Paul Saylor of the absolute sound has already purchased his 2008 review pair citing it as his "favorite mini-monitor....The P3 is so cannily designed it almost transends the limitations of the genre" - The Absolute Sound, October 2008
In his August 2008 review, Steve Stone of Enjoy the Music.com concludes "If you don't LOVE the Harbeth P3ES2 speakers you need to make an appointment with your audiologist because there is something seriously wrong with your hearing" Read the Enjoythemusic.com review here
"I have to agree with what John Marks wrote in his October 2005 "The Fifth Element" column: "Gloriosky, these little speakers are just great to listen to! High 'gotta havvit' quotient; these are speakers I could almost live with indefinitely." So could I."— Stereophile - John Atkinson
"Obviously, the Harbeth HL P3ES-2 earns the highest of marks. The spirit of the BBC LS3/5A is reincarnated into a higher, clearer, and more neutral form and lives on in this true masterpiece for music lovers." Stereotimes - Paul Szabady
The skilfully implemented sound balance deceives the ear into thinking that this little speaker must be much larger than it is - which is why it is widely used as a near-field reference monitor.
Descended directly from the Harbeth BBC LS3/5a, the HL-P3ES2 has been in production for nearly 20 years, almost equalling that of the LS3/5a itself. It is, quite simply, the best all-round mini-monitor. When coupled to good quality electronics, the P3ES2 still continues to set the world standard for miniature monitors. At the heart of this successful design was bettering the bass performance of its predecessor and reducing coloration which is now at a level remarkable for a cabinet of such small dimensions. This design has stood the test of time excelling in the cohesion of sound stage, pin-sharp image positioning and remarkable 'big sound' - all from a small cabinet. Ideal in a small room or where space is at a premium. Also makes perfect rear channel speakers.
The crossover network features no-expense-spared components to perfectly integrate the sound pressure and phase response of the bass/mid and tweeter units. The necessarily complex LS3/5a and HL-P3ES2 crossover design strategy is covered on this site in 'Designer's Notebook Chapter 5'.
Transducer system
5" bass/mid; 19mm aluminium tweeter
Freq. response
75Hz - 20kHz +/-3dB free space, 1m with grille on with smooth off axis response
