Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Home Audio Bookshelf Loudspeakers (Set of 2)

These are really amazing, but don't expect miracles. I have a set of 18 inch tall Bowers and Wilkins (also "audiophile") speakers from about thirty years ago that I compared these to ("A/B") for the main speakers in a 5.1 setup. I have a small living room, and I sit directly in front of these about 10 feet away, and 8 feet apart. The Pioneer "AJ" speakers are so clear, they are. And even and balanced, and impressive with bass for their size (you will need a sub if you really want full bass.) I needed to decide which set goes in the bedroom (not a full theater system) and which stay in the living room. I fired up all sorts of music, carefully set the AVR to very "neutral" configuration that would be closest to unprocessed digitally as practical, but not flat/direct either because that is not what I would ever use in real life. After a whole day of switching A/B, I decided to keep the B&W in the LR --- which is to say --- it's a damn close almost-tie between a bigger badder-ass speaker, and the AJs. The B&W have a bigger driver and fuller sound, and are slightly warmer. The AJs are a little harsh after a time, slightly more brash and sharp. Make no mistake, they are very sweet. The fill the sound stage very nicely, but the articulations of instrumentals (folk, jazz, bluegrass) and voice are not as pronounced and separate. I love vocals perhaps the best, and for that alone, the B&W took the spot in the living room because I could hear aspects of the vocals that just did not come through in the AJs, as awesome as they are. Ultimately, you will need to fill out a system with other speakers, and the MAIN thing you are you going to "hear" is the acoustics of the room and the settings in your AVR (there are usually many more in the "setup" controls, than in the ordinary buttons you use to select a listening profile.) If you take the time to learn, try and experiment with the AVR configuration -- settings and speaker placement (and wires, don't go crazy but really cheap oxidized wire will degrade your sound) -- you will get much more satisfying sound out of your system vs. plugging in ANY speakers. Remember, if you are looking at these and really want something that sounds GOOD - you are a not an audiophile - you are a discerning consumer buying off-the-shelf stuff, and you don't want the crap that's out there. When I decided to upgrade speakers a few weeks ago, I posted on Facebook for recommendations for "poor man's audiophile" speakers. A friend referred me to Steven Stone, a well known audiophile writer and reviewer. He made some excellent recommendations for bookshelf systems that were ultimately more than I wanted to spend (the Goldenear AON 2 look amazing). While looking at his recommendations, I stumbled on these AJs by reading a review of how someone met AJ at an Audiophile conference and was listening to his high end speakers, and then AJ sent him to the next room to listen to these. He was amazed. As I was looking up the AON 2, I found a web page of a boutique sound shop that listed maybe ten of their favorite speakers for sale. The AONs and many other very high priced speakers were listed, and strangely, these cheap $140 /pr speakers were included (and nothing else under $500.) That was a good sign right there. An audiophile shop including these in their hand picked lineup of much pricier speakers. I have not gone to listen, compare or read up on anything else in the price range of these AJs. So I have nothing else to reference, comparatively. But I will make one other recommendation. About 20 years ago a completely over the top wacko audiophile friend turned me on to some RADIO SHACK speakers that audiophiles love. These feature a Linaeum (LINAEUM) tweeter. These are not full fledged bookshelf speakers, but are amazing for compact, surround and satellite speakers. I have six pairs in my house. They are readily available on EBAY and cost about $50. Read up on them and get them. They are called the LX-5 and there are three versions the II and the ? -- they are labeled either RCA or Optimus Pro LX 5. I don't really know how they differ in sound (I have some of the different versions) beside the minor design differences. I bought these AJs literally "sound-unheard" and based on reviews alone. I have them in the bedroom, but if I did not have better speakers IMO already to keep in the LR, these would be sitting in front of me, filling my ears with pretty damn great sound for the price. My wife is not as attuned to sound and nuance, but she knows good from better. While she could hear the differences between the A/Bs and even liked different qualities of each. I gave her some some additional pointers and she could these as well. But for her mileage, she really would prefer the AJs in the LR because "they sound great too, and they are smaller and look nicer." HA. Really. But I do see her point.

Let me start with a few things. I'm no "audiophile", though I have a great respect for music and high quality music at that. With too many expensive hobbies and without a huge paycheck to afford them all, I simply can't afford to spend a ton of money on extremely high end stereo equipment. That and I'm currently living in an apartment, so there are obvious volume limitations. And that's where these speakers really shine. For the price, these speakers are fantastic. I've listened to a variety of high quality audio tracks on these speakers, currently being fed from my computer into an old (but oh so good) Denon AVR-2500 receiver while I hunt for a newer AVR to fit my needs. I've found these speakers to handle just about anything I've played. They are very smooth and seem very well balanced. At the moment I'm just using two in stereo and they hit all the notes I could want with little issue. They even produce an amount of bass that I'd describe as just right for most music at a moderate volume, though they'd obviously benefit from an added subwoofer to hit those lower notes which would help with bass heavy music like hip-hop and would be a near necessity if you wanted powerful sound from movies. But as far as something like bass guitars in rock or metal, they still do a great job. Top and mid ranges sound very clear and sharp to me. You just have to know the limitations of $125 bookshelf speakers with a 4" woofer, and then be prepared to be blown away by just how well they perform with that consideration. They also have the ability to get very loud for their size. I had a friend over the other day that commented on the fullness of the sound and volume coming from them for their size and I laughed and told him they were barely even turned up. The build quality is also very good. They are fairly unassuming, especially with the speaker grills on. They certainly aren't the smallest or lightest speakers, but they aren't huge by any means. Just don't expect to put these on little cheap speaker stands. I believe they are close to 10 pounds a piece so you'll want something sturdy for them to sit on. I got the Sanus BF24B stands here for relatively inexpensive and they are perfect for these speakers. The black wood grain finish looks very clean and classy and fits well with just about any decor. The only unfortunate thing is that they don't look overly impressive with the grills removed, which is a shame because I do feel like they sound a bit better off (but I could be dreaming it!). Then again, if your friends aren't impressed by the look of the little 4" woofer, they'll be even more impressed when they hear what it can do. Overall, I have no concern about them lasting a long time. Now I do a good bit of research before buying anything, and I will say that these speakers aren't necessarily in a class of their own based on price and performance, but the number of competing products is very small, as is the difference between them. With as much as I heard about these, and knowing that they were designed personally by Andrew Jones, I picked these, and even paid their full "normal" $125 price, and am far from disappointed by my purchase for my needs and future considerations. If you can find them when they are on sale for well under $100, they are a steal. For an apartment or a small room, these speakers are quite capable as mains, though I suspect in time they will become my surrounds which is almost disappointing due to just how much I enjoy them, but it'll be all for the better when paired with a good bigger set for the front. I may look at the FS22s to pair with them, but I may want to step up a little more than that by then. I have no doubt that the full set of these matched speakers minus, perhaps, the subwoofer, would make a fantastic full set of speakers for all but the very pickiest of listeners. I could go on further about these speakers, but if you're on the fence about them, you really should just get a pair and give them a try. I'd be willing to bet you'd be impressed with what they can do, and for the price, they would make a great second set of speakers if nothing else. I'll probably buy another pair when I see them on sale next time to either wire to a second zone or to use as sides if I do a 7.1 setup at a later date. Great job, Pioneer, for creating such a quality set of speakers for price that anyone can afford.

This review is for the SP-BS22-LR Bookshelf Speakers. A little about me is that I am an audio producer and have been producing music for more than 6 years. I bought these speakers when I moved into a new house and was setting up a new yoga room. I wanted good sound without spending a lot of money in my yoga room. When I very first turned these on I was disappointed, but that quickly changed once I got to know the speakers. There are many points that should be understood about these speakers: 1. There's a break in period before they start sounding good. After about 50 hours of playing music I don't notice any more changes occurring to the sound. In the first 5 hours the changes to the sound of the speaker were dramatic. At first kick drums seemed to have too much of a "pop" sound, but that has appropriately softened out. 2. After breaking the speakers in, the treble sounded like it was lacking detail. Boosting the treble on my receiver however did not solve the problem. It still sounded "washy" but then too much of it. Instead I removed the front speaker grills (this can be done with just your hand by lifting up gently by the 4 points where they're mounted). Suddenly the treble came alive. The "dark" sound of the speakers vanished and I could hear the subtle things in recordings like on my studio monitors (e.g. in a lot of piano recordings you can hear the player moving the foot pedals). Take the speaker grill off of these if you safely can (however this isn't always wise if they're in living room with kids, dogs, etc.!) 3. A lot of other reviewers describe these as "dark" (aka lacking treble). The ideal listening position for these speakers is with your ears level with the middle point between the woofer and the tweeter and the front of the speakers pointed directly at you. In this position they're actually slightly bright, and if you look at frequency response graphs, you see about 2db hill from bassline at ~12KHz (though there's also about 2db drop at 8KHz). 4. The tweeters on these speakers radiate more energy upwards than downwards when facing forward in the normal woofer at the bottom orientation. Therefore in you're going to be listening with the speakers below you, keep them in a normal orientation. However, if the speakers will be above your listening position, it works best to flip the speakers 180 degrees so that the tweeter is on bottom and woofer on top. This is what I did, as my speaker position is at chest height for a good compromise for listening both standing and sitting when practicing yoga. If your ears are below the speaker when it's normally oriented, these speakers will sound very dark. 5. These speakers resonate a lot (compared to $1000 studio monitors, in their price range they're about normal). If you look at a spectral-decay graph, there's a big region with a several millisecond delay from the mid-bass all the way to midrange. Therefore these speakers will resonate whatever you put them on. If you put them directly on a desk, TV stand, or shelf, the problem will be worsened. These speakers either need speaker stands or to be put on a piece of audio foam which will prevent most of the frequency transfer. At first, I didn't like the low and midrange until I put them on a piece of audio foam I cut up (link below for those interested) and got a huge improvement in sound. Previously the low end on anything with fast bass sounded washed out, but this cleaned up the sound of the speakers. This is why some other reviewers describe the bass like it's "trying too hard." Put these on foam! You'll be glad you did. Seismic Audio - SA-FMDM2-Charcoal - 2 Inch Charcoal Studio Acoustic Soundproof Foam Sheet - Noise Cancelling Foam Sound Dampening 6. Google speaker positioning and play around with the positions of your speakers. This can hugely affect sound. I'm limited as I wanted my speakers to use up as little room as possible (and are probably too close to the wall); but if I had more room I would likely move my speakers further from the wall. I listen to music on these with a 1-2db boost on the bass and a 1-2db cut on the treble. Overall in this configuration the speakers are slightly warm sounding, clear, and just pleasant and fun to listen to. These speakers are a steal at $100, as with the above tips you won't get better sound until you spend 3-5 times as much.

In my opinion these speakers are best suited to the task of primary stereo or home theater speakers in a small room (less than 1700 cu. Ft), or as surround speakers in a larger room if one requires a loud volume of sound. If, however, you don't require high volume these speakers may suffice in a large room. That said, these Pioneer bookshelf speakers are excellent, although a bit too large, but are priced appropriately at about $100 a pair. They have a fairly un-colored sound, realistic soundstage and decent imaging. In other words, the speaker's frequency range doesn't favor one area more than others (within the design limitations. more on that later.) Instruments, voices, and sound effects appear to come from three dimensional space, and are not smeared across the listening area. I listened to a variety of music and movies through them. Everything from Aaron Copland, to Pink Floyd. Movies from The matrix, The Terminator, Flash Gordon, to In Which We Serve. The Pioneers did just fine IF I kept the volume at a reasonable level (in my carpeted, 4000 cu ft room.) I then brought them into my small office (about 1700 cu. Ft) and played more music, at lower volume. The speakers sounded fine, and achieved adequate volumes without seeming to want to fly apart. However, once I raised the volume too high the speakers started to show their limitations; they sounded compressed, and distortion started to be audible. This is, however, to be expected given the design constraints of this type of speaker, and not a shortcoming. Now, I have one final caveat. I may be stating the obvious, but you should not expect the lowest octaves to be heard from these speakers without a subwoofer. Nope, not even close. And frankly they are also lacking in mid-upper bass impact. (they are, after all, only equipped with a 4 inch woofer) This is not a design flaw. It's the nature of these beasts. Mounting them in corners, putting them on the floor, or praying to the Great God of Bass will not make a 4 inch woofer rattle your chest with the low frequency rumble of a starship warp engine in a movie. So, if the sound of the footfalls of the fighting machines in War of the Worlds, or the base line of your favorite blues artist is important to you get yourself a competent subwoofer to team up with the Pioneers. Which left me wondering; why such a reletively large enclosure for such a small return in bass performance? I mean, I've got a pair of tiny (and ancient) Radio Shack Optimus 7 speakers with virtually the same driver complement as the Pioneers (4 inch woofer, and dome tweeter) that sound like they reach almost as low, and can get as loud as the Pioneers, but the Pioneers are 4 times the size of the Optimus! Also, the Optimus seemed to image better than the Pioneers, perhaps as a function of their much smaller size. IMO, the trade-off of imagining (not to mention bookshelf space), for bass is not worth the price. So, I knocked a star off the Pioneers for being, well, too fat. Update: I was bored by the lack-luster black finish the Pioneers came with. So, after first removing the drivers, and masking off the port, wire terminals, and label I gave them a coat of "Varathane" no oder Polyurethane. (Heavy use formula, interior, water based). IMHO the resulting gloss black is much classier. I also took the opportunity while the drivers were out to add just a bit of fiber fill to the inside. I like to think the sound has improved.

I didn't really need any speakers, but I've been reading so many good reviews and reports from audio enthusiasts in various forums and publications that I have been curious about these speakers for a couple years. Finally ordered a pair on sale and received them yesterday. I have large Klipsch Forte speakers in my living room flanking a custom built cabinet I designed to match the speakers. The set looks great - nothing will ever supplant them. Right now, though the little Pioneers are sitting atop the Fortes while I audition them for a few days - the Klipsch are disconnected and my big, heavy Adcom 200wpc, very high-current amp is driving the little Pioneers. My other two systems have Paradigm speakers connected that are also much more expensive - and larger than - the Pioneers. They'll hold their spots, too. So, you see I bought the Pioneer just for fun. Right out of the box they spell quality. Construction is outstandingly good for a speaker at this price - that remains true at twice their regular price. The curved cabinets are heavy, attractive, and designed to quell unwanted vibration. Grills are attractive and also designed with sound as a consideration. While this isn't surprising given the designer, it is unheard-of at this price. You don't have to wait for a sale for this to constitute a steal. However, all the design pedigree and quality materials and construction wouldn't matter if the speakers failed to deliver sonically. They don't fail - this will be the best speaker some, possibly many, folks have ever heard. Are they perfect? No, there's no such thing at any price. They don't have the bass of my large Fortes, nor did I expect they would. They don't sound anemic at all, these little guys may be taking steroids. The mids and highs are gorgeous. I've been listening to all kinds of music, from rock to jazz to classical and opera. I don't feel cheated, as though I were missing a lot; in fact, they sound wonderful. You will find no better sound anywhere near this price, and for many people the small size is a huge plus, right along with the small price. Those in the market for a bookshelf speaker should try a pair of these even if considering a larger expenditure. Don't let the low price deceive you, these are seriously good speakers. Very highly recommended; I could actually live with these. EDIT/UPDATE: I failed in my first review to mention that I used the Pioneers with a powered sub-woofer; I consider it essential for this speaker, unless the listener is willing to sacrifice the lower octaves, basically from 100hz down. Apartment dwellers who wish to avoid annoying their neighbors would be an example of the type situation in which such a restriction may be desirable. Also, the mids are indeed very good...but more complex, multi-instrument passages are a bit more of a resolution struggle for this speaker. However, that's judging it at pretty high standards, and many speakers more expensive than this model share the same issue. When price is factored in, the Pioneer comes in well above the average. I'm currently using them atop my Fortes again, until I can get the recapping done which the 30yo Klipsch need, and I'm really missing them. I will likely bring my Paradigm Mini Monitor speakers from the media room to the living room until the recapping is done. The Mini is much larger than the Pioneer and pricier - and it shows sonically in comparison with the Pioneer, which will benefit from the smaller room. I stand by my earlier review, though I probably overstated its midrange ability. On the other hand, as long as the reader understands that the low price is a major factor in play, then my comments are appropriate. One last point: Since the time I bought these speakers, Dayton has upgraded the old B652 to the B652AIR which sports an air motion tweeter which may make the speaker more sonically competitive with the Pioneer. I haven't heard the new model, so I cannot be sure of that, but it is one that may be considered by those looking in this price range.

My initial experience with the SB22's did not go well. The first shipment arrived in a box that had clearly been dropped by FedEx. Cosmetically, the speakers were okay, but after hooking them up, it was clear something was wrong with one (the one, it so happens, that was on the side of the smashed box corner). So I took a flashlight and looked through the port hole in the back of the offending speaker and, lo and behold, a piece of insulation was dangling there, along with a wire. That explained the noise issue. So, I generated and RMA, and Amazon dispatched a replacement pair, along with a prepaid return label. (Long story short: "Boo, FedEx. Yay, Amazon!") Luckily, the ever-dependable UPS delivered the replacements in an immaculate box. I pulled out the new pair and everything was in order. Now I had a chance to listen to them properly. Wow. I was thrilled. For less than $100 a pair (when Amazon has them on sale, which is frequently), you simply cannot buy a better bookshelf speaker. (Okay, I've read that the Micca MB42Xs are great, too. But I haven't heard them, and the indications are that the Miccas are, at best, equal to the Pioneers.) These Pioneer's are definitely not studio monitors. If you want the most neutral speaker, that might not be ideal. But for everyday listening, that's probably a good thing. (All speakers have their own character, after all.) In the BS22s, there's a subtle bit of upper-high roll-off, as noted in some reviews, but that makes the speaker sound a bit "warmer" and makes them less fatiguing for long listening. The midrange is excellent. To a certain extent, I could hear the subtle "boxiness" in some male vocals on these speakers that a few reviewers have dinged the BS22s for. But it's very subtle, and paired with an amp or receiver that reproduces mids well, this (very minor) "boxiness" disappears. The bass is incredibly tight and robust for bookshelf speakers. Stunning, really. Using them in nearfield listening, I had to debate if I really wanted a sub. (Eventually, I did go for it, picking up the matching SW-8MK2 when it was on sale for $95 on Amazon. It's an excellent addition.) In short, these are excellent bookshelf speakers for the price. ***Update 8/22/14*** The BS22/SW8-MKII combination has broken in nicely over weeks of intensive listening. In fact, I was so thrilled with them that I snatched up another SW8-MKII and the Pioneer FS52s when they went on sale on Amazon. Once again, I have no regrets on the purchase. They are fantastic speakers for the price. Reading through the more skeptical reviews, I think there are two genuine criticisms worth addressing, and one general point to be noted: 1.) As I mentioned in my first review, the highs in both the BS22s and the FS52 (perhaps moreso in the FS52s, though I haven't listened to them enough to break them in yet) sound a bit "rolled off." Now, they don't sound muffled, and it's not clear to me that they're actually "rolled off." (Frequency response graphs that accompany several online reviews seem to indicate the high end is fairly accurate in these speakers.) The highs on these Pioneer's are very, very smooth, which is notable if you're used to a very bright speaker. At first, a bright speaker might sound better, because it grabs you more. But on long listening, you're going to prefer the one with the smoother high end. This is particularly true if you're listening to MP3s, even high birate ones. The "digital harshness" people talk about when it comes to "lossy" formats like MP3s is usually most easily heard in things like acoustic guitar string plucks or symbol crashes. The DAC you use (in your receiver, amp, or external box) will, of course, affect the extent of this harshness, but, all else equal, I find that the Pioneer speakers are very, very forgiving on digital music (even as, like all good speakers, they reveal limitations in poorly recorded albums, regardless of bitrate or format). The Pioneers eliminate much of the digital harshness, in part, because the highs on these speakers are so smooth. So, while these speakers might not satisfy those who prefer a very bright speaker, if you don't have strong feelings on the issue, you won't be sorry buying the Pioneers. 2.) Many call the sub the "weak link" in this system. Don't believe it. Or, if you do, realize that it comes with a very big asterisk. This is a great sub for the price. Very tight and musical. (It's not bloated or flabby like a lot of -- actually, nearly all -- budget subs.) Now, if you're looking for a deep-reaching sub to use for movies -- one that will rattle the fillings out of your teeth during explosions -- this sub will definitely disappoint you. However, if you want a nice musical sub that will blend in with these speakers, you're going to love it. 3.) Finally, it's worth remembering that a lot of the "these speakers are overrated" reviews on Amazon are coming from audiophiles who are used to $1k+ speakers. This is actually a compliment. Why? Because these are the people who would normally not even consider rating sub-$100 speakers. These Pioneer's are astounding in that they've received glowing reviews from publications that rarely pay attention to "budget" equipment, let along fawn over said budget equipment. (And, as mentioned above, you can look at the frequency response graphs in many of these audiophile magazine reviews to see that, despite some Amazon reviewers' protests, these are very well-balanced and accurate speakers.) I have no doubt, though, that the audiophiles used to McIntosh equipment and the like who bought these Pioneers as a throwaway whim might not think they live up to the highest of high end speakers. But isn't that actually a compliment that these Pioneers are even being evaluated alongside such expensive gear?!? I think so. Quite simply, many speakers that cost hundreds of dollars (let alone those that can be had for less than $100) sound awful. Just go into a local big-box electronics store and sample some. Their limitations are apparent very, very quickly. That's not the case with these Pioneers. Are they perfect? Of course not. But they're amazing for the money, and for the vast majority of people -- even budget audiophiles -- these are speakers that you're going to be very, very happy with.

Although this speaker has some limitations that become glaringly obvious when I do a side by side comparison to my Reference 3A DeCapo I speakers, such a comparison is totally unfair since the DeCapos cost $3000/pair! Considering their cost, the "musicality" and sheer listening fun of this speaker is amazing. I have numerous extended (4+ hours) listening sessions with these speakers, and I can say that with excellent sources they sound amazing- good high frequency extension, nuetral and balanced midrange, and good mid bass. There is plenty of midbass when powered adequately- I had to use my 120 w/pc Quad 909 amp to allow these speakers to have a decent mid bottom. When driving with my 17 w/pc Qinpu they sounded mushy and soft in the bottom end (in fact my Qinpu started to go intermittent when trying to drive these speakers, I think it overheated). Midrange is laid back but "honest" sounding. Excellent tonal nuetrality. No hint of overly forward midrange- if anything it's a bit soft (The DeCapos are just the opposite, they are pretty "forward sounding" due to a peak they have in the 1K range). For the pioneers, the laid back nuetrality helps to avoid excessive sybilance on the vocals and is an acceptable trade off to my ears. The highs are also on the "relaxed" side, not screechy at all- great for digital playback. All in all this is a very sweet sounding speaker, great for digital music playback where more often than not excessive grain and sybilance is an annoying artifact in the treble. I find myself turning up the volume with no complaints from the wifey. This is a good sign. These speakers play _music_! Unless you want to spend triple the asking price of these speakers, I doubt you will find anything as rewarding for long term listening. But be aware that they will need a lot of power to sound their best. UPDATE 7/18 Out of long time curiosity based on fabulous reviews and my belief in minimalist crossover design, I purchased a pair of Cambridge Audio S30 speakers. From a price/performance/market standpoint the S30s are a direct competitor to the Pioneers, so here are my impressions after comparitive listening: The S30s are much more "forward" sounding. The mids/upper mids of the S30s are more pronounced and bass does not seem quite as deep as with the Pioneers. The S30s sound excellent, there is no excessive sibilance in the mids/highs, and - especially for rock - they are more "attention getting". This can provide more "fun factor" but, over long listening sessions this can contribute to the infamous "listening fatigue" syndrome (where you feel you need a "break" from listening and the sound gets mildly annoying or irritating). A consideration between the two speakers is amplifier power. The Pioneers need a _lot_ of it to sound their best. In my opinion at least 60 wpc and ability of the amp to pump current down to 4 ohms. The S30s are much more efficient and sensitive. They sound fine driven by my Qinpu 17wpc tube/op amp hybrid (the Pioneers sounded "blah" driven by the Qinpu, and in fact that amp overheated and went intermittent trying to drive the Pioneers) Another plus for the S30s is that they sound much better at really low level than do the Pioneers. The Pioneers just completely die at low listening levels- dynamics and mid/highs just go flat. The S30s on the other hand sound pretty dern good in the mids/highs right down to very low listening levels, and the dynamics don't suffer too much. This is a big advantage whenever it is neccessary to really cut the volume to avoid getting clonked on the head by a family member during later evening listening sessions. All in all to sum up, if you have a lot of high quality amplifier power, and listen to a wide range of music at medium to higher volume levels I would tend to recommend the Pioneers. If you have a low power amp, or for whatever reason you need to keep the volume low for extended listening, and/or your prefer more "forward" sounding speakers, you will probably prefer the S30s. Both speakers are quality designs and simply make different "trade off" compromises at the price point...

I got these for a secondary system and they will find their way to surrounds in a HT. Comparisons with my personal reference system: DIY speaker kit from Madisound using Seas Prestige drivers. The tweeters cost a little over $50 each… Emotiva pre-amp with high/low 12db bass control, Emotiva sub12 with 80hz crossover point, Sony SACD/CD player, Crown amp. Review and comparison. The Pioneers are the real deal. They are very well balanced, sound very clean, and they just sound right. The smaller bookshelf will likely have limited bass for most users. I find it lacking just a little, but used as surrounds with a sub, this will not matter. As they are, with a 4” woofer, they do a very good job, but do have an obvious bass roll off. If you want to buy speakers as a stereo set without a sub, I think it would be worthwhile to get the towers with larger woofers and a lower bass rating. When I ordered these, I had every intention of modifying them with Dennis Murphy’s upgrades. After listening to them and my intended use for them, I am not going to bother. Andrew Jones really did an absolutely wonderful job with these. I will likely add internal dampening to the boxes. The curved shape alone help with standing waves, but I will take it one step farther because the boxes have nothing. In keeping with tradition with what these speakers are, the low price, and how good they really are stock, I’m not going to do anything extensive with them. They really are that good; the reviews both pro and personal are 100% accurate. So, how do they compare too better drivers with another correct crossover? Well, overall, they have the exact same tonal sound and balance. The only difference really is, better drivers (notice, better, not more expensive) will have less distortion and sound just a tad cleaner, the tweeters in my reference system are better with top end and because my drivers are much larger, they can take more power (and I have the power to delivery), they can play louder without distorting, have a stronger presence, fill a room better with more three dimensional presence. What you don’t get with better drivers and higher quality speakers? A different experience overall. The Pioneers sound correct, balanced and clean. They sound a tad softer and the tweets don’t play as high. The tweeter is what is changed in the upgraded version, as well a re-worked crossover. They do have excellent off axis performance stock and make no mistake, the tweeters sound very good stock, but I understand why this speakers was upgraded by a 3rd party. I can’t wait to do surround sound with them. It would take about $500 and up of DIY non branded audio and a correctly designed kit to really beat these with an obvious upgrade. I am not aware of any branded marketed speakers anywhere near the same price range that are as good. From what I’ve read and researched, better doesn’t exist without going to a whole different price range. Even then, more expensive isn’t better in the audio world. They need to actually be better speakers too. Last but not least... If you don't like them out of the box, break them in awhile. It takes awhile for the drivers to loosen up and actually work with the design. I noticed the bass improved and I hope it continues to improve a little. I actually thought the bass sounded a tad thin at fist, but they opened up. I only have one negative thing to say about them, but it's more of a confusion thing. They are suppose to have 5 way binding post, but they don't seem to accept banana connectors. The owners manual only shows how to hook up bare wire and they have black and red plastic pieces where the connectors would go. I didn't try and pull them out because I know the crossover is attached to the back of the binding post and I didn't want to do anything aggressive with them. If they do accept banana connectors, the owners manual should be updated. I don’t generally like to meet strangers or anything, but I would like to meet Andrew Jones and listen to him talk over my head. Seriously, these speakers are just amazing.

Bocinas de Repisa SP-BS22-LR Carácter: Neutro, sin enfatizar en particular ningún rango de frecuencias. Sonido general: Sonido natural, con buen balance y rango de frecuencias muy amplio, excelente para escuchar cualquier tipo de música. Agudos: Presentes y bien definidos pero suaves, no hay cansancio al escucharlos por horas. Medios: Impresionantemente naturales y fieles, los mejores que he oído en productos de cualquier rango de precio. Graves: Muy buenos sin ser excelentes, aunque debo decir que difícilmente encontrarás mejores graves en bocinas de este tamaño. Crossover: A los 3kHz impecable integración del woofer y el tweeter, imperceptible transición entre graves y agudos. Respuesta de frecuencia: Plana, una de las mejores gráficas de respuesta de frecuencia que he visto, desde abajo de los 60Hz hasta casi los 20kHz se mantiene prácticamente horizontal, esto difícilmente lo encontrarás en cualquier otra bocina sin importar su precio. Sensibilidad: 85dB/2.83V/m. Baja eficiencia pero se compensa subiendo un poco más el volumen. Potencia: 80watts, suficientes para llenar de sonido un ambiente 20m2 Calidad: Excelente calidad en acabados, gabinete, componentes y por supuesto sonido. Valor precio: El mejor valor por tu dinero, no encontrarás otro producto que te dé más por tu dinero. Información útil antes de comprar Subwoofer SW-8MK2 Carácter: Más enfocado a aplicación musical que para efectos sonoros de un teatro en casa. Sonido general: Sonido suave bajos agradables y naturales, no es muy explosivo ni ruidoso, es más bien afinado, preciso y natural. Tamaño de bocina: 8 pulgadas. Rango de Frecuencias: De 38Hz a 150Hz Crossover: Ajustable de 40Hz a 150kHz. Control de fase: De 0° y 180°. Potencia: 100watts máximo, suficientes para llenar de sonido un ambiente 20m2 Calidad: Muy buena calidad en acabados, gabinete, componentes y por supuesto sonido. Valor precio: El mejor valor por tu dinero si lo que ponderas es el sonido natural, por encima del ruido y las explosiones.

Excelente produto. Potencia e qualidade. Muito boas as caixas.

just a smear dark on the highs but nevertheless: price/performance is extremely high. I've been on-n-off involved in high end stuff (mostly bookshelves), and compared to Epos ES11 that I have (amongst a few others): this speaker cannot fully "disappear" unless you feed them with fairly expensive amplifiers, vocal and instrument dimension is ok; bass is a bit light (consider the driver size is only approx 4" dia), but with proper mating of amps and signal source: these speakers can and will "disappear". vocal and midrange is lucid and smooth (thx to that fabric domed tweeter with waveguides). In summary: they offer the biggest bang for the buck as far as big box store category speaker's concerned, better than any other N.A. big box brand speakers that are a few times the price (and seriously I don't consider most of the big box store stuff anything good for serious 2 channel listening anyways). I give it 5 full stars simply because Andy Jones made it right and the sound from these speakers are simply magical. Expect around 50hrs+ of burn-in before the soundstage opens up fully....

I own 2 pairs of these bookshelf and their matching fs52 tower and the centre channel c22 hooked to Marantz sr6012. For the subwoofer I chose Dali concept 12 inch sub, quite impressed with the setup, they do extremely well very satisfied. Planning to import the Atmos enable t22a(crossover need to be adjusted to handle from 80hz ,the default starts from 180hz which is recommended for top firing) and wall mount them on the ceiling, hope it blends well creating the best timber matching experience.

Good build and finish on this price point. Sound is good, bass is strong and good high.. Expected little more open sound, hope it will open up more after sometime.