East End Hi-Fi has just received their demo pair of Harbeth’s 40th Anniversary Compact 7ES-3 speakers. By my estimation, it is a much improved Compact 7ES-3 speaker. It of course has the beautiful midrange of the standard edition, but adds a tighter bass, and better overall dynamics as compared to the original.
Alan Shaw, Harbeth owner and designer, told StereoNET:
“We’re delighted to complete our landmark 40th Anniversary series with the release of a limited-edition Compact 7ES-3 loudspeaker, the descendant of my first Harbeth design. The Tamo Ash veneer has a beautiful iridescent, almost three-dimensional quality. With the added features of the 40th Anniversary range, the classic Compact 7ES-3 loudspeaker has been brought up to date with a great contemporary look whilst retaining its natural tonal balance.”
“I’ve been delighted with the response from customers, all over the world, to our 40th Anniversary series, which has been a very fitting tribute to this important milestone in our company’s history. The Compact 7ES-3 loudspeaker has been independently described as the “the sweetheart of the line,’’ combining “nimbleness, musicality, and timbral accuracy.”
Jay Garrett of StereoNet said:
“Alan Bennett’s Say Something Happened started to play, featuring greats such as Thora Hird. Once my ears got reattuned to hearing northern accents being played at a Hi-Fi show, the clarity and realism to the voices were notable.”
