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Heybrook HB1 (first series) any good?

Why use HB1's when HB2's are so much better and about the same price? The HB2's may be smaller, but the midrange and treble is leagues ahead of what the HB1 can do. The problem with HB2's is that they need to be away from walls and their bass is a bit on the warm/fluffy side.
 
HB1s were my first "proper" speakers but they could sound a bit harsh when partnered with my Technics and Marantz amps. I remember when I upgraded to the warmer and bigger sounding Arcam Alfa 9 amps with Arcam Alfa 5 CDP, it seemed to suit these speakers well resulting in very musical presentation. Very good sound stage/imaging but ultimately a bit bass shy. I would personally try to find some Royd or Ruark second hand bargains if I was looking for something in that price range now- much more refined. ; )
 
HB1's are incredible value for money. I'm surprised they ever made any money from them as they are packed full of great components. Apart from the superb SEAS drivers, the crossovers used polypropylene caps with anechoic grade foam internal lining plus real long hair lambswool filling. Even the tweeter had its own sub-enclosure separating it from the bass chamber. One thing to look out for is rotting foam surrounds on the bass units, but as they are still available brand new it's not too much of a problem replacing them.
 
James46 said:
Why use HB1's when HB2's are so much better and about the same price? The HB2's may be smaller, but the midrange and treble is leagues ahead of what the HB1 can do. The problem with HB2's is that they need to be away from walls and their bass is a bit on the warm/fluffy side.
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Quite different loudspeakers though.
Cabinet aside, the HB2 is quite BBC balanced in that it does mids and voice superbly but doesn't quite 'rock' as well as the HB1 which has a livelier, quicker sound.
Both are good in all areas other than low bass and high SPLs, but the presentation and blend of strengths and weaknesses is quite different IME.
The HB1 is also a lot more sensitive so works well with small amplifiers and in particular valve amps.

I personally favour the HB2 and still have a pair. Wonderful small-ish boxes.
 
I have a pair of flecked rear baffle Mecom acoustics HB2s with HBS1 stands but sadly one of the tweeters is buggered. Has anyone ever found a reasonable substitute ?
 
Chris said:
I have a pair of flecked rear baffle Mecom acoustics HB2s with HBS1 stands but sadly one of the tweeters is buggered. Has anyone ever found a reasonable substitute ?
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I did but only by waiting for a pair to appear on eBay.
When my HB2s were packed by the seller he wrapped them in bubble wrap - which bonded to the damping goo used on the tweeters and wrecked one of them.
They will appear at some point since the tweeter was a popular choice for many manufacturers. Some older Spendors such as the SA1 used them as I think did RAM and possibly Tangent.

Keep your eyes peeled.
 
Cheers Robert,
Do you know if the Spendors, Rams and Tangents used the same chamfered corner face-plates. If not what Audax model number should I be on the look-out for ?
 
DougBradyHiFi said:
HB1's are incredible value for money. I'm surprised they ever made any money from them as they are packed full of great components. Apart from the superb SEAS drivers,
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The bass/mid drivers were actually made in Denmark by Vifa and are now made in Vifa's old factory using Vifa staff & tooling overseen by Scanspeak.

Vifa (the brand) products are now all made in China afaict.
 
The tweeter was a standard Vifa i think, as used in modified form by ATC and others. Wilmslow Audio (and Falcon Acoustics?) should be able to supply a replacement, which only needs to be the triangular module with dome and coil mounted on it
 
A friend of mine had Rega Planar 3, NAIT 1 and HB1's. Great system.

I imagine, like many have said here, they were only at their best with vinyl.
 
Minstrel SE said:
They used to recommend the Heybrooks non-stop in Hi Fi answers. It was one of their stock recommendations for ages so that's why they interest me.

You can see from the range including turntables that Heybrook made some really decent stuff.

I would love to hear a pair and they do appear on ebay. I couldn't collect so I gave up bidding on a pair fairly recently.
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They used to recommend all sorts of things in Hi-Fi Answers... Tangent RS 4 were 'The Answer' ( sorry) to almost any enquiry about BC1 size speakers. They appeared to have a link up to some manufacturers, I felt. Hi-Fi News was always more balanced. I used to think of HFA as an 'Audio Comic'. M G Miles
 
Just goes to show. HFA was my favourite. I remember the articles by John Atkinson´s (?)(pre-Stereophile) "discovery" of how different supports under the LInn affected the sound. Large, photographers developing dishes/trays were his favourite

I seem to remember Tangent RS4 were more a Popular Hi-Fi favourite when Frankland used to recommend them (1974) with the Sugden A48II.
HFA was by far the most enjoyable read for me especially the soul/blues music recommendations by Fred Dellar (?) and the Q&A section even if all the answers were the same (Rega3/LP12 + Nytech/Naim + HB1). Happy days.
 
Hi,
I am very late coming to this forum, but I have just acquired a pair of HB1 speakers...in urgent need of TLC.
The foam has gone, so it will be replaced. The crossover may have been modified. The resistor in my crossover is 15 Ohms. All the publications that I have seen show an 18 Ohm resistor being used
So, has someone been fiddling or was a 15 Ohm resistor a legitimate piece of the original?
The serial number of (one of) my units is 011053.

Thanks for the help

George
 
George Brooke said:
Hi,
I am very late coming to this forum, but I have just acquired a pair of HB1 speakers...in urgent need of TLC.
The foam has gone, so it will be replaced. The crossover may have been modified. The resistor in my crossover is 15 Ohms. All the publications that I have seen show an 18 Ohm resistor being used
So, has someone been fiddling or was a 15 Ohm resistor a legitimate piece of the original?
The serial number of (one of) my units is 011053.

Thanks for the help

George
Click to expand...

IIRC you can still get the bass drivers from SEAS. Let me have a look.

Edit. Vifa

http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/vifa-m21wg0908-woofer.html
 
The earlier Mk1 HB1 used a 25mm diameter Vifa tweeter with quite high sensitivity from a largeish magnet. Later versions changed to a less sensitive 26 mm tweeter. The crossover was adjusted to account for that lower sensitivity.

I have schematics for the earlier & later versions of the crossover. I can also supply the bass drivers (new production now made in Vifa's old factory by Scanspeak). I also supply replacement foam grilles for these & the velcro if required.

HB1%20with%20grille.jpg
 
Heybrook made stands for the HB1s. They screw to the wall and only allow the speakers to be placed 50mm away from the wall. They have in them a kind of fluff. This plays a fundamental role in the speakers ability to produce a decent picture. I replaced mine with a type of upholstery it is called kapok. This makes the bass much better.
As for a better pair of speakers it is difficult to determine if you don't try them in your home. Personally I intend to sell my Spendor's and put my HB1s back in service. This has nothing to do with finance, everything to do with sound.
Heybrook did send me a list of the components they used, and I agree, they are most excellent and should not be replaced. They told me they tested them with the crossover as close to the amplifier as possible. This allows me to fit top wire between the amp and the crossover and my standard cable through the base. The back, I have sealed off the plate which was used to hold the crossover an
d the inputs. My inputs are now on the bottom.
 
The dealership I worked in sold HB1s and my wife had a pair with their stands. I remember them as an engaging speaker. They need to be against a wall and the Heybrook stands were ideal. We need a second system and I'm trying to remember what made my wife get rid of them. We could do with them now. They'd be good.
 
I had HB1 (& HB2) years ago

Fun and engaging sound, not the last word but certainly no brightness

A Lowly amp like a Creek, Exposure, Onix or the like, were just fine
 
I have a pair with a Creek CAS4040 and a Rega Planar 3 which were all carefully selected at the time to be the best sound I could afford.
 
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