Pioneer HPM-70 saved from the dump....

[Bert 1100]

Hi all,
Yesterday I was out to the recycling centre for work, to drop off some stuff including old chargers...
I take a box, dump the contents in a crate where the electronics go, come back with a second box, and inside the same crate I see a big black speaker that was not there 10 seconds before...Pioneer HPM-70

I quickly fished it out and went to ask the guy who had just put it there, do you have the second one ?
And yes he did, handed it to me and said, you know, they are 40 years old....
I said yes, that's good, do they work ? Answer was yes, yes they work but they are so old !

They are sitting at work now, since I usually cycle there. So I'll have to wait till I can check them out.
They are a bit beaten but not bad really. One of the woofer's dust cap is pushed in, not a big deal

The exact model is HPM-70X. 10 inch woofer, 4 way.













I haven't found much info on them, If any of you has them, what is your opinion ?

 

[xero-D-hero]

Timing is indeed everything...

Congrats

Bret P.

 

[Goggle1824]

Nice grab/save!

It STILL surprises me that folks just dump stuff with clear and easily found "value".

 

[swechsler]

Awesome find. And accordion surrounds, so no foam to worry about (although you might need to recap). That dust cap can probably be pulled out (carefully) with some adhesive tape or a pin (I'd suggest a vacuum cleaner, but only if it has adjustable suction). All the other drivers look pristine.

Would you like to bet that the owner replaced them with some inferior tiny Bose-like speakers or a soundbar?

 

[goodolpg]

Congrats, nice save!
And sadly, swechsler may be right, they may have been replaced by "upgraded" Bose components.

 

[Ghonk]

Pretty sure they are just rebadged 60's,sold in another market.

 

[Ghonk]

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/pioneer/hpm-70.shtml

The 40's and 100's were sold as 50's and 110's.

 

[sax6]

You folks out south are shure lucky to pick up vintage gear ( dumpster diving ) at the recycling center, I mean,
up here, once it's in the bin, you cannot, by no means, crawl into the bin to pick up stuff.

Even if you cry, beg or come back late at night, it is considered stealing.

Go figure.

Enjoy them and a really nice save.

 

[hunter00]

my daughter uses a pair with a pioneer sa-8800 I recapped for her going on 8-9 yrs now
they get rocked steady,great mid-fi speakers

hunter

 

[Bert 1100]

You folks out south are shure lucky to pick up vintage gear ( dumpster diving ) at the recycling center, I mean,
up here, once it's in the bin, you cannot, by no means, crawl into the bin to pick up stuff.

Well, theoretically here it's the same. But people are friendly enough, so the guy in charge told me, ah well you took them good....
Only one speaker had spent 20 seconds in a small 1,5m high crate....

At my local recycling centre I can go and look in the bins as much as I like, but I hardly ever go there, it's a bit too out of the way. Better not think about what gets crushed, too sad.

 

[bcbud3]

Strange, i don't recall anyone every talking about this model...

 

[Tom Brennan]

Nice grab/save!

It STILL surprises me that folks just dump stuff with clear and easily found "value".

For some people time is more valuable than what they'll gain selling old possessions, sometimes it's best to simply shitcan things you no longer need. And even giving things away can become a pain in the ass, even around here, I know.

 

[JoeESP9]

Now that's a scroe! Well done!

 

[Finjima]

They look like fun speakers to me. have lots of fun with them

 

[Apolek]

Cool! Hard to believe someone would just toss those.

 

[NAD80]

Another one for the "What people throw away" thread. Great save from the dumpster.

 

[valvenator]

Awesome find. And accordion surrounds, so no foam to worry about (although you might need to recap). That dust cap can probably be pulled out (carefully) with some adhesive tape or a pin (I'd suggest a vacuum cleaner, but only if it has adjustable suction). All the other drivers look pristine.
Would you like to bet that the owner replaced them with some inferior tiny Bose-like speakers or a soundbar?

I recently fixed mine using some blue painters tape. Sticks well when you tug on it but peels off easily without leaving residue or pulling anything off along with when you go slow.

 

[Bert 1100]

So, I got them home yesterday. The woofer dustcap came out easily with a vacuum cleaner on a low setting. But it still looks quite crumpled.

I hooked them up and gave them a listen. My usual speakers are Monitor Audio Silver RX6.
Let me say straight away these HPMs will not replace my M.A. Not that I expected them to be that good anyway

But they are OK. To get a nicely balanced sound with the speaker controls at zero, I need to crank up the bass maybe +6 db.
If I turn down the treble and mid controls on the speakers the sound is more balanced but missing some clarity and lacking low bass.

On the plus side, all drivers are working well. Only one of the super-tweeters cuts out sometimes, tapping it a bit will bring it back.
They accept a lot of power and sound better when it's loud.

I'll open them up sometime later to see what's up with the supertweeter and to have a look at the crossover and pots. Maybe I'll replace the electrolytics if any are present....

 

[janikphoto]

You folks out south are shure lucky to pick up vintage gear...

Is that a pun or a typo? I'd guess a misspelling, but Shure is a reputable audio company, so you may be making a clever pun...

 

[sax6]

Is that a pun or a typo? I'd guess a misspelling, but Shure is a reputable audio company, so you may be making a clever pun...

Sorry there Janik.. french speaking/spelling vintage boy here. I had Shure and Pickering cartridges in my teen years.

Too many beers while online on AK makes me shure of what I'm writing up.