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HPM-100 x 4 with a bonus!

BlueFlyingV

BlueFlyingV

Tin Knocker
Purchased myself some HPM-100's this past Saturday. I've been eyeballing the local ad's for a while now, hoping to pick up a pair to see if they were all they are cracked up to be, so while the wifey was out getting her hooves and paws polished I thought it would be a good time to pull the trigger.

The seller wanted $80 a piece for them, which was a little more than I wanted to pay and I only intended to buy a pair, but before I even got there the seller called me and said if I buy all 4 she would let me have them for $200.

So I get there and am looking them over and they all appear to be in good shape except for one that she had flipped upside down and had drug it across the garage floor scratching the top up pretty good. I pointed out the damage and she says, "what if I throw in one of these" pointing at a stack of 4 Sony M555ES 400 disk CD changers. That last little nugget was enough to push me over the edge, so I paid the lady and off I went.

One pair are 100w and the other 200w. Hooked them up to my SX-1050 and popped a CD in my new found CD changer for a test run. My first impression while I was standing over them was MAN, THESE THINGS ROCK!, but once I made it over to my listening chair and got a little more on axis, my impression was MAN, THESE THINGS ARE SCREAMING AT ME! I know it's been hashed over a million times here, but in there present state they are super bright and a little on the harsh side for my liking.

I haven't given up on them yet, I really like the way they look and they are built like a brick sh#@ house, so i ordered some caps for them in hopes it would improve the harshness. I think at least one pair might be getting the E-Wave treatment unless the new caps are a drastic improvement.

BTW, the wife has vowed to never again leave me home alone on a Saturday because in her words, " every time I leave, more of this stereo crap shows up"
I'll wash her car or something and all will be forgiven.:D
 

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BlueFlyingV said:
Purchased myself some HPM-100's this past Saturday. I've been eyeballing the local ad's for a while now, hoping to pick up a pair to see if they were all they are cracked up to be, so while the wifey was out getting her hooves and paws polished I thought it would be a good time to pull the trigger.

The seller wanted $80 a piece for them, which was a little more than I wanted to pay and I only intended to buy a pair, but before I even got there the seller called me and said if I buy all 4 she would let me have them for $200.

So I get there and am looking them over and they all appear to be in good shape except for one that she had flipped upside down and had drug it across the garage floor scratching the top up pretty good. I pointed out the damage and she says, "what if I throw in one of these" pointing at a stack of 4 Sony M555ES 400 disk CD changers. That last little nugget was enough to push me over the edge, so I paid the lady and off I went.

One pair are 100w and the other 200w. Hooked them up to my SX-1050 and popped a CD in my new found CD changer for a test run. My first impression while I was standing over them was MAN, THESE THINGS ROCK!, but once I made it over to my listening chair and got a little more on axis, my impression was MAN, THESE THINGS ARE SCREAMING AT ME! I know it's been hashed over a million times here, but in there present state they are super bright and a little on the harsh side for my liking.

I haven't given up on them yet, I really like the way they look and they are built like a brick sh#@ house, so i ordered some caps for them in hopes it would improve the harshness. I think at least one pair might be getting the E-Wave treatment unless the new caps are a drastic improvement.

BTW, the wife has vowed to never again leave me home alone on a Saturday because in her words, " every time I leave, more of this stereo crap shows up"
I'll wash her car or something and all will be forgiven.:D
Click to expand...

Here's a controlled test for a mod for the harshness:
change the 4.4uf mid range capacitor to 68 uf. That's NO misprint - sixty eight microfarads - a standard value... or you could try back to back polarized 100's if you have some laying around. That would make 50uf while the article mentions 75 uf.

Then we will know for sure.....

it comes from: here

and I see where an earlier thread here about hpm-100's and his query comes from now...


PLUS:
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Here's a controlled test for a mod for the harshness:
change the 4.4uf mid range capacitor to 68 uf. That's NO misprint - sixty eight microfarads - a standard value... or you could try back to back polarized 100's if you have some laying around. That would make 50uf while the article mentions 75 uf.

Then we will know for sure.....

it comes from: here

and I see where an earlier thread here about hpm-100's and his query comes from now...
Click to expand...

Interesting, I'm willing to give it a try. I'll do a little A, B, comparison and report back.
 
Great score! Now if you could just send those space-consuming DDS1s to me, you will have room for your new HPM-100 double stack..... :D
 
Re capped the 200 watters last night and WOW! what a difference. They have much better separation now, the dominate mids and highs have been tamed quite a bit and now sound appropriate, and the bass is rock solid and not boomy at all. I've recapped older speakers before and couldn't really tell the difference, but this time it was obvious right away. I wish I had some kind of analyzing equipment so I could show the results, but all I have are 45 year old ears.

I did find some weird stuff going on in one of them though, the cross brace is missing and there is no sign that it was ever there. No glue, no screws, no wood chunks, no nothing. Also the polarity was reversed on the woofer.

Great score! Now if you could just send those space-consuming DDS1s to me, you will have room for your new HPM-100 double stack.....
Click to expand...
Ha ha, you sound like my neighbor, every time he comes over he puts his arms around them like he's going to carry then home. I always tell him that if he can carry them out the front door without scratching them, he can have them. I think I'm safe.
 
What do you think?

Do you think these things might have been used in a restaurant or bar?

4 HPM-100s and 4 400-disc CD changers?

That's 1600 discs and it seems like I read one time you could connect the 400 disc changers together and access all 1600 discs from one source.
 
I think she said something about a home recording studio in her old house. Looked too me like they were some post divorce leftovers or something. There was no sign of a man living there, no man toys anywhere, just furniture and doilies.

They can be all hooked together and accessed from one source. Has a real nice two way remote that allows you to scroll thru all the disk titles and select different changers. You can also connect any keyboard to the front panel to program the player as you add disks, or if the disk has cd text, it will do it on it's own. It's pretty nice, I've been having fun playing with it.
 
BlueFlyingV said:
Re capped the 200 watters last night and WOW! what a difference. They have much better separation now, the dominate mids and highs have been tamed quite a bit and now sound appropriate, and the bass is rock solid and not boomy at all. I've recapped older speakers before and couldn't really tell the difference, but this time it was obvious right away. I wish I had some kind of analyzing equipment so I could show the results, but all I have are 45 year old ears.
Click to expand...

What did you replace the original caps with?
 
I had considered doing my in red oak at one time but decided to hold off for a while. I think they may be too large to look good in red oak. :scratch2:
 
Tarl Of Gor said:
Nice score!



You sir, are freaking dreaming.

:D
Click to expand...


Must be the voice of experience.
I concur! :yes:
:D



To the OP, nice score there. Get them sorted out, and they aren't bad speakers. Great for TV sound; not too bright on the sound effects, in my experience. :music:
 
BlueFlyingV said:
I did find some weird stuff going on in one of them though, the cross brace is missing and there is no sign that it was ever there. No glue, no screws, no wood chunks, no nothing. Also the polarity was reversed on the woofer.
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly the 200w version did not have the internal crossbrace like the 100w did. I discovered this while recearching the HPM-100's before purchasing mine and stuck with the 100 watters as owners stated the sound was better due to the heftier cabinet construction. Also your pic shows a 100w and 200w side by side, on purpose I hope? Otherwise it is a 200w and is missing the bass reflex port beauty ring. Finding and correcting the woofers polarity wiring definitely would make an improvement so now it's in phase with the other speakers. Good eye.

My HPM-100's sound very good stock, so for now the only thing I will do is replace the .15uF 'lytic(because of age) with a .15uF film cap from Mouser.
 
The picture I attached is one of each, The others are on the other side of the room and just didn't make it into the picture.

As far as the bracing, the other 200 watter has the same exact brace as the 100 watters, It's just completely missing from one.

Ive already recapped the 200 watters and am pretty pleased with the improvement.
2x 005-10 Mills 10 Ohm 12W Non-Inductive Resistor
2x 027-419 Dayton DMPC-4.3 4.3uF 250V Polypropylene Capacitor
2x 027-220 Dayton PMPC-3.0 3.0uF 250V Precision Audio Capacitor
2x 027-462 Jantzen 0.15uF 1200V Z-Superior Capacitor

Yes ................ I see many new pairs of shoes & a couple new outfits in your future.
Click to expand...

Must be the voice of experience.
I concur!
Click to expand...
Did my wife put you guys up to this? I smell a conspiracy.:yes:
 
Eagle1 said:
If I remember correctly the 200w version did not have the internal crossbrace like the 100w did. I discovered this while recearching the HPM-100's before purchasing mine and stuck with the 100 watters as owners stated the sound was better due to the heftier cabinet construction.
Click to expand...

Unless you are talking about a different brace, I believe that statement is incorrect. I have the 200 watters and both cabinets have an internal brace going from one side to the other. Unless some cabinets slipped by without them from the factory which I suppose is possible.

See attached image:
 

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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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