Pioneer's Speaker Genius Hits Low Price Point - Page 118

Welcome back. I wish I could go to that open house. As to suggestions, better sensitivity and color options other than black. A better sub?

While the price is a step up from these, Newegg now sells the JBL Studio 1 series for a very good price.

I actually went from an FS-51 / BS-41 7.1 setup to JBL 190, 180, and 130, and the difference was striking. The JBLs were better overall, and it was noticeable.

For the price however, these Pioneers are the best HT value in a long time. I haven't even heard the newer line yet, but I can only expect great things.

Hi Chris,

I'd love to see a budget Pioneer speaker line with a coaxial driver. I watched Andrew's video interview and I understand he didn't use a coaxial driver to keep costs down. If Andrew could develop a speaker line at a slightly higher price point (maybe like the Kef Q's) that had coaxial drivers, curved cabinets and a choice of veneers, it would be a home run. A TAD for the masses so to speak. At least, I'd be very interested in it.

Thanks
Dan

I bought the FS51's a while back and then bought the other speakers as they came up on sale. They have fit my budget and my somewhat discriminating ears! This setup has been great for movie watching and even better for music listening. I have really enjoyed listening to all kinds of music with it.

Here's my budget minded setup thats a great match for this old Chicago apartment:



TV: 50" LG 50PA5500 Plasma 1080P
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-821
Towers: Pioneer SP-FS51
Center: Pioneer SP-CS21
Subwoofer: Pioneer SW-8

Things connected to the setup:
-PS3
-Roku XD
-Old Asus laptop sitting on top of the subwoofer as a "media PC" with Lenovo Media Remote N5902 (love this thing!)

It's been a hit with my roomie and my other 20-something friends. It plays Call of Duty well, the electronic music that we love, as well as the jazz that I like to listen to over a coffee And hey, I have cash left over to actually buy good coffee!

i just bought some 10.5" stands for the 51s that will raise the tweeters to ear level.

my question is should i rerun audyssey since the towers have been raised?

No. Audyssey is only looking for the distance between the mic position and the speaker in order to calculate the volume each speaker needs in order to blend correctly. You haven't moved the speaker closer or further away, only up, so don't worry about it.

Not so. Audessey is an EQ solution. If the relationship between the tweeters and the measurement mic changes, you need to re-run Audyssey.

You may find the FAQ in post #1 here helpful.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/795421/official-audyssey-thread-faq-in-post-1

Brian
Edited by BGLeduc - 11/30/12 at 8:29am

That setup looks really clean tune4jack. I still can't get over what a deal these are.

You need to run Audyssey again.

The prime roll for Audyssey wrt low freqs is to address peaks and valleys caused by room nodes. Room nodes are dictated by both how far you and the speaker is located from each wall, *and* the ceiling and floor.

I put my speakers on 24" stands yesterday and ran Audyssey. Absolutely nothing changed.

OK, then please post your REW, XTZ, OmniMic, etc, room equalization freq spectra graphs of the before and after, because otherwise, you can't know if anything changed or not.

Ha ha wouldn't it be something if I actually had all of that. I should have clarified what I meant - Nothing changed as far as the values I can access.

does it sound any better having the tweeters closer to ear level? i know that is what everyone recommends, but id prefer to leave my floorstanders standing on the floor, instead of on a small stand and wobbly and less attractive looking. just curious if the benefit is that great that i should consider it. thanks.

Try sitting lower to the ground and listen for a difference. I would think you wouldn't hear any as that they are likely no more than 5 degrees off axis anyway. You could also put something under the front of the towers to tilt them back a few degrees.

Then you can't know if anything changed or not. Audyssey doesn't tell you all that it does in terms of EQ'ing the sound.

I missed the previous Open House and would love to attend the one in February.

As someone who helped 3 friends set up their HT with your Pioneer speakers, here are some ideas for a next speaker line-up. One of my friends went all in and set up his HT with four SP-FS51 towers, an SP-CS21 center, and a SW-8 subwoofer. Another friend went with a pair of SP-BS21's, the center and the sub. A third bought two SP-BS41's for his surrounds (he has Magnepan MMG's for his fronts). Price, performance, and size were important. You have clearly met the price requirement, exceeded performance expectations (except for the sub), and are only acceptable with regard to size.

First idea: develop a set of small speakers, along the size of the old Acoustic Energy Aego line, but keep them affordable and high performing. Perhaps one way to do this is to limit their low frequency response to about 80 Hz. Obviously, such speakers should be paired with a quality subwoofer, so...

Second idea: develop a quality subwoofer of about the same dimensions as the SW-8 (or, if necessary, just a tad bigger). Perhaps the way to do this is to go with dual opposing drivers and a much heftier amplifier. This sub needs to have high definition and impact in the 30-80 Hz range!

Third idea: develop an active (i.e. built-in amp) and wireless alternative for the set of small speakers. This is for the vast majority of people who don't want to deal with wires, specially for their surround speakers. The set-up would be automatic: you plug in a sending unit into your receivers surround channels and the corresponding surround speakers speak. Better yet: make the speaker's built-in amp battery-powered with automatic wireless recharging! This would truly free up the speakers from any wires, including AC power. No doubt these speakers would cost more, but I bet there would be many people who would happily pay the premium for the convenience.

Hello, I have lurked here for a while.
I have 4 BS21's, a CS21 and the SW8 running though a vsx1021.
My question: I have an option to get a pair of FS51's at a good deal, or I can wait for the FS52's to go on sale
Will the 52's be a better option for a couple more $$.

Thanks,
Mike Washington

I bought mine when the bookshelf speakers were $20 off ($111) center was $40 off ($59) but the loudspeakers were only $5 off ($125). So if the 52s go on sale, it won't be by much. If you can get the 51s at a really good price then go for it. The 52s are better but not enough to justify passing up a good deal on the 51s. Besides, you'd might as well complete the set you have now.

Hey guys. Will this receiver power the older pioneer floorstanders to their potential?
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR616-7-2-Channel-Certified-Receiver/dp/B0077V88W2/ref=sr_1_fed1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354570687&sr=8-1&keywords=tx+nr616
-Thanks

easily

Anyone knows where to get the FS51 online for cheap? I was hoping newegg to restock but it seems like they don't have them anymore.

check local best buys clearance and open box deals, ive seen them for $70 a pair there in my area. what is your zip code, i may be able to help you look

tiger direct has the 52s in stock again but they dont display the price unless you add them to cart, put your personal info AND input a credit card. i dont think theyll get many sales making people put all that info just to see a price.

I am from Canada but I often drive down to the US for some shopping. My zip code is 98230. Thanks for the help. If the FS51s are not available anymore, I might just have to wait for the FS52s to go lower than $99/speaker tigerdirect is offering. Hopefully it will be this holiday season. Thanks again!!

for some reason, the best buy site isnt showing their clearance deals anymore, i dont know. and i did not see any pioneer towers in the open box sections of the 5 closest best buys. i did however see a tower in Marysville that might be a pretty good deal. i dont know much about the speaker without doing some research, but it might be another option. it is the martin logan motion 12 tower for $125. probably would want to call them an verify before driving there though

I read that the "2" series are different enough that they wouldn't be a timbre match with the original "1" series. True? Meaning you wouldn't want to mix FS-52’s with a C-21 and BS-21’s, right?

I have the C21 and can't find a TV console that will fit this center speaker with my deep receiver (pioneer 1121). Do you think if I upgrade to the C22 with 4 FS51's that they would match in terms of sound? Or I guess I could buy 2 bs41's and use them in place of my center. I'm even tempted to cut 1/4" off the C21's so it'll fit in my tv stand. Suggestions welcomed!

Pioneer should have build a TV stand to go with the C21 and it's deeper receivers.
Edited by sirdoug100 - 12/6/12 at 4:48am

they are out there, just keep looking. the key is to find one that has shelves where you can adjust the height of them.

Hi, Chris,

Nice to see you back, as always.

I do have a couple of suggestions/wishes for your next line, thanks:


1) A speaker larger than the 22s; more akin to the 41s (for greater FR AND dynamic range--e.g. dense orchestral works at near-realistic volume that don't compress/get hard/smear the image); and:

2) the whole line also available in WHITE. Black is so...black! Also, some might like a choice of realistic vinyl (wood-look) veneers--sure, upcharge us! I'm gonna have to get some white vinyl paint from an auto-supply store (I suppose that would be what you'd recommend, right?), pop the drivers out, and spend a weekend carefully painting if I want white...sigh. I guess my point is that deco-friendly, like eco-friendly, is worth an upcharge, for many--esp. given the ridiculously low price, at present. Don't forget the dreaded SAF (Spousal Acceptance Factor), a.k.a. "Message fron On-high from SHE Who Rules the Roost!"

3) I second the wish, from dftkell, for an inexpensive concentric-driver design. As the market penetration of these lines grows--and drives further demand for innovation--perhaps Papa Pioneer might free up even more money for innovation at these fantastic price points!

I also have a question: I believe you (or someone) mentioned that something from the new line was going to be reviewed in TAS. Is this true? I'm hoping for the new towers, btw, as the bookshelf speakers seem to get all the love--and TAS certainly is capable of putting 'em through the ringer, and then bringing a ton of comparisons of excellent speakers at various price points...

Thanks in advance, and Happy Holidays,


Will

P.S. Please pass on to Mr. Jones our sincere thanks and respect, given the respect he has shown US--by focusing his so-valuable attention to this, traditionally under-served, segment of the market. What a gift!

since these speakers require more power from the receiver than other speakers, does this mean with these speakers i have to raise volume to say +3 to get to reference level?