Hedd Type 05 Mk 2 active speaker - some impressions

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Below are my far from complete initial impressions of the Hedd type 05 mk2 active speaker. For you active speaker followers out there, you may have seen some background info regarding the new Hedd range on the Active Speaker Reference thread.

First of all, I’m an active speaker user and have been for the last 4 years. My existing speakers are the Acoustic Energy AE1a and they have been excellent, both on their own and more recently, paired with a quality small sub. I must add that we only listen to music (and not home theatre, although we do watch TV using the AE1a +JL Audio). I am presently in the fortunate position of having both sets of speakers here to compare (thanks to full money refund if I send them back within 120 days).

First impressions of the Hedds (without sub) - very detailed, very smooth (AMT tweeter), big sound, prodigious bass for their size and feature rich. Straight out of the box, these speakers impress, but not in an ‘up front and in your face’ sort of way; more of a, ‘this is your music, now sit (or stand if you’re inclined), relax and enjoy it’ way. Everything in the mix is there, and the Hedds are superb on detail/ micro detail but without sounding clinical - quite some achievement.

Next comes a direct comparison with the AE1a. First and foremost, it’s not night and day. Both models have impeccable pedigrees and both can deliver music in superb fashion. However, there are differences and these mostly come down to the micro detail and how much separation there is between instruments and voices. The Hedd AMT tweeter is also a beauty, without a hint of harshness or glare. Here, I find the AE1a not quite as forgiving, and as I’ve stated before, they tend to need more of a Goldilocks volume setting - too low and the detail goes, too loud and they tend to harden up a little.

It’s also possible to tailor your sound to a much greater extent with the Hedds. For example, it’s possible to listen to them ported or sealed (bunged) by inserting/removing tight foam bungs and flicking a switch on the rear panel. Sealed produces a ‘tighter’ and more detailed presentation with less bass, but also with a slightly smaller sound stage. Some may prefer the open port, but when combined with a sealed sub, I found sealed mode better.

There are other options with the Heads. One is the lineariser function (on or off), which time aligns the signal from the two drivers. I prefer it switched on, as there is a small but audible improvement to the sound. Again, it's down to fine details, like the how a guitar string is plucked or the decay on a symbol. 

For me personally, the Hedd's have the edge over the AE1a as stand alone speakers. It's a close contest, but they have the edge, and I know that extended listening periods will present no problems - this has already been commented on by reviewers, including studio professionals who have found them to be excellent in this respect. I'll end my initial thoughts here. There is more to come if anyone is interested, especially my findings when combining the Hedds with a sub, but yes, so far, these are one set of fantastic speakers!

 

MartinC

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It's interesting to read your thoughts, and obviously good they've turned out to be at least worth you taking the time to try them out.

Do you mind sharing where you got yours from with the 120 day return option? I'd be tempted to give these or possibly the 07 model a try myself under those terms  :) .

 
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MGTOW

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It's interesting to read your thoughts, and obviously good they've turned out to be at least worth you taking the time to try them out.

Do you mind sharing where you got yours from with the 120 day return option? I'd be tempted to give these or possibly the 07 model a try myself under those terms  :) .
Indeed.

I was thinking of the larger 07. for my music and taste I doubt I would need more bass and the cost difference is not excessive.

Is there any way of adapting the spdif outputs of my streamer to drive the  AES inputs on the o7.

Any ideas?

 

Pedro2

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It's interesting to read your thoughts, and obviously good they've turned out to be at least worth you taking the time to try them out.

Do you mind sharing where you got yours from with the 120 day return option? I'd be tempted to give these or possibly the 07 model a try myself under those terms  :) .
Hi MartinC,

I sourced them here (with the returns option)

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/warranty-and-returns/60-day-trial-period

Not sure where you’re located but don’t think you’re in the UK? From what I’m reading, the Hedds are beginning to sell (I’m not surprised) and I’ve seen them listed with ‘awaiting stock’ on a number of sites.

 
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Pedro2

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Indeed.

I was thinking of the larger 07. for my music and taste I doubt I would need more bass and the cost difference is not excessive.

Is there any way of adapting the spdif outputs of my streamer to drive the  AES inputs on the o7.

Any ideas?
The type 05 has prodigious bass for its size. I imagine that the 07s would fill a medium to large listening room without difficulty (in his review, Darko suggests that the 07s would better suit a larger room than the LS50w).

Personally, I am combining the 05s with a sub and the combination is tremendous, although I appreciate that subs do not appeal to everyone.

I cannot help with the AES option, sorry. I’m intrigued as to how it might work and it’s relative benefits. Someone might be along at some point with some suggestions (think that MartinC has started the ball rolling).

 

MartinC

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Not sure where you’re located but don’t think you’re in the UK?
I live in southwest England  :) . I'm not sure why the Personal Info. link has disappeared from being by all of my posts actually - I guess it was linked to some forum update.

 

triumph

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Is there any way of adapting the spdif outputs of my streamer to drive the  AES inputs on the o7.

Bridge module should allow connection  to streamer

The input stage contains a rectangular expansion port called the HEDD bridge, and here’s where it gets really interesting. You can expand the input functionality of the monitors to include digital inputs of all kinds. USB input is possible, AES/EBU is available, and even…wait for it... DANTE and RAVENNA!!! That’s right, you can connect these monitors to an ethernet audio system and send digital audio over ethernet. There is even a wireless option on the way!

In complex multi-channel setups (Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D etc.), multiple separate loudspeakers can be fed with a single high-resolution audio stream and each one of these speaker channels can be controlled individually by software control applications • Audio devices in different rooms or facilities (e.g. movie theaters, conference rooms, live concerts and music festivals) can be controlled from one or multiple workspaces connected to the Ethernet network • AoIP will enable broadcast engineers to simplify the in-house signal distribution in broadcast stations

HEDD-B1-Manual.pdf

hedd-bridge-system-hedd (1).jpg

7he IMG_0504.JPG.0a12fc8152e4690a9b63ccfa9e4e09e9.jpg

 
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Hi MartinC,

I sourced them here (with the returns option)

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/warranty-and-returns/60-day-trial-period

Not sure where you’re located but don’t think you’re in the UK? From what I’m reading, the Hedds are beginning to sell (I’m not surprised) and I’ve seen them listed with ‘awaiting stock’ on a number of sites.
It’s a good trial period but the small print is fairly onerous - even down to taping the boxes with different tape.  Most manufacturers use branded tape, so quite where you’d get that from…!   I’ve bought from Bax, so not in any way knocking them, and arguably their 5% deductible is a fair price for the trial imv.  

 
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tuga

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Is there any way of adapting the spdif outputs of my streamer to drive the  AES inputs on the o7.

Bridge module should allow connection  to streamer

The input stage contains a rectangular expansion port called the HEDD bridge, and here’s where it gets really interesting. You can expand the input functionality of the monitors to include digital inputs of all kinds. USB input is possible, AES/EBU is available, and even…wait for it... DANTE and RAVENNA!!! That’s right, you can connect these monitors to an ethernet audio system and send digital audio over ethernet. There is even a wireless option on the way!

HEDD-B1-Manual.pdf

IMG_20221109_192748.jpg

s-l1600-226.jpg
That bridge module looks like a must have, in my view, if you're streaming locally or from a streaming service:




[SIZE=10pt]HEDD’s modular input card system, which we call the HEDD Bridge, brings versatile digital input connectivity including Dante to the world of professional monitoring. It is now possible for studio monitors to integrate with today’s most established audio network protocol. [/SIZE]

  • [SIZE=10pt]You can directly connect your computer to loudspeakers via a CAT.6 Ethernet cable in order to stream high resolution audio [/SIZE]


 

MGTOW

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I’ve no idea how this may work, but I’m sure there’s mileage in it. I’ve not come across AES before so would find any information enlightening.
Primarily designed to get spdif signals from a CD player or games console into a DAW. A pro device designed to 'just work'. However the unit in the link seems a bit pricey, try this;  https://www.studiospares.com/studiospares-red507-toslink-spdif--aesebu-converter_465760.htm

Digital processing is way beyond me, wondering if there are any losses or other downsides in this sort of conversion.

 

MartinC

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Wasn't the HEDD bridge an option for the MkI series rather than the newer MkII?

 

MGTOW

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That bridge module looks like a must have, in my view, if you're streaming locally or from a streaming service:




[SIZE=10pt]HEDD’s modular input card system, which we call the HEDD Bridge, brings versatile digital input connectivity including Dante to the world of professional monitoring. It is now possible for studio monitors to integrate with today’s most established audio network protocol. [/SIZE]

  • [SIZE=10pt]You can directly connect your computer to loudspeakers via a CAT.6 Ethernet cable in order to stream high resolution audio [/SIZE]
Still no spdif connection though...😕

 

MGTOW

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Can you not connect the Node 2i to the Hedds over the ethernet/switch?

Technically it would be a superior option.
Wonderful idea Tuga, but it seems that MartinC was correct, the Hedd bridge functionality does not feature on the latest Mk2s.

So, spdif out from the Node2i, converter box to give AES balanced, into the Hedd. The spdif output on the Node2i is variable for volume so that should work, any reason why not?

 

tuga

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Wonderful idea Tuga, but it seems that MartinC was correct, the Hedd bridge functionality does not feature on the latest Mk2s.

So, spdif out from the Node2i, converter box to give AES balanced, into the Hedd. The spdif output on the Node2i is variable for volume so that should work, any reason why not?
Digital volume control will work.

In regard to the converter, why not an S/PDIF to AES cable?

https://www.designacable.com/spdif-to-aes-cord-110ohm-mogami-3080-digi-blue-cable-neutrik-gold-male-xlr.html

Here's an albeit expensive DDC which will convert S/PDIF into AES:

https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Mutec-MC-1-1-Format-Converter/art-REC0009741-000

 

MGTOW

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Digital volume control will work.

In regard to the converter, why not an S/PDIF to AES cable?

https://www.designacable.com/spdif-to-aes-cord-110ohm-mogami-3080-digi-blue-cable-neutrik-gold-male-xlr.html

Here's an albeit expensive DDC which will convert S/PDIF into AES:

https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Mutec-MC-1-1-Format-Converter/art-REC0009741-000
The cable seems somehow too simple. I was under the impression that the data format was different in an spdif or an AES stream, maybe I am wrong, I genuinely have no idea.

if the cable does the job, that would be great. I could maintain all the functionality of the Node, which I really like, while upgrading the dac (allegedly the weakest part of the node) and getting a very different flavour of speaker.

 

MartinC

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The cable seems somehow too simple. I was under the impression that the data format was different in an spdif or an AES stream, maybe I am wrong, I genuinely have no idea.

if the cable does the job, that would be great. I could maintain all the functionality of the Node, which I really like, while upgrading the dac (allegedly the weakest part of the node) and getting a very different flavour of speaker.
A quick Google suggests there is a tenfold difference in expected signal levels between the two (0.5 V vs 5 V). Whether this causes an issue will probably be hardware-specific?

 
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