Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK52FS review

[Jimz711]

I think the Home Theater Direct level 3 would also fit in with the EMP's and Arx, as the next step.

 

[RogerThornhill]

OK, first at home listening here. Sound OK at lower volumes, much , much better as you give em some juice. Bass is very good, and surprising for smallish drivers. But the F2 still have more bass, as expected. I need to get my Woods speaker switch to do a quick A/B between Athena and the Pioneer

 

[Jimz711]

The Pioneers definitely like to be played loud.

 

[ahblaza]

I think the Home Theater Direct level 3 would also fit in with the EMP's and Arx, as the next step.

I agree with the level 3, EMP's and ARX5s are a big step up from the 52s, for a modest increase in price you will get a substantial gain in performance, I have the level 3 monitors, heard the EMP's and own the ARX5 (LCR), the level 3's and EMP's are very similar with overall SQ with the edge going to level 3's HF tweeter, this is my opinion, the A5's are the stand up winner in all categories, they are simply amazing loudspeakers, they are built like a solid oak tree. They continue to amaze each day that I use them, simply put they can play flat out loud and clean and dig deep with no strain evident at demanding levels. The Jman did a review of the smaller monitor which has the same drivers here, and another review at affordable audio. The A5s have comprises (all speakers do) that can easily not be pronounced. The sound to me seems to come from all around these speakers, sides, behind and height and never forward or in your face, and the tweeter used is not a beamer that forces you to lock your head in one spot, very nice dispersion with precise imaging. Read for yourself.


Arx A1b/A2b Speaker Review Discussion Thread - Home Theater Forum and Systems - HomeTheaterShack.com
Affordable$$Audio
These reviews are for the smaller A1b which I also own four of.
I think all of the above speakers are a step up from the PIO52s, the ARX speakers are leaps and bounds above IMO
Cheers Jeff

 

[hyghwayman]

OK, first at home listening here. Sound OK at lower volumes, much , much better as you give em some juice. Bass is very good, and surprising for smallish drivers. But the F2 still have more bass, as expected. I need to get my Woods speaker switch to do a quick A/B between Athena and the Pioneer

The Pioneers really shine when paired with a good subwoofer !

 

[ahblaza]

The Pioneers really shine when paired with a good subwoofer !

You should know my friend paired with the ultra, excellent choice, they deserve that quality of LFE
cheers Jeff

 

[RogerThornhill]

I'm reminded how listening opinions are so objective. You could have one guy listening to classical music in a 10X10 room , the other dude is listening to heavy metal in a 25X25 room and is complaining about not enough bass. And even with listening to identical music, different room sizes, furnishings, etc. make a big difference.

I would be having a fit if these Pioneer speakers had high dollar wood cabinets. I found a couple of inch long cuts in the vinyl from the factory in one speaker. Hard to see unless you get right up on the speaker. External fit and finish goes to Athena, no question in my mind. The grills are much better, and you can actually pull them off pretty easily. I'm not talking about internal components or construction here.

 

[hyghwayman]

I've seen some pretty speakers that sounded like krap and I heard some real ugly homemade speakers that sounded beautiful. Now in my dark HT/Living room nobody can really see my speakers unless I have the lighting on torch mode. To me it's more about sound than looks, I've gotten neg and pos comment from friends who have seen my Pio speakers but once they hear them they've all been pos. I also prefer the metal grills of the 1st gen Pio speakers as they match my SB13-Ultra perfectly and protect my speakers from pest

 

[hyghwayman]

You should know my friend paired with the ultra, excellent choice, they deserve that quality of LFE
cheers Jeff

Thank you,
I do agree, after spending a year with a Bic F12 sub and my pio speakers a better sub sure makes a big difference in the Q of sound.

There was never a choice as I couldn't ever of afforded the sub I have now nor justified the cost of such an upgrade to my wife, I just got lucky and won mine in a contest. If I had to spend my own $$ I would've gotten the SB1000 or the SB12-NSD (for the grill) from SVS.

Jeff...
your list of toys is very impressive and very pleasing I'm sure!

hyghwayman

 

[Jimz711]

I agree the Pioneers shine with a better sub, but I can make that statement for almost every speaker on earth.

 

[hyghwayman]

​Originally Posted by Jimz711

I agree the Pioneers shine with a better sub, but I can make that statement for almost every speaker on earth.​

True, but no sub could ever make these sound any better Jimz
View attachment 12328

 

[Jimz711]

I stand corrected.

 

[RogerThornhill]

That is one thing about the Athena AS-F2 towers. I could get by without a sub for music, where as with the FS52, I feel it needs a sub with music too.

 

[RogerThornhill]

well...well...well... I'm a bit fatigued, but I did a quick A/B testing pitting the Athena AS-F2 against the Pioneer 52FS in stereo mode. No sub, I prefer the Athena. The midrange sounds richer.

Add the sub, it's closer, but I still prefer the Athena. I do have to allow for the difference between the sensitivity of the two speakers .

My neighbor joked that I was just used to the bad sound of the Athena.. I know some complain about that the Athena vibrates with certain bass frequencies, but perhaps with my usually modest volume settings I don't notice it.

I'll do some more listening tomorrow..If I stay with the Athena, fit will be a problem in the new room

 

[Jimz711]

Maybe you should listen to just the Pioneers for a few days to let your ears acclimate to them. You are quite used to the Athenas which could be why you prefer them.

 

[anamorphic96]

+1 to the above. I would leave the Pioneers in place for a couple of weeks and let your ears adjust. I never judge a speaker completely after a brief listen. Play around with placement as well. Just because the Athena's sound good where you have them does not mean that the Pioneer's will sound good there. Toe in can also cause a noticeable difference in tonal balance and imaging.

 

[ahblaza]

I also think you're just used to the Athena sound, they tend to sound full and can play loud, seriously you need to just relax and get used to the PIO's for a while and then go back and listen to the Athenas, the Athenas were good speakers in their day especially for the price but technology has changed. I never thought the PIO's would sound as good as they do just looking at them, you have to give them a chance and they will win you over. I think they are a more accurate speaker and have a nice tonal balance to them as well, they image rather good also and can play loud without strain from such a small enclosure, and the curved cabs cut down on cabinet resonance unlike the Athenas which tend to resonate quite a bit. Take the Athenas out of the picture for now and get used to the PIO's.
Cheers Jeff

 

[RogerThornhill]

yeah, I have a bit of time to play with them until the return period runs out.

 

[panteragstk]

I'll add my $.02. I had very low expectations for the Pioneers. I've had their speakers for many years and always liked them, but wanted to move to something better. I bought two from BB and made them match Tiger Direct. For under $200 I'm still amazed at how good they sound. Great bass, not boomy, very nice highs, not bright. Couldn't have been more wrong about their performance.

Give it time and you'll see that its very hard to find a set that performs this well for under $600 or so. This is the only set I've found and I've been auditioning for a few years now, but just couldn't ever say that I liked something enough to spend the money. Glad I did because of this thread.

Thanks again guys.

 

[afterlife2]

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