MurphyBlaster > Pioneer BS22-DNA Speaker

zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
I have been playing with the prototype modded Pioneer BS22 speaker, modified by Dennis
Murphy. He has replaced the stock tweeter with a Vifa tweeter, and modified the crossover
to give what I call near flatbread measurements.:) > I have also compared it to the stock
version which I still liked and sounds good to me, based on the price. The one thing about
the BS22 speaker that stood out, was good bass from the small woofer, decent midrange
and decent highs for the price - with nice detail for music and movies. The tweeter was
nice for the price and had a somewhat artificial vividness/shine, which some would call a
zing - however, it was not really irritating to me. I have always liked the BS22 better than
the towers for music. The one thing I have desired from the BS22 was better detail and
definition. I have tested this DNA speaker with both music and movies, to find out if it is
the real deal and a step up from the stock version. The main music was >>>

Chris Botti with
Sy Smith - The Look of love
Lucia Micarelli - Emmanuel
Sting and Josh Groban - Shape of My Heart

Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Nora Jones
Hit the Road Jack
Come Rain or Shine

Jackie Evancho
Angel
The Lord's Prayer
O Holy Night

Diana Krall
You Are My Thrill

Micah Stampley
Overcome
Worthy

Chris Tomlin
Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angels Armies)

However, the speakers can handle other forms of music such as >Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Heavy
Metal, Dance/Electronica - with the benefit of a subwoofer > they can take some power. Now
extreme head-bangers will want a bigger speaker.

The BS22-DNA, tends to remind me of the NHT signature sound > more along the lines of the
Classic Two speaker - the mod is better than the NHT SuperZero. One thing to note, this speaker
is less sensitive than the stock version.

The modified BS22 is neutral, clean/clear, balanced and natural sounding - it is neither forward
or laid back. It has good detail without needing the aid of a mushroom at 1khz, or a rising treble
in the higher octaves. The Vifa tweeter is smooth and detailed. Male and Female voices are more
realistic and clean sounding - instruments are more natural sounding - piano, harmonica, trumpet,
saxophone and guitar, all sound good with no edgy or sharp sound. Also, the violin sounds realistic
with no edginess. Drums and cymbals also sound more realistic and natural.

The bass even sounds better with less resonance - and I believe partly due to Dennis putting some
SonicBarrier damping, in the bottom half of the speaker. The main reason may have been to help
hold the crossover in place >> however I believe it helped, as the bass sounds more clean and less
boomy.

Now how does the stock compare to the modified BS22? Even with the vividness/shine on the treble
The BS22 is somewhat closed in, somewhat dull - lacking in detail (extension of certain notes). The
imaging is a little weak compared to the DNA 22 - and the speaker is somewhat boomy in the bass.

Now as nice as the mod version is - some people who do not have a critical ear, may or may not like
the modded version - due to the vividness of the stock 22 treble. And there are some who have a good
ear, that may still prefer the treble rise. It is a matter of preference and taste.

Now how about movie sound tracks - the speaker was tested with > Man of Steel and Star Trek Into
Darkness - fullrange without a subwoofer. If a speaker is going to be used as surrounds, then it needs
to be able to handle the front as well.:) It did good and did not burp - and for its size, it has decent
dynamics, the sound was clean, clear and open - it can get loud and has some decent bass, and does
have some punch. For one on a tight budget - this is a good starter system for the fronts. Dennis is
suppose to be checking out the center channel.

If things work out - you will be able to get a set of modded speakers form him with a serious good price.
You will not have to buy and send the speakers to him. I believe the BS22-DNA speakers while not in the
same league with $500 to $1000 speakers - will still be tough to beat from $350 on down.

Now MurphyBlaster also modded the Cambridge S30 speaker which I own. He also modded the crossover
for the near flatbread measurements.:) Now how do these 2 compare? Well since this is a Throwdown :)
and I am a Audio Nut, I have compared them >The Cambridge S30 does have a good woofer and a decent
tweeter. The modded Pio has a decent woofer and a new tweeter. The Cambridge has a decent built cabinet
and is cross-braced with good foam dampening. The Pioneer while nice for the price, has a weaker cabinet
and no cross-bracing and the modded version has the small amount of stock poly-batten and some Sonic-
Barrier. The Cambridge had a list price of $259 a pair and former street price of $219 a pair.

They are close - however not quite the same even with the good modded measurements. The S30 has more of
a live presentation to me with better imaging and soundstage presentation. The S30 sounds more rich to me
with a little better midrange detail (inner detail and nuances) > There tends to be a little more definition and
sense of depth - Things like the violin and guitar tend to vibrate more. The S30 also goes a little deeper in the
bass, and is more tight and controlled. However, both speakers are good with the human voice. I will say in some
areas that the DNA tweeter will sound slightly more smooth than the stock S30 tweeter. I believe the DNA tweeter
is better than the stock Pio woofer. Dennis believes that the S30 woofer is better than the S30 tweeter. For me it
is the cohesiveness of the S30 modded speaker as a whole. However I will not say that the S30 is a hands down
better speaker. The BS22-DNA speaker is a good one - and based on the cost and what you get for the price, is a
better deal.

Now, why did I call the Pioneer modded speaker the BS22-DNA?
 
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afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Great review, I ALREADY KNEW YOU'D CHOOSE THE s30 in the battle, as I know you judge every speaker against it and they always win + they are dear to you. Do Not Assume?:D
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Great review, I ALREADY KNEW YOU'D CHOOSE THE s30 in the battle, as I know you judge every speaker against it and they always win + they are dear to you. Do Not Assume?:D
No, the modded S30 is in 4th place - behind the Boston VS260, the Boston E60, and the Snell K7

The modded Cambridge is good - however, there is only so much that the drivers can do.

The Modded Pio-DNA, is a nice speaker
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Now, why did I call the Pioneer modded speaker the BS22-DNA?
 
G

gtgray

Audiophyte
No, the modded S30 is in 4th place - behind the Boston VS260, the Boston E60, and the Snell K7

The modded Cambridge is good - however, there is only so much that the drivers can do.

The Modded Pio-DNA, is a nice speaker
So you place the E60 ahead of the VS-260? What contemporary an similar priced speaker would prefer above the E60. Obviously the Snell are legendary.
 
G

gtgray

Audiophyte
So for those of us with BS22s already upgrades are will not be available?
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
So you place the E60 ahead of the VS-260?
Obviously the Snell are legendary.

No, I favor the VS260 - they have a little more definition and depth - plus, some good and strong deep bass - and
that dimple dome tweeter is nice.

However the E60 is my reference bookshelf speaker, and their measurements from 200 hz to 10 khz are very good.
and their aluminum dome tweeter is smooth.

HT Labs >
The E60's listening-window response measures +1.25/–0.97 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point is at 65 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 53 Hz.
Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.36 ohms at 203 Hz and a phase angle of –58.73 degrees at 111 Hz.

The Snell K7 was designed by Joesph D'Appolito and not by Peter Snell - however, Snell was a good company and use to be owned by
Boston - D&M has shut Snell down. However, I like/favor the VS260 and E60 over the Snell.
http://www.audioclassics.com/detail.php3?detail=K7&nav=descr

You would be surprised how close the modded Cambridge S30 and the Pioneer BS22-DNA comes to the Snell, when compared. > While
the Snell does not measure as good as them 2 speakers - I still favor and prefer the Snell, the Seas drivers and all around sound are good.
Plus, the imaging and soundstage is really nice.
 
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D

Dennis Murphy

Audioholic General
So for those of us with BS22s already upgrades are will not be available?
I guess you could do the simplest mod (not the one Zieg reviewed) in the field, but the other would get expensive with retail pricing and shipping, and would be a real undertaking. You can e-mail me at my info@philharmonicaudio.com address if you want to discuss it further.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Don't Need Andrew, Dennis Needs Audio, Dennis New Audio, etc.:cool:
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Andrew did a good job with the beans, that he was given.

Dennis has done some more work on the center channel speaker mod - and he says it sounds good
The measurements also look good. The set-up with 2 pairs of the BS22-DNA speakers, along with the
C22-DNA center channel, will make a nice sweet sounding system. All one will need to do, is to buy a
subwoofer seperate.


I will take the Modded BS22-DNA speakers, over the Stock Cambridge S30 speakers.


However, it is still amazing and cool what Andrew Jones could do, with the stock Pioneer speakers.
 
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