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HPM-100 x 4 with a bonus!

BlueFlyingV said:
Something else I noticed thats weird, is that the binding post/ xover cover is flush mounted on all of them accept for the one missing the brace. Are some flush and some not?
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Both of mine are flush mounted. No big deal, though I wonder why that one is not.
 
HPM-100 .15uF 63v replacement

I just replaced the 'lytic caps in my pair of 100's today with Wima .15uF 63v film caps from Mouser. I did one speaker first and powered on to see if there was any difference. Sure enough the highs were more defined and crisper against the still Pioneer stock crossover. Then replaced the second one's cap. The highs were much more detailed and cleaner. The original Elna 'lytic caps are non-polar and when I checked the capacitance on them I got .239uF, way out of tolerance. The Wima's measured in at .159uF. Took me about 1/2 hour per speaker as the Wima's fit perfectly unlike those who have used the PE caps. Can't beat the price difference either. Here's a lnk for those who wish: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/WIMA/MKS2-15-63-5/?qs=IKkN/947nfByt4rwwo4lFA==
 
Three cheers for Markthefixer! Now he's uncovered a way to make Pioneer HPM-100's sound good! This guy is freaking unbelievable.... and all my HPM's are down the road....sold. If another pair comes my way I'll try the crossover modification. I always thought that they looked great, but I never liked the way they sounded.:no: It wouldn't be a bad idea to post the HPM-100 modification in the Pioneer or Speaker categories. A great many members own these and might like to make them sound better.
 
Fess up MTF, what did you find out. Would love to here what you did in the mod and how the results came out.:scratch2:
 
Brad Muller said:
Three cheers for Markthefixer! Now he's uncovered a way to make Pioneer HPM-100's sound good! This guy is freaking unbelievable.... and all my HPM's are down the road....sold. If another pair comes my way I'll try the crossover modification. I always thought that they looked great, but I never liked the way they sounded.:no: It wouldn't be a bad idea to post the HPM-100 modification in the Pioneer or Speaker categories. A great many members own these and might like to make them sound better.
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Come on Brad. We're waiting. Inquiring minds want to know. :D
 
Brad Muller said:
Three cheers for Markthefixer! Now he's uncovered a way to make Pioneer HPM-100's sound good! This guy is freaking unbelievable.... and all my HPM's are down the road....sold. If another pair comes my way I'll try the crossover modification. I always thought that they looked great, but I never liked the way they sounded.:no: It wouldn't be a bad idea to post the HPM-100 modification in the Pioneer or Speaker categories. A great many members own these and might like to make them sound better.
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I always thought the x-over was a problem and this mod seems to have a good result. Now, what about the boomy bass and the shrill peaks from the paper tweeter and mid?
 
I'm not sure Mark actually did that mod, but it seems to me that he was just pointing to a link on AudioReview.com where someone did that x-over mod. I actually had seen that review a day or two before he posted it here and am thinking of doing the same to mine eventually.
 
If the mod is simply changing the 4.4uf cap to a value around 70uf doesn't that leave the midrange driver in serious danger of overpowering it with to much bass?

According to an online calculator http://www.erseaudio.com/First-Order-2-Way a 70uf cap would cross the mid at ~280Hz.
 
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SoCal Sam said:
I always thought the x-over was a problem and this mod seems to have a good result. Now, what about the boomy bass and the shrill peaks from the paper tweeter and mid?
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1st answer: equalizer

2nd answer: Install midrange and tweeter drivers from HPM-900's
 
The level controls on the HPM's don't control the proper frequency range imo. I love my 100's but feel that they sound kind of "honky" in the mids. The only way I was able to control this "honkiness" was plugging in an equalizer/spectrum analyzer and adjusting to flatten the response using a mic. Now they sound very sweet. It improved instrument separation as well. The sound is definitely more balanced.

I want to mention that it was MarkW that convinced me to equalize the speaker response to my listening room.
 
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OLDisGOLD said:
Yes ................ I see many new pairs of shoes & a couple new outfits in your future.:D
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Ditto on that


I don't know about all that recapping but you guys have been fooling around with these longer than I have so unless mine have been recapped some time in the past mine sounded sweet and tight and detailed in the high and mids right out of the box with tight controlled bass. . Mine also have mid and high adjustments on front behind grille to set up for room. I also have an SG9000 EQ that totally tailors their sound to my room and music because my listen room is the man cave IE pool table, Bar, Small recording Alot of reflective srurfaces and irregular shape etc.
Dwight
 
Tripqzon said:
The level controls on the HPM's don't control the proper frequency range imo. I love my 100's but feel that they sound kind of "honky" in the mids. The only way I was able to control this "honkiness" was plugging in an equalizer/spectrum analyzer and adjusting to flatten the response using a mic. Now they sound very sweet. It improved instrument separation as well. The sound is definitely more balanced.

I want to mention that it was MarkW that convinced me to equalize the speaker response to my listening room.
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Interesting. When I had HPM-100's and JBL L-112's side by side, I tried to tune the HPM's to sound like the JBL's using the tone controls and by stuffing a hand towel into the port. I came close but was never able to get rid of the bright overlay which I think is caused the paper cones. Shame, the HPM-100 is well made and could have been great.
 
BlueFlyingV said:
Something else I noticed thats weird, is that the binding post/ xover cover is flush mounted on all of them accept for the one missing the brace. Are some flush and some not?
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Yes. Some had a surface mount xover/binding post box and some were flush mounted in both wattages. What are the two letters on the back, after the"M" or "MM"? Do the three that have the brace share the same two letters and the one without the brace is different? Do any of them have the paper operating guide stapled to the backs or just white stamped letters/numbers?
 
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