Harbeth's mini monitor, in the XD2 series
Harbeth HL-P3ESR XD2 is the smallest loudspeaker from the English manufacturer: a stand-mount mini monitor just over thirty centimetres tall, designed and handmade in the United Kingdom. It belongs to the XD2 series, in which every model receives a refined crossover; Harbeth's stated aim is greater tonal accuracy, together with more depth and clarity. Harbeth was founded in 1977 and develops its own drive units.
The price is for the pair of loudspeakers, which comes in a single carton.
Drive units made in-house
The heart of the design is the 110 mm bass/mid unit with RADIAL4 cone, the material that Harbeth develops and makes itself and on which the midrange depends, the range of voices and acoustic instruments. It is joined by a 19 mm ferrofluid-cooled tweeter. The stated response runs from 75 Hz to 20 kHz within ±3 dB, measured in free space with the grille on, with smooth behaviour off axis as well.
Easy to drive
With an impedance of 6 ohms, which Harbeth describes as an easy load, and a sensitivity of 83 dB, the P3ESR XD2 works with a wide choice of amplifiers: the manufacturer suggests power from 15 W per channel, and a power handling of 50 W programme. The binding posts accept 4 mm banana plugs.
Placement in the room
Harbeth recommends keeping the loudspeakers at least 30 cm from the rear wall and using stands that bring the tweeter level with the ears: the tweeter sits 230 mm up from the cabinet base. For those who want to extend the bass, Harbeth offers Nelson, a subwoofer that also serves as a stand for mini monitors such as the P3ESR.
Finishes
The cabinets are handmade and finished in real wood veneer: colour, shade and grain vary from one unit to another. Seven finishes are listed, in three price bands: Satin Black and Satin White; Cherry, Walnut and Oak; Rosewood and Walnut Burl.
Technical data
- Type: stand-mount loudspeaker with two drive units.
- Bass/mid unit: 110 mm, Harbeth RADIAL4 cone.
- Tweeter: 19 mm, ferrofluid-cooled.
- Frequency response: 75 Hz – 20 kHz ±3 dB (free space, grille on).
- Impedance: 6 ohms.
- Sensitivity: 83 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m on axis.
- Suggested amplifier: from 15 W per channel.
- Power handling: 50 W programme.
- Binding posts: 4 mm, Harbeth-branded.
- Distance from the rear wall: ideally more than 0.30 m.
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 306 × 190 × 184 mm, plus 12 mm for grille and binding posts.
- Packing: the pair in a single carton.
