Just Drank the Harbeth Kool-Aid

[edkoz]

Originally Posted by PMCH

Well it didn't last long replacing my primary system after selling everything last year when I down sized my home and moved to Cleveland for retirementto be close to family.
This past week I purchased new Harbeth Super HL5+XD speakers
New Hegel 590 integrated
New Jay's CD player and DAC
Since Acoustic Sounds had the Sound Anchor stands in stock, I ordered them for the HL5's. With the Stillpoints between the speakers and the stands the sound coming out of the HL5's is at a whole new level. They sound much better than I thought they could.
Everything brand new out of the box sounds amazing. I can't wait until everything is broken in.
I had only listened to Harbeth's twice before and to say I am very happy would be an understatement.
Mark me back into 2 channel bliss.

I can tell by those very comfortable looking feet in the photo that you are one VERY happy guy. Enjoy!!
ED

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by edkoz

I can tell by those very comfortable looking feet in the photo that you are one VERY happy guy. Enjoy!!
ED

Agreed!

Just a suggestion: you'll hear increased clarity, focus, and resoluton by elevating the speaker cables off the floor, particularly a carpeted floor.

By way of some context, I was skeptical about this too, until I did an "inadvertent" experiment that showed very clearly the improvement getting the speaker cables off the floor provides. I'll be candid here and say once again, I was very skeptical cable elevators actually made an actual difference, but my experiments clearly showed they do.

Based on those experiments, I ordered the more stable "full-size" DF-SS cable elevators, and use them now in my system.

An inexpensive way to experiment with this is to order the little Shunyata DF-SS minis, and place them along the run of the speaker cables from the rack to the speakers, and if you like what you hear, you could consider the larger size ones if you want.

If you'd like to hear about that "experiment", let me know, and I can share my experience/experiment.

Cheers and enjoy your new 'Beths!

[PMCH]

I have a bunch of cable lifters that I haven't unpacked yet. I will set them up this weekend. I am still waiting for some new speaker cables also.
Strange story, I also bought back my Shunyata Denali and PC from the person I sold it to last year for a little more than he paid me. I did like that power conditioner and now I have it back.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PMCH

I have a bunch of cable lifters that I haven't unpacked yet. I will set them up this weekend. I am still waiting for some new speaker cables also.
Strange story, I also bought back my Shunyata Denali and PC from the person I sold it to last year for a little more than he paid me. I did like that power conditioner and now I have it back.

Cool beans.

Here's an easy and informative experiment to do to discern the effect they have: set the speaker cable elevators up under just one speaker, either the left channel or the right, but not both. Put on a well-mastered reference track that is fairly evenly balanced L/R and listen to the presentation, evaluating the channel with the speaker cables elevated vs. the channel where they are not. You should be able to hear the improvement just by comparing the left and right speakers. Then, do the converse experiment: move cable elevators to the "other side", putting them under the channel that first did not have them, so it now does, and the channel that first had them now does not. You should hear the improvement move to the other channel.

This is, in fact, what I first did "by accident". I had an Omega power cord (PC) in for an evaluation and they come with three DF-SS. When I removed the Omega PC from the back of the rack to return it, I temporarily placed the DF-SS it came with under the R channel speaker cable, and forgot about it for a coupla days. When I came back a few days later and was listening to the system, I was wondering "What the hell?" Why did the R channel have more clarity, focus and resolution than the Left? Then...I noticed that the Right channel speaker cables were on the DF-SS and the left channel were just lying on the floor.

I then did the "control experiment" and moved the DF-SS that were under the R channel speaker cables over to the L channel's cable, and heard the improvement move to the Left channel.

Honestly, before this "accidental experiment", I was very skeptical about cable elevators for speaker cables and considered them "audiophile frou-frou". And I was even more skeptical about the benefits they bring from elevating power cables. And, Man! Was I wrong on that!

Now I've got 'em under the speaker cables and the power cables.

[JBT]

Originally Posted by PMCH

Well it didn't last long replacing my primary system after selling everything last year when I down sized my home and moved to Cleveland for retirementto be close to family.
This past week I purchased new Harbeth Super HL5+XD speakers
New Hegel 590 integrated
New Jay's CD player and DAC
Since Acoustic Sounds had the Sound Anchor stands in stock, I ordered them for the HL5's. With the Stillpoints between the speakers and the stands the sound coming out of the HL5's is at a whole new level. They sound much better than I thought they could.
Everything brand new out of the box sounds amazing. I can't wait until everything is broken in.
I had only listened to Harbeth's twice before and to say I am very happy would be an understatement.
Mark me back into 2 channel bliss.

Looks nice

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by JBT

Looks nice

It does, indeed.

Paul, what's the component at lower right? With the aluminum faceplate?

On, another note, I've heard great things about Hegel. I watched a seminar by their lead engineer a couple years ago, and he's very sharp.

What is about the Danes and audio equipment? They are so talented and have made such an impact on this wacky hobby/obsession of ours.

[PMCH]

The component in the lower right corner is an Arcam HT amp that I am just storing there for Dolby Atmos speakers in my HT system when I get around to it. It is not connected to anything.

[njcardave]

That looks like a very nice system. I prefer listening shoeless. Enjoy.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PMCH

The component in the lower right corner is an Arcam HT amp that I am just storing there for Dolby Atmos speakers in my HT system when I get around to it. It is not connected to anything.

Ah, cool. I had an Arcam AVR for a while; they made great products.

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by njcardave

That looks like a very nice system. I prefer listening shoeless. Enjoy.

Perhaps Paul will be using those shoes for sailing on Lake Erie in his retirement when not enjoying his very nice stereo.