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Category: Loudspeakers
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Title: Hyperion HPS938 
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views:400
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 I thought I’d share my experience as owner of a pair of Hyperion HPS938 floorstanders.
I’ve had these speakers since October, purchased second-hand and ‘blind’ (‘deaf’?) from a really knowledgeable enthusiast in Surrey.
Buying without listening is not something I’d normally do, but I took the risk after reading extensive and universally favourable reviews in the hi-fi press. It also helped that the speakers were well priced; hopefully insuring me against losing a big bag of beans if I didn’t like them.
The purchase went really well. The seller is as fastidious and anal about his kit as I am, so everything was exactly as it should be – a good demo, fabulous unmarked condition, all original paperwork and packaging. So far, so good.
The 938s were bought to replace my treasured JMLab Mini Utopias – a pedigree loudspeaker well suited to my listening room (16’ x 16’) and relatively unobtrusive. So now, please welcome the mighty Hyperions!
‘They look like Daleks’ said my wife (not helpful, but true) adding, ‘where on earth are they going to go?’ (again, not helpful, but true) and departing with ‘well, you know I won’t be dusting them’ (enough, already!).
Anyway, after agreeing to keep the grills on for good, I rearranged the whole room to accommodate the 938’s large footprint and found them a good spot away from both rear and side walls.
I’d purchased the Stereovox jumpers the former had been using with the 938s (all reviews insisted owners ditch the OEM jumpers) and hooked these up with some Townshend DCT cables and Townshend super tweeters and then sat back for a long listen.
Concerning sonic performance, I struggle to replicate hi-fi magazine ‘review speak’, but everything that has been written about these speakers is, in my humble opinion, quite true.
The immediate impression is one of space – a big, open soundstage with vocals and instruments presented in layers, well outside the ugly black cabinets. There’s bags of bass, good mids and grain-free highs (as you’d expect from a speaker of this price and reputation), but the real noticeable achievement is the soundstage – far beyond anything I’ve heard before and more important to my listening enjoyment than I had ever realised (I've not heard electrostatics, by the way).
All a touch evangelical? Perhaps, but these speakers have surprised me. I now find myself listening more and for longer, which surely must be a good sign?
Over the last couple of months I’ve been able to verify the 938’s reputation for transparency. I firstly changed my Townshend cables for a bi-wire setup using Stereovox HDLS cables, then changed again, upgrading this bi-wire setup to Philosophy Organon cables (a great cable, IMHO). I suspect that the 938s will reveal front-end system changes too, but I’m pretty happy with my electronics / interconnect setup so I haven’t yet explored this possibility.
Well, any downside? Yes, but nothing too significant. The speakers can’t be described as ‘small’ and their styling tends to provoke a Marmite reaction (unfortunately, most people hate Marmite!). The 6 Ohm impedance might be a problem for some, but they are a relatively efficient speaker. The OEM jumpers are next to useless and good jumpers don’t come cheap. Placement is also important to get the best from them.
In summary, the Hyperion HPS938s tick all the right boxes and more. If you major on soundstage (and I didn’t know that I did) and want a speaker that can communicate upstream changes to your system, then the Hyperions demand an audition - If you can track down a cherished pre-owned, UK spec’ pair you’ll get a great value slice of high-end audio.
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| Review submitted: 2007/2/3
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