Pioneer HPM-100 Review with MV Audio Labs Crossovers
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- My thoughts on the Pioneer HPM-100s with the new MV Audio Labs crossover installed, plus a short audio demo. I couldn't be happier with the results. Audio demo at 12:05
Hoping to build awareness for any HPM-100 enthusiast.
MV Audio Labs: www.mvaudiolab...
Ryan - Thanks for making this video. I went ahead and built my new HPM 100 crossovers and the change was well worth the effort. The improvement was immediatly noticable. I did some A-B comparision as I converted them and the difference in the harshness of the old crossovers versus the updated version was suprising . Well worth it to my ears.
There is always someone trying to sell capacitors or something for the HPM 100s. It's because they sold so many of those speakers. All you need is a quality amp. If you want to tweak the sound use a good equalizer. Adding a basic subwoofer is a plus. I own 4 pairs of them, [3 are clear lucite] and no modern speaker can hold a candle to them!
& maybe adding a horn midrange/tweeter sitting on top of speaker
Thank you Ryan. I've had my HPM-100's for many years. Have the same issue as you with upper midrange harshness. I enjoy jazz piano music but have found that certain frequencies can be piercing to my ears. I haven't parted with these speakers because at lower volumes I love how full they sound. I've put an eq in my system, as you have, and tweaked the sound to my liking. I'm going to read the MV Audio article and build new crossovers.
Excellent. Good luck with your build. I intend to make another video with more song demos. Stay tuned.
I had these speakers and loved them, when i was just a 'beginner' to audio/hifi. These speakers were desined to 'better' the JBL100's, so hell yeah they have this "west coast' type of sound! That is the nature of this 'little beast'. Ofcourse you can change the whole system to your taste, but then it's no longer a Pioneer design. After 40 years of audio/hifi up into the stratosfere, i can honestly say that all audio is just a matter of taste (and system matching;-), not money.
They sound great. I have 4 Pioneer HPM -150 speakers in my music room and painstakingly restored them. These speakers are my all time favorite speaker and I will never part with them. The imaging and soundstage on them is incredible. Most people that get these hpm speakers never give the crossovers a second thought or consider what happens to caps over 40 years. Look at HPM home theater on CZcams, that’s me. Not a high quality video when I filmed it, I used an I phone 4 back then. The HPM-150’s scared the crap out of me one night, I was watching the movie Predator by myself and it came to the part where they are in the jungle and one of them whispers “Hey over here”. It sounded like someone was directly behind me and whispered into my ear! Scared the crap out of me! I have 2 of the 4 HPM-150’s behind the couch in the corners of the room and the soundstage is crazy. That 360 degree super tweeter on top of these things sing and these things put out a full warm sound. Love my Pioneers.
I agree. I have aSX 1250 and pioneer hp. 100s and a Technics sl 1200 from the 70s that I traded for a motorcycle. Dumb move. I obtained the same system again. I will never part with them. They are the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. The difference is I had a pioneer sg-9500 eq. You can tweak it to the acoustics of the room you are in.
Could you make a short follow-up video showing the crossover and talking a little more about how you sourced the components/ built it? Looking to do this! Thanks!
The designer provides a parts list that links to all the parts at Parts Express! You decide whether you want to keep the Potentiometers or replace with direct Resistors.
I have the SX 650 with the HPM 100 speakers, love the heck out of them
I just purchased a pair and will give these Crossover’s a try. But! I am also going to just Re-Cap the originals and do a comparison listen to see if indeed a worthy benefit. I will run them on my McIntosh C22 and 2 x MC240 Amps running in Mono. I’ll report back in a few weeks.
lol... I'm one of those guys from Audiokarma who recapped his HPM-100s back in the day. I'm a drummer too and use my HPMs in my studio to jam along with.
My dad bought them back in 1979. If you had told me back then that I would still be using them daily in 2021, I would never have believed you. Amazing, tough speakers.
The 100w and 200w version are the same. They just increased the rating and slapped a silver ring in the port. Bart knew what he was doing when he designed these monsters.
Why can you buy pats in 100w or 200w versions then? Especially the crossover?
Agree with your opinion on these. They definitely sound much better with the new crossover but those speakers where never designed to be audiophile grade, at all. They where designed to be rock n roll bang the stoners eardrums so they can feel it speakers. There are vintage speakers that can keep up and even surpass many modern drivers in quality tonal performance. In the era these where produced, there was a Watt war going on and they needed speakers that could keep up, these are one of them and it was Pioneer's answer to the also harsh sounding JBL monitors that these basically cloned. So happy that you put this video out there.
Thanks. I posted a new video of just song demos here: czcams.com/video/DLZxeIO3nOY/video.html
I agree 100%. There is nothing like 2 channel sound. The amps years ago were built to do one thing and that was drive sound through 2 good quality speakers.
Nice set of the 200w version… I just bought a set myself this past weekend! I noticed the woofer wasn’t as deep as I remember them! Great video ! Thanks !! Food for thought✊🏻
200 and 100w are Identical. Just a rating increase
We all would appreciate a follow up with the upgrade with a material list on the crossovers.
Brings back memories! Thanks for the video!
Hi Ryan...I did this identical CX change as a result of the same sound issues you described....I had to split the cx components into 2 boards...bought a "backup" hmp100 cx to keep my originals intact.....ended up repopulating the original cx footprint with the tweet and super tweet....made a second board that rests on the bottom of the speaker for the woofer and mids....sound great now....Tony
Awsm! Been working on my pioneer CS-520s. To do same. Ordered a X-over from Amazon that looked pretty good. Its working waay better. But after servicing the pots. on Fischer 500C . It really opened up. Great job man. UR very fortunate to hv Xd paths with MV Audio!
You are Absolutely 💯 % on point !!!!! Thank You Very Much for posting this video !!! 💖
You need to get the HPM 150's. I just purchased them a week ago. They blow the 100's away.
I have the 150s Kevin. I agree, better speaker system overall. Not nearly as "west coast" as the 100. The 150 super-tweeter is a cool design, it actually adds to overall tonality of the speaker. I don't think they image very well, however.
does the bigger woofer really make that much of a difference? the rest except for the super tweeter is the same as the hpm100s.
Remember there is the A,B,C, series in that speaker, and you might want to upgrade the crossover units as the caps could be dried out. Nice sounding speaker when upgraded XO is installed. That is where you get the better detail in instruments and vocals. G R Research in Texas redesigns the XO as well. GR RESREACH CZcams.
i know of A and B but C ?? please inlight me
I've had a SX-1250 since I was kid (it was garbage picked). The only speakers I've had for this whole time is "whatever I could get". Today I just got some HPM-100s for the first time. It's hooked up to my PC now, I'm listening to you on them. So far I'm in love with them, but I might gotta try this. We gotta make some sort of way we can switch back-and-forth.
I was hearing a slight buzz from somewhere in the left speaker? Sounds phenomenal though.
Excellent video, very informative Thank you
This the best budget speaker till now and the most demanding speaker ,brother I don't know about your country but in india omg people are dying for this
Price in india 2000 to 2400 USD
I recapped my Vintage Pioneer CS-A700 speakers (from 1974) and luckily the original crossover design was good because they have a very flat and accurate response. They sound warm and smooth with just enough twinkle up top. The only downfall is they can't handle much power, so they can't be played very loud, and I think that's why they didnt restrict the woofer or mids top end in the later speakers because they were looking for more volume.
Hey Ryan, these really seem to sound amazing! I’ll be going to the MV Audio link to look at the crossover design and parts list. Hey, what stands are your 100s on? Those look pretty nice esp. with the 100s. Thanks!
I have the same speakers where can i get the speaker stands you have?
I have the same system except I have a Pioneer SG-9500 eq. That makes all the difference in the world. When I have vinyl playing through the HPM 100s with the eq and I have aPioneer Pl L1000 linear tracking turn table nothing today can match that sound in my opinion.
I am curious what the sound would be with the "super tweeter" disconnected... They are mostly good for dogs hearing ;-)
Did you leave the super tweeter disconnected as MV audio suggests?
Yes.
What is the name of that component rack you’ve got there?
Which modern speakers do you like better?
they sound amazing, when you went close i could hear all the small details. how do those speaker do with a bass heavy song?
My buddy is given me a pair of the Pioneer HPM-100, thanks for info.
Did you retain original attenuators in your crossover build ? Thanks for the review, MV Audio Labs is so way over my head with this project.
I'm wondering the same thing
I can hear you know what you talking about, Im a musician as well. Im looking for that perfect round crisp front sweet sound that only vintage 3 ways give....I hate a split speaker system I need all the sound coming from one box. I also am worried about a smiley face eq sound....so I am just asking if the new crossover just canceled out a bit of mids to get a more warm sound......I am looking to find same amount of front mids but warm tone if it makes sense.....Loved your analysis thanks
Mr. Ryan, now I know you are the person that I was searching for few months. recently I bought hpm-100 100watts version. as many guys say, there is no difference between 100w and 200w versions. is that true.? and if i want to convert 100w to 200w what should i do. i was thinking o rewind the speaker's coil. will it works.? please help.
HI, I have both the 100W and 200W HPM 100. I can confirm there is absolutly no difference in the drivers or crossovers between a 100w versus 200w. In reviewing other forums and comparing my speakers - I agree with the idea that the 200w version was released simply as a marketing tool, thus the ONLY difference is the rear name plate marking of "200W" and the addition of the aluminum bass port ring.
A recent measurement of its performance shows the HP-100 has major problems. The woofer plays too high and gets a lot of cone breakup, stored energy causing massive ringing and horribly blurs the lower midrange.
The tweeter rolls off far too early and is all but worthless above 15KHz. In addition, the driver placement results in HUGE phase problems and terrible drop outs in the off axis response. Additionally, the way the drivers are mounted and the lip on the edge of the box creates tons of undesired diffraction. And the box itself has horrible resonance to it. It needs a lot more blocking and bracing than it has.
If you rebuilt the box, align the drivers up vertically, rework the crossover entirely, get rid of the baffle lip, toss out the dust cover, and add a super tweeter just for the response above 15KHz and phase align it with the tweeter, you could have a great sounding set of speakers.
But reworking the crossover has proven to be extremely difficult because, imho, the woofer and midrange drivers should never have been paired together.
Thank you Ryan !!!
How would these sound on a modern reciver.
What is that receiver on the bottom
I wonder if it would work for my 700's?
I have four 200 watts Pioneer HPM 100 speakers and over 500,000 in other speakers and wish l had that money back so I can't get more 100s because the cost alone makes them the best speakers to me.
A very nice clean setup of audio components you have. Please tell me the manufacturer of that gorgeous custom audio rack and where to buy it. Thanks.
Someone gave me a pair of pioneer hpm 60 and need a cone and surrounds but I wish I had a crossover upgrade for them
I have the HPM-100s 200 watters with a Sansui 9090db receiver
Same speaker. Just a rating increase.
Me too. Same setup. Bought them in Japan when I was in the Navy.
My computer speakers are JBL L100's.........Thanks for the review
Love my JBL with my sx1250
Awesome video ! I am thinking of buying a set locally , I am not a electronic guru so I may hire someone to do the upgrade !
Hi I have a pair. Can I buy a crossover ready to go?
Email me: ryanday198@comcast.net
What song is this
How do I buy them !!!! Please tell me they are for sale
I can make them for you but it won't be cheap. Probably around $800 + shipping. Then I'll need to draw up an installation guide. Send me an email at ryanday198@comcast.net if interested
@@oberday OUCH....I think it may be worth it ....Thanks for getting back to me ...will get back to you soon ...Reading the MV article I see there was some confusion on driver polarity so hope I dont run into that ..Thank you so much ...I WILL be in touch
their enclosures have no bracing
Maybe they sounded so good because it is all new components, why didn't you recap them first to see what difference that would have made.
So I guess he was smarter than the Bart from JBL that designed them originally did
Not smarter, just benefitted from 45 years of tech evolution.
i dont like them, just removed the woofer. thats the only good part of it. combined them with tannoy mercury in a new case and have the best speaker ever.
So they sound perfect now, not bad for 45 year old drivers, a minute ago you said that they did not compare at all to new tech speakers... wtf
They sound as good as these particular 45 year old drivers can sound in this particular enclosure. That was the goal, I think
Modern Av receiver would just eq it flat in room correction.
EQ can only do so much. Prior to the new Xover, I had a DBX 231 in the chain to notch our the west coast voicing. No comparison to the new Xover.
Y review speakers that you cant buy and if you do find them they probably need fixing because they soo old
Hello Ryan Tom from Pa would you consider building me a set of these crossovers, as i do not have the skills to accomplish this task, of course i would pay for all parts & your time. Thanks Tom
Let's connect. Not sure of the best way to do that?
@@oberday OK
@@oberday I mess you thru F Book
@@thomasallen2459 can you resend? I briefly saw your message and now it's gone
How much are you charging for crossover
Maybe you just needed to recap them..
I recapped already. That definitely helped but the new design is far superior than the factory, in my opinion.
“Fatiguing” bahahahaha
Are you for real?....just buy a bigger better dpeaker prob solved..if ur so picky for one of the best speakers ever...man if your in a b and, ill bet your studio time is out of this world
do your pioneer hpm 100s work, lots of talk, no music, let music talk
can you link to your video so we can learn from the master?
Thats the sound those speakers have. Paper cone tweeters and woofers is wut gives those types of speakers their unique sound to.