Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-PK52FS review

[zieglj01]

Originally Posted by HTKamikazee
Anyone interested on these speakers should hurry up and get them since it appears that the hype about these speakers got to Pioneer's and Best Buy's ears because the prices just went up suddenly.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Best Buy USA, the tower prices are back to normal - the bookshelves are on sale for $89

 

[Jimz711]

I'm looking at pairing these speakers with an Onkyo TX-NR515. Some good prices out there for a mid level receiver. I've never owned Onkyo any opinions?

 

[afterlife2]

I'm looking at pairing these speakers with an Onkyo TX-NR515. Some good prices out there for a mid level receiver. I've never owned Onkyo any opinions?

I'd save a little more and get a 709 or 809. They are made better and more power.

 

[petabread]

I would at least aim for the 6 inches from the back wall.

Try it without the plugs - and will you have some room away from the side walls?
6 inches from the back wall, will cover the diameter of both ports per speaker.

They have about 4 feet from side walls. 6" would be the absolute max that I could get from the rear wall. I'll try them without the plugs. I was wondering if they came with port plugs? Or if plugging them with a sock is safe? I've heard some speakers may get damaged from plugging ports.

 

[j_garcia]

They have about 4 feet from side walls. 6" would be the absolute max that I could get from the rear wall. I'll try them without the plugs. I was wondering if they came with port plugs? Or if plugging them with a sock is safe? I've heard some speakers may get damaged from plugging ports.

I've plugged the ports on various speakers (yes, with a sock) and never had one damaged, but it IS possible. You WILL lose output because the speaker was not designed to be essentially sealed, and pushing them hard when configured that way may put too much additional strain on them. I think you'd likely have to be pushing them pretty hard for that to happen though.

The reality is, if you haven't tried them out, you don't know that you need to plug them yet Try them without first and see how it goes.

 

[Jimz711]

I'd save a little more and get a 709 or 809. They are made better and more power.

The hardest part about any of these purchases is how much to spend. The 515 is on sale so the 515 plus the price of a 5.0 Pioneer system is roughly the same as the 709.

If I did move up to the 709, I'm sure that would bring other manufacturers into the discussion also, life is never easy. I probably should just set a dollar amount I want to spend and work from there.

 

[j_garcia]

The hardest part about any of these purchases is how much to spend. The 515 is on sale so the 515 plus the price of a 5.0 Pioneer system is roughly the same as the 709.

If I did move up to the 709, I'm sure that would bring other manufacturers into the discussion also, life is never easy. I probably should just set a dollar amount I want to spend and work from there.

Yes you should set the budget. You can also consider dropping one pair of speakers if that gets you to the better receiver, then add those speakers later.

 

[Jimz711]

Yes you should set the budget. You can also consider dropping one pair of speakers if that gets you to the better receiver, then add those speakers later.

Since my original plan was just to replace my malfunctioning sub, I never thought I needed a budget then I stumbled onto the reviews for the Pioneer speakers, then I thought it would be nice to add a receiver especially when I saw the 515 on sale for 300. For a receiver from a well respected brand that is above entry level and at $300 it seemed a no brainer. I do have a Harman 247 so I'm not by any means desperate for a receiver, just the 515 seems like a step up and does seem to have more power especially for music. I'm not sure how honest Onkyo is on their power ratings like the Harman is a true 50 watts. So things have added up rather quickly, but again if these Pioneers live up to the hype I'll be quite happy.

I can spend more money, but it just seems like a really good deal to get a 5.0 system with tower fronts, a mid level receiver and spend around 700.

Not to shoot down anyone's advice it's great to get more perspective, and I really wasn't too keen on tower speakers for 100 each, all the talk here has convinced me that I need to get them home and test them for a month. I should be making a move with at least the speakers by next week, I've been on an extended family visit and will be getting back home sometime in the next week and I'm rather excited to try these speakers. I have a JBL 12 inch sub, I think it is the Venue series so no means top of the line but it is sitting here and my parents won't use it so for free it's worth a try.

 

[j_garcia]

Since price isn't the limiting factor, I would at least try to audition other speakers in a shop if possible (not BB ) and see what you think. Speakers are one of those things that different people have different tastes in what sounds good to them. Everyone listens to different things and no two rooms are the same, so there are a LOT of factors. These speakers are a bit warm and laid back, so they may not be to everyone's liking. You can definitely spend more than these and get better speakers, but I think you'll have be spending a fair amount more than these to improve on them.

IMO, you are better off sticking with the 247 as opposed to the 515; the H/K is a better receiver. It probably isn't comparable power wise to the 70x or 80x from Onkyo, but otherwise is a good receiver. I'd start with the speakers and upgrade the receiver later. In terms of how much power they need, unless you have a large room, I think the 247 should be able to handle them and I don't think the 515 would have been an improvement in that department either. I have my BS22s running full range on a 30W "executive" system right now and they still impress me.

While the original review started with the towers, the line was all designed by the same guy and they should all be comparably good.

 

[Jimz711]

I can do shops, but most of them near me or at least the ones that I know of are fairly high end, by appointment only type shops. Like I said, I don't really know much about Onkyo so I'll stick with the HK. If I start auditioning at shops I get the feeling I'll end up spending quite a bit more and maybe get not much more in terms of quality back unless it's an awful lot more. So I'm thinking the best bet might be to take the Pioneer's home and if I like them, I'll stay away from shops and avoid temptation. I don't want to be the guy that is just never satisfied. If I feel something is missing I think you are definitely correct and I need to hit the local shops.

I have to say I've never heard many Polk speakers, but I found a refurbished soundbar for the bedroom and I hear lows on it that I hear on basically no other system, although most people seem to think the Pioneers are much better than the Polk Monitors. Most of the shops near me would not carry the monitor series and I just do not want to have to deal with restocking fees and return shipping on cheaper speakers, or I'd also consider the monitor series.

If I hadn't moved and taken an apartment I'd be looking at more expensive speakers, I'd probably be considering the newer KEF Q series towers since the dipole surrounds I have are quite good.

 

[ahblaza]

Is it OK to plug the rear ports on the 52FS? I'll be having them somewhat close to the wall (6" or so), and am wondering how performance will be affected.

Like it's been said, six inches will about cover the port diameter with a bit of toe-in crossed over at 80Hz, I don't think the plugs would be necessary, and you will be defeating the design parameters of these otherwise excellent sounding speakers, just my thoughts, as far as the 52's being shorter than conventional two driver cabs, it is not relevant due to the very good vertical dispersion of the 52's.
Cheers Jeff

 

[ahblaza]

My man, if and when I talk with John (j_garcia) about the UMC-200 and he convinces me that it is a good deal, I will sell you an Onkyo 709, six months old, amps rarely used for $400 delivered.

 

[mgeoffriau]

Listened all the way through Rush's Moving Pictures tonight. Really, really pleased with these speakers.

 

[Jimz711]

If I can get Best Buy to match Tigerdirect, I'll probably be picking up 5.0 set on Monday or Tuesday. I was looking into the Klipsch W series from Newegg they had some tremendous prices, but I'm going to stick with auditioning the Pioneers.

 

[PENG]

it appears that the hype about these speakers got to Pioneer's and Best Buy's ears because the prices just went up suddenly.

Nicely said, it is probably mostly just "hype". Remember the saying, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is"

First it was the Infinity P36X (I bought a pair too), then the Andrew Jones Pioneer, and now the Dayton. it just shows how much people believe in those Stereophile reviews and graphs. In the case of Dayton, I would bet it definitely is too good to be true, especially after reading the quick review by Dennis.

 

[j_garcia]

I have the P163s and I am not displeased with them at all. I have the BS22s and I really do like them too, so while there is a lot of hype surrounding these particular speakers, it isn't entirely unfounded.

 

[PENG]

I have the P163s and I am not displeased with them at all. I have the BS22s and I really do like them too, so while there is a lot of hype surrounding these particular speakers, it isn't entirely unfounded.

Don't get me wrong, I do think they are good speakers at those prices. By hype, I simply meant some of the things I read, might have convinced people that they would sound much better than they really do. I bought the P362 base on reviews and published graphs thinking that there may be an outside chance that while inexpensive, they could sound better than my 25 years old Energy speakers, but found out that was too good to be true. I gave them away eventually and the 25 year old ones stay.

Just curious, you used to own some LSI 7 right? How would you compare the P163 and BS22 to them just on overall sound quality (I'm aware of the price difference)?

 

[j_garcia]

Just curious, you used to own some LSI 7 right? How would you compare the P163 and BS22 to them just on overall sound quality (I'm aware of the price difference)?

It has been a while since I owned the LSi7s but I do recall quite clearly loving the tweeter and being less than impressed with the midrange. The speakers frustrated me because the tweeters were so good that I really wanted to like them so I just loved and hated them at the same time. GREAT cabinets, looked great, but it comes down to the sound and I ended up selling them within a year. I spent quite a bit of time with them, so I feel it is safe to say I knew them well.

The tweeter on the BS22s isn't as "airy" as the Vifa RR on the LSis (or my GRs for that matter), but it is good. I feel the tweeter is almost too dialed back and could be a bit more forward IMHO and that might make these speakers even a little bit better. That's just my opinion, but they are still pleasing as is. I didn't want to trust all the uproar about these speakers either despite the fact that I do not really doubt most of the reviewers here, but I had to buy a pair and really hear for myself. As I said in my review earlier, I do feel the BS22s are good, but they are not going to replace my current main speakers either.

 

[j_garcia]

Just spent about an hour with the BS22s on the XPA-3 in the main system (UMC-200 set to flat, 83SE via analog, 80hz x-over). In this setup, the tweeters actually seem to be a bit more balanced. I tried some of my favorite SACDs (Patricia Barber - Companion, Jazz at the Pawnshop) and a few CDs and they really do sound good. Up against my upgraded A/V-2s, they fall a little further behind in terms of depth than my unmodified pair at the other house and that is not a big surprise (there's a reason I've kept the A/V-2s for so many years ). Not entirely sure why they sound that way in this setup, or maybe it is just because this system is more heavily slanted toward music listening than the other. The other room is much larger and has a lower ceiling than this room and I sit a few feet farther away in that room. Regardless, these things still sound great. They hold up very well even when cranked pretty hard with the XPA. If I were in a position where I had to have just a pair of these in a simple sysetm or if I were putting together a budget stereo system for someone, these would be my first choice.

 

[PENG]

Just spent about an hour with the BS22s on the XPA-3 in the main system (UMC-200 set to flat, 83SE via analog, 80hz x-over). In this setup, the tweeters actually seem to be a bit more balanced. I tried some of my favorite SACDs (Patricia Barber - Companion, Jazz at the Pawnshop) and a few CDs and they really do sound good. Up against my upgraded A/V-2s, they fall a little further behind in terms of depth than my unmodified pair at the other house and that is not a big surprise (there's a reason I've kept the A/V-2s for so many years ). Not entirely sure why they sound that way in this setup, or maybe it is just because this system is more heavily slanted toward music listening than the other. The other room is much larger and has a lower ceiling than this room and I sit a few feet farther away in that room. Regardless, these things still sound great. They hold up very well even when cranked pretty hard with the XPA. If I were in a position where I had to have just a pair of these in a simple sysetm or if I were putting together a budget stereo system for someone, these would be my first choice.

I found my P362 held up very well as with the Patrician Barber kind of jazz but fell apart with well recorded SACD classicals or any of my Telarc classical CDs that have large orchestral contents such as symphonies, concertos and overtures, e.g. 1812. It may not be a fair challenge but can you try them out with large orchestral classical music? Thanks in advance if you can do it.