Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK52FS review

j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
Pick them up? Just knock on the cabinets. Weight less important that proper construction.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
I forgot to say the cones look great in person too. You can tell they are well made. I forgot to pick them up to see if they are heavy. Man I can't wait!:eek: Should be here by Friday.;) Kew when do you get yours?
I got mine today (TD has a distribution center in GA.)!
I unboxed them and listened to a couple of songs I know very well.
In 75-80 dB territory these are fine speakers (exceptionally fine when you consider the cost)! I was also pleased with the amount and character of the bass. It was smooth and full.
When I cranked them (pushing 90dB) I felt like their sound was getting a little thin and strained. I suspect that max. SPL is one of the trade offs made to get the SQ so high at this price. However, I really should do some A/B testing before saying much more
I have them in a 13'-6"X17'-9"X9' room.
So my off-the-cuff take is these are a very good option unless you like your music loud and/or have a large room.

Wt. is 25lb 13oz
The tweeters sit about 4.5" below the tweets on my Salk SongTowers (a little low, but didn't seem to hurt the sound).
They are very nice looking for a budget speaker.
Also more compact than I was expecting. They make the Infinity P363's look pretty big!
 
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A

alphaiii

Audioholic General
I got mine today (TD has a distribution center in GA.)!
I unboxed them and listened to a couple of songs I know very well.
In 75-80 dB territory these are fine speakers (exceptionally fine when you consider the cost)! I was also pleased with the amount and character of the bass. It was smooth and full.
When I cranked them (pushing 90dB) I felt like their sound was getting a little thin and strained. I suspect that max. SPL is one of the trade offs made to get the SQ so high at this price. However, I really should do some A/B testing before saying much more
I have them in a 13'-6"X17'-9"X9' room.
So my off-the-cuff take is these are a very good option unless you like your music loud and/or have a large room.

Wt. is 25lb 13oz
The tweeters sit about 4.5" below the tweets on my Salk SongTowers (a little low, but didn't seem to hurt the sound).
They are very nice looking for a budget speaker and more compact than I was expecting.
This is running them full-range, correct?

If you cross them to a sub at 60-80Hz, do they still get strained when pushing the volume knob?
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
This is running them full-range, correct?

If you cross them to a sub at 60-80Hz, do they still get strained when pushing the volume knob?
Yes, I was running full range.
Good question. I'm not sure if I can get back to them tonight or not.
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
So these are at Tigersdirect for a $300 for 5.0 with towers? thats not bad...
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
So these are at Tigersdirect for a $300 for 5.0 with towers? thats not bad...
No for the towers(99.00 each) and center(99.00) only. With the bookshelfs(99.00 for both)a total of $400 no tax and free econo shipping.
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
I was full of crap!!!

When I cranked them (pushing 90dB) I felt like their sound was getting a little thin and strained. I suspect that max. SPL is one of the trade offs made to get the SQ so high at this price. However, I really should do some A/B testing before saying much more
I have them in a 13'-6"X17'-9"X9' room.
So my off-the-cuff take is these are a very good option unless you like your music loud and/or have a large room.
This is WRONG!
I knew it would be a while before I got a chance to listen more, but I shouldn't have rushed out my first impression the way I did!
Today, I hooked up my Salk Songtowers to verify the problem with SPL and had similar issues with the sound. I know the Salks can accommodate this SPL with good SQ in a room this size.
My conclusion is that it is the room not the speakers. This room is acoustically bright and reflected high frequencies start to overwhelm the room and my ears at higher SPL.
I am sorry about my mistake.:(

Edit: I'll post some notes on Pioneer vs SongTower vs P363 later tonight.
 
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zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
This is WRONG!
I knew it would be a while before I got a chance to listen more, but I shouldn't have rushed out my first impression the way I did!
Today, I hooked up my Salk Songtowers to verify the problem with SPL and had similar issues with the sound. I know the Salks can accommodate this SPL with good SQ in a room this size.
My conclusion is that it is the room not the speakers. This room is acoustically bright and reflected high frequencies start to overwhelm the room and my ears at higher SPL.
I am sorry about my mistake.:(
Glad that you found out - because the Pioneer's are not weak.:)
 
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KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
All listening was done in the 80dB range to avoid room issues (see my post above).
Pioneer SP-FS52 vs. Salk Songtowers RT
I already had the Salks hooked up, so I compared them. The Salks unquestionably dominate in bass. Also, the Salks had a fuller sound. But what really surprised me was how close the Pio tweeter performed to the ribbon tweeter on the Salks. When I first hooked up the Salks, I had all speakers facing straight forward. In this position, the Pio’s were better sounding in the treble region. Once I properly toed-in the Salks, they proved better, but not by as much as I expected.
You will note that I make no mention of midrange performance. That is because I could not make any clear distinctions. The increased bass output of the Salk’s was the dominant factor and changed the tone between these speakers enough that I was not confident in any midrange differences.
There is no question that the Salks are better speakers, but if you eliminate the bass difference by using a subwoofer, the difference between these speakers will really leave you wondering about whether it is worth the price difference. This is not a criticism of the Salks, I would say the same thing about my Paradigm S-2’s or Focal Solo6Be’s.
The question is how good is good enough, and, for me, the Pioneers get amazingly close to this mark at a very low price.
Pioneer SP-FS52 vs. Infinity P363
I have always felt that the P363 was not as articulate with bass as I am used to. Comparing it with the Pioneers underscored this. The P363 definitely puts out more bass energy, but the Pioneer is clearly more articulate. To use TSLGuy’s terminology, my sense is that the P363 commits sins of commission while the Pioneers only commit sins of omission. The Pioneers are decent as full range speakers - for most music I was content with the bass provided when I listened to them at length. However, more bass is welcome.
The mid-range sounded very close to me. With the change in bass between the speakers, I really could not detect differences in the mid-range.
On the upper end, the Pioneer tweeter really outclasses the P363 tweeter. They are not close. The Pioneer tweeter is much closer to the Salk’s ribbbon than to the P363’s. I feel the Pio tweeter is the equal of the tweeter in my EMP-41Be speakers.
Conclusion
I think these are the new standard bearer for budget speakers. They clearly outperform the P363s (though arguably someone who wanted more bass and was willing to sacrifice articulation and HF extension might prefer the P363) at a lower price!
This option is especially exciting for the beginner on a budget. A pair of these will give you very good sound as a standalone solution. Everything on these speakers seems well balanced - bass being the biggest compromise. Later adding and tuning a good sub will get excellent sound.
 
J

jm78

Junior Audioholic
From your review of the pioneer's vs the p363's, these sound like definite budget winners. Better highs and equal mids to the p363's and the primus have decent mids. Also, better to omit bass than to have bad bass.

It is highly likely I will pick up some pioneer bookshelf and/or towers for my pc setup or living room setup after I move in a couple months.

I wonder how the previous discontinued SP-BS41-LR sounds vs the newer SP-BS22-LR. The woofer size decreased from 5.25" to 4".

Can a bookshelf still sound good with such a tiny 4" woofer? I guess it could, but there would be more distortion.
 
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KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
In case you missed it, here is a review with measurements for the BS41.

Pioneer SP-BS41-LR loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

By specs, it is a difference between 55Hz and 65Hz on the low extension.

It is a curiosity that there is no SP-BS42-LR.

I know the floor-standers cost twice as much as the bookshelves, but you are getting the capability to play much louder, the security of knowing it is the latest generation (I don't think Pioneer/Jones would have bothered with redesign unless they saw opportunity), reduced distortion since the 5.25" mid is not having to play bass at the same time, and enough bass to stand alone without sub. IMHO, the extra $100 is worth it, and I wouldn't even look at the BS unless you already have a good sub and cannot fit the FS. I am a fan of BS speakers because I feel cabinet resonance often interferes with the SQ. The cabinet design/construction of the Pioneer FS is incredible for a $100 ea speaker!
 
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Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
I have to admit - I wish that I wanted some of these! My parents are putting in a new TV in their remodeled basement, but I know that they won't want speakers down there. Pity. I suppose that I can always recommend them to my friends. :)
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
I wonder how the previous discontinued SP-BS41-LR sounds vs the newer SP-BS22-LR. The woofer size decreased from 5.25" to 4".
Can a bookshelf still sound good with such a tiny 4" woofer? I guess it could, but there would be more distortion.
I own the BS22 bookshelf, and it is a seriously good sounding speaker
with some good bass for its size. It also has a good midrange >> with
the same good sounding tweeter. They will not easily faint :) however,
if you have room for the towers, then they should be your first option.

Home Theater, Cedia 2012
http://www.hometheater.com/content/pioneer’s-home-theater-surprise

I did open it up, and the magnet on the tweeter is a big one, for that price.
 
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Transmaniacon

Transmaniacon

Audioholic
Hey guys, I am looking to upgrade my towers in my 2.1 setup, and these are really intriguing me. I was initially settled on the the BIC Formula FH-6T, as this would just be for bedroom movie/tv use with my F-12. But now I am seeing a lot of good feedback on these Pioneer speakers.

I notice one of the drawbacks to them is a lower sensitivity, and they are 6ohm speakers. I am wondering if my Yamaha RX-V665 is going to be able to drive them well and allow them to be as dynamic as a comparable horn-loaded speaker?
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Pioneer SP-FS52 vs. Infinity P363
The mid-range sounded very close to me. With the change in bass between the speakers, I really could not detect differences in the mid-range.
On the upper end, Pioneer tweeter really outclasses the P363 tweeter. They are not close. The Pioneer tweeter is much closer to the Salk’s ribbbon than to the P363’s. I feel the Pio tweeter is the equal of the tweeter in my EMP-41Be speakers.
Conclusion
I totally agree with you. I had the 162/163's and it was my biggest problem and I sold them. I'm not a reviewer, but you hit on everything. The bass I thought was good, but like you said you need a sub. I'd like to add that the Center is crisp and clear. I'm so happy I got them. I'm going to turn them straight and see If there is a treble difference in my small room. Big up to zieglj01 for recommending these. You my friend have great taste and a gentleman! Kew thanks for relating my thoughts in your review.:cool: Get them guy's you'll love them. Can't wait for Gene's view.:confused::)
 
J

jm78

Junior Audioholic
Given that the pioneer tower is superior to the bookshelf, at what distance would you choose the pioneer bookshelf over a tower.

Would 5 feet away from the listening position for a pc setup be too nearfield for the pioneer tower?
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
Hey guys, I am looking to upgrade my towers in my 2.1 setup, and these are really intriguing me. I was initially settled on the the BIC Formula FH-6T, as this would just be for bedroom movie/tv use with my F-12. But now I am seeing a lot of good feedback on these Pioneer speakers.

I notice one of the drawbacks to them is a lower sensitivity, and they are 6ohm speakers. I am wondering if my Yamaha RX-V665 is going to be able to drive them well and allow them to be as dynamic as a comparable horn-loaded speaker?
If you are using a 7channel receiver for stereo. You will have no issues at all.
I cannot address comparison with horn loaded speakers.
 
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