Harbeth P3ESR or Amphion Ion L

[immtbiker]

I have a pair of Dared 300B quasi mono blocks that output 13 watts. They have 2 12AU7's as the input and Sophia Princess Mesh as the output. I am going to be using these as nearfield listening sessions in the bedroom when the wife is clanging pans in the kitchen and my son is being chased by cops with the constant sound of a siren in his room (not a good time to listen to my living room speaker setup which I am very happy with). I will be using an Exemplar Modded Oppo BDP-5 as the source.

Anyone have experience with both, besides Tyll's setups at Canjam, and can offer some insight?

[immtbiker]

Well then I made the right decision. Hand made in England and is real wood, not MDF.

Thanks.

[luvdunhill]

real wood, not MDF

that's a shame, MDF is much better for the task.

[n_maher]

that's a shame, MDF is much better for the task.

I trust Harbeth to have done an acceptable job manipulating wood to the task.

[The Monkey]

I remember hearing them both at Florida CanJam. The Harbeths were moar awesome by a wide margin.

[luvdunhill]

I trust Harbeth to have done an acceptable job manipulating wood to the task.

Either that or they've done an acceptable job in marketing this as a differentiator to those that don't know better.

[aardvark baguette]

This recent review says it is from MDF.

I am taking a risk even posting this source on headcase. Be merciful.

6moons audio reviews: Harbeth P3ES

This is a tiny sealed cabinet made from MDF. The Norwegian SEAS tweeter incorporates modifications specified by Alan Shaw, owner and boss of Harbeth, while the mid/woofer is the company’s own. Its diaphragm is made from a material called Radial and now in the latest version with a ‘2’ suffix in the name. The terminals only support single wiring. The loudspeakers are made in Harbeth’s own UK factory.

Edited November 11, 2010 by aardvark baguette

[jp11801]

Every picture of the internals of the speaker appear to show wood?

[Nebby]

Looks like the front baffle, the mounting blocks for both the front and rear baffle, and possibly the rear panel are made of wood. The sides of the enclosure itself appear to be MDF from the little bit thats shown in the picture. Not sure about the board that the crossover is mounted on, since the lighting and angle make it difficult to see if there's grain there.

[luvdunhill]

holy panasonic batman!

I dunno, I'd guess veneered baltic birth for the front? who knows... There are five finish options available.

this is on Harbeth's website:

"It is true that real woods are used for the veneers, but looked at in the long-term, the logs that yielded those veneers have been put to the best possible use on Harbeth cabinets."

Edited November 11, 2010 by luvdunhill

[mrarroyo]

If you ever wish to be surprised get a pair of old Radio Shack Minimus 7W (walnut not the metal covered units). These can be bought for around $65 including S&H in eBay and for a cheap computer speaker they are unbeatable.

[kirkwall]

Harbeths for SQ by a mile from memory (it's been a while since I've heard the Ions), although they sound better with a little driving, in my experience. I have the P3ESRs and use them in near-nearfield, and they are terrific little speakers. I've run them with Sugden, Cary (300 SEI and SLi-80) and now Luxman amps. The Cary 300B did fine, but at 11 watts ro so didn't provide the fireworks I expected in a small room. Up close I expect it might have been just fine. I went from vintage Quads to the Harbeths and although they don't really compare, I do find the ESRs to be really musical and engaging. They're also supremely unfussy about things like placement, toe-in, etc., which I appreciate.

best,

o

[n_maher]

I'd second Todd's recommendation that you get them direct from Fidelis. Much closer if you ever havean issue an great folks.

[immtbiker]

If you ever wish to be surprised get a pair of old Radio Shack Minimus 7W (walnut not the metal covered units). These can be bought for around $65 including S&H in eBay and for a cheap computer speaker they are unbeatable.

Thanks for all the responses and other links.

Miguel, this is not for computer speakers. This is for Exemplar Modded Oppo BDP-83 or Meridian G08>Dared 13 watt 300B's>bedroom nearfield listening sessions (maybe 5-7 feet).

*Edit - I originally said the Oppo model was the BDP-5 when it is the BDP-83*

Edited November 11, 2010 by immtbiker
Wrong model posted in OP

[mrarroyo]

I know Aaron, I just wanted to be different and failed miserably.

[tom_hankins]

All the MDF and wood is laminated, inside and out on the Harbeths.