Pioneer's Speaker Genius Hits Low Price Point - Page 129

My solution for the SP-BS41LR not being wall-mount friendly...
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1460061/turned-my-pioneer-sp-bs41lrs-into-sp-ss41lrs-also-sp-fs51lr-pedestals-and-dual-eclipse-88100dvc-sealed-boxes/0_100

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The 52 is a BDLive player, has somewhat faster loading times, and can stream from the internet. It is missing the Wolfson audio DACs the 51 has, and you must buy a dongle to connect to wifi, as it doesn't have the radio built-in.

No, he's talking about Pioneer speakers, the 51's as opposed to the newer 52's.

Well, after trying Klipsch, JBL, and BIC formula series, I'm back to my good old phase 1 pioneers. I just love how smooth and rich and balanced they are. I guess the silk dome tweeter is my thing. Do the phase 2 have a bit more impact and dynamics? That is all these bad boys are missing, but I still love them.

Wow, I had a brain fart, eh? LOL

The 2012 line has better bass, better high frequencies due to the new tweeter design. A more traditional removable speaker grille cloth cover, better imaging if you ask me.

If you're selecting something from Best Buy, the Energy CF50 is a really well-balanced loudspeaker, and runs you just shy of $900 a pair of towers. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Energy+-+Triple+5-1/2%22+Floor+Tower+Speaker+(Each)/9783454.p?id=1218173778954&skuId=9783454&st=Energy&cp=1&lp=6

The matching center - the CC10 is $320 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Energy+-+Dual+5-1/2%22+Center-Channel+Speaker/9784296.p?id=1218173777793&skuId=9784296&st=Energy&cp=1&lp=1

And the matching rear bookshelves - the CB10 - are $270 a pair. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Energy+-+5-1/2%22+2-Way+Bookshelf+Speaker+(Pair)/9784287.p?id=1218173777200&skuId=9784287&st=Energy&cp=1&lp=4

If you're not shopping at Best Buy, and looking more at online sources, I have always been impressed by the Klipsch Icon W series, ever since they were released a few years back. It has a lot of the traditional dynamic qualities that Klipsch is known for, but it makes a change for the better in terms of music listening (for when you just gotta pop in that new CD or stream a new music file from your PC, etc for that "you are there" feeling). The change they made was to smooth off the high end that can make Klipsch difficult for some to listen to for long periods. The end result is a very appealing sound that deserves a listen. Also, the cabinet design isn't the typical vinyl textured-to-look-like-wood you see in most mass market Klipsch speaks. It is real wood veneer, and it's gorgeous. Klipsch calls it "an exotic, non-endangered Berlinia veneer from West Africa", and it's available in two colors - cabernet and espresso. (I prefer the look of the cabernet myself. Like the name implies, it is a red hue that blends in well with many room designs).

The cabinet size is very wife friendly (if that matters), again, unlike a lot of Klipsch speakers, which can be very huge and aggressive-looking.

The pics and specs on them can be found here (don't be intimidated by the MSRP, as they're available online for much better deals):

http://www.klipsch.com/icon-w-speakers

Amazon has the WF35 for $399 each http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-WF-35-Cabernet-Floorstanding-Loudspeaker/dp/B001C58JI2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362096851&sr=8-2&keywords=WF-35

They also have the matching center the WC24 for $191 http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Center-Channel-Loudspeaker-Cabernet/dp/B001C57WEE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_10

And the matching WB14 bookshelves for $499 new http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-WB-14-Furniture-Grade-Bookshelf-Cabernet/dp/B001CDX7D6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_9

Hey guys, I posted this question in the receiver thread I started, but I probably will get a better getting an answer in this thread. Totally new to home audio, been 100% focused on the TV side of things.

For my budget I'm pretty sold on these Andrew Jones speakers. Really liked them. On a budget, is it better to get the 2 bookshelf speakers, center, and then a nicer sub like that BIC 12, or to get the floorstand speakers, center, and budget sub from this line? My wife seems to think we'll have space issues with the floor speakers, not to mention keeping our 11 month old from wreaking them...buy I liked the floor speakers a lot. I liked the bookshelf speakers very much too. But this is my first time doing this, so I'm not sure for the money what will get me the better sound! Room itself is pretty small...13 ft x 11 ft floor with us sitting about 8-9 ft away. Wooden flooring.

In my opinion, you're better off with the bookshelves, center, and a better sub. What the floorstanders have over the bookshelves is more than covered by a solid subwoofer, and while the Pio sub sounds OK it just doesn't go very low.

You can always add another pair of speakers a year or three down the line for surround, and at that point you can think about whether or not you'd want the floor standers for the front. By then you'll probably have more to go on than reading what crazy forum posters have to say. You'll know your listening habits better, what you do and don't like about your current setup, etc.

How seriously do you think you're going to get into this stuff? If you think you're going to start to really like home theater, I wouldn't mess around with the pioneer subwoofer. It just doesn't keep up. You'd be better off saving yourself the 100$ until you can get a real subbwoofer that does the job a subwoofer is supposed to do. The pioneer is probably fine for nearfield music listening. But for home theater it's just the wrong tool for the job.

IMO, I recommend getting the towers and center first then as budget allows add the surrounds and a good sub. Reasons being with bookshelf speakers you will still need stands (increases cost) or put them on bookshelfs which could affect the sound. I have a 1yr old grandson who has literally pulled himself up on my towers w/o tipping them over. YMMV.

FYI, the BS22-LR's are currently $69 on amazon.

Thanks guys. I went ahead with the bookshelves, center, and BIC 12. So all in all, rather than buy a HTIB, I started with a total budget of 500 and after these speakers + Yamaha 373 price matched, I came in at 505 total! Not too shabby. Of course now I need to buy stands...

Congrats! You're gonna love them.

Come back to the forum and let us know how everything is working, if you can tear yourself away from them, that is!

Audioholics review of the Pioneer system - a good report
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/loudspeakers/84545-pioneer-sp-pk52fs-5-1-speaker-system-review.html

^^

Gene definitely makes a good case for the Pioneer speakers and an SVS PB-1000 or SB-1000 (he recommends these over the Pioneer sub) as the setup to beat for $1000.

It's a pity his measurements are so sketchy.

They look pretty good to me. Off-axis would be nice, especially with the center, but otherwise no complaint.

Did you see Andrew Jones' comment on the review? It is dated today 3/1/13.

Yes, and I like his answer.

Can anyone tell me if the sp-c22 will match the BS21's decently? I want to eventually use the BS21's as rears when I have the money to match the center with the right ones.

You will have more high end coming out of the SP-C22 than your BS21's. Also, the imaging characteristics will be different. Overall, you will run the risk of having your BS21's sound muddy by comparison, or having the SP-C22 sound harsh by comparison, depending on which sound you prefer.

Fry's has them on sale too thru Thursday March 7 if you have a store locally.

They wont go with my Klipsch but at that price Im tempted to buy a pair just to see what all the hype is about. I could give them to someone for their birthday or something after checking them out.

That is the complaint. A single-axis FR doesn't tell one much, even when, as in this case, they look very good. What's more interesting is to see what happens to the midrange over the front hemisphere. I suspect the speakers will be pretty good, given the small midwoofer, close spacing, and waveguide-ish tweeter faceplate.

I suspect Gene didn't take better (i.e. more) measurements because they might show Mr. Jones' $70 speaker to be a superior design to the $60k or whatever reference speakers some company gave him.

link: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/loudspeakers/84545-pioneer-sp-pk52fs-5-1-speaker-system-review-6.html#post954674

ditto. I've been curious how these compare to the Infinity Primus line.

would anyone here that has heard both generations agree with amazon reviewer?

"I've owned the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR bookshelf speakers for six months now. I'd read that the new generation of Andrew Jones signature speakers are even better. I wanted to hear them myself and clicked the "add to cart" and "checkout" icons. The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR arrived. I connected them to my Marantz PM8003 integrated amplifier and loaded a jazz CD in the Marantz CD5004 CD player. This is high quality 2-channel gear. Switching between A and B speakers I heard these differences.

The older BS41 speakers are more laid back and smooth sounding. Bass is more pronounced. Midrange is less in-in-the face. Treble is more rounded off. They are more pleasant to listen to and sound better at both low and high volume.

The new BS22 speakers bass is tighter and more controlled but lacking something in the upper bass. Mid-range overpowers the upper bass. High frequency sibilance and sizzle are distracting. Voices don't sound as rich and smooth. Sound-stage and imaging are excellent and better than the older model. They sound best close up as low-volume, near-field monitors. I think they are still a good buy for casual listening in small rooms. I advise critical-listening gear freaks to steer away from these.

The older models are better at impersonating expensive audiophile loudspeakers because they lessen the perception of audible distortion."
Edited by Luisfc1972 - 3/5/13 at 5:05pm

You know, I have the older bs21s and recently picked up the bs22s to try out after hearing the rave reviews. I think I like the 21s better also, but I am using them near field on a computer desk so maybe that's why. The 21s do seem more mellow and laid back to me, but maybe not as detailed as the 22s? The extra detail could just be me hearing the 22s brighter tweeter. I still have some listening to do, but so far the 22s seem to have too much tweeter for my near field setup. Either set seems to image about the same for me, voices are front and center.

It's clear that Andrew Jones is an extraordinarily gifted designer, and a gracious man to boot.

I think the suggestion the Audioholics reviewer made...that Pioneer should give him a larger budget to produce a system one step up...is a great one. A great meal for every budget.

The review is actually pretty complimentary, and it makes me wonder about the importance of the components driving the speakers. They probably "want" very clean power.

Be very careful when you tread down this road.

First off, what is dirty power?

Secondly, these drivers are a few bucks a piece, it would be outlandish to buy any sort of expensive amps (IMO it's outlandish with most speakers), cables, CD players, etc.

Speakers are the source of the most distortion in a system. If you want to upgrade the quality of your system, 90% of the time you upgrade your speakers.