Hardware Review Pioneer Andrew Jones 5.1 Speaker System Review (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Ya know, I off-handedly mentioned a "listening party" a few posts back.

I actually do that once in a while. There are people I work with who are musicians (in that they play in bands or solo gigs on the local music scene) and I have brought them home on lunch hours and we just have a blast as I expose them to some of the high-rez titles in my collection. I've also done this with non-musicians who just appreciate music a great deal. It's a fun way to make music listening a communal experience (outside of attending a local concert) and a great way to show off those new speakers!

I have a very low-end 5.1 system with Polk speakers...but it still does a nice job with my high-rez material and the bottom line is we all end up having a good time and it's fun to let the guests pick the tunes.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Mike, I think that's definitely in the cards -- I used to do that kind of thing with friends and roommates regularly during my years in Boston. (Also had a lot of musicians in my circle then.) We'd also do different theme nights. For instance, one popular one was for great "Side 1, Track 1" songs, and everyone would get three choices before switching turns.

I love listening and watching to stuff solo as much as or more than most, but I still really appreciate the opportunity to share the stuff I love with people, and picking up some new favorites along the way. If you lived closer I'd say stop by -- and if you find yourself in the NYC area in the future, please feel free to

I'd post pictures of the rough setup, but I've been given a friendly warning that there will be no apartment photos until the rest of the place looks presentable. Right now we've got those new beautiful speakers and the AVR and TV on one side of the living room, and it looks pristine and spotless... and then all you have to do is turn your head slightly, and it's a disaster zone all around as we unpack

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Absolutely loving the towers for playing vinyl!

 

[schan1269]

Some worthwhile hints...With Onkyo, I would set the towers to 60(just me), the center at 80. Surrounds at 100. I know Pio says the bookshelves play lower...not buying it.Direct bypasses bass management. So, a 2.0 source plays on 2. A 5.1 plays 5.1.There are soundtracks that will outrun the capabilities of those bookshelves on direct.I ran The Guillotines via preouts to a Kenwood M2A for the 4/5 and 6/7 speakers only and ran a crossover to a powered sub and the amp.The Guillotines has 16hz bass in 4/5 and 6/7.So...use direct judiciously on 5.1 material.

 

[Wayne_j]

Some worthwhile hints...With Onkyo,I would set the towers to 60(just me), the center at 80. Surrounds at 100. I know Pio says the bookshelves play lower...not buying it.

The measured frequency response graph done by stereophile on the bookshelves show the -3dB point to be at around 65hz. I find Pioneers specs to generally be right on.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/pioneer-sp-bs22-lr-loudspeaker-measurements

Edited to add:

From Sound and Vision's review:
http://www.soundandvision.com/content/pioneer-sp-bs22-lr-speaker-system-ht-labs-measures

"The –3-dB point is at 63 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 59 Hz."

 

[schan1269]

Yeah, I read that StereoPhile review ages ago.Still don't believe a 4" woofer (reliably) gets there.Also, there is a difference between a "noise graph" and "what sounds good".Also...The Pio AJ does what the Paradigm Atom Monitor and Totem Kin Mini can't do???

 

[John Garcia]

Having owned them, they don't have "full" bass, but they definitely go a lot lower than the midbass driver size suggests. This is a case where judging a book by its driver is a mistake, and YES, it can do what those don't.

 

[zoenphlux]

How do these compare the Polk TSx line, and the Polk RTi line?

I have been looking for a set of bookshelves to do a 2.0(possibly 2.1) setup for music at my computer. I had a Klipsch promedia 4.1 set that died, and have been disappointed trying to find a comparible setup ever since. I decided the only thing left is go the proper route. I plan to get a Marantz, or Denon receiver, and some higher end bookshelf speakers.

The speakers I've been considering are the Polk line, as well as Klipsch. I have a Jamo S 406 5.0 setup my wife got me on clearance for 199$ a few years back to replace the yamaha HTiB setup I had. Kept the sub to save money. They were a big improvement, but my dad has some 10-12 yr old Polks that still sound better then the Jamos. They end up being my reference set. That's why I keep going back to polk.

Will the pioneers be a worthy upgrade from the Jamos, and will the bookshelves be close to the Polks? Walmart has the bookshelves for 79 right now. Might pick them up.

I appreciate any advice.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I have no idea how these measure up to other systems - it's my first real surround setup - but I'm really happy with how the bookshelf speakers sound with the rest of the system. (Sorry, I realize that's probably not very helpful in answering your question)

 

[John Garcia]

The walmart deal is over and was a good deal. These are better than the TSX line IMO, but the RTiA line is probably a bit better, though not enough better for the price I'd say. You'd have to listen to them yourself and make that decision.

Polk today is not the same as it was 10-15 years ago, and basically their best speakers are definitely their older ones. The SDAs and old Monitor lines were excellent speakers. Today, they're just average to me.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

So I've had this system set up for a few weeks now.

I was pretty happy with it, but it seemed like overkill for watching movies on my 50" LG plasma -- and there was the pesky sync issue. I think I fixed it, but mentally I was always looking at every word and every lip movement. But more importantly, even with that straightened out, I found that I preferred using the TV speakers for watching TV. For better or worse, the built in TV speakers made it sound as if the sound was coming from the TV, which seemed right. Using the surround sound system made the sound seem almost independent from the picture in a weird way. (This has probably got to be all in my head. I wonder if this is just me being used to years of hearing audio through TV speakers, or if I'm in general not hugely into surround. Might be a little bit of both.)

Loved the system for playing music -- in playing around with the different settings, I saw there were options to have the stereo signal play through all of the speakers, but I think I actually liked the sound of the stereo music just playing through the left and right front towers better.

Anyhow, my projector and screen were finally set up this week on Wednesday, and what a difference that made. Whereas using surround sound with the TV just seemed like too much, with the projector, it was perfect. I watched "Gravity" in 3D last night, and the sound was incredible.

 

[NAAITM]

Hi Doug and all others participating in this forum

I decided to purchase a few Home Theater components over the past few months based on blind faith (i.e. using the reviews & opinions of others on the internet without ever listening in store). As a complete Newbie I decided this was the best approach.

This is what I have purchased with and now it is time to unpack and set-up my Home Theatre:
1. Pioneer SP-PK52FS Andrew Jones 5.1 Speaker Package
a. The Subwoofer I received is slightly different – Pioneer S-31W 160 W Active http://www.pioneer-mea.com/en/productview.php?proId=554&subId=89&catId=46&m=feature
2. Yamaha RX-V673 7.2-Channel Network AV Receiver
3. HDMI OUT to Samsung UA55F6400 LED 55 Inch Smart TV
4. The HDMI INs will be a Sony PS3, Apple TV & DSTV Explorer Decoder for Satellite TV in South Africa ?(also have a Samsung Blu-ray Player BD-P1600 if Blu-ray sound playback issues with Sony PS3)
I have a few queries on speaker cable, sub cable etc… basically if I stick with what I have reflected below will Pioneer Speaker package be OK or do I need better quality speaker cable?
1. 2 Rear Bookshelf Speakers and 2 Outdoor Patio Speakers
a. The previous owner of the house has already run basic twin copper cables in conduit to the rear wall – no messy wires
2. Front and Centre Speakers – 16awg wire
3. Subwoofer – One of the RG59 or RG6 compliant RCA cables I already have

Lastly are these a good value for money for a Covered Outdoor Patio? Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers (white) for $102?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00378KMEG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

PS: Before anyone asks "NAAITM = Nick An Audiophile In The Making"


Kind Regards

Nick

 

[schan1269]

16awg is fine. I prefer "as big as will fit"(meaning 12 or 14).Yep, sub, composite(yellow) and digital coax are all the same cable.The wire in the conduit...hopefully it is at least 16. If not, re-fish it with 16(or bigger).

 

[schan1269]

As for the Atrium 4. I'd get the Atrium 5. There are reviews stating the typical mounting situation renders the 4 with a low end frequency response around 120. The 5, if mounted the same, should still pull off 80.

 

[John Garcia]

12 is probably overkill, but 14 should be fine for wire.

For the Atriums, the 4 is rated at 75Hz, which is likely OK for outside. You don't get a lot of reinforcement bass wise being outside, so the 5 might be a better choice.

 

[Al.Anderson]

I think the speaker wire gauge thing has gotten a little out of hand. For short runs 22 gauge is fine. (Yeah, I know, blasphemy! But that was the manufacturer's recommended gauge for my first amp - H/K A402 - back in 1978.) But the gauge depends on the length of the run and I couldn't find a layout. How long will the wire need to be?

 

[schan1269]

How much more expensive is 12 over 16?I buy bulk 1000' rolls though.HK, in 78, still had screws for the speakers...didn't they?

 

[gene c]

I just bought two more 250 ft spools of 14/2 CL-2 rated wire off ebay ($30 each shipped) to hand out when I sell speakers on CL (people love getting things for free).

14 gauge is the perfect "bigger then I need, but still not more $$$ then I want to spend" wire.

Do whatever makes you feel good.

But, the discussion will go on and on...

 

[Dr Griffin]

Doug, I still have my Mirage M5si speakers and Nakamichi cassette deck. All are still in use and going strong.

 

[John Garcia]

I just bought two more 250 ft spools of 14/2 CL-2 rated wire off ebay ($30 each shipped) to hand out when I sell speakers on CL (people love getting things for free).

14 gauge is the perfect "bigger then I need, but still not more $$$ then I want to spend" wire.

Do whatever makes you feel good.

But, the discussion will go on and on...

The discussion really doesn't need to go beyond this:

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#wiretable