Pioneer HPM-60 Bookshelf Speakers

Pioneer HPM-60 Bookshelf Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

A large 4 way ported bookshelf speaker,designed by recently hired JBL engineers.Modeled after the famous JBL L100.
Carbon fiber woof,isolated mid, and low tweet.Ribbon,metalic super tweeter.Identical to the more famous bigger brother the HPM-100.The only two differences are,real wood cabinet versus veneer, and the size of the woofer(10"vs.12")
Early model have a cloth surround on the woofer,later foam, and cast aluminum baskets versus stamped metal.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-4 of 4  
[Jul 30, 2019]
kydog@


Strength:

Setup: Pioneer SA 7800 Integrated Amplifier Kenwood CD player. All or most of the HPM weakness can be overcome if the correct settings on the rear of the speakers and amps are adjusted. These speakers are really efficient & get loud with only a few nice watts, The first step i use is the “ Mute” switch to lower the decibel level. This allows you to control of the Bass, Treble, Volume pots at a respectable listening level. Remember the HPM 60’s Have midrange/ tweeter pots in the rear of each speaker. For my particular room setup the tweeters are set too 9:00 / midrange @ 12:00. Moving too the PIoneer SA 7800, The Bass & Treble is used too tame any unwanted tweeter “ Brightness and Bass “ Hump”. I find that using the “ Defeat” function with the speaker adjustments only can be effective as well. I had the 60’s on stands but moved too the floor, The tweeters for me at ear level sounds much more focused lower. My point: Find the right Amplifier or Receiver that match well ( lookup the SA 7800 specs) Make adjustments and the Pioneer HPM 60’s will satisfy

Weakness:

None if the above statement is followed. These aren’t plug & play speakers and can be a great addition if treated right

Price Paid:
200
Purchased:
Used  
OVERALL
RATING
5
[May 29, 2019]
Marty J


Strength:

The HPM series of speakers by Pioneer were vastly superior to the CS (japanese sound) speaker line from early and mid 1970's. It is a nice size; 24x14x13" and in 1976 cost $260 each. It could handle (as reported in High Fidelity magazine, 1980) pulses of 550 watts for an SPL of 114 dB's so efficiency is good. A friend had these in the late 1970's and they did play rock music rather well, they could get loud.

Weakness:

The concern with the HPM-60 (for me) is the double peaks, one at 80Hz and one at 1kHz. This is not a neutral speaker and accuracy ain't it's strong suit. A fair amount of coloration rules this model out for me. It is very much in the JBL/Altec fashion of West Coast sound. Classical, Chamber, Baroque and Rococo music was a disappointing matter for the HPM-60's. Still, no match for speaker systems from Genesis, Polk, Allison, Ohm Acoustics, EPI, Acoustic Research or Electro-Voice in this price range. However, Pioneer sold a boatload of this model so somebody liked them.

Price Paid:
$260
Purchased:
New  
Model Year:
1976
OVERALL
RATING
3
[Dec 29, 2016]
James Calhoun
Audio Enthusiast

You are wrong, the early models had foam surrounds on the woofers, the later models had cloth. The same with the with the mounting, early models were stamped metal later, the ones were aluminum. I know because I have two sets of the early ones, one set of hpm 60s and one set of hpm 40s. Bought new in 1976. Still sound great after I had the foam surrounds replaced by Dixie speaker repair in Trussville Alabama. These are great sounding speakers.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 22, 2011]
Beardg
Audio Enthusiast

Newly aquired HPM-60 speakers....found at the thrift store.Won't say how cheap..(cheap)..All drivers intact and test out well.
These babies are BRIGHT!....But still I like them.Maybe I'm getting old and loosing the high end??
Thumping bass,crispy super highs...symbals and hard hat drum sound great! Pretty efficient.
I have a feeling that this LA sound(like JBL) might get tedious after extended periods.I will play with an EQ later.Drums sound super,very detailed...That super tweet adds sizzle!
A little like Klipsch KG4 speakers on speed.
They are heavily,well built,quality speakers for sure...But will you like the sound?
Thats for you to say.They would make great Rock and Roll speakers,but my digital Benny Goodman CD sounded pretty good also..More listening to come.
Seems to be a bargain if you can find them,parts seem available on eBay...But from what I have read,if you respect the drivers,they will last a long time...These have.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-4 of 4  

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