Martyn Miles
pfm Member
I have a pair of HB1 S3s, with the split xover for biwiring (a concession to 90s fashion?) and a slightly different tweeter. Not the prettiest of speakers, but very well made. They were a revelation when installed in my system, in that compared to their predecessors they brought the musical performance to the fore. This vivacious character reminded me of a friend's Linn Saras I'd heard and enjoyed years before. The midrange is fantastic.
I like how they work against the wall, too. Keeps them out of the way somewhat and makes setup easier in certain rooms.
The HB1s *are* brighter sounding compared to other speakers I've owned, and to the HB3 S2s that I now run. Even when driven by an A60 fed by a Planar 3/RB300/AT95E in a well damped room. I find that cleaning the terminals with IPA from time to time helps tame this a bit and improves their performance generally. A better move than replacing the skinny internal wiring with beefier stuff, which I found made no difference I could hear.
Would that IPA be Indian Pale Ale ?