HARBETH XD SERIES

Famous British loudspeaker manufacturer Harbeth has upgraded its entire range to ‘XD’ (eXtended Definition) status.

The Harbeth ‘XD’ series speakers (P3ESR XD, C7ES-3 XD, Monitor 30.2 XD, Super HL5plus XD and Monitor 40.2 XD) supersede the previous 40th Anniversary series but, as you can see from the model numbers, are essentially the same speakers in that all the drive units and the cabinets are identical, although Harbeth’s owner and designer, Alan Shaw, says he has made very slight changes to all the crossover networks (except that of the P3 XD) that have improved the sound quality. As for the P3 XD (pictured), Shaw says it now has a completely different crossover network that has made it sound slightly more open and a tiny bit more forward than its Anniversary predecessor. Another difference is that the rear connection terminals on all models now go directly to the crossover PCBs, which shortens the signal path and minimises transition losses.

One massive change is that unlike the Anniversary models, which didn’t offer a choice of cabinet finishes, the new XD Series is available in a wide range of finish options, although strangely, not all the same options are available for every model. Struan MacKenzie, of

HiFi Corner, one of Harbeth’s leading UK dealers, says he thinks the improvements in sound Shaw has made to the XD Series are subtle, including those for the P3 XD. “If you’re considering upgrading from an Anniversary model then it’s not really a big enough change, but they are a massive leap forward from any of the previous Harbeth models,” he says.

Harbeth’s Australian distributor, Aleksandar Maksimovic, of Audio Magic, told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine that the impetus for the XD upgrade was a new measurement technique Shaw has developed that enables him to examine the frequency response in far greater detail than ever before “By using his latest measurement technique, Alan was able to uncover and smooth out the smallest irregularities in the frequency responses,” he said. Maksimovic said that although he already had samples of all the models, he didn’t expect sales stock to be available for sale in Australia until January.