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Which valve amplifier with Harbeth SHL5 (no plus)

indeed , thats what makes pink fish so interesting and such a wide variety of experience . i am aiming to try as many speakers as i can over the next few years including magico , verity audio and yg acoustics , but next up is harbeth !
 
Classic thread. Haha
I hope the OP didn't break the door when he slammed it on the way out?!

Harbeths need to get the right amount of power, the difference between not quite having enough is not subtle, problem is they still sound alright if they don't have enough so I guess many never experience them with lots.

I have a pair of the P3SRs, and even they need decent power, Quad 303 is not enough unless listening nearfield, 405-2 is enough t use them as a proper speaker.
 
Which valve amp? None. Harbeth speakers prefer solid state. Hegel, Naim, Benchmark, Belles, etc.
 
Jodet said:
Which valve amp? None. Harbeth speakers prefer solid state. Hegel, Naim, Benchmark, Belles, etc.
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Rubbish. My M30.1s sounded great with my solid state Exposure 16 Monos and Lavardin IT. But they sound even better with my EAR 912 and 890 valve amps.
 
The thing with the Harbeths is they really let you hear differences between what is in front of them, so I agree, a nice valve amp will give you a nice result, but they do need power to really show what they can do.
 
After greatly enjoying my Harbeth SHL5 with a 200 watt Lyngdorf SDA2175 power amp for a few month, I'm now listening to them with an Eastern Electric M520 valve amp, running its EL34s in pentode mode with -6dB negative feedback, only about 20 watts but lovely big 3D sounstage, and good weighty-but-not-soggy bass. I got the Eastern Electric for a good price off ebay so may go further with valves.
 
Rockmeister said:
If the bass works well in your room, then for me, that makes the amp choice much easier...many valve amps are not at their best doing beep bass slam!
I think the Americans do specialise in big power valve amps, and although I stand by my suggestion of the Luxman, if Mcintosh are in reach they would be worth a listen. I'm a little with alan S on this subject. The harbeths are not amp fussy as such. If they work in your room that's most of the battle, but they are at their best with a decent amount of power behind them. Ergo, something american, valvey and large would be a almost certain perfect choice. I'd certainly support the EAR suggestions too. Isn't that a good start? Forums do tend to contain people wholike to express opinions...just like you :)
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funny in coming across this old post that I do In fact intend to use something American, valvey and large.

Mcintosh to be precise :)
 
I kind of understand both the SS and valve amps preferences depending on your taste (including cheese wise!) and expectations. The SHL5s do need some more power to get moving (or can sound dull), and they can be too sharp and bright with SS (fatiguing too) so I can see the attraction in a valve type sound to help them in this respect (others even have to cover gently their super tweeters!?). I guess the conversation about SHL5 generations goes somewhat reflecting similar perspectives?
 
@EPear The super tweeter doesn't sound bright because its frequency range is too tiny. You get a bit more air, thats all.;) The different SHL5 versions sound different indeed. The SHL5 plus is the brightest to my ears, I prefer the SHL5+40th.A.E. or the SHL5.
 
Old Shatterhand said:
@EPear The super tweeter doesn't sound bright because its frequency range is too tiny. You get a bit more air, thats all.;)
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If you're like me and past your mid 30's you probably can't hear above 16khz anyway, so its fairly pointless. I can hear 21-22hz area well enough, but abover 15.5-16k i'm out.

Besides not a single recorded natural instrument gets anywhere near that kind of frequency, it's a wonder we've bothered about it for so many years.
 
What is fairly pointless? The super tweeter starts around 12kHz, I can hear if it is covered or not but it isn't a huge difference. Like I said, a bit more air, thats all.

frequenzbereiche_143130.jpg
 
Sorry I should have been clearer. Not saying their super tweeter is pointless, because it also helps control dispersion at higher frequencies too.

I meant that tweeters that could reach 20khz and even beyond are a bit pointless. We all get ourselves worried about this extension when even in our 20’s we are already down to 18khz or so.
 
I asked because I'm no native speaker and sometimes I struggle to understand the fine lines or some phrases which are obvious to native speakers.:oops:
 
I'm using Audible Illusions L3 valve preamp with Leben CS660P power amp into SHL5s (not plus). Front end is Nottingham Analogue Soacedeck with Lyra Helikon SL cart.

Sounds magical to me esp with preserving the timbre of instruments. Miles more 3D and realistic than my SS system in the dining room, although the Naim Supernait2 amp in there is somewhat stronger with rhythm (no surprises there).
 
vintage60 said:
I have owned several Harbeth speakers, including the SHL5 (not plus).

I've also owned the following tube amps during the time I had the SHL5:

Unison Research S6 mkI
Jadis Orchestra Reference mkII
Icon Audio ST40mkII
Mystere ia11

Like Tony, I too am of the opinion that the SHL5 needs a bit of power to make them really open up. When fed with a decent amount of power and quality current, they go from good to very good.

Of the above amps, my joint favourites were Jadis and Mystere, followed by the Unison and last the Icon Audio.

I tube rolled a bit as well. The best combinations to my ears were Tung Sol 6SN7 and either Svetlana Winged C EL34 or JJ Premium KT77. I also liked the Groove Tubes EL34.

The Svetlana Winged C had a smoother, more velvety sound which I liked for acoustic music, especially female vocals and strings. For light rock (e.g. Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, Dire Straits), the KT77 gave a punchier and faster sound with tighter bass compared to the Winged C.

For value for money, the Mystere wins the contest. At around £2000 it is very close to the more expensive Jadis. I liked the Unison S6, but did not think it was a good match for the Harbeth. I bought it at a time when I had some Audio Physic speakers and the S6 was a very good match with them, but not so good with the Harbeth.
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I am using Audio Physic Sitara 25 speakers you had AP's and used a Unison Research S6, which AP's?
 
I vote for one of the direct-sale Chi-Fi KT-88/6550 amps, like the Willentson R8 or Muzishare X7.
 
alanbeeb said:
After greatly enjoying my Harbeth SHL5 with a 200 watt Lyngdorf SDA2175 power amp for a few month, I'm now listening to them with an Eastern Electric M520 valve amp, running its EL34s in pentode mode with -6dB negative feedback, only about 20 watts but lovely big 3D sounstage, and good weighty-but-not-soggy bass. I got the Eastern Electric for a good price off ebay so may go further with valves.
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I used some Eastern Electric (Mini Max) pre and power with my old P3s. Only 8 watts but the sound to my ears was superb.
 
In addition to my relatively powerful SS, I'm sometimes using a little Leben on my 30.2. 15 watts. Sounds great.

Of course it does run out of steam if pushed but I play in the relatively near-field and low-ish volume levels so all good for my use.

Really, the 30.2 as measured are 87db and seem more nominally 8 ohm speakers, so not exactly a bear. I think with Harbeths and amps it's more about damping factor and woofer control than absolute power - this is where the Leben vs the SS falters IMO.
 
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