Heybrook HB!00's ... any good?

I have, for near on 20 years, been the very proud owner of a pair of IAS Beaulieu's - very much a mission of love considering the number of times I move house (one one the passenger seat, one in the back!) and the sheer weight of them. They sport 10" Volt B250's and upgraded crossovers and sound awesome.

But like I said, they're not the most convenient speakers, particularly now, having just moved (again) into a shared house with cardboard walls !! I just cant drive the Beaulieu's as music at volume is a big no no. I listen thru headphones, I've got some good phones ...HD600's, Philips Fideleo X1's and UE triple fi 10 iem's... but there's still times I want to listen through speakers. I'm using a pair of JBL control 5 + SB2 sub which sound pretty good but aren't really designed for home listening and lack a bit of detail and midrange finesse.

Which, after all that waffle, brings me to the Heybrook HB100's. I wasn't really planning on a third pair of speakers but I've seen a pair of HB100's going pretty cheap. I seem to remember Heybrook being much championed back in the day but I dont know much more. I can't find anything useful about this particular model online.

Does anyone have any experience with them and can enlighten me as to their sound and how they ranked at the time. I believe they were in the mid price bracket of the Heybrook range. I'm curious as to how they'd stand up against more modern second hand B&W stand mounters for instance, which seem to be two a penny a the moment.

Any help would be appreciated as I probably wont get the chance to listen before I buy. I do know they're in lovely condition and even come in their original boxes.

Steve

I forgot to say, my system is powered by a Musical Fidelity M3i amp and Rega DAC. Front end is a Dell Precision 6500 laptop (with onboard IDT hi res sound) and a Fiio X5 music player/DAC .... all strung together with varying quality, QED cables.

I have a pair and use them for rear channel duties mainly when I watch the projector. They were a car boot find a few years back. The front speakers are 12" Tannoy MG and Decca ribbons, and the HB100's tonal balance is not dissimilar and this and detail retrieval is such that they both blend in the sound field and do not embarrass themselves.

They seem to employ a strange material for the bass/mid cone, possibly aerogel? The treble seems to be a metal dome.They can be biwired and that's how I use them. There isn't much about them on the net, and they seem to be fairly rare. I don't think they were expensive/top of the range when new, possibly Heybrook's assault on the budget sector?

If I do play something in full blown surround like DSOTM, they sound pretty respectable. Bearing in mind that they're holding their own in pretty exalted company, I think they're pretty good. I have a number of bookshelf speakers I could be using, and that I tried, but these got the job.

I won't be using them for front duties and moving the MG's/Deccas to the rear in the forseeable, though!

Hope this helps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ff1d1l

I have a pair and use them for rear channel duties mainly when I watch the projector. They were a car boot find a few years back. The front speakers are 12" Tannoy MG and Decca ribbons, and the HB100's tonal balance is not dissimilar and this and detail retrieval is such that they both blend in the sound field and do not embarrass themselves.

They seem to employ a strange material for the bass/mid cone, possibly aerogel? The treble seems to be a metal dome.They can be biwired and that's how I use them. There isn't much about them on the net, and they seem to be fairly rare. I don't think they were expensive/top of the range when new, possibly Heybrook's assault on the budget sector?

If I do play something in full blown surround like DSOTM, they sound pretty respectable. Bearing in mind that they're holding their own in pretty exalted company, I think they're pretty good. I have a number of bookshelf speakers I could be using, and that I tried, but these got the job.

I won't be using them for front duties and moving the MG's/Deccas to the rear in the forseeable, though!

Hope this helps.

---

So they don't sound 'dated' then ? Driver technology has come a long way I would of thought.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steve s

So they don't sound 'dated' then ? Driver technology has come a long way I would of thought.

---

Speaker technology has come a long way in terms of using modern materials and to an extent reduced manufacturing cost, but I'm not sure about the sound quality. Many pretty old drive units still sound wonderful and properly designed vintage cabinets and crossovers in good order remain just that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steve s

So they don't sound 'dated' then ? Driver technology has come a long way I would of thought.

---

Good sound is good sound and doesn't go out of style. Wasn't the wow sound at the last Munich show Silbatone's 1920's Western Electric system? Of course, mags and manufacturers would have you believe there is constant incremental improvement, leaving behind the designs of yesteryear.

It's just that when you hear a classic well designed speaker driven by high quality amplification - you might find yourself wondering in which direction we've been progressing. Incidentally, my MG's sound very sharp and modern, not warm and cuddly at all...

To return to the Heybrooks, I think you'd be throwing £500 and the rest to get a modern design that even comes close. If they're cheap, and the skip outside your local cinema is not filled with Westrex gear, you could maybe do worse than buy them.
Just my opinion tho'.

Cheers for the advise guys,

For £50 in immaculate condition and original boxes... its a no brainer. I'll let you know how I get on with them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ff1d1l

Good sound is good sound and doesn't go out of style. Wasn't the wow sound at the last Munich show Silbatone's 1920's Western Electric system? Of course, mags and manufacturers would have you believe there is constant incremental improvement, leaving behind the designs of yesteryear.

It's just that when you hear a classic well designed speaker driven by high quality amplification - you might find yourself wondering in which direction we've been progressing.

---

My biased opinion is that generally we have gone backwards. Small drivers in small enclosures only cut it for WAF. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BTH K10A

My biased opinion is that generally we have gone backwards. Small drivers in small enclosures only cut it for WAF. :D

---

+1:)