Would you buy a pair of "giant killer" bookshelf speakers from Pioneer?

Glad I stopped in here today! I saw the review of these in Stereophile and was interested, but at this price from newegg it's a no-brainer as someone else said above.

 

I really like my setup that I have with my home theater. This, combined with the Oppo BDP-93, the Yamaha RX-V67 and a nice Panasonic Plasma TV has brought me many hours of enjoyment already

 

Thanks Gardo for the links.

Soundboy: I actually remember those, and found them almost accidently while looking around Pioneer's site looking for something else - it almost felt like Pioneer was trying to hide them. Grill looks a little funky but that particular driver system i.e. an 8" woofer + tweeter, is one of my favorites because it can produce some pretty beefy bass for rock/pop and still generate believable midrange frequencies, pretty much any receiver or integrated can drive easily drive it, plus it's not too large.

 

Unfortunately, companies like Pioneer and Sony don't get recognited when they come up with inexpensive, yet good sounding, speakers. Pioneer's current Andrew Jones speaker series is an exception. Several years back, Sony's SS-KX0ED series was completely ignored by the hi-fi press, saved for this Positive Feedback review of the SS-K70ED floorstanding speaker....which may have been the inspiration for the Pioneer/Andrew Jones speakers.

 

I had the big brother SSK-90EDs. A tweeter blew in one, I wish it hadn't. I liked those speakers. But they weren't budget speakers. The 90EDs sold for $800 a pair, the 70s for $600. The price in the review is a clearance price.

They were step downs from the highly regarded (at least by some) and much more expensive SSX series. Same drivers, different cabinet (much better on the SSXs)

I have the SSF6000s now. Not the last word in speakers but at $200 a pair do the job just fine (4 way with dual 6.5 woofers). From what I heard the internal stuff like the crossover is a step up from previous models in the SSF series.

 

Noted....but like the review mentioned, the Sony name (or the Pioneer name) probably drove people away even though they may not heard the speakers themselves.

I have heard good things about the current Sony SS-F line....particularly the 7000 model. We even have a thread about it here. But they don't get any notices from the hi-fi press either.

 

Last night of the NewEgg sale. I just bought two subs for $160 shipped.

 

+1

Mine arrived today - 24 hours after ordering!

I just ordered the subwoofer for $80. Even though the date is technically 3/9, the code still worked at this hour.

These speakers are a nice upgrade to my office system.

 

My wife wants me to get rid of the speaker stands that I have my old Polk RTI28's on. I was hoping to get a nice pair of floor standing Focal, B&W, etc eventually. I wonder how the Pioneer floor standers would compare to my current Polks?

 

Anyone replaced a pair of Polks with the Pioneers?

 

Has anyone compared the BS21 with the BS41? I see that the New Egg sale is on until 3/11 and I'm considering picking up a pair to use for surround speakers.

 

sw-8, c21, and bs41 measurements, and review:

http://www.hometheater.com/content/pioneer-sp-bs41-lr-speaker-system-ht-labs-measures

 

I was tempted at BB to pull the trigger on the floorstanders, but something told me not to. I may look for a used pair of higher end speakers until I can afford a new, high end pair.

 

Everything I've read about these speakers is true. They sound great and were ridiculously priced! I'm super happy with my purchase and recommend them to a low budget audiophile like myself.

I was skeptical when reading that I would no longer need my sub with these speakers.... But they do have a great low end. I'm convinced. I think the sub would round out the sound of these a bit, but definitely not needed....

Good stuff. My RHCP BSSM Vinyl was rocking last night.

Let me know if Newegg runs this sale again, as I already have sold several pairs to non-believers!!!

 

I have the X-sub from AVS123 that was essential with my Polk RTi4 but not so much with these. I dialed it back quite a bit but still have it on for just a bit of extra support. I might turn it off eventually though.

I'm looking forward to getting my vintage Yamaha integrated repaired. It has a cleaner, more powerful sound than the Marantz MR255 I'm using now, as well as a much better phono section. I think these speakers will really sing with that one. Otherwise I still love the sound they make. Amazing for the price, absolutely amazing.

dan c

 

I got the SW-8 during the half-price sale at NewEgg and have it hooked up to the .1 channel for movies. In my smallish room, the quantity and quality of bass in the 25-50hz octave is really quite impressive. Response rolls off pretty quickly after 30hz but there's still energy going on at 25 or even 20hz, judging by the sweep signals I've used. 80 bucks for this much extra oomph on movies is ridiculously underpriced, but I ain't complaining.

I may try the subwoofer with music at some point, but the bass on the FS51s is clean and quick down to about 40hz, with some energy even below that, and like Johnny Wong, I think they're great as is.

I'm glad to see some folks chiming in with their positive experiences. I continue to be amazed by these speakers. They do a great job on just about everything, but if you love piano, you've really got to hear these speakers. I keep looking for piano recordings just to get that extra thrill....

 

Well, I've put together my first modest surround system using all Pioneer components, and I'm loving it!
I'm using :

Pioneer Elite Universal player #DV-79AVi

Pioneer Elite VSX 84TXSi 7.1 Channel Receiver

Pioneer Andrew Jones Speaker Series:

Four Floorstanders SP-FS51's as my fronts AND rears
One Center SP-C21
One Sub-woofer SW-8

I bought four 24" stands for the floorstanders to raise them up to my usual "ear" height. Glad I did this!

The 2 floorstanders next to the windows are the rears, by the way.

My center is standing up on the fireplace mantle next to the tv monitor.

My dvd player and receiver are sitting on an upturned trunk until I buy a component rack, my next purchase.

I've never really had a good system, and certainly this is my first 5.1 setup.

The "sweet spot" in this room - on the bed or in the chair by my desk, it's all good!
I'm finally going to be able to enjoy all the surround and hi-res cds, dvd-a's, and sacd's that I've been collecting all these years.
Here's a few pics of my bedroom with the setup:

 

A few pics of the dvd player and receiver. Listening to Simple Mind's "New Gold Dream" dvd-a. Absolutely awesome.

That's Coco on my bed chillin' with me this afternoon.

 

Excellent DVD-A to check out the speakers with!

 

Someone else asked, so I thought I'd post it here - the speaker stands I'm using came from Vanns, a marketplace seller at Amazon.com. $36.98 a pair. Here's the link :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JQ5N/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details

 

I didn't think the 24" stands would work, but it looks like they do....wow!

 

Just the right height for sitting in my chair or lying on the bed for me. I don't think they would sound as good any lower.
I left the bases off the speakers and they're pretty sturdy, you'd have to bump into them pretty hard to knock them over. I might get some double-sided velcro strips to attach between the speaker and the stands if I need to, but I think I'll be OK.

 

The bookshelves (Pioneer SP-BS21-LR) are currently hooked up to my bedroom system.
Van Alstine Ultimate 70 tube poweramp and Hagerman Clarinet tube preamp, Pioneer Elite SACD player PD-D6-J.
Perhaps underpowered. I feel like they could use more power, but the mids are smooth.

 

$50/pair...yeah I can swing it.

 

Excellent photos.