Audio Magic AU Posted August 31, 2023 Posted August 31, 2023 The Absolute Sound - September 2023 - Harbeth Compact C7ES-3 XD Review In September 2023 edition of The Absolute Sound magazine, senior reviewer Paul Seydor takes the pair of Harbeth's Compact C7ES-3 XD to his reference system for longterm detail listening. Some of the his observations read quite impressive: "Without quite realizing it, within at most, I’d say, a minute or so, I found myself easing back into a more relaxed position as a big smile appeared on my face. Man, this is one beautiful sounding speaker system—right out of the box, sans any of the usual warmup or break-in. " "Those more experienced, knowledgeable, and sophisticated in audiophile terms, who listened longer or returned on other days with other source material, observed that this listenability is not at the expense of such usual desirable characteristics as detail, resolution, clarity, and transparency, nor did they find any shortage of involvement, definition, vitality, rich colours and textures, rhythmic drive, and dynamic range." "They are capable of setting forth a wide and deep soundstage with very precise imaging and placement within the soundstage, including movement of performers if the recording happens to stage a drama or story, as the Bernstein Carmen or the Solti Ring cycle, an- other of my longstanding references, certainly does." "First, over most of its range the C7 XD is one of the most neutral transducers in my six decades as an audiophile, and unquestionably one of the most musically natural. Second, it boasts a coherence, transparency, and resolution not unworthy of comparison to my longstanding references: three generations of Quad ESLs, from the 57s to the 63s to the 2805s." "But as already noted, truth to the timbre of instruments and the character of voices is among the princi- pal things this loudspeaker is all about." Read the full review of Compact C7ES-3 XD at The Absolute Sound
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