There appeared to a silience in the background to the music, when in fact there were recorded sounds which should have come through.

Other speakers have better midbands, the competition has caught up, I found that the realism of voice's was better on other speakers.

The bass needed more lower end, considering their price, it should have been more extended than it was, especially when the box is quite large for a stand-mount! Nicely balanced bass helps music to flow and is there for a reason - these unfortunatly cut it off a little too early.

I really wanted to like these speakers, I was very disappointed they didn't do it for me ( and I dont care what the magazine reviewers say.. ALWAYS trust your own ears and you wont go wrong).

My set-up whilst reviewing was:-

Sugden A21a Amplifier
Sony 555es SACD Player
Nordost Red Dawn Interconnect
Nordost Blue Heaven RevII Speaker Cable

The above set-up is not bad, it should have let the Harbeth Compact 7's shine comfortably, but as to why they didn't, I didn't have the inclination to investigate further.

Just as an aside... the thing about reviewer comments is that sometimes people have already bought the speakers and spent their hard earned money. So when they post their review, I wonder if sometimes the review comments are slightly affected. I dont know, I guess it could be a double edged sword, it can work the opposite way too!

I had these on audition and listened to them carefully with a very wide range of music, and must confess to being a Harbeth fan based on the literature I had read about these speakers, but alas...

Well... I've told you like it is, that's the best I can do.

Good luck in your own trials.. be interesting to hear if someone gives these a go and finds them the same as I did?

Anyhow, keep the faith...

Similar Products Used:

Snell E2's, B&W 602's, and various others around the £1000 - £1600 mark.

The Compact 7 sound natural, very uncoloured, and open. They deliver music as it is played in studios or in symphony halls. Soundstaging and imaging are both excellent provided that they are well positioned/ away from back and side walls. They need very good partners (CD player, amplifier, and stands). I would recommend that one get the best stands s/he can buy. These speakers deliver what they are being fed.

The "realness" of the sound to actual instruments and voices.

Well - compared to the competition at the price point, and in the right system, you'd be hard pushed to find any.

I have since had time to audition the C7's in another setup (another pair I hasten to add), and found that they are actually a very good speaker on all accounts. 4 stars out of 5 though (because no speaker is perfect).

I am at a loss as to why this wasn't the case first time around?

Changing the subject, yes, strictly speaking only owners of the product are allowed to post reviews on this website according to the rules here (so I guess this one has to go too!)

Shame though, because you only get comments about the product after the person has liked it enough to buy it - I suppose rules are rules.

Please can the Audioreview Webmaster please remove my earlier review and this one (as I dont know how to do it myself).

Accuracy. Clarity. Dynamics. Finesse.

None

I have had my HL Compact 7's ("C7's") for 3 years now. I havent submitted a review here until now because at the same time as I discovered this forum Rajesh submitted his review below. Not a lot to add to what Rajesh says that hasnt been said by the other positive reviewers that followed, but I wanted to comment on the implications of the negative review.

Ever wonder why there are so many inaccurate (i.e., colored) loudspeakers around? It's because the market doesnt support them. Most people like exagerrated bass and top end, thumpy bass and sizzle. If you like one-note bass and a hot high end, these speakers will not satisfy you.

They have the clearest midrange you'll ever hear, a completely natural top end and undistorted tight clear bass down to 48 or 50 Hz then rolled off below. (The reason so many people think they go much lower is that they put out a true 48 hz with no doubling and almost no distortion at all). The 48 or 50 hz sound you get from other speakers sounds different.

Now, they are unusually detailed and revealing in the midrange, and will reveal faults in source material and your equipment that other speakers won't. This is another reason why some people haven't liked them.

Mine are my 3rd pair of Harbeth loudspeakers. They are very different from my mini-monitors, but I bought them sound unheard, shipped to me from the UK by Signals. All 3 pair have been perfectly asssembled, with beautiful veneers matched from side to top to side to bottom and speaker to speaker. All of the drivers have looked fine. All 3 came with test certificates.

I will never sell these speakers. I may buy another pair if they are improved significantly, but these will go in my second system.

I use a Meridian 508.24 cd player, an Audible Illusions M3a preamp and a Muse 160 power amp. Audioquest Crystal speaker cables (you might prefer something brighter - like Nordost) and locally made interconnects that I think sound at least as good as Kimber Silver Streak. So nothing exotic. The cdp is the most expensive thing in the system but I got a good deal on it. When I listen through this system and THROUGH (not "to") the C7's, it is simply like listening to the performers, like being in their presence. I get accurate tonality and lifelike dynamics, as loud as you can stand and tiny microdynamic changes that make you think a vocalist is really there in front of you, in 3 dimensions, with a body. That's all I want a pair of loudspeakers to do.

In comparison to the Harbeths, other hi fi speakers of renown, such as the similary priced ProAc 1sc, will sound brighter, and maybe more forward. The Harbeths are not entirely accurate. They do that BBC dip thing in the presence region. But, I was advised by a well-know reviewer (and some of them can be trusted) to listen to live music, preferably unamplified, then the Harbeths. He thought, and I think you will find, that the Harbeth Compact 7's sound more like real life than any other speakers anywhere near their price.

open, neutral, suited to all kinds of music, easy to drive, revealing

Absolute bass extension has been traded for midrange accuracy (more the design brief than a failing)

As the dealer who only last week lent a pair of two day old Compact Sevens to a guy in Crewe who by astonishing coincidence owned exactly the same collection of hardware and Nordost cables as “Jonathan from London” and who even more remarkably had exactly the same criticisms over build and sound quality . . . . I guess we can deduce that the Sony 555 SACD + Sugden A21 are not a happy mix with the C7’s.

Were the speakers faulty in some way? I can only say that when they came back they sounded every bit as good as any other pair of C7s I have heard. There were some very small marks (3 or 4 mm long in the centres of the cones) and I will concede that the current lacquer finish over the otherwise excellent cherry veneer is slightly uneven, too shiny and rather less attractive than the previous “oiled” look - Alan Shaw please take note - but “badly built”?

Strangely, I have sold this combination of amplifier and loudspeaker several times -although the CD player has never been this model - and, whilst it does not exactly extract the last ounce of what the C7’s can offer, the amplifier has usually been considered a “successful” partner.

I am therefore at a loss to explain Jonathans reaction. Other than point out at the (wrong) loudspeaker stands were being used or suggest some incompatibility with the CD / SACD player (the Sugden is pretty warm and mellow, the speakers extremely neutral but with a slightly “soft” bass) or the room. We are left with personal taste. And Jonathan is as entitled to his opinion as anyone.

The only part I have a problem with is that the premise of this site is to share opinions over the long term ability of products that people actually liked enough to have BOUGHT in the first place. This particular person tried the goods for a few days, did not like them and then wrote about the experience.

According to the “terms and conditions” this is one of the ten reasons your review can be removed.

I am a Harbeth dealer. I am biased. Please remove this posting and please remove Jonathans too.

Otherwise it just aint fair!.