TheEar.net test P3ESR 40th Anniversary – Chris Kelly van the-ear.net testte voor dit online magazine de P3ESR 40th Anniversary van Harbeth en gaf de luidsprekers de volle vijf sterren! Chris Kelly is zelf een enthousiast gebruiker van zowel de SHL5+ als de P3ESR en schreef een zeer enthousiast verhaal over de ‘Limited Edition’ van de kleinste Harbeth.
Perfect gematched
Bijzonder bij Harbeth speakers is dat zowel het fineer van de kasten als de drivers nauwkeurig op elkaar worden gematcht. Chris Kelly zegt hierover:“Every pair of Harbeth loudspeakers is carefully pair matched. Often that means that the veneers match. For Harbeth though that is just the start. Each and every drive unit is tested and pair matched for the same sound output, and that information is then recorded by serial number before dispatch, so that in the unlikely event of the speaker requiring a repair even in the distant future the exact match can be supplied. Now that is attention to detail.”
Die matching van de drivers gaat zeer ver: de tweeters worden op in staffels van 0,1 dB verschillen gesorteerd…
Perfecte afbeelding en echtheid
Kleine monitoren staan erom bekend heel realistisch en ruimtelijk af te beelden en de P3ESR is geen uitzondering:“What has struck me most about the P3 sound was the extraordinary imaging and the huge soundstage which they create. The old cliché about the loudspeakers ‘disappearing’ is actually true in this case. Whether playing a really well recorded jazz trio, solo cello, a full orchestra, electronica, blues, rock or pop or a movie shoot out, I am pretty sure that the P3s convey exactly what was captured in the studio. Voices have an amazing realism, which I suppose is the least one should expect from a design born of the BBC’s desire to monitor exactly what was going on in their studios.”
Chris Kelly geeft verder aan dat de luidspreker geen subwoofer nodig heeft voor normale muziekweergave:
“If you buy a pair of P3ESRs, will you need to buy a subwoofer too? Emphatically no. If you already have one, try it and see if you like what it does. A lot of film soundtracks have serious amounts of bass energy and the REL certainly helped with that. For music replay alone though the P3ESRs coped admirably on their own.”
Ook leugenstraft hij het feit dat Harbeth luidsprekers niet geschikt zouden zijn voor rock:
“I have some good friends in the hi-fi world who tell me that Harbeths “don’t do rock”. Frankly, they are mistaken, perhaps because like far too many people they haven’t actually heard them. Harbeths look a bit old school for sure, but that is because they are true to their BBC heritage. Are they brilliant at producing small scale classical music, jazz trios and female vocals? You bet! But did they have a hissy fit and sulk when I played Pink Floyd, Disturbed or Halestorm and all the rest? Of course not! They made a joyous noise, far bigger and more involving than you would ever expect from such tiny boxes. Do not judge these books by their rather elegant covers – as the late lamented George Michael said ‘listen without prejudice’.”
Conclusie
De conclusie van Chris Kelly is simpel:“Having lived with the 40th Anniversary P3ESRs for a while now though, I take my hat off to Alan Shaw, the owner of Harbeth and the designer of their amazing range of loudspeakers, and his team at the Harbeth factory. These loudspeakers are a magnificent achievement, not “for their size” or “for the price”, just for being so good. “
Lees hier het complete review!