Pioneer SP-FS52 vs Infinity Primus P363

[the machine]

I've done a bit of research on the web and have found differing opinions on which speaker people like more. Tweeter seems to be better in the Pioneer, build seems to be better in the Infinity. Infinity has more bass, Pioneer seems clearer.

Ok so I'm curious which one is better all around, but the caveat is that I'm not just looking to compare the towers. If I go Pioneer, I will get the matching SP-C22, Infinity will be PC-351. I will also match the bookshelf speakers for rears, and in time likely buy two more towers to complete a 7.1 or 7.2 set up dependent on the receiver I choose. I know this isn't the form for receivers but any opinion on which would be best between Denon AVR-1913, and Denon AVR-3313cl. I'm not sure if the double price difference is worth it between the two, and how would each of the two receivers do with powering either system.

Thanks

 

[the machine]

And on the receiver, I looked at the comparison of the two at best buy and it said watts per channel was 125 on each receiver. I think this may be wrong according to the Denon website. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[shadyJ]

I think the pioneers may sound better at lower volumes, but I think the Infinitys might be better for louder levels of listening. The Primus c351 certainly looks a lot more capable than the Pioneer center.

 

[the machine]

I agree shady, the c351 definitely looks like a better speaker all around. In fact I like the look of all the Infinity speakers better. However sound is not created by looks.

 

[shadyJ]

If you have a Fry's near you, the P363 is on sale this week for $117 each. That is a great deal.

 

[the machine]

There are no fry's near me. I'm in Connecticut. I'd go and try them out but no one has the speakers around here. Any suggestions on the receiver and how it would work with either of the two speaker set ups?

 

[KEW]

I think the pioneers may sound better at lower volumes, but I think the Infinitys might be better for louder levels of listening.

What is your basis for this statement?
IME, the PIOs do fine at volume and the P363's loose composure due to too much cabinet resonance.
A simple knuckle rap on the cabinets will support this.
If they were the same price, I would still go with the Pioneers.

However, I have not heard the centers. I assume it has the same drivers and sounds like the towers or bookshelves.

 

[monkish54]

I think the Pioneers are better overall.

The Infinity has that intentional top end sizzle that we all just love

The Pioneers have a bit of breakup in the top end, but it isn't fatiguing due to the damping properties of the soft dome.

 

[zieglj01]

The Pioneer speakers do not easily burp - and can take the power - and the tweeter is nice.

 

[shadyJ]

What is your basis for this statement?
IME, the PIOs do fine at volume and the P363's loose composure due to too much cabinet resonance.

However, I have not heard the centers. I assume it has the same drivers and sounds like the towers or bookshelves.

The Infinitys have larger woofer, higher sensitivity, and greater max power recommendation. I know audioholics found the Infinitys to over rate their sensitivity, but it is still higher than the Pioneers. Going from the specs and an adjusted sensitivity of 90 dB, at 1 m the Primus should be able to hit 113.8 dB where the Pios would max out at 108.9. If I had a larger room or was trying to get as close to reference listening as possible, I would go for the Infinitys.

 

[Alex2507]

... the P363's loose composure due to too much cabinet resonance.
A simple knuckle rap on the cabinets will support this.

The cabinet resonance and maybe the rattle of the magnetic shields spoil the sound of the 36x Primus speakers at volume. Going loud with quality always takes money.

However, I have not heard the centers. I assume it has the same drivers and sounds like the towers or bookshelves.

The centers only share the same tweeter. The 4" mid from the 36x is missing in the centers which use 5.25" woofers. Also the centers are sealed as opposed to the ported towers. I'm sure they sound similar enough but the PC351 that I had really came into it's own at above normal TV listening levels. Playing concert DVDs with multi channel mixes never seemed to be a problem. Mine was stuffed with a little rigid insulation and had the magnetic shields glued up so that might have helped it.

As much as I liked my Infinity set up, I have never heard the Pioneers and having met Kurt who has heard both, I trust what he says on this topic.

 

[j_garcia]

The Infinitys have larger woofer, higher sensitivity, and greater max power recommendation. I know audioholics found the Infinitys to over rate their sensitivity, but it is still higher than the Pioneers. Going from the specs and an adjusted sensitivity of 90 dB, at 1 m the Primus should be able to hit 113.8 dB where the Pios would max out at 108.9. If I had a larger room or was trying to get as close to reference listening as possible, I would go for the Infinitys.

I don't think the average person buying speakers in this price bracket is really considering getting to reference levels as part of their criteria. I have P163s and feel they are a good speaker. I have the BS22LRs and feel they are a better speaker than the P163 and both were the same price. I had no issues with either of them at volume in my room, but I have only heard the P363s in a Frys, not in my own system. The P163 seemed better suited to certain types of music and yes they do have a little "sparkle" up top, but not so much that I found it fatiguing even listening for hours. The BS22s sound good with everything.

 

[the machine]

This setup (in case it sways anyone's opinions) will hardly be used for music. It will be almost always used for TV and movies. All my music is stored on my PC and I recently picked up Klipsch Promedia 2.1 setup (cheaper than monitors for the time being and sound pretty damn good for the price). Just looking to upgrade my Polk RM4650 5.1 setup. Thanks for all the info thus far.

If anyone can weigh in on the Denon receivers I mentioned in the OP and how they might pair with either setup, it would be much appreciated.

 

[PENG]

This setup (in case it sways anyone's opinions) will hardly be used for music. It will be almost always used for TV and movies. All my music is stored on my PC and I recently picked up Klipsch Promedia 2.1 setup (cheaper than monitors for the time being and sound pretty damn good for the price). Just looking to upgrade my Polk RM4650 5.1 setup. Thanks for all the info thus far.

If anyone can weigh in on the Denon receivers I mentioned in the OP and how they might pair with either setup, it would be much appreciated.

I doubt it would make much difference in sound quality if at all audible. The 3313 obviously has more features and has room to grow because it has MCH preouts for external power amps.

 

[the machine]

Do they have the same wattage output per channel?

 

[PENG]

Do they have the same wattage output per channel?

No, the 3313 has about 40% higher output, that is about 1.5 dB, not very significant.

 

[the machine]

Thanks PENG. So would you say both receivers would be good to run a 5.1-7.2 speaker setup either Pioneers or Infinity mentioned ITT?

I've read a bit about the Infinity's being 4 ohm and possible strain on mid range AVR's. Would the 1913 be sufficient?

 

[PENG]

Thanks PENG. So would you say both receivers would be good to run a 5.1-7.2 speaker setup either Pioneers or Infinity mentioned ITT?

I've read a bit about the Infinity's being 4 ohm and possible strain on mid range AVR's. Would the 1913 be sufficient?

Which infinity model? The 1913 should be fine for the p363 in small to medium size room but of course the 3313 would be better.

 

[lsiberian]

I've heard good things about the pioneers and honestly the infinity tweeter is not my favorite thing. I doubt resonance is that different between the two and both could certainly use a little extra on the inside, but for the price you get a very solid speaker either way. I love infinity and trust their products. Since my friends are simple people they need to know a safe brand so I tell them Infinity to make things easy. That said the Pioneer probably has a better tweeter.

 

[KEW]

I doubt resonance is that different between the two and both could certainly use a little extra on the inside, but for the price you get a very solid speaker either way.

You should look at and test these speakers side-by-side.

First off, you would see how much larger the panels of the Infinity speakers are. Infinity = 16.8 x 12 x 43 inches. Pioneer = 10.6 x 8.9 x 35.2 inches. In percent less in each direction - 58.5 X 34.8 X 22.2 percent. And that does not consider that the pioneers are only 5" across in the back (thanks to the curvature).

Second you would see the curved cabinets of the pioneers. Having watched the video interview of Andrew Jones, he talks about how happy he was when they realized they had such high volume that they could manufacture the curved cabinet for next to nothing over straight cabinets. The curvature makes the cabinets much more rigid along the height direction.

For me, the Infinity goes sloppy at volume. The Pioneer stays tight. I believe any speaker could always use more bracing (short of reducing internal volume too much), but I really don't think you would gain much by adding bracing to the Pioneer. It has been established that adding bracing to the Infinity will make significant improvements.

The Infinity has always been a good recommendation for the cost, but you should check out the Pioneer. There may be other points to argue for the Infinity, but I can assure you that resonance is not one of them.