[Dracule1]

Since this subject was my primary interest for starting the Hyperion 938 Owners Circle,  I would like to share my experience.  

There are couple of stock items that ship with the speakers that must be ditched IMHO.  The brass jumpers that connects the midrange and tweeter needs to be replaced by a real high grade speaker cable jumpers, preferably the same wire used for your speaker cable.  The stock wire jumpers from the midrange to the bass module also must go.  I have tried the stock jumpers and they significantly veil the sound.  I am biwiring with silver cables with silver jumpers from the midrange to the tweeter.  Good jumpers go for about $50 for both speakers.  The next item is the original small speaker spikes that came with the first shipment of speakers.  The spikes are a bitch to deal with if your floor is not perfectly flat, and it's difficult to get proper coupling to the floor.  Also, if you man-handle the speakers, the weak spikes can actually deform the bottom of the speakers.   The later generation shipments have these heavy duty steel bars that screws beneath the speakers, and spikes go through the bars.  These are much easier to adjust and provide a much more stable platform for the speakers.  I have compared both, and the new speaker "stands" sound better.  Bass is tighter and imaging more precise.  If you have the older spikes, I suggest getting the new ones.  It should retrofit without problems.  I don't know the price, but can't imagine them being that expensive.

Another issue deals with further stablizing the bass module.  My listening room floor is wood, and there are irregularities that makes it difficult to get proper leveling of the speakers.  I bought 3/4" thick MDF from Home Depot and cut them approximately 4" wider than the bottom dimensions of the bass module.  I placed them underneath.  Now the spikes dig into the MDF about 1/8 of inch, and the speakers are solid and level without a hint of rocking when you try to push it.   I suggest getting a leveler (those thingys with the bubble that carpenters use) to level the speakers flat. Furthermore, you don't have to damage your precious wood floor.  This will cost you $7 for a 2' x 4', and Home Depot will cut them for you for free.  I recommend this if you have wood floors or thin carpeting even if your floor is perfectly flat.  Thick carpeting may present a stability problem.

I remember reading an professional online review (PFO?) where the reviewer felt there was chestiness to vocals.  I had this problem early on and found the problem.  Again it was a coupling issue.  Although the bass module is around 70 lbs, it still can vibrate.  The stock rubber feet underneath the upper mid/tweeter module isn't enough to fully cancel out vibrations from below.  I bought 8 Bright Star Isonode Sorbathane feet ($40 total for the larger set of 8, don't get the smaller set because it can't handle the weight) and placed 4 below each mid/tweeter module.  Chestiness gone!  High frequency smoother.  Better imaging and dimensionality.  Although other factors could have contributed (e.g. the room, amplification, etc), this fixed the problem for me.  For example, I was playing accapella male vocals, one of them a baritone.  Before the tweak, the baritone sounded too thick and seem to come directly from the speaker, whereas the other three vocals were clearly behind the speakers.  After the tweak, the baritone was properly placed with the rest of the vocals.  BTW, the Isonode feet are sticky and can leave a mark on the piano black finish.  I placed a small square sheet of Saran wrap on top and bottom of the feet to prevent this.  Don't completely wrap the feet with Saran wrap as this will alter its antivibration property.  I highly recommend this $40 tweak.

That's all for now.  I have more I will share later.  Anyone want to chime in with more tweaks please post.  Thanks.

[lonewolfny42]

Dracule1 :

I am biwiring with silver cables with silver jumpers from the midrange to the tweeter. Good jumpers go for about $50 for both speakers.

[/list:u]

Which cable's might you be using ? Thanks !! [/list:u]

[Dracule1]

Lonewoflny,

I am using Crystal Clear Studio Reference biwire cables with jumpers of the same brand.  

http://www.crystalclearaudio.com/products.htm

Mel is a good guy and often discounts his products.

[ndeslions]

I remember reading an professional online review (PFO?) where the reviewer felt there was chestiness to vocals. I

Well i think the 938 transparency deserves them sometimes because you can't just plug them on any amplifier with any cable and get a decent result.
They will reveal any weak component in your system and they are not forgiving at all (i hope my english is decent btw ).

I just tried to put some Vibrapods under the two modules, i will let you know later if the improvement is here for me too.

I was also thinking about upgrading the filters components... and try to put some foam in the bass output slot...

[Dracule1]

Hey Ndeslions,  
Did you get improvement with Vibrapods?  Never tried them myself.

[rwolters]

The stock rubber feet underneath the upper mid/tweeter module isn't enough to fully cancel out vibrations from below. I bought 8 Bright Star Isonode Sorbathane feet ($40 total for the larger set of 8, don't get the smaller set because it can't handle the weight) and placed 4 below each mid/tweeter module. Chestiness gone!

Dracule1,
The larger Isonode feet are 3/4" tall in their uncompressed state. I don't know how much they compress under the load of the upper cabinet but it seems like the gap between the 2 cabinets will be much larger if you use those feet than it is with the pads included with the speakers. Can you show us a picture of what the speaker look like with those feet?

Alternatively, 6 of the smaller (3/8" tall) feet could be used instead of 4. That would increase their load carrying capacity to 45# while minimizing the gap between the bass module and the upper cabinet. Maybe Bright Star will be able to tell us whether 4 of the large feet would be better than 6 of the small feet. In each case the load carrying capability is about the same.

[Dracule1]

Good question.  Well, I have not thought about using 6 of the smaller Isonodes, but by doing this you're probably increasing the surface contact area more so than with 4 larger Isonodes.  The larger Isonodes I think compress close to about half their original height with the midrange/tweeter module on top.  I was worried that the MDF and isonodes may increase the height of the speaker too much, but that has not been the case.  The imaging and tonal balance has not changed for the worse, but for the better.  My listening chair height can be adjusted but I have no need to do so.  You could give the 6 smaller Isonodes a try if you feel the bigger ones would increase the height too much in your system.  I think it's a good idea to ask Brightstar about this as you have mentioned.

[Dracule1]

rwolters,

Here are pictures of my 938s with the Isonodes and MDF.  What do you think?

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=539

[rwolters]

rwolters,

Here are pictures of my 938s with the Isonodes and MDF.  What do you think?

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=539

Dracule1,
Thanks for the photos. The large isonode feet compress quite a bit and your upper cabinet doesn't look out of place sitting on them. The smaller isonodes may have a better appearance, but they may compress to the point that the stock rubber pads would need to be removed to prevent them from grounding out.

I called Bright Star today but didn't get anyone to answer. I've sent them and e-mail to see what they recommend... 4 large or 6 small isonodes. I'll let you know what I find out.

[Dracule1]

rwolters,

I used 4 big isonodes under my previous integrated tube amp weighing 40 lbs, which is the upper limit of what the big isonodes are rated for.  My integrated squashed them to a pancake permanently disorting them.  What ever you do I would not go over more than 70% of what the feet are rated for.

[Dracule1]

Hey rwolters,

Any luck with the Isonodes?  Please post your impressions once you get a chance.  Thanks.

[rwolters]

Hey rwolters,

Any luck with the Isonodes?  Please post your impressions once you get a chance.  Thanks.

Dracule1,
I've been away for a few days and didn't have access to email. But I'm back now and when I got home I found that my small Isonodes had arrived. I ordered a total of 12 of them after talking to Barry Kohan of Bright Star Audio on Friday. He told me that in addition to the maximum rated capacity for the isonodes, they also had an optimum load capability. For the Large Isonodes that is 8.5# and for the small ones it's 6.5#. I wasn't sure exactly what the weight of the upper cabinets was but assumed 6 isonodes per speaker would be enough. I just weighed one of my speakers and it is 32.4#. In that case 5 of the small isonodes may be a better match than 6. I haven't installed them yet. I'll try them in the next few days and report back.

[Dracule1]

Great!  I'm glad you got them.  You should notice an immediate improvement, but I found it takes about a day for the isonodes to "settle in" to sound their best.    Keep us updated.

[Roy S]

Not much of a tweak but I find terminating the speaker wires (Kimber 8TC) at the mid's binding posts and using jumpers (made from the same cable) to the tweeter and bass give the most transparent and widest soundstage.

[Dracule1]

Roy,

Actually, what you did makes a significant difference over the stock jumpers that are provided.  I could never go back to the stock jumpers.  Sorry I haven't been able to post for the past week - too busy with work.  I'll be posting pics of my completed system within the next couple of days. Enjoy your tweak and thanks for the input.

[rwolters]

Dracule1,

I've finally gotten around to installing the small Isonodes and improved jumper cables that connect the cabinets. I used 5 of the feet which would optimally support 32.5# (6.5# per foot). My upper cabinets each weighed about 32.4#. That cabinet weight was perfectly split between the front and rear of the cabinet so I installed one Isonode at each of the 4 corners and the 5th one right in the middle of the cabinet. The height of the small Isonodes, when compressed, raise the cabinet about 1/16" above the height of the stock feet. Therefore, I didn't need to remove them. As Dracule1 had suggested, I used saran wrap to prevent the sticky feet from damaging the gloss black finish of the Hyperion cabinets.

All I can say is WOW!!! Or should I say WOW, and Thank You very much.  

For as long as I've had these speakers I've been bothered by a bit of midrange glare that I was always aware of. I've tried different amps, passive versus active preamps, various speaker cables, and balanced versus single ended interconnects. I also tried the Super Silver Treatment on cable connections, various power cords, and different methods of power conditioning. All of these changes really didn't have much effect on addressing the issue I had. Of course there were changes, but I was still bothered by something in the midrange that prevented me from connecting with the music. I seemed to have many of the things that audiophiles look for. Imaging, extension at the frequency extremes, 3 dimensionality, and transparency were all present. The best way I can describe it is that voices and some instruments lacked a "natural" quality.

Well, that issue has been completely addressed, in my opinion, by the Bright Star Isonodes. Replacing the jumper cables with Kimber 4TC may be icing on the cake. I'm really not sure. I installed the Isonodes first and heard an immediate improvement. The Isonodes were installed for less that a day when I installed the replacement jumpers. Since I installed these tweaks I haven't removed them to reconfirm my original conclusions. There's just no need for that.

This morning I asked my wife sit down and listen to the system. Her response was just like mine, and just as immediate. We both hear a substantial improvement.

What this means is that all the judgements that I've made in the last year between the various cables, amps, preamps, etc. will all need to be redone. Fortunately, I still have, or have access to most of this stuff. It should be fun.

By the way, other owners may not have experienced the condition I'm talking about here. I don't recall magazine reviewers commenting on this either. I do have a friend who also owns the Hyperions and I've heard his speakers in my home and wasn't bothered by a slightly unnatural quality to the midrange of his. He has heard our speakers side by side too, and agreed that although our speakers sounded quite similar, that there was something missing in the sound of mine.

Once again Dracule1, thanks for sharing these tweaks with the group. It's been very beneficial for me. And to think this was accomplished with only $37.50 worth of Isonodes... just amazing.

[Dracule1]

rwolters,

You're very welcome   I'm just glad you had the same substantial improvement I had.  I don't think many Hyperion owners realize the improvement sound you can get for under $40.  Now if you want further improvement in your bass, try the $7 MDF tweak I described in my original post.  Improvement is not as substantial as the Isonodes, but still noticeable - just depends on how well your bass modules are coupled to the floor to begin with.

If my biwire cables could be split to give longer separate runs, I would actually try to put the upper modules on my Osirus speaker stands that I bought awhile back but never had a chance to use.   I would put the bass module medial to the upper module so they would be further away from the walls.  I bet I could get even better results.  But that will have to wait another day.

The midrange glare you were talking about could in part be due to the stock brass jumpers you were using.  They really veil the upper midrange and high frequency IMHO.  So using the Kimber jumpers was a great idea.  But the Isonodes probably accounts for 80% of the difference you're hearing.

My new Jungson 88D amps have about 70 hours on them and has now really opened up.  I'm enjoying the sound so much, I've been lazy to put pics up of my completed system.  Stay tuned.

[Dracule1]

Hey 938 owners and those who have heard these speaekers,  have you noticed an optimal placement distance of your speakers from the back wall?  I had my speakers about 4.5 feet from the rear wall since I had bought my speakers.  Last night, just for yucks I moved it another foot or so into the room - about 2/5 of the way into the room.  This really had a noticeable improvement in imaging/staging and palpability.  I thought my new Jungson was a little thin sounding in midrange, but it was really a speaker placement issue. Now vocals literally float in front of you with fullness (w/o bloat) that I haven't experienced in my room.  When I first heard the speakers last year at the NY Show, they had the best imaging/staging and palpability I've in the past 20 years.  I've been trying to get this sound for the past year, but never quite was able to - close but no cigar until now.  It seems to me the 938s have best imaging at around 6 feet.  I believe that's how they were placed at the '94 NY Show.  Any similar experience?

[Roy S]

The isonode tweak sounds very enticing. I would definitely like to try this out. Dracule, you mentioned that the isonode will stain the black finish, how bad is it; do I have to cover both the top and bottom with wrap? Also, will the top cabinet "wobble" on the isonodes?

I think the spiderless midrange driver is so transparent that every single improvement can be enjoyed easily through the 938s  

[Dracule1]

Roy,

The isonodes will leave a thin residue on the piano finish, but it can be removed with a damp cloth.   If left on long term, I don't know if permenant damage will occur.  I do recommend using separate small sheets of Seran wrap on top and bottom of the isonodes to prevent residue.

As for the stability, the upper cabinet will mildy wobble if you push the cabinet, but if you use the smaller isonodes like Rwolters, it will probably be minimal.  

The improvement is very significant and readily apparent, better than cable upgrade IMO.

It's dirt cheap too .