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Pioneer HPM-500 Refoam Project, Superb Results!

Big Tuna

Big Tuna

Too Much Power!
I finally dug my last pair of HPM's out from storage to refoam them. They have been hiding in my garage for the better part of 4 years. These graphite cones are pretty tricky and you gotta be really careful with them. The last pair I refoamed, I did not remove dust caps to shim because I was nervous about breaking the graphite. I got bold with this pair and decided to take a crack at removing dust caps. With a little soak from some acetone, the caps came off with ease. The kit I got from Midwest Speaker Repair and it came with shims and even dust caps exactly like originals! I give Kudos to Theo & Joe @ MSR for their kit, having a wonderfully formulated black glue identical to the OEM glue Pioneer used on these beasts! The surrounds they gave me are VERY close fit, with a little scissor trimming off the outer edge, they "fit like a glove"! YEAH!:banana:

Anyone looking to refoam a pair of the graphite HPM's 500/700/900/1100, go see Theo & Joe @ Midwest Speaker Repair. :thmbsp:
 
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Here's a pic I took. Absolutely Fabulous!
PioneerHPM-500refoam001.jpg
 
Thanks, here it is, with new cap in place. I'm amazed at how factory this looks. I know with alot of speakers, it's very hard to duplicate the factory look while installing a new dust cap. I'm proud of myself with this one. :yes:

HPM-500WooferFinished001.jpg
 
Here's both cabinets. I finished second woofer today, and all good to go. I'm gonna test them on my mom's JVC after dinner. :yes:
HPM-5002001.jpg
 
Thanks, Sky :) If you ever make a trip to DFW, look me up. I'd be glad to play 'em for ya.

My mom just asked me what these speakers were and where they came from. I said they are mine from since when I was in Iowa, lol! She asked, "are they special ones?" I said, well, umm, depends on your definition of special. That word has a wide variety of meaning to many different people. I think the Graphite Series HPM's are special because they have a more critical sound than their older siblings.
 
Very curious where you found foam surrounds that fit these woofers. I need to refoam a pair and can't find the right sized foams anywhere:no:
 
Big Tuna, I too have been trying to find the right size surrounds for my pair of 500s. I bought a couple different ones - one too small and the other too large. Your's look like a perfect fit. You mentioned in your post that you got them from Midwest Speaker Repair. But, when I checked their website list of surrounds, I cannot find the right size and when I called them they said they don't carry a kit for the HPM-500. Could you please share what kit you used and the size?
 
I was also told by Midwest Speaker Repair that they don't carry any surrounds that will fit the hpm 500s. The only people I've found that carry anything that mentions the hpm-500s are Simply Speakers... and I called and spoke with them earlier today, and they explained that the kit they carry for 10" Pioneer graphite speakers is not really for those woofers, but the outer diameter will fit the basket, and you'd have to glue the inner lip of the surround onto the front of the cone. (Pioneer glued the surround to the back of the cone originally)
 
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Ok Fellas, I found my receipt from MSR. The kit I got was part # F10-5 with the black poly glue.

It's this kit. http://w.mawebcenters.com/midwestspeaker/ecommerce/infinity-10-refoam-kit-f10-6.html They don't have a listing per the HPM-500, but this surround is the one that I used.

Keep in mind that you will need to trim the outside edge of surround approx 1/8th inch to fit the 500/700 frame edge without overlapping, plus you need to slightly stretch the surround to size it up to the inside edge of cone so the seam mates up exactly with the cone edge without creasing or warping.
 
No problem :)

Be sure to tell them when you order kit that you want the paper dust caps and not the felt ones.
 
HPM 500 Refoam Question

Hey Big Tuna, looks like you did a great job.

I happened to pick up a pair last night. Didn't test them and they need a refoam but all other drivers are working including the ribbons :yes:

I have never done a refoam and bought the pair to learn on,
from what I've read, treat the woofer like paper thin glass.

On this pair, like yours, there is a black trim piece (on the inner side of the cast metal) that covers the outer portion of the surround. Once I scraped the old surround away, there is only a 1/16" or so lip on the black piece.

It seems like I would need to remove it, is this the case?

Or does the new surround glue to that tiny lip (seems wrong).


Any advice would be great,

I have a pair of hpm100s and can't wait to compare the top end of these hpm 500. I still would love to get my hands on hpm150s or dss9 one day....
 
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