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Submitted by
Nick Drabble
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: February 8, 2011
Bottom Line: Heybrook HB2's bought in 1980 along with A&R A60 Amp and both still going strong.
Quite simply they are hard to better without spending £2000+. I have run them with the A60 for years but also Arcam Solo and now Naim Uniti and they still sing. They have a sweet treble, with mid range more open than many can manage today, and bass that is tight yet deeper than you would expect for a cabinet of it's size (41x23x21). Vocals and instrumentals are as if they are in the room. They can get muddled in the bass at high volumes but are well controlled with plenty of detail at modest levels.
I keep looking to replace them with something up to date but struggle to find anything that is significantly better. I have tried Spendor SA1 (lacking bass a little but clear natural open and articulate) ATC SCM11, Neat Motive 3 (both very good but not really an upgrade per say; the Neat possesses many qualities similar to the Heybrook), ProAc Tablette Anniversary and a number of floorstanders including Spendor A5. While there are undoubtedly some good speakers out there, the faithful Heybrook HB2's take some beating.
The acoustic foam fronts started to disintegrate in the 90's and I purchased a new set from Heybrook. The speakers are rear ported and need careful positioning to avoid becoming too boomy; about 14" from the wall keeps everything open and clear in my room.
The best £140 I ever spent on Hi-Fi.
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Submitted by
David Johnson
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: August 22, 2006
Strengths: Sweet treble. Lack of small speaker 'boxiness'. Bass there when it's 'there', so not tiring to listen to.Weaknesses: Very few compared to similar sized speakers I've heard. Compared to some £2000 B&W contemporary speakers heard, they lack control in the bass, but what the hell: when I'm playing vintage tapes from a Revox, it's the real deal!Bottom Line: Purchased new in 1981 with a Linn Sondek. Despite the attentions of a small boy on the tweeters and the removal of the foam on the rear ports (which would have disintegrated anyway), they still sound great. I got new foam grilles from the factory in 1990 and with solid stands and careful positoning in small room the overall sound, and particularly the bass response, never fails to impress visitors. The best hi-fi buy I ever made.
Price Paid:
$190.00
Purchased At: A major dealer; Lond
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Submitted by
mystic fred
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: September 4, 2005
Strengths: highly sophisticated sound especially on vinyl, spacious clarity, wide soundstage, tight clear bass. shows up cheap source/amps, needs quality front end. suitable for all types of music (except rap etc.needs 12/15" bass drivers!!).Weaknesses: non weaknesses really, though positioning/height is critical (not really a weakness),they can tend to sound a bit "nasally" sometimes, also they don't like being overdriven. some amps may find these a job to drive.Bottom Line: HEYBROOK HB2 (mftd.1981).
i still have these speakers after 24 years simply because i haven't yet heard anything good enough to replace them. even celestion dittons lose out to these in the tweeter department, and modern speakers such as monitor audio bronze/silver i have tried just sound plain dull (bi-wiring doesn't work much either so don't bother!). only thing is the grilles deteriorate but they sound better without them. sometimes these speakers sound so real it makes you jump! i bought another used pair of these from devon this year for £70.00 on ebay.
Price Paid:
$199.00
Purchased At: middlesbrough
Similar Products Used: celestion ditton 15xr, monitor audio bronze/silver, b&w dm20.
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Submitted by
Zevcowboy
a Audio Enthusiast
from Brooklyn, NYDate Reviewed: March 14, 2002
Strengths: There has been no bleed or mushiness. Each sound has integrity - especially in the mid to upper.Weaknesses: Though I generally like the look, the faux-wood wallpaper-like finish on the blond pair peeled slightly and looks a little cheap.Bottom Line: I'm running the HB2s off an NAD 3240PE intergrated amp and they sound terrific. I was initially a little disappointed with the bass (to be expected, perhaps, in a bookshelf). It sounded empty or hollow. But after moving the speakers around and letting them 'burn in' I really like them. They are a terrific value. The sound is precise and full.
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At: Audio Advisor
Similar Products Used: B&W
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Submitted by
ixlr8
a Audio Enthusiast
from IndiaDate Reviewed: February 20, 2002
Strengths: Price/PerformanceWeaknesses: Somewhat shabby with wind instruments, I don't listen to too much of 'em anyway.Bottom Line: I read a review earlier in this section mentioning some other material for the woofer cone. The pair that I own has a high-grade Kevlar 160 mm driver with a smooth, 25mm silk dome. I'm driving a pair off a NAD C320(USD 350), which is 40 @8 ohms. I also have a NAD C521 CD player(USD300) player. The setup sounds marvellous, in my study which is about 15x15. The speakers are about 4' away from the rear wall on custon stands, but they hit hard. I'm basically a car audio buff and I wanted tight and clean bass. I thought I'd need an active sub, but I'm more than happy with the low end of my system. The mids are clean and crisp and the highs are accurate. The HB2s are sturdily built and are deep chested with the vocals. The soft clipping on the NAD never allows the sound to be unpleasant even at high SPLs. At nearly a 1000$s, I think it is one of the best setups that one can put together in India.
Price Paid:
$330.00
Purchased At: 10 Ocatves, Bombay
Similar Products Used: Monitor Audio Bronze ser. Bookshelves. Got ripped off for them. They couldn't come close to what my corrent setup does.
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