Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK52FS review

[KEW]

I had them on the base that came with the speakers and did not raise them as I intended to do.

I don't feel like you would add much by raising these speakers. I notice little or no change; vertical dispersion is very good.

 

[afterlife2]

On many recordings the 52's seemed to flesh out the music (I'll try to explain that term) making the sound transparent to see into the music, no veiling or looking through a foggy window for example, in other words the 52's never got confused with complex passages that a lot of speakers seem to just mesh into a blender of sloppy soup.

and compared to those Infinities you sold?

 

[crzycuyler]

First off, I love the reviews. I'm getting excited about this value buy.

I'm pretty much set on going for the 52 for fronts and 22s for rears. I am not set on whether to use the center channel or another 52 as a center channel. I also do not have a subwoofer. I am an employee at Best Buy and will only be considering subwoofers sold there for my discount. Any suggestions? Is the pioneer sub a no-go?

 

[afterlife2]

crzycuyler The center is nice, crisp and clear. I highly recommend it. What is your budget on the sub? There Is an Energy sub that zieglj01 recommends when on sale for $200 I forget the model number though.

 

[KEW]

First off, I love the reviews. I'm getting excited about this value buy.

I'm pretty much set on going for the 52 for fronts and 22s for rears. I am not set on whether to use the center channel or another 52 as a center channel. I also do not have a subwoofer. I am an employee at Best Buy and will only be considering subwoofers sold there for my discount. Any suggestions? Is the pioneer sub a no-go?

I haven't listened to the Pioneer sub.
No 8" 50 Watt sub is going to give you the house shaking dinosaur stomps of a bigger sub.
I have heard that it is pretty decent for music, but that is hearsay.
We will tend to steer you towards a sub which is on par with these speakers. Unfortunately, that will add to the cost - on the basis of sound quality, these speakers are not $200/pr speakers, and a budget of $400 is appropriate for the sub and $600 would really be about where I would suggest. $400 is the combined cost of the 5 Pioneer speakers (before your discount).

If you can't budget that high and don't feel like you can get by with the FS52's bass, the Pioneer sub may not be a bad option. It is probably pretty clean but won't go deep. At $100, it will probably do an okay job of rounding out the bass while you save for a bigger sub.

What other brands of subwoofers are available at your store?
What is your budget for the sub?

Don't be surprised if we tell you you are better off going outside of Best Buy for your sub, despite you employee discount. It seems like there is always subs being sold 50-60% below MSRP that makes for a very good deal.

 

[ahblaza]

and compared to those Infinities you sold?

 

[ahblaza]

I don't feel like you would add much by raising these speakers. I notice little or no change; vertical dispersion is very good.

Kurt, you read my mind I was just about to edit my review as to why I didn't raise the 52's, I also didn't have to slouch as mentioned earlier to get tweet at ear level, vertical dispersion is excellent, standing or sitting the sound never seemed to change, quite a feat indeed.

 

[zieglj01]

Ok, I do not know who is responsable for all this - however, I
will blame afterlife2 >> I just went and picked up a pair of the
FS52 towers. So what would be the next step - maybe I should
try hooking them up?

 

[ahblaza]

Ok, I do not know who is responsable for all this - however, I
will blame afterlife2 >> I just went and picked up a pair of the
FS52 towers. So what would be the next step - maybe I should
try hooking them up?

What took you so long?

 

[zieglj01]

What took you so long?

It was all about stirring the nest for other people.

I already know that they sound good - I already have plenty
of speakers. It will come down to the Modded Cambridge, or
the FS52 - to see which one stays or goes. >> The Cambridge
does have good bass to 60hz, it will mainly be about detail
and definition from the mids and highs.

 

[KEW]

Ok, I do not know who is responsable for all this - however, I
will blame afterlife2 >> I just went and picked up a pair of the
FS52 towers. So what would be the next step - maybe I should
try hooking them up?

I want to know if you hear as big of a difference in the top end between the FS52 and the BS22 as I did. They appear to be the same tweeter and it just doesn't make sense that the imaging and sound stage would be different. Maybe the tweeters were wired out of phase! But my BS22's sound too good for that!

 

[zieglj01]

I want to know if you hear as big of a difference in the top end between the FS52 and the BS22 as I did. They appear to be the same tweeter and it just doesn't make sense that the imaging and sound stage would be different. Maybe the tweeters were wired out of phase! But my BS22's sound too good for that!

I will let you know, I am putting them through a short shake-down.
I have to allow 13.26584 minutes for speaker break-in.

I will eventually get back on the BS22.

 

[crzycuyler]

I haven't listened to the Pioneer sub.
No 8" 50 Watt sub is going to give you the house shaking dinosaur stomps of a bigger sub.
I have heard that it is pretty decent for music, but that is hearsay.
We will tend to steer you towards a sub which is on par with these speakers. Unfortunately, that will add to the cost - on the basis of sound quality, these speakers are not $200/pr speakers, and a budget of $400 is appropriate for the sub and $600 would really be about where I would suggest. $400 is the combined cost of the 5 Pioneer speakers (before your discount).

If you can't budget that high and don't feel like you can get by with the FS52's bass, the Pioneer sub may not be a bad option. It is probably pretty clean but won't go deep. At $100, it will probably do an okay job of rounding out the bass while you save for a bigger sub.

What other brands of subwoofers are available at your store?
What is your budget for the sub?

Don't be surprised if we tell you you are better off going outside of Best Buy for your sub, despite you employee discount. It seems like there is always subs being sold 50-60% below MSRP that makes for a very good deal.

I recently sold my B&W ASW610 because I can't crank it in my apartment. I live in a small apartment in Atlanta. I am not sure if I want to invest in another subwoofer that I won't be able to use. If the Pioneer subwoofer rounds out the bottom just a little more, but doesn't irritate the neighbors, that may be a win with my discount.

Best Buy sells a decent selection of subwoofers. I can get my discounts at both Best Buy & Magnolia Design Center (a stand alone version of Magnolia that sells very high end equipment).

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Have we discussed the actual measurement of the Pioneer speakers?

Pioneer SP-BS41-LR loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

Pioneer SP-BS41-LR Speaker System HT Labs Measures | Home Theater

From HTM:
"The SP-BS41-LR’s listening-window response (a five-point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal and vertical responses) measures +1.62/–4.50 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz."

On the Stereophile measurement, the on-axis appears to reflect the HTM measurement.

Are the measurements better than the P360s?

http://www.stereophile.com/content/infinity-primus-360-loudspeaker-measurements

I'm just wondering.

Also, are these Pioneer speakers made in the same plant in China as the Pioneer EX speakers?

 

[KEW]

That is the older series. The redesign is substantial between the old and the new series.
While we have definitely given the older series discussion time on this thread and the links are welcome, I don't believe anyone has compared them to the P360's.

Gene has FS52's lined up for review, so we are mainly waiting on that for official measurements.

Here are my notes between the FS52 and the P363 (actually, I have P362, but by all accounts they are identical except for the paint):

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.

$200 refundable security deposit with Best Buy will get you a pair of FS52's to try out for 30 days! I'm betting you will let BB keep the $200.

 

[alphaiii]

I will let you know, I am putting them through a short shake-down.
I have to allow 13.26584 minutes for speaker break-in.

I will eventually get back on the BS22.

Based on my calculations, that amount of break in is .05674 minutes shy of the optimal amount of time...

Glad you joined the party, and look forward to reading your thoughts on these budget gems.

I'll try to get in a FS52/NHT 3 comparison soon... but guess I'll have to see what happens with hurricane Sandy over the next couple days... It might not be too productive trying to compare them with no power...

 

[zieglj01]

I want to know if you hear as big of a difference in the top end between the FS52 and the BS22 as I did. They appear to be the same tweeter and it just doesn't make sense that the imaging and sound stage would be different. Maybe the tweeters were wired out of phase! But my BS22's sound too good for that!

Originally Posted by zieglj01
I will let you know, I am putting them through a short shake-down.
I have to allow 13.26584 minutes for speaker break-in.

I will eventually get back on the BS22.
____________________________________________________________

Still in the early stages, so far not a major difference - however, some
noticable difference. >> It may be that the FS52, has more energy up
top (loudness level), where the tweeter in the BS22, is not as loud. >>
Still not an annoyance >> With the FS52, it feels like that I am sitting
closer up, and with the BS22, I am sitting further back. Still no edgy, or
harsh type sound, with the FS52. More to follow.

 

[zieglj01]

I'll try to get in a FS52/NHT 3 comparison soon... but guess I'll have to see what happens with hurricane Sandy over the next couple days... It might not be too productive trying to compare them with no power...

Hope for the best, be well and keep safe.

 

[alphaiii]

Hope for the best, be well and keep safe.

Will do... thanks for the well wishes.

 

[ahblaza]

Will do... thanks for the well wishes.

You are welcome my friend..be safe...