Harbeth SHL5plus XD Loudspeaker Preview

See the complete review for the Harbeth SHL5plus XD Loudspeaker.

The newest generation of the original Harbeth Domestic Monitor is a showcase of modern technology combined with old-world craftsmanship.

Harbeth started building loudspeakers in 1977. Their first product was the ancestor to the newest “Ultimate British Monitor Loudspeaker,” now dubbed the SHL5plus XD.

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The SHL5plus XD combines Harbeth’s RADIAL2™ driver, which measures 200mm, a 25mm tweeter, and a 20mm super tweeter in a custom-built cabinet that is handcrafted in their factory in West Sussex, England.

These monitors are intended for use with a stand which I’ll discuss further in the review. They measure about 25 inches tall, 12.8 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. My review pair is finished in a beautiful cherry, with attention to detail so fine that the wood grain is matched between the two speakers.

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Attention to detail is a hallmark of Harbeth speaker design and the SHL5plus XD is a testament to their long history of excellence. They combine a midrange with the quality of an electrostatic, but without that technology’s dynamic limitations. Bass extension is solid, especially for the driver’s size. These speakers deliver music at a level one rarely gets to hear outside a live performance.

The detailed review will discuss a wide variety of items, including how these speakers have evolved over the decades.

See the complete review for the Harbeth SHL5plus XD Loudspeaker.

Craig Chase

Craig Chase intends to become the rebel of our team. (We welcome one more rebel to the SECRETS Team!) He got his start in audio while still in high school in small town Pennsylvania, and took his love of audio to Penn State, where he was a campus rep for Electrovoice, Advent, Altec-Lansing, Pioneer and Technics. This mini career with audio set him on the path to making audio a lifetime passion. After graduating Penn State at the low point of the 1982 recession, a terrible time to start a career, he took a job selling cars at a Ford-Datsun-AMC-Jeep dealership in Erie, Pa. What started off as a job until something better came along turned into a tremendous career, and now Craig has a thriving financial services company and owns a Chrysler-Jeep-Ram-Dodge dealership in the university town of Edinboro, Pa. These companies have allowed Craig to build two things he loves: a 20-year-long stint writing reviews for audio equipment on several forums and helping people and animals in need. Few things are more rewarding to Craig and his family than rescuing a dog, cat or even a horse. The Chase family currently has 11 rescue animals and has helped place hundreds of others. Craig also works with several shelters in northwest Pennsylvania that provide direct aid to people in crisis. It is this love of helping others that has also made his tenure in audio so enjoyable. From the time he installed his first system in a friend's dorm room as a college rep to more recent experiences in the forum world helping someone assemble a system, Craig knows the sense of accomplishment of letting someone in on our SECRET: a music system can make life more enjoyable.