Saturday 11 November 2023
John Wright, 1939-1999
John Wright, 1939-1999: John Wright was one of the most important figures on the British hi-fi scene since the mid-1960s. His natural modesty and reticence made it easy to underestimate a working life that encompassed an unusually wide range of different roles: from inventor to speaker engineer to reviewer to businessman.Both of his parents were music teachers, and while John himself was an accomplished pianist and organist, he developed a similar passion for the gramophone, and the challenge of reproducing the recorded music repertoire to the highest possible standards.
Monday 22 March 2010
The HEYBROOK HB3 Original 1980's
Hello Good sound lovers,
As per previous post, I went to collect my pair of HB3 original form Warshall the the midland UK on the 13/03/2010. I was so excited driving back. So excited that I nearly prayed for angels to help me push my car faster. It was a memorable experience to witness the beauty of such a legendary speaker systems.They are in very good condition and have been in the same place for almost 26 years.The Foam grid has deteriorated but that should not be and issue because I have a solution for it. I have had over 120 pairs of various speakers but never much heard about HEYBROOK early 80,s design. This reinforced my believe that the best both sound and speaker systems were designed from the late 50s to late 80s.
I believe that the emergence of digital media in the mid 80s has had and important impact on system design. I believe that crossovers has been reviewed to match the evolution in sound delivery. I am luck I will admit, to have 2 different pairs of Heybrooks at my disposal for a comparative listening test. On the understanding that I am not going to use any professional equipment. I am relying solely on my trusted ears and my actual system configuration: ( Vinyl source: Thorens TD 124/II with Hadcock GE 228 tonearm and Ortofon cartridge, CD source: Micromega stage 2, Preamplifier : ROTEL RC 972, Power amps: McIntosh MC2105, MC2205, Tube amps: Modified Baldwin Type AD and a Pair of RCA New Orthophonic High Fidelity mono blocs (quad 6v6GT or dual 6L6).
A basic configuration in essence, but satisfactory enough to identify the good and bad speaker system. I have already notice a fundamental difference in sound reproduction between the two different settings.Their soundstage is much cleaner when placed at 70 to 100 cm from a back wall. They have very decent low frequency response which lead me to criticize why some people found it necessary to complement their setup with sub woofer, in the goal of achieving a compensation the lack of bass response form HB3s across the room.
Their bass response is awesome with the McIntosh, probably due to the high current output of the auto transformer.
Will be right back
As per previous post, I went to collect my pair of HB3 original form Warshall the the midland UK on the 13/03/2010. I was so excited driving back. So excited that I nearly prayed for angels to help me push my car faster. It was a memorable experience to witness the beauty of such a legendary speaker systems.They are in very good condition and have been in the same place for almost 26 years.The Foam grid has deteriorated but that should not be and issue because I have a solution for it. I have had over 120 pairs of various speakers but never much heard about HEYBROOK early 80,s design. This reinforced my believe that the best both sound and speaker systems were designed from the late 50s to late 80s.
I believe that the emergence of digital media in the mid 80s has had and important impact on system design. I believe that crossovers has been reviewed to match the evolution in sound delivery. I am luck I will admit, to have 2 different pairs of Heybrooks at my disposal for a comparative listening test. On the understanding that I am not going to use any professional equipment. I am relying solely on my trusted ears and my actual system configuration: ( Vinyl source: Thorens TD 124/II with Hadcock GE 228 tonearm and Ortofon cartridge, CD source: Micromega stage 2, Preamplifier : ROTEL RC 972, Power amps: McIntosh MC2105, MC2205, Tube amps: Modified Baldwin Type AD and a Pair of RCA New Orthophonic High Fidelity mono blocs (quad 6v6GT or dual 6L6).
A basic configuration in essence, but satisfactory enough to identify the good and bad speaker system. I have already notice a fundamental difference in sound reproduction between the two different settings.Their soundstage is much cleaner when placed at 70 to 100 cm from a back wall. They have very decent low frequency response which lead me to criticize why some people found it necessary to complement their setup with sub woofer, in the goal of achieving a compensation the lack of bass response form HB3s across the room.
Their bass response is awesome with the McIntosh, probably due to the high current output of the auto transformer.
Will be right back
Friday 12 March 2010
HEYBROOK HB3 and HB3 series 2 of 1980s
I spent my day on the moon of good sound....Guess what?
My 121st pair of speaker system is the Vintage HEYBROOK HB3 S2. It was delivered by a trustworthy friend of mine, who is also an audio aficionado. I will be travelling 120 miles to collect another pair of HB3 original.
I have never listened to Heybrooks HB3 before. They are very performant, efficient in soundstage. Very sweet and silky highs. The midrange is clear and opened. I discovered the HB3 few days ago at onother friends' house. He was so impressed that he sold his trusty pair of KEF Reference 107/IIs the next day.
I decided to look for a pair. But as I have good friends, I had the HB3 S2 delivered to my door step for a miserable £150. Then, as always as lucky boys, I got the Original SB3 in a hopeless auction on eBay(UK) for a ridiculous £113. I would pay £1000 each without any hesitation.
I can't wait for a comparative listening over the weekend. I going to take few days off work.
Well they are dam good.
Cheers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)