Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK52FS review

[gene]

Sounds great, hope he does and hopefully includes a center channel to go with the bookshelves.

I just listened to this interesting interview with Andrew Jones on youtube. You guys should check it out if you haven't seen it.

Home Theater Geeks 112: Good Speakers For Less - YouTube

He's a real fan of concentric drivers. Fascinating talk about waveguides, concentric drivers, and about the budget pioneer speakers he designed.

What a wealth of knowledge Andrew is. He is becoming one of my favorite "go to" guy on all things speakers.

 

[KEW]

What a wealth of knowledge Andrew is. He is becoming one of my favorite "go to" guy on all things speakers.

I was thoroughly impressed with the range of companies he has worked with and how he re-established measurement techniques. Also all of the people he has worked with (including Peter Walker and Floyd Toole). I guess speaker design is a small world.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Here...

Pioneer/TAD S-2EX New - Save 35% - full warranty | Monitors | Urbandale, Iowa 50322 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community

I've been offering to pay 50% off MSRP to no avail.

These speakers are kind of "older" models. I believe they are coming out with new models. So 50% off is more like it, not 35% off.

 

[afterlife2]

I almost got my finger on the trigger for floor/center, please stop me!!!

 

[Adam]

I almost got my finger on the trigger for floor/center, please stop me!!!

If you haven't ordered them by the time you read this, you need a time out.



Oh, wait. I mean...stop. Don't do it. You don't need them.

 

[zieglj01]

I almost got my finger on the trigger for floor/center, please stop me!!!

I will not stop you, from buying good sound.

 

[riker1384]

Are there any reviews with measurements of speakers from this new series?

 

[afterlife2]

Adam/zieglj01 gives me an excuse for a self gift bday gift next week and 1 yr anniversary here too this month. I almost got a GT30, but I think I'll wait till next year for the GT50 to go down.

Not yet Riker, Gene will have them soon I think.

 

[KEW]

So, it looks like Pioneer?/Andrew? is nixing the SP-BS4X bookshelf which had a 5-1/4" woofer, while keeping the SP-BS2X with the 4" woofer.
I wonder if it didn't sell well or if they recognized a difficulty in using the 5-1/4 woofer for bass and midrange at the same time?

The SP-FS52 drivers are designated as 1ea 5-1/4 midrange and 2ea 5-1/4 woofers (and 1" tweeter). 3KHz and 250Hz are the crossover points. It is unclear (to me, anyway) whether the midrange driver plays below 250Hz or not.

Go to the "Manual & Brochures" link for specifics. The main page just lists 3 5-1/4" woofers.
Home Theater Speakers | Pioneer Electronics USA

At $200 for the pair from TD, I had to check them out. FS52's on order

(Thanks to ADTG for being the standard bearer and proof that I don't have a real problem!)

 

[alphaiii]

So, it looks like Pioneer?/Andrew? is nixing the SP-BS4X bookshelf which had a 5-1/4" woofer, while keeping the SP-BS2X with the 4" woofer.
I wonder if it didn't sell well or if they recognized a difficulty in using the 5-1/4 woofer for bass and midrange at the same time?

The SP-FS52 drivers are designated as 1ea 5-1/4 midrange and 2ea 5-1/4 woofers (and 1" tweeter). 3KHz and 250Hz are the crossover points. It is unclear (to me, anyway) whether the midrange driver plays below 250Hz or not.

Go to the "Manual & Brochures" link for specifics. The main page just lists 3 5-1/4" woofers.
Home Theater Speakers | Pioneer Electronics USA

At $200 for the pair from TD, I had to check them out. FS52's on order

(Thanks to ADTG for being the standard bearer and proof that I don't have a real problem!)

Pioneer specifies it's a 3-way design, not a 2.5-way, so the mid driver should be filtered below 250Hz...

I'm still kicking myself for not buying a pair when they were first releases and Tiger was selling them for $80 each (including shipping). Mr Rebates has 10% bonus cashback at the time too, so a pair would've come in at $144 total. I really should've bought them.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks to ADTG for being the standard bearer and proof that I don't have a real problem!

I'm out of control.

I'm eyeing a pair of TAD S-4EX (msrp $4.5K) for $2K right now because I just don't want to spend $4K on the S-2EX (msrp $7K).

Yes, I have a real problem!

 

[KEW]

I'm eyeing a pair of TAD S-4EX (msrp $4.5K) for $2K right now because I just don't want to spend $4K on the S-2EX (msrp $7K).

After listening to Andrew Jones' interview, buying a pair of TAD's seems entirely reasonable to me!
If you're swapping, it is not dysfunctional!
Surely among those 7 great speakers, there is one that you just don't seem to use as often. I might think the open rear of the Phil and Orion might not work well with the other speakers crowding it; and while they are incredibly good speakers for their cost, do they really perform on the same level as the Salons or KEFs?

 

[afterlife2]

Gulp. I just ordered them!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

After listening to Andrew Jones' interview, buying a pair of TAD's seems entirely reasonable to me!
If you're swapping, it is not dysfunctional!
Surely among those 7 great speakers, there is one that you just don't seem to use as often. I might think the open rear of the Phil and Orion might not work well with the other speakers crowding it; and while they are incredibly good speakers for their cost, do they really perform on the same level as the Salons or KEFs?

You kind of read my mind.

Something might have to go.

I may test the water and see if anyone is interested.

 

[zieglj01]

Gulp. I just ordered them!

Drink a glass of water - you will be fine.

 

[zieglj01]

Some reviews are coming for the latest Pioneer speakers.

Over at AVS, Chris Walker from Pioneer has stated >
"Just wanted to let you know that a full review of the new AJ speakers will appear
in the November issue of Home Theater Magazine and The Absolute Sound...."

 

[afterlife2]

Went to best buy to check how big the towers were and man they are not as big as CNET says they are. They will fit nicely in a studio apt with no problems. The tweeter should be at my ear level too.

 

[panteragstk]

After selling speakers for a few years I can tell you that anything bigger than a bose cube is "too big". WAF was the most difficult thing to overcome. No matter how nice the finish is on a speaker most women just don't want them in their "nice" living room. I guess I should count myself lucky.

 

[nogaro]

At $200 for the pair from TD, I had to check them out. FS52's on order

Would love to hear your impressions when they come in. It'll also be good to see how they compare to the EMP E5ti (which should be reasonably close in price on sale).

 

[afterlife2]

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! Should be here by Friday. Kew when do you get yours?