I still have a soft spot for the Allaes and these are used on an evening, SL2s early evening and weekends due to a bedroom above the main listening room.
1 Like
Out of interest, does anyone know when the Mk 2 SBLs were introduced?
SBL Mk2 1995
Thanks very much. I bought mine in 1996, so they must be Mk2.
The main driver is the give away, Google SBL MK1 and MK2 and take note of the driver and compare.
Thanks, will do.
Thanks. Just been having a look myself. Yes, definitely Mk2 drivers on mine.
1 Like
As I understand it, the mk2 driver was introduced in 1995 but the fully veneered Hornslet cabinets didn’t come in until sn 146197 which was in 1998
1 Like
Ah, that makes sense, as mine are not fully veneered (no veneer at the back of the speakers).
Hornslet made excellent cabinets and the full veneering brought useful performance gains too, which means late SBLs with the full veneer usually attract a premium secondhand.
Feeling fortunate that I have a 2000 pair indirectly from Ken of this very Parish. New Paxo and grills and a proper dealer install. Wonderful speakers! My Mk 1 pair are under the stairs just in case…
1 Like
Is the paxo on 1997 Credo’s interchangeable with paxo on 2001 SBL’s? Should they be serviced? Sorry to hijack your thread @gidders, didn’t think question warranted new thread.
They weren’t designed to be interchangeable, although I guess you could fit an SBL PXO to Credos if you were in a pinch, but the orientation of the socketry and drivers is different.
1 Like
Thanks @Richard.Dane, was thinking more of using my Credo’s, currently in second system, as spares for SBL’s if need ever arose. Thanks for info and won’t use the PXO’s for this purpose.
@Clive did you notice a big uplift in quality moving from SBL’s to NBL? Were there really only 137 pairs made?!
NBL’s can be had for less than SL2’s these days and if I understand correctly they were a ‘higher’ end model. Not much talk of them here vs SBL and SL2’s.
Yes there was a huge uplift in performance over the SBL; it’s a bigger sound, more gravitas, yet still a fast response. I believe the number 137 is correct. I mentioned this at the forum meeting last week and the only challenge was from Charlie Henderson, jokingly asking if I meant pairs.
They were higher in the range than the SL2, certainly more expensive, but there were more SL2s manufactured. The reason for their lower secondhand price might be their size, or more likely because of the scarcity of one of the drivers in the event replacement is required. Of those I’ve seen advertised in the usual places many have been rather tatty, which is disappointing.
I notice from your profile that our systems are virtually identical, but I couldn’t see which speakers you use. I’d be interested to know.
1 Like
@Clive, thank you for the detailed reply. I am using SBL MK2. They sound great, my dealer commented they were the best sounding SBL’s he had heard. They are in lovely condition and Cherry finish. I have been offered a pair of NBL’s which are apparently in fantastic condition, 1 owner and never shipped since new. I am tempted to give them a try as the price is pretty good for a performance upgrade compared to 500 level equipment! I was thinking about auditioning some Kudos 606/707 (I think 808 would be a bit big visually in our living room) but these NBL’s will come in at about 1/4 the price of the 606!!
All I would ask for in a speaker above the SBL is a bit more visceral punch with certain types of music and maybe a slightly deeper front/back sound stage. Clarity is very good but I guess the 500 level boxes will sound even clearer through NBL’s vs SBL’s
@Steve To add that bottom end weight/punch to my Mk1 SBLs I’m running a BK Electronics Double Gem sub. It’s barely ticking over so much so that you wonder if it’s doing anything… until you turn it off. Now I know some people frown on subs but carefulky/properly integrated the result is awesome. So much so that a friend who has SBLs & 135s who heard my system at the weekend rushed out & bought one 
1 Like
I used an old Sony sub when I first got my SBLs on a very very low level with lovely results, but they were only being driven by a 150x. Putting in a 282/250DR has sent the sub back to the garage, but I am blessed with a block wall and concrete floor…
1 Like