After a week of listening, I got the point of Alan Shaw's latest invention: The Nelson adds bass weight in addition to some luxurious depth and atmosphere. That extra bass weight was obvious and welcome on Nils Frahm's Felt; on the first track, the bass actually shook my easy-to-shake floor. On the second, the soundspace became infinitely deep in a manner the P3 could not have done without the Nelson's help. On that same track, the loud sounds of the piano's action appeared, crackling with razor-sharp transients and microdetail. On the third track, I could hear Nils breathing. On the fourth, I could hear him whistling, and household noises coming from a room far behind him. I still had to sit close, but the voice this system projected felt full-range, elegant, and well-spoken.

Compared to the P3 alone, the P3 + Nelson projected a taller energy field, wherein it seemed the woofer on the bottom made the location of the box on top less noticeable. That in turn made the presentation feel more of a piece than with the P3ESR XDs alone. This feeling of wholeness encouraged my left brain to remind me how the Nelson moved the geometric center of the P3's spectral balance down almost a full octave, allowing my mind to work less hard extrapolating for the missing bass octaves.

This was a different experience from adding a separately located subwoofer like the KEF KC62 or SVS 3000 Micro subs I reviewed. Adding those floor-woofers never let my mind relax completely because my audio-brain kept looking for the extra sound source. The Nelsons never revealed their locations, which caused me to speculate: Maybe I can't locate them because according to my in-room measurements the Nelson shuts off completely by 100Hz, and because, according to Harbeth's webpage, the DSP aligns phase at the crossover frequency.

Adding the Nelson subwoofer stand to Harbeth's P3ESR XD created an entirely new, longer-wheelbase, smoother-riding, fuller-sounding speaker, a must-audition for Harbeth P3 and LS3/5a aficionados.

Link do recenzji: Harbeth Nelson – Stereophile

The bass that magically looms perfectly between the speakers via the Nelsons is not the ultra-tight kind. This subwoofer does not hold the bass in an iron ‘Nelson’ grip but rather supports the distinctive flow of the monitor. A smart choice by Harbeth. Of course the P3ESR XD defines the playback but with the Nelson added, the balance changes a bit. It plays a bit rounder, bigger, obviously goes deeper and sets a wider stereo image.

The Big Scary, an Australian duo, makes a kind of dream pop that we do love. Their new album “Wing” is a voyage of discovery full of unusual music. A maverick in pop music. The second track “What’s it all about” features a thumping bass that has little impact without the Nelson. With the subwoofer, you also physically feel the bass and are more carried away in the music. Then again on the next track, ‘The End of the Road’ you notice how beautifully this combination ‘disappears’ as only monitors can.

Even more striking is how well this combo works with rock and hard rock. Megadeth is standard in our test list but rarely comes into its own. Not even with many a floorstander. Here it sounds great and as a result the volume knob quickly goes up. There is a lot of body in the midrange which gives the often poor recordings in this genre enough carcass to convince. In addition, the P3ESR XD ensures that a lot of information comes through. We chased the entire “Countdown To Extinction” album through it and rarely enjoyed it so much. Blessed!

Installing and tuning a subwoofer can be a frightening exercise. And even then, you're not sure you'll get everything right. With the Harbeth Nelson, you won't have that problem. This subwoofer/standmount is a specific solution to a specific problem. In fact, there are a lot of audio freaks who have some LS3/5a model in their room and simply want a bit more bass for certain pieces of music. The Harbeth Nelson is an elegant way to achieve this. Especially with the Harbeth P3ESR XD monitors, it's a dream team. Anyway, we congratulate Harbeth for developing an innovative product like the Harbeth Nelson. Very well done!

Link do recenzji: Harbeth Nelson – Alpha-Audio

Link: Harbeth Nelson – Stereophile – Recommended Components 2025

Link: Harbeth Nelson – Stereophile – Recommended Components 2025

Link: Harbeth Nelson – Stereophile – Recommended Components 2024