• 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

Hitachi HS-330 Metal Cone Speakers

Register to hide this ad
Metal cones have the potential to sound good, but there's also the issue of resonance. I haven't heard those Hitachi speakers, but they do look interesting, and not like junk.
 
maxhifi said:
Metal cones have the potential to sound good, but there's also the issue of resonance. I haven't heard those Hitachi speakers, but they do look interesting, and not like junk.
Click to expand...
yeah they ain't junk. Would love to hear listening experience from people who have listened to these before... before making the effort to drive two hours to the seller.
 
The reference to sandwich construction for the woofer, tells me it's not actually a metal cone, but a metal skin on some other kind of cone. I wonder if it's similar to the famous LEAK sandwich speakers? Looking at your photo of the L-pads, you can see one screw is missing, and the others are natural metal color. The other photos I found on the net showed black screws. I wonder if someone has been in there?

If you're looking for good speakers, period, I'd probably not bother. On the other hand, if you're a collector of neat vintage Japanese things, well, maybe it's worth a drive? My favorite line of the advertisement you linked, is

"
Light,rigid, it also possesses a "gathered edge" supporting the metal cone firmly without disturbing piston movement. Altogether producing far less distortions than conventinal paper cones.
It responds "wholeheartedly" and not partially giving your music full power of expression.
You might even say it gives your music an edge."

I'm not entirely sold by that last line, I don't know about you :)
 
I saw a pair of Hitachi metal cone speakers in a pawn shop last summer and it stirred up memories of my youth drooling at stereo exotica. I was examining the pleated surrounds and was tempted just on a nostalgic cause to pick them up. I feel like I saw a review on one model in their line of metal speaker systems many years ago. I did notice in the specs it states sensitivity as 82 dB, which is a tad low.
 
I had a pair, actually has several metal woofer speakers from Hitachi and a compression driver! They weren't bad IMO, I usually found any decently made Japanese speakers were decent. A lot of interesting speaker engineering. But, I will say that one thing that struck me with majority of Japanese made speakers of the era were they were quite neutral in presentation.

While the metal drivers did look impressive, and they are quite stiff in compliance, the driver cones themselves are not super thick so be careful when handling them.

Are they better than other materials? No, nope, can't say that they do. Materials are just one piece of the puzzle. Nothing wrong with good old quality paper (tweeters included).
 
Those pleated surrounds are the coolest idea ever - rigid, yet flexible, and linear in their motion. No idea if it offers any benefit, but I've been yearning for a pair since they came out. Never seen a single one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom