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

Hooked up the subs for stereo:

http://cdn.head-fi.org/e/ef/ef9a0a7a_IMG_20120318_210837.jpeg

 

my review of the BS21s:

Speakers at any price point are always a matter of trade-offs, and the lesser the budget, the more compromises the designer has to make. Designed by Andrew Jones of TAD fame, the Pioneer SP-BS21-LR is a compact rear-ported mini-monitor utilizing a 1" soft dome tweeter and a small 4" woofer. According to online resources, Jones tried to maximize the sonic results with a custom cabinet, a multi-component crossover design, and OEM drivers. Efficiency is an extremely low 84dB, meaning some good solid-state amplification may be the best thing around when driving these speakers. Prices for the pair range from $49 or more, depending on the vendor. This is hardly the dollar amount that audiophile wonders are made out of, but more on this later.

Small stands or placement on a large bookshelf would be suggested. I use mine sitting on a table in a small recording studio, suitable for playback while playing synth, or for monitoring mix-downs. I basically wanted something cheap, fairly neutral - or at least with a coloration that was easy to hear around - and enough toughness to handle a sudden sonic overload. The SB21s delivered this at a price point that made my wallet breathe a sigh of relief. Using the Dun Mei LM3886 amplifier, sonics for mix-downs was surprisingly good, sounding much like my Sennheiser 570 headpones. The treble was smooth, the midrange fairly good, and the bass had a nice growl. I was curious enough to give these a listen with some more serious amplification.

I pulled out a B&K ST-140 down from the shelf. Preamp duty was done by my retired Audio Research SP-7. Signal source was a Sony SCD-CE595 SACD player. Wiring was Belden interconnects and Canare speaker wire. Hardly a upscale system, but better than your average receiver.

First up was a SACD - David Bowie's Scary Monsters - a classic 1980 gem that was the last burst of Bowie's creativity before his plummet to more pedestrian pop. Through the Pioneer Speakers, the sound was quite dynamic with good (for the speaker size) bass definition. It is also clean and with an easy, non-aggressive treble. Soundstaging depth is fairly flat, but left-to-right sound placement was quite good. Sure, the sonic results weren't close to my Magnepans or even my lowly KEF speakers, but any problems were sins of omission. Some detail was missing and the more dynamic parts of the music were slightly congested, with a bit of wooden chestiness. There was also some minor 'blurriness' to the images, but I've heard much worse at higher price points. A few more discs later, and my thoughts were extremely positive about this speaker. Sonically it reminded me of some older Dynaudio kit speakers I once owned in college, or even of some older Wharfedale Diamond Vs.

When I finally came upstairs, I mentioned to my wife that I was listening to the Pioneer speakers. She looked surprised, commenting that she could feel the bass coming through the floor. She thought I had been listening to the Magnepans! Not bad at all for just a 4" woofer.

So highly recommended - but within their limitations. A perfect dorm or teenage speaker, it will also work well for a second system. I would also recommend some amplification that can deliver some current, since the low-efficiency will eat up power.

 

^ great review!

BTW their low efficiency is something shared by many much more expensive speakers, and something I've noticed seems to go hand in hand with increased accuracy (to get rid of or at least minimize unwanted sonic anomalies like large frequency dips & bumps and other sonic uglies requires certain coatings & construction materials for the domes and cones and/or additional components in the crossover network - all these things use up X amount of power sent from the amplifier).

But in particular, to produce that much bass from such a small driver also uses up its share of power - see Hoffman's Iron Law for more on this:

 

I was just at newegg.com looking at the reviews of the Pioneers, and saw comments about the Polk Audio Monitor series (50, 60, 70). Does anyone have any information about the Polks? I know this is a Pioneer speaker thread, but wanted to get some input from folks who've listened to or tried the Polks.

 

I have a pair of the Polk Monitor 40 Series II speakers. When they go on sale at Newegg which they do constantly you can get them for $119 a pair with free shipping. I think they sound terrific and so do almost all of the reviews for them.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290203

 

I had Polks of many kinds in the past but the most recent was , I forget the number rti 38 or something and I thought they sounded great and when I got an itch for more buotique speakers I got BW 602 S3 speakers to replace the Polks and the improvement was subtle but not earth shattering. The Polks didnt bloom sort of speak like the BWs but were solid performers that could fill a large room, with a good reciever, with sound that was great for movies and most electronic music. Years ago I had the Polks sda1A which were really my first true audiophile speaker. Maybe my KLH 17s from the mid 70s were real hi-end, im not sure.

I want small speaker to go with my NAD t773 receiver in my bedroom so the Pioneers got me curious. I know the Polks wont disappoint though. Both are very good choices from what little ive read. Take care, John M.

 

I was so close to getting the Monitor 40 Series II, especially after seeing them here.

 

IMO Polks in general but especially the ones sold alongside the Pioneers at Best Buy, are polar opposites as far as "sonic personality". Polks to my ears are analytical, very bright, they lack the relatively "rich" and extended bass of equivalently-sized Pioneers and with certain modern overcompressed music recordings, quite grainy/harsh - put all these attributes together & they are nearly unlistenable to my ears (but they are much more efficient, so this can be a plus for those with lower-power receivers or large rooms). They do well with movie soundtracks though, especially reproducing SFX.....which actually can be said of most other speakers around this, and sometimes higher, price point.

 

The Pioneer speakers are on sale at newegg.com again

 

At this price, I can't see how I can lose. I have one son in college and another leaving this fall, and I'm always giving them my extra stuff for their systems.

 

Thanks for the tip.

 

Under $60. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...f_=sr_1_1&s=electronics&qid=1332694057&sr=1-1

 

well, my old man's 90s-era Genesis Genre I speakers suffered from foam rot and what seems to be a blown VC. I suggested a pair of Pioneer tower speakers from Newegg. He was surprised I was suggesting a $149 speaker, but we'll see how he likes 'em. Being 70 now - and years of running a chainsaw and driving long distance - his hearing isn't what it used to be, but he still has a good ear for vocals. He used to direct choral groups - I hope he will be pleased.

 

I was looking the latest Stereophile "Recommended Components" list and it confirmed that the BS41 has been discontinued. I wonder why Pioneer do that? I'd think it's a relatively successful product but it basically just came and went in about 18 months.

 

Newegg has the Pioneer SP-BS21's on sale for the rest of today for just $49.99. Free shipping.

Promo Code EMCNFND55

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405

 

I got the BS21's from Newegg today. My question is this? How can a pair of speakers costing $49 sound better than other speakers I've had costing 10 times more? Incredibly they do.

 

Right? I hooked my pair up a few days ago and I'm still in shock at what comes out of those little boxes!

 

I'm getting tighter cleaner bass out of the 21's little 4 inch woofer then I do with other 5 and 6 inch woofers.

 

Looks like the 41s might have been on sale again. I just looked at them last night and they were in stock, regular price. Today, gone.

21s are $59.99/free shipping through 4/12.

 

All the 41's I"ve seen have been around $149 with about $20 shipping.The only difference between the 21's and 41's is a slightly larger woofer (5 inch) on the 41's. But the 41's are over 3x times the cost of the 21's.

 

I just bought a set of the BS21 open box off newegg for $40/free shipping. Don't see how I could have possibly gone wrong. Look forward to hearing these after all the reviews. They may only end up in the garage, but I spend a fair amount of time there.

 

From the avsforum.com thread, I see that some FS51 owners are stacking them....

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=21895035#post21895035

 

Did anyone else purchase a pair of the BS21's from Newegg?

 

I picked up a pair a couple weeks ago for $49.99. I'm using them at my computer desk with an old Denon receiver and Polk subwoofer. So far I'm liking them a lot.

 

The Pioneer BS21's are on sale at Newegg for $59.99 with free shipping. I've had these now since Tuesday and they are the best sounding speakers I've ever had. I've had speakers costing 10x as much as the Pioneers and they sounded no better than the little Pioneers do. Of course maybe my hearing is totally shot too so who knows?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117405