After 12 years of research, learning, and labor, I have restored what may be the one and only remaining pair of Hegeman Professional Loudspeakers still in existence.
Here's the story!
The Hegeman Professional (AKA: "the Pro") was Hegeman's flagship product for decades, famous for its earth shattering bass and unique, groundbreaking design. It was a three-way system in two parts:
(1) A massive bass cabinet containing two specially modified 8-1/2 drivers loaded by a massive 11-1/4 foot "Split Slot-Loaded Conical Horn" that provided bass from 18-200Hz. (3D model of the horn below)
(2) A midrange/treble cabinet that sat on top of the bass cabinet that housed two specially modified 8-1/2 inch midrange drivers and Hegeman's Lily Tweeter to provide everything else. (Picture of Hegeman next to the midrange/treble section of his Pros below)
The Pros were available by special order from Hegeman himself and through a few select dealers. My pair made its way directly from Hegeman to its original owners, then to me in 2014 through an intermediary. When I got them, they were visually stunning but functionally in sad shape.
At some point after Hegeman's death, so I was told, one of the owners -- friends of Hegeman's to whom he had gifted the speakers -- dropped the needle on their turntable while the volume was cranked and blew out the midrange drivers and tweeter. They sent the speakers to be repaired, and the guy who did the work butchered them.
He threw out the tweeter and midrange units and replaced them with two 4-inch Utah "full range" drivers, modifying the crossover and hacking off and replacing the baffle in the process. Worse, he cut into the bass horn to give the bass drivers "more room to breathe" when he couldn't figure out why the bass wasn't keeping up with the new drivers he used. Little did he know, those drivers were shot as well.
So what I had were two beautiful but modified cabinets, 2 pairs of original drivers (the defunct bass drivers), and a lot of work to do.
I had very little to go by but was determined to restore these beauties back to their original glory. In the process of figuring out how, I bought, studied, and reverse engineered every Hegeman speaker I could get my hands on, including over 15 pairs in total of EICO HFS-2, Citation X, T-1 Tweeter, M-1 Tweeter (both versions), H1 and H2. And set out finding every article, photo, interview, and description I could involving Hegeman. I even tracked down former Hegeman dealers, and spoke with Richard Shahinian's son (the bass design of the Pros was licensed by Shahinian and sold as the Contra-Bombarde Subwoofer).
In those 12 years, I repaired the bass horn, found and restored a pair of original Lilly Tweeters, and remanufactured, as best I could, a pair of midrange drivers that I think Hegeman would approve of.
Here's how they look:
And here is how they sound!!!
This is a recording made of my Pros in my listening room playing Camille Saint-Saëns "Organ Symphony" (IIb: Maestoso). I used my measurement mics to record them, so if you have good headphones or speakers that can play very low (to 18Hz) and very high (20kHz+). then you will have some idea of what the Pros massive bass horn, Lilly Tweeter, and bizarre midrange units can do.
I have a full write-up on the Pros and other Hegeman creations here on my website:
www.stewarthegeman.com
It's very much a work in progress, but I am adding to it all the time. I will be documenting everything I learned.
Here's the story!
The Hegeman Professional (AKA: "the Pro") was Hegeman's flagship product for decades, famous for its earth shattering bass and unique, groundbreaking design. It was a three-way system in two parts:
(1) A massive bass cabinet containing two specially modified 8-1/2 drivers loaded by a massive 11-1/4 foot "Split Slot-Loaded Conical Horn" that provided bass from 18-200Hz. (3D model of the horn below)
(2) A midrange/treble cabinet that sat on top of the bass cabinet that housed two specially modified 8-1/2 inch midrange drivers and Hegeman's Lily Tweeter to provide everything else. (Picture of Hegeman next to the midrange/treble section of his Pros below)
The Pros were available by special order from Hegeman himself and through a few select dealers. My pair made its way directly from Hegeman to its original owners, then to me in 2014 through an intermediary. When I got them, they were visually stunning but functionally in sad shape.
At some point after Hegeman's death, so I was told, one of the owners -- friends of Hegeman's to whom he had gifted the speakers -- dropped the needle on their turntable while the volume was cranked and blew out the midrange drivers and tweeter. They sent the speakers to be repaired, and the guy who did the work butchered them.
He threw out the tweeter and midrange units and replaced them with two 4-inch Utah "full range" drivers, modifying the crossover and hacking off and replacing the baffle in the process. Worse, he cut into the bass horn to give the bass drivers "more room to breathe" when he couldn't figure out why the bass wasn't keeping up with the new drivers he used. Little did he know, those drivers were shot as well.
So what I had were two beautiful but modified cabinets, 2 pairs of original drivers (the defunct bass drivers), and a lot of work to do.
I had very little to go by but was determined to restore these beauties back to their original glory. In the process of figuring out how, I bought, studied, and reverse engineered every Hegeman speaker I could get my hands on, including over 15 pairs in total of EICO HFS-2, Citation X, T-1 Tweeter, M-1 Tweeter (both versions), H1 and H2. And set out finding every article, photo, interview, and description I could involving Hegeman. I even tracked down former Hegeman dealers, and spoke with Richard Shahinian's son (the bass design of the Pros was licensed by Shahinian and sold as the Contra-Bombarde Subwoofer).
In those 12 years, I repaired the bass horn, found and restored a pair of original Lilly Tweeters, and remanufactured, as best I could, a pair of midrange drivers that I think Hegeman would approve of.
Here's how they look:
And here is how they sound!!!
This is a recording made of my Pros in my listening room playing Camille Saint-Saëns "Organ Symphony" (IIb: Maestoso). I used my measurement mics to record them, so if you have good headphones or speakers that can play very low (to 18Hz) and very high (20kHz+). then you will have some idea of what the Pros massive bass horn, Lilly Tweeter, and bizarre midrange units can do.
I have a full write-up on the Pros and other Hegeman creations here on my website:
www.stewarthegeman.com
It's very much a work in progress, but I am adding to it all the time. I will be documenting everything I learned.
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