Hear How Explicit Can Be Beautiful: Handmade Harbeth SHL5plus XD2 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Operates Like a Floor-Stander, Plays with Unerring Truthfulness and Accuracy
The Harbeth SHL5plus XD2 bookshelf loudspeaker harbors time-honored values that some may consider old-soul, old-world, even old-fashioned. Namely, each and every part of the 34.8-pound model is hand-assembled by master craftspeople in the company’s dedicated British factory.
It’s what Harbeth has been doing since 1977, a process that includes keeping track of the individuals who built the speaker as well as those who tested it for any imperfections, inside and out, before placing it in a box for shipment. These records provide you even further peace of mind if, decades down the road, you need a driver replacement. With the SHL5plus XD2, you’re not just buying a tremendous-sounding loudspeaker that Harbeth likes to call “explicit” due to its clarity and detail. You’re investing in a heritage that refuses to cut any corners.
Declared by veteran Stereophile critic Ken Micallef “easily the finest standmount speaker I’ve heard,” SHL5plus XD2 operates much like a larger floor-standing unit in the manners in which it delivers big, powerful, encompassing, front-to-back performance marked by realistic soundstages, broad dynamics, and uncanny insight. Defined, natural, lyrical, refined, and lively, the 25 x 12.7 x 11.8-inch (HWD) SHL5plus XD2 reproduces music with uncommon transparency and accuracy, rendering details with a soulful involvement that brings you closer to your favorite artists. In particular, it thrives with jazz, vocal, classical, and lighter rock fare.
Bolstered by Harbeth’s globally renowned 7.88-inch RADIAL4 bass/midrange driver, SHL5plus XD2 includes a one-inch ferrofluid-cooled tweeter as well as a supplemental 0.8-inch dome SuperTweeter to handle high frequencies with uncommon delicacy, grace, and transparency. A newly enhanced crossover allows each frequency range to work in perfect harmony, creating a seamless blend of sound that feels balanced and natural.
Easy to drive (six ohms impedance, 86dB sensitivity), SHL5plus XD2 elevates the revered English monitor sound to levels unimaginable in high-end’s original golden age. Its gorgeous cabinetry, featuring luxurious veneers, serves as the exclamation point on a speaker that is as visually beautiful as it is aurally bountiful.
To learn more about SHL5plus XD2 or any of Harbeth’s models, reach out to a Music Direct audio consultant at 312-433-0200.
