Pioneer's "Whiskey Barrel Speakers" (really!) (1 Viewer)

[LanceJ]

Pioneer S-A4SPT-PM

From the above link:

 

[LanceJ]

Here's JVC's page for their wooden speakers.

 

[ScottCHI]

I think Pioneer only uses the whiskey barrel for their cabinet.

The JVC speakers' cones are actually made of wood.

 

[MikeLi]

ScottCHI, is correct.

 

[LanceJ]

Just got off the phone with a person from Pioneer (called their Long Beach headquarters first, was transferred to customer service, then after a loooong wait spoke to a person with an accent......in Japan maybe??).

Anyhoo........Mike & Scott are correct. The guy I spoke to was very helpful and said just the cabinet was made from recyclable materials i.e. whiskey barrels. He also said when you order these they come from Japan. I figure this aspect partly accounts for their high price. Lastly, he mentioned that when one of their speakers hits the $X,XXX price range, like their EX and TAD series, those will also be made in Japan.

 

[Danny Tse]

I just want to say that I have no issue with products, no matter what brand, from China. I currently own a Cambridge Audio A500 integrated amp that was made in China. But....



The above photo was from a Hong Kong website documenting Pioneer's announcement for the EX series speakers. Perhaps more than anywhere on the planet, no audiophile in HK would be caught with "Made in China" components. It's not an issue of performance or quality, it's more an issue of "face"....to be able to "brat" about an American/European piece of gear and its cost is more important than how a piece of gear sound. The concensus for that Pioneer EX series speakers is that they sounded great, but people can't get past the "Made in China" label. It's quite sad, actually.

 

[LanceJ]

Though I've mentioned my opinion on that very controversial subject several times, in this discussion I only repeated what he said because nowadays many of Pioneer's components are made in places other than Japan. I can't remember which right now but some of their stuff is assembled here in the States and Mexico (or was that Toshiba......oh well). Supposedly Japanese labor rates are very high (no surprise there actually): the last time I owned gear made there was a Panasonic DVD-RV31 dvd player bought in 2001 & my Technics SL-BD22 turntable bought in 2003.

Anyhoo....................

One of the first times I read that enclosure materials can make an audible difference was on this site (click on "What's Inside?") for the famous LS3/5a, a speaker the BBC used as a monitor:

I guess this is why most companies stopped using hardwoods and hardwood plywoods for their enclosures: while these materials obviously can contribute in a positive manner if carefully researched, it's probably best to use an inert as possible material & allow just the drivers themselves to provide the sound.