What`s with the Hyperion HPS 938


Last year when the 938 went on the market , one rave review followed the other ,everybody seemed to be amazed with the level of performance this 4k speaker delivered. But the last months ,more and more stories appear of people hearing the 938 and dislike them very much.
One guy bought them for 1500usd but returned them after a trial home!!!
Or Steve Rochlin and companions are deaf or there is something really strange going on.
ctchen
I've had a different type of experience with the HPS 938.
I thought the sounds were OK for the money, nothing great, but what I'm griping about is the company's service.
I contacted the sale's manager (West Coast), regarding a replacement for a bass module. First he gave me a price quote only to retract it later and said that it was a typo, it was for one, not a pair like he first quoted. Then he said he was doing me a favor and gave me a 20% discount, then renaged that offer and said that his "boss" would only authorized a 10% discount.
I was fed up with the company and dumped the speakers for a loss, but IMHO, I think that support from a manufacturer is too important for this manufacturer to behave in such way.
Take McIntosh for an example, I needed new KT88 tubes for my MC275 and contacted them, got them in 3 days ($400 in cost) for no charge and no question asked. That's why Mac has been in business for 50 yrs. I'm not sure if Hyperion will be around after next yr.
Just my 2 cents.
Tim
I think the Hyperion are very transparent, they deserve good electronics.
If people try to make them work with cheap components the result will not be good despite their qualities.
They match nicely with Tact electronics for exemple.

I know no speakers as good in their price range, btw i compared them with more expensive speakers like BW802 (not the S) and Dynaudio C2 and prefered the 938.
Ghil.
I was matching the HPS 938 with my McIntosh MC275 and a lamm LL2 Deluxe.
Like I said, they were OK for the money but nothing spectacular like some of the reviewers said.
I think better result could be obtained with even a pair of Totem Forrest for example.
Tim
Tim,

Sorry to sound rude but I think the 938 is several leagues above the Forrest, having heard both extensively. My personnal experience is that the 938 reproduces faithfully what is fed with, so care in matching electronics and cables are critical. For that matter, I dun think MC275 can control the 8" woofers of the 938 as well as the 6 1/2" woofers of the Totem.

Roy
Hi all,

It's been awhile since I last checked this board after writing my review of 938s last year. I'm perplexed by some of the recent negative posts, but I've seen this kind of reaction to other well reviewed products. I really have to agree with Newbee and others about component matching and room interaction. When properly set up, I like these speakers better than the planars, ribbons, and stats I had heard or owned in the past. Although I'm running them with tubes, I think most people will prefer a good SS amp with these speakers - you get more impact, cleaner highs, bass extension, etc.. The Hyperions SS electronics are very synergistic with these speakers, but no one ever talks about them. I guess no one wants to take a chance with unreviewed electronics. I'm thinking about trying out SS myself.

I don't think McIntosh tube amp is a good choice for the 938s based on my experience. I think Macs are too smooth and creamy for my taste. I've heard Macs mated to the other well reviewed Gallo Reference, and the combination sounded aweful to me. Sound was smooth alright but it was veiled and bloated. No one, as I recall, called the Gallos veiled and bloated, so it must have been a bad combination with the electronics and possibly the room.

For those of you who remember from my review, I received my speakers and found some minor cosmetic defects. Well, I just got email from Albert Wu who informed me that finally the new production run is here. I will be trading in my current speakers with my replacements this month. Thanks Albert.

Happy listening.