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"If I could only pick one pair of speakers under $10k that I had to live with for the rest of my life, the Compact 7ES-3 would be my choice." Tone Audio Magazine 2008 Awards
"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 failthfully 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
No. 1 rating in Stereo Sound, Winter 2007.
Golden Ear Award and Editor's Choice Award in The Absolute Sound, October 2007: "... 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".
In The Absolute Sound Review (April/May 2007) Paul Seydor says"...Indeed, for sheer neutrality the 7ES-3 rivals the Harbeth Monitor 40, and in the 2kHz-4kHz range even trumps by 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
The Stereo Times October 2007 review describes the Compact 7ES-3's as"accurate instrumental timbre" and "grace, wit, fire, nuance, intelligence, and artistic sensibility of the highest order. (It) reveals the details of the playing, the subtlest of inflections and touch. (The speaker) 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". In summary, "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 September 2007 review in HiFi News says "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."
Stereophile's Sam Tellig (review in the June 2007 issue) calls this update to the C7 "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!"
What HiFi magazine gives the Compact 7's 5 stars in their June 2007 review, noting that "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 Harbeth’s have a sound that’s hard to better for the money." The HiFi World May 2007 review notes the Compact 7-ES3's "delicately balanced sound, with wonderful timbral acuity", with "Excellent body to each instrument" and "the ability to convey the emotional impact of a recording", concluding that "few – if any – at the price can touch these loudspeakers
Whatever you ask of the Compact 7ES-3, it always delivers: perfectly. The clarity is spellbinding and brings the 'magic carpet ride experience' to the listening room in a medium-sized enclosure.
The world-class HL Compact 7ES-3 takes the ultra-clean Harbeth-exclusive RADIAL2 cone technology to another performance level, and has been hugely successful for Harbeth throughout worldwide markets. Add to that the new 'Open Weave' tweeter, new cabinet internal wall-damping, and lowered port tune frequency and the result is more dynamic and greater transparency This medium-sized loudspeaker combines natural sound with a flair for reproducing any and every type of music from rock to opera, jazz through folk. This latest generation is the most open and enthralling Compact ever.
The Harbeth secret for natural sound is the result of the meticulous attention to detail. In true BBC tradition, and regardless of cost, both the front and rear panels are removable to create a low inertia, low energy storage and hence low coloration cabinet. Sales in Japan, where the previous Compact was highly popular, have confirmed that this new generation of the much loved design is a great leap forward.
Critically important but hidden is the crossover. Redesigned from the bottom-up using new-technology software this freed-up even more time for critical listening to music and speech and to minute adjustment of balance and level. The result is improved integration of the drive units across a wider horizontal and vertical arc meaning that the Compact 7ES-3 is far less critical of stand height.
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| Transducer system |
Vented 2-way domestic monitor loudspeaker |
| Freq. response |
46Hz - 20kHz +/- 3dB free space, 1m with grille on with smooth off axis response |
| Impedance |
6ohms, easy electrical load |
| Sensivity |
86dB/1W/1m |
| Amp. suggestion |
25W + |
| Power handling |
150W programme |
| Connector |
Two 4mm gold-plated binding posts |
| Dimensions (hxwxd) |
520 x 273 x 315mm |
| Finish |
Cherry (std.), eucalyptus . Others: to order |
| Space needs |
Ideally 0.75m+ from surfaces |
| Stands |
Typically 15-21 inches |
| Weight |
13.2kg each |
| Packing |
Single speaker per carton | |
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