Harbeth Super HL5plus XD2 Bookshelf Speakers (pair)

Harbeth Super HL5plus XD2: the XD2 generation, a major technical refinement

The Super HL5plus XD2 is the most iconic model in the Harbeth range, a direct descendant of the very first monitor created by Dudley Harwood in 1977. It succeeds the well-loved XD version without disrupting its philosophy: the same three-way, super-tweeter architecture, the same thin-wall cabinet, but a completely reworked technical heart.

What changes with the XD2

• New RADIAL4™ midrange (200mm): Alan Shaw further refined the composition of Harbeth's proprietary material. Lighter and stiffer, it delivers a faster transient response and drastically reduces micro-colouration in the midrange — replaces the XD generation's RADIAL2™
• Recalibrated crossover: entirely reworked to integrate the properties of RADIAL4™, with improved linearity at the junction between the 200mm driver and the tweeter, and better coherence between bass, midrange and treble
• Greater transparency and openness: the speaker feels "faster" and less coloured than the classic XD, without losing its legendary warmth
• Better-controlled bass: thanks to improved cone energy management, bass is firmer and better defined, easing placement in more complex rooms
• Architecture (three-way, 20mm super-tweeter, thin-wall cabinet) and overall footprint: unchanged from the XD

The listening experience

The new RADIAL4™ cone translates into lightning-fast transients: note attacks gain in crispness, without ever sacrificing the silkiness and patina that make Harbeth listening so addictive. The super-tweeter works in the background to add extra air and breath in the extreme treble. The soundstage is no longer a simple layering of planes: it becomes a coherent, three-dimensional image, in which voices and acoustic instruments materialise with rare density. Bass stays taut and articulate, far from the flattering bloat of some competing speakers — an overall presentation of remarkable tonal truth, capable of accompanying a listener for a lifetime.

Key features

• Three-way design, front bass-reflex, damped thin-wall cabinet
• 200mm RADIAL4™ bass/midrange driver (new, XD2 generation), Harbeth
• 25mm dome tweeter, ferrofluid-cooled
• 20mm dome SuperTweeter
• Frequency response: 40Hz - 20kHz ± 3dB free-space
• Impedance: 6 Ω, stable and easy to drive
• Sensitivity: 86dB / 2.83V / 1m
• Recommended power: from 25W/channel, ideally 100W or more
• Fully recalibrated crossover for the XD2 generation
• Fully handmade and hand-assembled in the United Kingdom

Highlights

• Major technical upgrade over the SHL5plus XD, at near-identical size and price
• Harbeth's best-selling model for over 15 years
• Spatial coherence and three-dimensional imaging praised by the international specialist press
• Better-defined bass, easing integration into complex rooms
• Hand-selected genuine wood veneer finishes
• Requires dedicated stands, approximately 40-45cm (e.g. TonTräger), not included

• Type: bookshelf/monitor speaker, three-way, front bass-reflex
• Bass/midrange driver: 200mm RADIAL4™ (XD2 generation), Harbeth
• Tweeter: 25mm, dome, ferrofluid-cooled
• SuperTweeter: 20mm, dome
• Frequency response: 40Hz - 20kHz ± 3dB (free-space, grille on)
• Impedance: 6 Ω
• Sensitivity: 86dB / 2.83V / 1m
• Recommended power: from 25W/channel, ideally 100W+
• Crossover: new XD2 generation, recalibrated
• Dimensions (H x W x D): ≈ 635 x 322 x 300mm
• Weight: 15.8kg per speaker
• Cabinet: thin-wall, damped construction
• Manufacturing: handmade, United Kingdom
• Packaging: one speaker per protective carton