• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Comparison: Pioneer HPM-100 vs. Dynaco A25 with Marantz 2230

which speaker is better for the Marantz 2230

  • Dynaco A25

    Votes: 6 60.0%

  • Pioneer HPM-100

    Votes: 4 40.0%
  • Total voters
    10
C

codyhale

New Member
Currently have Dynaco A25's with my Marantz 2230, they sound great but i'd like a little more volume/bass clarity. I am curious if the HPM-100 would work well with the 2230, or if they will harm the receiver?
 
Register to hide this ad
Minimum power requirement for Pioneer HPM-100s is 10 watts, so they should work great for your receiver, as long as you don't push your receiver too hard. They are also very efficient, so you can probably get plenty of volume out of them. The Pioneers will definitely give more volume and bass clarity than your Dynaco speakers, and are better speakers overall, IMO.
 
The Pioneer's are light years ahead of the Dynaco's for best sound quality. Not saying the Dynaco's are bad (I have some too)but as a 2 way, they'll get crushed by the sound the 4 drivers in a decent HPM100 can provide, most notably the midrange area and a crisper high end.
 
I have owned HPM-100 and Dynaco A-25. Of course the HPM-100 will play louder because it’s a bigger 4-way floorstanding speaker with a 12”woofer vs the less efficient 10” two way Dynaco but no way would I vote for HPM-100 over the A-25 in sound quality. If you’re going to compare two different model speakers you have to do it at the same SPL. The Dynaco has better quality carefully selected drivers. It has to since there’s only two of them and the woofer is playing wide open. There’s only one capacitor as the crossover for the tweeter and it’s at a low crossover point which helps them sound more coherent. The HPM-100 on the other hand is a 4 way design which means there are three crossover points where frequencies overlap. I can listen to the Dynacos for hours on end without listener fatigue. Not so with the Pioneer’s frequencies overlapping, and a total of four drivers. Initially the Pioneers sound good but then after about an hour my ears can’t take it anymore. Transient response is better on the Dynacos due to the aperiodic design. The best thing about the Pioneers are the woofers and the cabinets. In my opinion the crossover points are too high, the midrange driver and crossover leaves much to be desired, and the supertweeters are really unnecessary because the cone tweeters are capable of reaching 20KHz. The wood veneer is paper thin on the Pioneer so be careful if you plan on refinishing them. The Dynacos are not without fault though. The cabinets should’ve been 3/4” MDF with wood veneer to make them less resonant. They should have made them with a variable L-pad for the tweeter instead of selectable position settings, and the binding posts could be improved. To me the HPM-100 is the classic west coast sound rock speaker. It sounds good and will play at ear splitting levels and can handle way more power than they are rated for but in my opinion it’s not an audiophile speaker. Yes they can be modified to sound better but any speaker can be. But comparing a stock HPM-100 to the A-25 ONLY on a sound quality standpoint I vote for the Dynaco A-25. I don’t own either model anymore. I don’t own the Pioneer anymore because there’s no fixing the listener’s fatigue and I don’t own the Dynaco anymore because I like to listen to my music loud and although they sound good they just can’t handle the type of power needed to play at that volume.
 
swechsler said:
Why? The A25 is considered a pretty good speaker, while the HPM series isn't exactly noted for accuracy.
Click to expand...

The op is looking for "a little more volume/bass clarity". The hpm will unquestionably provide that better than the Dynaco. I didn't see where he asked for accuracy.
 
I was so excited to get my A25s a while back. After a couple of months I was just as excited to sell them. They should not have a much bass as they do from that small cab and big woofer but they do and that part is very impressive. But the total package? Meh.

The Pioneers I have never owned but have heard a lot over the years. They are fine but IMO they need a fairly big room to get the most out of them.

There are a lot of great vintage speakers that would be better for your 2230 than the two choices above. One of the best would be the Imperial 6 (or 5s if you can find them). The 6s will pound the Dynacos to the ground and are not as confused as the Pioneers. Another fine choice would be the Large Advents.
 
My experience with the HPM-100 showed what must have been an intentional nasty bass bump from 80 to 110 hz in my room. Big problem at moderate volume. The louder the less the problem, but it never goes away. Results in a LOT of missing bass notes because the bump drowns them out. And it had other in your face problems elsewhere in the curve.
Even my humble Kenwood KL-777a's are much better rock (and everything else) speakers and hit much harder without the nasties than the HPM-100.
I don't recommend the HPM for anything. It's not even a good PA speaker.
High dollar low sound quality. Pick another speaker.
I have Dynaco A40XL's, not A25's
 
Do you have to limit your choice to those two speakers? It would be great if you had a vintage hi-fi shop in your area where you could audition different speakers.

I just say that as I have a 2230, and it sounds very nice and warm and has all the bass response I want with a set of 40-year old Advent 1's.
 
I would get a couple of subwoofers and set the Dynacos on top of them. Then cross over the Dynacos around 70Hz and let the subs play everything from 70 and below.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom