Croft/Harby combo

PACPAC
edited June 2012 in Systems
Have now taken delivery of my replacement speakers and amplifiers.  Went for a Croft Micro25 and Croft Series 7R power amp driving a set of Harbeth SHL5 loudspeakers (Eucalyptus finish).

Astonishing synergy with this pairing.  Bass is especially well balanced, surprisingly deep and tuneful. Overall, the trademark Harbeth sound shines through with more punch than I was expecting.  Surprisingly 3-D soundstage, great detail and a supremely refined balance of frequencies (not in your face like some conventional Hifi) makes music a pleasurable experience freed from the shackles of scrutinising the electronics.  Highly recommended!

Comments

  • uglymusicuglymusic
    edited June 2012
    What with @Jim's Croft pre and your new rig, we seem to be going Croft on Chews.

    I know Jim likes his pre a lot - don't know which model it is.

    You will notice that I've gone most of the way through this comment without making any jokes about the new speakers clearing your nasal passages? :-)
  • PACPAC
    :)

    Actually they do a god job of clearing the sinuses when playing James Blake "Limit to your Love" track loud!  The bass response with the Croft 7R driving them is simply jaw-droppingly astonishing.  I've never heard any 2 cubic foot monitor go that low before!
  • AlanAlan
    I bet those Crofts are luverly, if I were to start again, so to speak, I would seriously consider Croft. Harbeths I do not know, except to say a lot of former Roydees seem to have gone for the, perhaps surprisingly.

    Jim also has the micro 25, IIRC.
  • PACPAC
    edited June 2012
    You can't do much better at ten times the cost IMHO Alan.  I've owned £40K systems in the past which are put to shame by what I have now.  Glen knows his onions.  I've never heard such a powerful, balanced but transparent set up as the Micro25 allied with the 7R.  It really lays bare any recordings and gets to the heart of the music in a way other amps seem to struggle with.  The Micro25R is meant to be better still.  No fancy boxes but that means you're not paying for fancy boxes, and Glen doesn't pay huge sums for fancy advertising and marketing nor R&D as he essentially produces everything by hand himself and shuns the limelight.  He's a genius where circuit design is concerned and a quick look inside his amps reveal top notch components have been used unlike some premium valve manufacturers (no names mentioned!).

    The Harbeths a real breath of fresh air amongst forward sounding boxes that always sound like boxes (ie you listen to the speakers not the music with most I've owned) but are far from pipe and slippers.  The rock when you put rock on, they do fireworks if that's what's in the grooves but they complement the Crofts beautifully sharing a similar sense of balance and character but above all tonal neutrality, with a real sense of scale that far belies their dimensions.  They do the disappearing trick better than any loudspeaker I've yet heard.  Wished I could have afforded the M40.1 but its outside of my budget...for now!  That adds as mush sclae to proceedings as you;re ever likely to need for a large room.  The 5's are perhaps one of hifi's best kept secrets IMHO, and come close, so all in all, very happy indeed.  As far a sources go, the Mini Droplet CDP really shines with this pairing.  For the first time ever, my vinyl front end is wiped by comparison, but much of this is down to the number of old and worn pressings I have at a guess.  The CDP has a lower noise floor and lovely tonal balance, but I've always rated the Mini Droplet against all comers as a CD source so may be biased!
  • JimJim
    +1 on the Micro
    B-)
Sign In or Register to comment.