Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK52FS review

R

RogerThornhill

Enthusiast
I'm forced to downsize from my beloved Athena Audition series. Anyone have experience comparing this Pioneer setup to the Athena Audition series?

Thank You

Roger
 
R

RogerThornhill

Enthusiast
Yes sir. AS-F2 up front, AS-C1 center, AS-F1 rear, and the Athena matching sub. I have listened to the Pioneer, and they are impressive. They take a bit more power to get them there. There is more bass in the AS-F2, but that's expected , they are very large speakers. I think I might prefer the Pioneer tweeter over the Athena. Less sibilance?

I did locate a deal locally for the Pioneer package, all factory new:
Pioneer SP-FS52-LR..pair 194.83
Pioneer SP-BS22-LR..pair 98.50
Pioneer SP-C22..center 75.76
Pioneer SW-8MK2..sub 119.06
488.15 total, includes tax

Thanks,

Roger T.
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Oh, good. So you had the Audition series yourself? Which ones?
Thanks for the sub link..

Roger T.
No I meant the Pioneers 52's and Center 22's. They were killed by super storm sandy last year. I aim to get another pair one day. You're welcome. You never said how big is the space you're placing the speakers? cause you might need a bigger sub.
 
R

RogerThornhill

Enthusiast
No I meant the Pioneers 52's and Center 22's. They were killed by super storm sandy last year. I aim to get another pair one day. You're welcome. You never said how big is the space you're placing the speakers? cause you might need a bigger sub.
it's pretty small , like 12 X 12
 
afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
Ok you'll be fine. Please comeback and post pictures of your setup when you get them. Enjoy them to the fullest.
 
J

Jimz711

Full Audioholic
If the sub is part of the reason for the lower prices, then get it, if not you may want to consider a different sub. The Pioneers are a great speaker.
 
N

nogaro

Full Audioholic
Roger That's a great deal get them! Sibilance, never had that problem when I had them, also depends on the material. How big is your space? Don't buy the Pio sub it's a weak link. Get this instead(Our member Jman/Jim reviewed them. I love mine.): PS10 10" High Powered Premium Home Theater Subwoofer
I can't seem to find Jman's review on this sub, could you link it please?

Edit
Nevermind - I was looking on AH. Found it now, thanks!
 
Last edited:
ahblaza

ahblaza

Audioholic Field Marshall
I had that exact same setup, the Pios can easily replace them with better imaging, transparency and dispersion, won't go as low but the Athena F1s could be a bit boomy when pushed hard, the 52s (Pios) can handle that without that bloated bass. the Pios will really impress as I have them also, the 52s seem like they are too short but don't be fooled by that, they have excellent vertical dispersion pattern, the 5.0 setup is the way to go with a decent sub, get the best you can afford for the PIOs, they deserve it, seriously. Stay away from the sub tho. My friend is still using my Athena speakers and loves them. Go for it my man, I couldn't end this without reco'ing this sub, I can't help myself:
POWER SOUND AUDIO — XV15 Home Audio Subwoofer
Cheers Jeff
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I owned the AS-B1s and the BS22LRs are easily better speakers. The B1s weren't bad speakers either.
 
R

RogerThornhill

Enthusiast
Initial impression:
I don't mean to be critical of anyone here, but I did bring home the Pioneers, except for the sub. I have not hooked them up yet. The build quality of the Athena is more substantial. The Pioneer grills are cheesy, they are much better on the Athena. The F2 dwarfs the FS52. I'll hook them up Friday and try a side by side test.
Thanks

Roger T.
 
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afterlife2

afterlife2

Audioholic Warlord
I was gonna mention the build quality(You can see it in the pictures of Athena), but It might have deterred you. Take those grills OFF who needs em'.:D Just wait till your hear them and with the OSD or PSA sub even better! I thought you said your heard them and liked them in person? Most Importantly did the wife like them?

I'll hook them up Friday and try a side by side test.
Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
 
Y

yaziron

Enthusiast
I found these speakers online at salesstores.com for $75. Not sure if the store is legit or not, but I took the ad into Best Buy to see if they would price match. The guy looked at me like I was crazy, did some checking around, called his manager, and then said they can't price match that low since the store is not "a major competitor" but that they would take $30 off each one... so I walked out with a pair of these speakers for $203 after tax. I was pretty happy about that!

Will hook them up tonight or this weekend.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
Initial impression:
I don't mean to be critical of anyone here, but I did bring home the Pioneers, except for the sub. I have not hooked them up yet. The build quality of the Athena is more substantial. The Pioneer grills are cheesy, they are much better on the Athena. The F2 dwarfs the FS52. I'll hook them up Friday and try a side by side test.
Thanks

Roger T.
If you read through the thread a bit, appearance isn't their strong suit IMO :) I am not a fan of the grilles either, but I still leave them on. IMO, I didn't find the Athenas all that attractive either. To get a speaker to a price point like this, compromise has to happen somewhere and they chose the right thing in this case. Don't let the light cabinets fool you on these because the curved cabinets have less resonance than pretty much any other speaker in this price category IMO.
 
R

RogerThornhill

Enthusiast
I was gonna mention the build quality(You can see it in the pictures of Athena), but It might have deterred you. Take those grills OFF who needs em'.:D Just wait till your hear them and with the OSD or PSA sub even better! I thought you said your heard them and liked them in person? Most Importantly did the wife like them?


Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
I heard the 52s at the store. The bass surprised me for a smallish tower. There's nothing like a listen at home though.

I'm sure someone's wife likes them, not mine, since I don't have a wife. Never got around to that. I was a player in my youth, and now in my fat old middle aged AARP life, women just laugh when I approach. It's justice, and I know it. Burt Reynolds was asked years ago about turning 40. He said it was odd. One day you are a stud, the next day you are a dirty old man..
 
ahblaza

ahblaza

Audioholic Field Marshall
Initial impression:
I don't mean to be critical of anyone here, but I did bring home the Pioneers, except for the sub. I have not hooked them up yet. The build quality of the Athena is more substantial. The Pioneer grills are cheesy, they are much better on the Athena. The F2 dwarfs the FS52. I'll hook them up Friday and try a side by side test.
Thanks

Roger T.
The build quality of the Athena's is not all that great, I took all the drivers out of the F1s and had a look inside, the drivers are secured by cheap wood screws that strip after removing the drivers. I replaced all with hurricane or t-nuts and machine screws, there is one rib brace between top woofer and tweeter and the rest of the cab is braceless with cheap carpet padding for damping, I inserted all thread rods through the sides of the cabinets to add some rigidity to the cabs, unattractive but effective, prior to this the walls would resonate so bad and the bass was boomy as well. There are your compromises, they were decent speakers for the money but cheaply constructed with a xover that was not very appealing to say the least. It was indeed a monkey coffin. The bass tightened up some and the cab's didn't vibrate like before. They were visibly appealing speakers and could play loud but with a lot of distortion, unlike the the Pio 52s which I think are fairly accurate speakers and a bargain at their price, let your ears be the judge.
 
R

RogerThornhill

Enthusiast
The build quality of the Athena's is not all that great, I took all the drivers out of the F1s and had a look inside, the drivers are secured by cheap wood screws that strip after removing the drivers. I replaced all with hurricane or t-nuts and machine screws, there is one rib brace between top woofer and tweeter and the rest of the cab is braceless with cheap carpet padding for damping, I inserted all thread rods through the sides of the cabinets to add some rigidity to the cabs, unattractive but effective, prior to this the walls would resonate so bad and the bass was boomy as well. There are your compromises, they were decent speakers for the money but cheaply constructed with a xover that was not very appealing to say the least. It was indeed a monkey coffin. The bass tightened up some and the cab's didn't vibrate like before. They were visibly appealing speakers and could play loud but with a lot of distortion, unlike the the Pio 52s which I think are fairly accurate speakers and a bargain at their price, let your ears be the judge.
What would you consider to be a step up from the Pioneers?
 

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