MerryChristmas

| Issue 36 | December 2012www.harbeth.co.uk

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LOOK out for Harbeth’s mini monitor in the American hit TV series House of Lies. The makers, Sony Pictures, contacted Harbeth recently to specify P3ESRs in black ash. They demanded Harbeth as the ‘classic’ British shoe-box monitor brand. “The P3s will appear in the show placed in the room of actor Don Cheadle”, explains Walter Swanbon from Harbeth USA . “ We are thrilled that a wider audience will

see these stunning looking speakers. It’s only a pity they won’t be able to hear what an awesome sound they create, too.” Shows featuring the speakers will air in the coming year.

INITIAL enthusiasm towards Harbeth’s new, high-gloss finish loudspeakers is “better than we could possibly have imagined”, admits the firm’s marketing man, Trevor Butler. Since announcing the new lacquer finishes of Gun Grey, Arctic White and Jet Black, take-up around the world has been phenomenal. “We’ve already had to increase production and the season’s hardly started!” he adds.

“Too many products today seem to major on style over substance”, adds Trevor. “It’s refreshing to find that, when it comes to top quality British handmade speakers, it is possible to have both: the unbeatable Harbeth RADIAL™ sound and a classy, high-gloss lacquer finish which is fit for any upmarket surroundings.” “Anyone who has admired a Steinway up close will have fallen in love with the beautiful

mirror-finish which exudes quality and surely adds to the musical experience. “We’ve tried to capture the essence of that in these high-gloss Harbeths”, says MD Alan Shaw. “We’re very lucky to be neighbours with the prestigious Ardingly College private school. Their glorious music facilities include a stunning Steinway which provides the perfect partner for the high gloss Harbeths, captured so dramatically (picture left).

CHRISTMAS CLOSURE

The factory shuts at lunchtime on Friday the

21st December and re-opens on Wednesday

2nd January 2013.

We wish you all Christmas Greetings and a successful

Harbeth New Year.

Harbeths star in smash TV sit-com

Rhapsody on a Theme of High GlossIn concert with high demand for new finish options

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IT IS flattering that the latest effusive review for Harbeth’s Monitor 30.1 loudspeaker is by a hi-fi magazine in one of the brand’s most important markets. Audio Technique in Hong Kong praises the new model and recommends it highly. In the six-page article’s conclusion, the reviewer says, “the Harbeth M30.1 is definitely a Harbeth. The sound is very precise and accurate because the M30.1 is from the Mastering Series. Harbeth’s designer, Alan Shaw, has arranged a perfect balance for both studio and home use. Therefore, the M30.1 easily leads the listener into an audio wonderland. “The M30.1 is easy to drive – any tube or electronic amplifier can easily drive it and provide a precise sound.”

Harbeth Hong Kong are delighted with the review. Kalson Chan says “Chinese consumers have always loved Harbeth and this latest model has already won many hearts here – so much so, there is a waiting list now in China for the beautiful M30.1.”

MORE INFORMATION from http://www.audiotechnique.com/

and http://garner-co.com.hk/

FANS of analogue audio equipment gathered in Krefeld to hear the new Harbeth M30.1 monitors at the Analog Forum show. The event was organised by the Analog Audio Association to promote their ethos and attracted many visitors to the venue. Bernd Hömke of Harbeth Germany writes how well the mid-sized Harbeth performed to “extract every last detail” from the sources he used to woo the appreciative audience. More at his website www.inputaudio.de

‘Analog Forum’ report from Germany

Archiving decades of research material

IT’S taken many months but finally, all thirty-five years of Harbeth’s research files have been scanned and are now stored digitally as 11,000 multi-page PDFs. What once occupied several cupboards and many filing cabinets has been condensed to easily accessible data files, stored ready for indexing and cross-referencing. “This archiving is essential”,

explains office administrator Anne Mattison. “Paper files not only take up valuable space, but are a fire hazard. Archiving these hugely valuable research papers means they’re now safe and backed-up in several locations.” The project has involved the archives from Dudley Harwood’s days as well as all the work on every model Alan Shaw has designed.

M30.1 ‘rave’ in Hong KongLatest high praise for new Monitor 30.1

Celebrating our35th Anniversary

1977 - 2012

“...leads the listener into an audio wonderland.”

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WHEN asked to make a video for a top audio magazine’s website, Harbeth’s German distributor revealed a natural talent for appearing on the small screen. Bernd Hömke, of Harbeth Germany, was invited by Fidelity magazine to meet them at one of his best dealers. Bernd took to the stage and, with his thorough knowledge of the brand and the product, became a talented ambassador for Harbeth and its ethos of creating a pure, natural sound to bring music to life.

“We Germans know that you British have a soft spot (is that right?) for our industrial engineering, but did you know that German audiophiles have a passion for British speakers? And there is none more British than Harbeth!” says Bernd.

Harbeth feels honoured that its customers in Germany are in the safe hands of dealers like Loft Sound. “A really beautiful demonstration environment. Well done Bernd”, says Harbeth’s Andy Sinden.

The video is online at www.fidelity-magazin.de

THE leading, and highly respected French high-end publication Ecoutez Voir put the Harbeth SHL5s through their paces and found them ‘addictive’. Testing the classic, two cubic foot BBC-style monitor, online EV mag said “Harbeth’s Super HL5s easily fill a large room and are particularly attractive.” The reviewer concluded that the speakers were “...transparent, vibrant,

and both refined and fluid. The Super HL5 is all that and more. They reveal a remarkable quality across the entire bandwidth, reproducing a sonic image with exceptional dynamic capabilities which are rare if not unique...” Marc Chassonnery from Harbeth France calls this a ‘beautiful test report’ by Antoine Gresland, explaining how the reviewer lived with the SHL5s

for six weeks, “and so was able to give them a thorough review.” Adding, “this is not the mere two-days of listening by some magazines. “ More information at http://www.evmag.fr

“both refined and fluid... that

and more...”

Audio made the video star?

Ooh la la! French excitement over SHL5

The video is online at www.fidelity-magazin.de

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FINISH OF THE MONTH

www.harbeth.co.ukHarbeth Audio Ltd, 3-4 Enterprise Park, Lindfield, West Sussex RH16 2LH, United Kingdom

THIS month we focus on another of the exciting high-gloss finishes.

Arctic White has a stunningly modern feel which will suit a range of contemporary interiors from the home-office, to the bedroom, study or music room.

This high sheen, pure white mirror-finish is available initially on the P3ESR/Monitor20.1 mini and will be gradually introduced to the Compact 7ES3, Monitor 30.1 and SHL5 – all subject to availability. As always, please check with your local Harbeth dealer.

THE leading-edge audio project to create a sound-only cinema experience (as reported in Newsletter 35), is about to go on international tour to the USA.

After months of planning and preparation, EarFilms conceived and built their prototype multi-channel sound environment at Devon’s Dartington Hall studios. The sound dome is a geodesic structure with nineteen critically positioned Harbeth Monitor 20.1 loudspeakers.

“Recording the first test version of To Sleep To Dream, we assembled a wonderful team of actors, technicians and foley artistes,”, explains EAR’s founder Daniel Marcus Clark.

The young, creative engineers are set to spend a hectic Christmas in New York to show off the concept and seek international syndication of the idea.

“This is a very exciting stage of the concept”, says Harbeth’s Alan Shaw. “I have just returned from Dartington Hall and I now fully appreciate the entertainment experience these guys have crafted. With over 4,000 tracks of audio and sounds that swirl around the blindfolded audience, I left without realising that there were no pictures. Because the sound from the Monitor 20s was so immersive I’d been carried along with the story and my imagination had done the rest.”

You can see Alan’s video here.

Sound-only multi-channel ‘cinema’