Pioneer's Speaker Genius Hits Low Price Point - Page 81

The sub is bigger then the speakers.

Sweet!!!!! I need to order a set to complete my 5.1 setup. Should really compliment the 3 c21 (LCR) and my Energy s10.3 sub.

I've been loving my 5.0 Pio speakers since Christmas, now looking for a decent Sub to compliment these jewels. Any chance of finding one that will dig into the mid 20's for under four hundred?

Room size is 20' x 20'
50% HT/TV viewing, 40% music, 10% gaming
Running speakers through a Pio VSX-816, thinking of upgrading receiver to the new VSX-1122
I don't mind buying via internet

I also have Andrew Jones speakers which I absolutely love. I am using them in a smaller room and I find the Pioneer Sub works just fine for me right now. However, in a larger room or if you desire the really low frequency stuff, you are correct in looking elsewhere.

A couple of suggestions:

Jim Wilson's excellent thread on this forum "Budget subs under $300" has a wealth of information

Also Vann's and Newegg both have some nice offerings particularly in their Clearance sections. I just saw an Energy Veritas 10" that specs into the low 20's for $341. Last week Newegg had the Definitive Technology SuperCube I on a 12-hour sale for $499 (originally $1100) And that baby goes down into the teens! Needless to say, it sold out in about an hour. So there are definitely things out there if you are patient and take the time to look around.

Good Luck and post back about your search.

The Budget sub thread is a good place to look as mentioned. My pick in the under $400 area is the PA-150 after coupon. The PL-200 would be nice too after coupon at ~$280. I had an eD A2-300 and loved it as well, but the price now is about $100 more than when I originally bought it.

Keep in mind, although these will do great in most systems (and for anyone that isn't an audio nut), you get a whole new level of sound when you start spending in the $800+ and up range. Although it cost a fortune, the sub I have now runs circles around any of these... but for $2,000+ with 2400w of power, it should.

I have the 5.1 setup of these speakers. I have set all to small and cross over at 80hz. 50% movies, 50%music, 50%ps3 games.Wait?
Ya, its a do it all system for me, and I think these things kick ass at all 150% for a budget system.
I have heard of a few guys placing the FS-51's in rear channel position. So, FS-51's front and rear along with the center and woof. I have the bs-21's in rear. I think that the way the original speaker setup was created is the way that they designed it to work to get the best sound out of movies and the soundtrack that was created for them. Would I be missing anything or worse adding to much bass to the rear sound zone by adding the FS-51's as rear channel instead of the speakers (bs-21's) that were designed to go in rear position?
lastly, as far as music goes for me, the louder the better!! Will I be gaining a few decibles to my overall sound by doing this rear channel speaker switch listening in 5.1? Interested in what you guys think about this .
Faq, sensitivity of bs-21 is 84dec, FS51- 87dec.

oops bump

No. Your setup would not be worse. You'll just have more bass output for surround in movies. Although, I personally wouldn't do it. You have a pretty kickass budget system as it is! Adding 51's to the rear wont make a big enough difference to be worth the cost IMHO.


If listening to 5.1 music, you will gain a few db because the 51's are more sensitive.

However, generally you want all the speakers to be level matched so one isn't playing at a higher level than the other. If anything, I would raise the BS-21's level in the receiver setting so it matches the SPL of the 51's and center during 5.1 playback. Then you just up the volume like normal if you want the setup louder.

Does your setup not play loud enough for you?

Hope I helped!

Feel free to correct me if anyone disagrees.

Thanks monkish, I do agree that it sure is a nice setup as is,sounds awsome to me. I will prolly just keep as is unless sombody out there swervs me. at first I was going to upgrade the rear bs-21's too the 41's, and when I heard of guys wrapping 5.1 in floorstanders I got interested in quality changes.
I am still going to buy one more set of either the bs-41's or the fs-51's to run into another room off same reciever via B channel, but not sure which ones to get yet.
As far as my Boston, Eagles, stevie ray V. Van halen, G&R not being loud enough for my taste, Well i'm still young and dumb @28 and nothing is loud enough that my budget can afford at the moment. I still pay attention to quality though and after I just recently upgraded from my sony "1000 WATT HTIB" hahaha 1000 watt my ace hole!, I knew that I can only go up in quality from there, so these pios are godly sounding to me and I am very happy with them, and they do get loud. Just not loud enough for how young I am still I guess. That will prolly ware off with age though or when my ears stop working.

No problem!!

Andrew Jones is a really cool guy, too. i went to a dealer a few hours from me to hear the Compact Reference One he designed ($37,000). Excellent speaker. He was there. Very nice guy! Funny too!

I just bought a pair of Philharmonic 2's but one day i'll buy back my pair of 51's. Great speaker for the price.


I'm 19 years old; I know what you're saying!


That's a BIG upgrade. Those HTIB are total balls! I would be STOKED with the 51's!

I'm a bit limited for space in my room, so this is the best I can do for now. Will the C21 being maybe a half foot off center really affect the sound stage? It's currently on the middle shelf of my entertainment center, a little to the right. I don't have many other options aside from buying a stand, but I wanted to get some stands for the FS51's anyway (just got my BS21's today while Newegg had them on sale over the weekend... need to find something to do with those as well)

Here's how it looks. Any input would be welcome.

My suggestion would be to try running mcacc without the c21 connected and see how you like it...I'm very happy

Im no expert, but I would say very little if any. Watch a couple movies and see if the voices come from the screen or off to the side. Trust your ears!

So now I got the 21's for rears from New Egg, plus the 51's and center from Best Buy. Sounds pretty amazing..especially for the price. I do find that I prefer my old Polk Audio CSI3 center channel speaker though. It sounds more open and a little less 'boxy'. It cost $200 plus 8 years ago or so. The Pio center was only $59.00, and is not that much worse. I'm keeping the Pio center so I have a full matched set, but for now I am using the Polk. The 51's are awesome..they totally hold their own against my much more expensive and bulky Polk RTiA7's. This system is a super value indeed.

I would suggest something like this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/XL-Double-...grain/14301678

You could place your center channel inside and put the TV on top. It would not only allow you to place your center in the middle, but would also raise it and give better off center audio (as their no obstructions around it).

I have one, but in my case it holds my audio Receiver. I have my center on top of that, on a little shelf I build, and my TV on top of that.

Pic here:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...425_220036.jpg

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...425_220018.jpg

I guess I should have mentioned but I thought it may be sort of easy to see judging from the size of the C21 compared to the TV, but I have a 55" tv that weighs 80lbs, heh. (According to a review on the site, it struggled with less weight than that) That wouldn't really work unless the attachment was really light weight because I believe I'm pretty close to the weight limit of the top shelf as it is.

local hardware store + wood + screws = CUSTOM
add wood stain or paint as necessary

I made a wall mount set-up for wall mounting the BS21's in a corner location. I removed the Pioneer logo stickers and mounted it upside down so that the tweeters would be 8 inches closer to ear level. This also allowed me to open the back plate and bolt through the back of the speaker (reinforced w/ fender washers inside and out.)

Supplies required:
2 - 3" Corner brace
2 - 2" corner brace
2 - 3" hinge with 1?2 " wood screws
2 ft jack chain
wall anchors and/or 2" wood screws
2 - 1" 8-32 machine screws
4 - 1/2" 8-32 machine screws
4 - #8 fender washers

Nice ingenuity! Been looking for a clamping style wall mount, but I can only find side clamp style. With the curved cabinet, side clamps wont hold as well as I want. That has to be my biggest, and probably the only, complaint I have with the 21s; no mounting option built in.

Any tips for removing the pioneer logos on the front? Are there any permanent markings after you've gotten it off?

Has anyone compared the "21's" to the SP-BS41-LR bookshelf speakers? Big difference??

They are not hard to take off at all, they basically come off themselves.
When i bought the full 5.1 set, one of the fs-51's had the "R" missing right out of the box. Yup, I had a pionee. Sent em back for a new set after I fried the tweetys due too the clipp.
Now the "P" is coming off the bookshelf, and nobody touches those speakers. Give it a month, the name falls off.
At least they sound awsome!
FYI, no markings left from stickers after they fall off.

I was wondering what you would get out of stacking the floor standers? Also, I currently have a pair of older infinity kappa 6.1 series 2 floor standers and was wondering if the pioneers would be an upgrade in sound for me?

Check out page 80

Sorry, What's the post #? Other than reading that it would sound good, I must have miss the benefits of it.

The Pioneer center will not fit under that, since the height is NOT the clearance needed for the huge Pioneer. However you can buy Capita legs from Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20049538/They provide the clearance needed.

To remove the logo on the front, just rub it with your finger to heat up the glue or use a hair drier. Then peel off the letters with your finger nail. The glue cleans up easily with water and a clean cotton cloth.

I think reading and a picture is as good as it gets for you here dude. Explaining how it sounds is like explaining what the color purple looks like to a blind man.
page 80, post # 2371 - 2400

I really think you will be impressed by the pios.

I've been waiting for good deals to pick up an SW-8 and a pair of FS51's for a couple of weeks now. I got an SW-8 last week from Newegg for $80. They also have the FS51 for $130 but have been out of stock.

Today I checked the site and it says the FS51's are deactivated, and "may or may not be restocked." I'm wondering if this means a new speaker line up is coming soon. It's been about two years since this A.Jones line was released right?

Wondering if I should try and pick up a pair of FS51 from BestBuy for $180 or if I should wait and see if Newegg ever gets them back..

I would buy them now. The displays have been pulled off of the shelves in both of my local Best Buys.