I’d never heard Nagra and Harbeth paired together before, so who knew they’d make such a perfect pair? Or a perfect trio if you squeeze in the Nordost cabling between them. Not I. But when I heard what this combination could do, I thought, “Where have you been all my life?”
The system consisted of Harbeth’s Monitor 40.3 XD ($27,000/pair) being fed by a bevy of Nagra gear, including a pair of Classic Amps used in a biamplification configuration ($24,000 each), a Classic Preamp ($24,000), a Classic DAC II ($25,000), the recently released Nagra Streamer ($6500), and a Classic PSU ($21,000), which powered the preamp, streamer, and DAC.
The sound was clean, warm, balanced, and devoid of mechanical artificiality. It sounded like . . . life, human. It spoke in a voice that was pure, articulate, expressive, and resonant in the way real music vibrates in the air.
The Nagra-Harbeth-Nordost combination was a marriage made in . . . Audio Eden.
COMMENTS
If one does choose to buy and enjoy these speakers, a set of acoustically transparent curtains to hide them is pretty much mandatory. You wouldn't want anyone to know that you paid that much for something that looks like an obscure DIY kit.
Harbeth speakers are intended to be used with their supplied grill cloths.
From https://harbeth.co.uk/support:
How do I remove the Harbeth speaker grille?
The unique Harbeth grille comprises a coated steel frame over which the speaker cloth is stretched. It fits into a channel around the perimeter of the baffle and provides the tweeter with an almost perfect acoustic view of the room. It can be a snug fit to the cabinet and, under normal circumstances, can be teased out by pinching the cloth around the perimeter. We also offer a magnetic Grille Puller tool, or you can use your own magnets to pull the grille frame out!
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The black wood stands shown in the photo are made in Germany by Tonträger:
https://www.tontraeger-audio.com/lang/en/
right because looks define performance ? give your head a shake. We could do without audiophiles who buy on looks and perpetuate "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Buy the system because it makes great music and makes you want to listen to more music as opposed to becoming very expensive "art" pieces that at best are conversation starters.
I second this. $27k a pair and they can’t even bother to hide the numerous wood screws on the front baffle. It’s almost like they’re expecting their customers having to remove it themselves at some point for service.
It just looks cheap and hastily assembled, even if it’s probably not.
The speakers are a very good example of Scandinavian brutalism. Basically, the construction does not try to hide how it is constructed with façades. In architecture this could be a Soviet block house or a log cabin. Or exposed beams or brick in a urban apartment.
Not my decorative choice, either, but I could see these speakers looking great in a minimalist SoHo loft or a Scandinavian lodge.
People really need to take a pill or have a scotch and let others live their lives as they see fit.
... with the sound quality of these speakers had they been demonstrated as Alan Shaw does at UK hi-fi shows - with the grilles installed and connected to electronics no more elaborate nor costly than a Hegel unit such as this one:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/hegel-h400-streaming-integrated-amplifier
I attended the Toronto Audio fest 2024.this room was totally underwhelmed. The sound was pretty mediocre at best. M40.3 is a good sound speaker but the room was too small for it. I still think the best electronic for Harbeth is Asthix or accuphase
I can remember when these almost exact speakers retailed for 3,500. dollars. That's.. three thousand five hundred dollars and zero sense, get it.. almost unchanged these will soon cost 35k. The speaker is good but for an ancient and outdated tweeter. I even love the look and build quality but the value has long since left this brand. exchange rate notwithstanding, I wouldn't pay over 17k for these considering the competition. if you like this sound, just buy magenpan 1.7's and get identical level quality sound. unfortunately, even magnepan is price gouging at this point... 30k for the 20.7 is a no go....
... Acoustic Sounds for $19K-21K (USD), depending upon finish.
For comparison, the similar Spendor Classic 100 is priced at $12K.
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