Pio SP-BS22 LR Andrew Jones speakers $89.99

TCK

Pioneer SP-BS22 LR speakers are on sale at Amazon for 89.99 w free shipping!

TCK

mhardy6647

is that 'each' or per pair? I cannae tell.

TCK

mhardy6647 wrote: »

is that 'each' or per pair? I cannae tell.

Yes, this is for the pair. They were $99/pair for a while, then they just dropped it to $89.99/ pair.

Polkie2009

Bought a pair of these from a fellow polkie here and they sound great, especially on music with just a vocal and one or two instruments. That's a bargain at $89.99.

Conradicles

I had a pair in the garage rig for a while...great speakers. However the ADS L520 that replaced them are soooo much better. Not a true comparison, but just my cheap $.02.

DaveHo

These are on sale again for $90.99 @ Amazon. Looks like Best Buy is matching that price. Been wanting to get my ears on a pair to see what the hype is about. Ultimately these will go to my son so I can reclaim the Minimus 7's that belong in the test rig. But not before I give them a thorough eval.

mhardy6647

The parade's moved on to Mr. Jones' ELACS :-P

cnh

Quite true. But the cheapest ELACS are more than twice this price. So for the entry conscious super-cheap, the Pioneers are still a good beginning.

We do need to get some reviews of the Uni-Fi B5s on this site!

Polkie2009

You got that right cnh, for the price, the BS22's are a deal.

TCK

I keep fighting the urge to get a set. Have them saved in my cart @ Amazon, so I can see when they go on sale. It just feels like I'm missing out on an opportunity when they are this cheap.

erniejade

With a sub they make a great little speaker system. They play well above their price point.

F1nut

The Dennis Murphy mods make them even better.

mhardy6647

Is he (Dennis Murphy, that is) the same fellow who did the (Best Buy) Insignia-brand speaker modifications way (way) back when?

EDIT: Definite "maybe" :- )
http://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/tech-talk-forum/17629-dennis-murphy-s-insignia-crossover-mods?199088-Dennis-Murphy-s-Insignia-crossover-mods=

These "Insignias" were the cheap-speaker darlings before the A. Jones Pioneers, for the youngsters out there...

http://gr-research.com/insigniaupgrade.aspx
http://www.speakerdesign.net/midrange_tweaks/insignia/insignia_woofer.html

F1nut

One and the same.

mhardy6647

Thanks.

(I'm still fairly itchin' to hear a pair of the little ELACs -- just a little too pricey to just buy a pair, though)

Jimbo18

Here's a steal on the BS22's if you are local. No affil

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/5475798840.html

polkfan38

I'm sure it's just me but, I can't love these speakers. They sound awful at BB and not much better at home. They just sound "dead" to me. "Dry" even. Not much going on above 15kHz. Only the very middle range was OK. I have read that the modded ones are good however. The tweeter being the culprit. It's tough in that price point to be good.

cnh

They sound "terrible" at BB. But at home, that's a very different story. Of course, all the rules apply; source, amplification, placement, room acoustics, etc. Any of which can screw up the sound. Ironically, many of us older folks can't hear above 15Khz! Is there something magical up there that we're missing? lol Probably, we did hear to 20Khz at one point. Now that we're older it's a blessing that those high frequencies are dropping off because it makes a LOT of speakers more palatable as they were VERY HARSH and BRIGHT when we were young! And some of us have always loved warm in any case, even when we had dog ears. And chances are if you're 40 or over, you can't hear much above 16Khz, maybe 17Khz if you are in the exceptional group!

I've never heard anyone describe the AJs as dead? Has to be your rig, and a lack of synergy. Let me provide an example or two, they sound like AXS on a Lepai T-amp. Not enough power for them among other things. They're not the best sounding on cheaper AVRs either!

Polkie2009

erniejade wrote: »

With a sub they make a great little speaker system. They play well above their price point.

I agree with ya Ernie, I found them to work fine as desk top speakers for a computer. I ran a cable out of the laptop's headphone jack to a input on the AVR. I didn't even have a sub hooked up with them, but obviously a sub would improve the sound.

polkfan38

cnh wrote: »

They sound "terrible" at BB. But at home, that's a very different story. Of course, all the rules apply; source, amplification, placement, room acoustics, etc. Any of which can screw up the sound. Ironically, many of us older folks can't hear above 15Khz! Is there something magical up there that we're missing? lol Probably, we did hear to 20Khz at one point. Now that we're older it's a blessing that those high frequencies are dropping off because it makes a LOT of speakers more palatable as they were VERY HARSH and BRIGHT when we were young! And some of us have always loved warm in any case, even when we had dog ears. And chances are if you're 40 or over, you can't hear much above 16Khz, maybe 17Khz if you are in the exceptional group!

I've never heard anyone describe the AJs as dead? Has to be your rig, and a lack of synergy. Let me provide an example or two, they sound like AXS on a Lepai T-amp. Not enough power for them among other things. They're not the best sounding on cheaper AVRs either!

I can hear to about 18kHz or so and I'm 44 . I had them (AJs) at home for less than a week. I could not get them to "work" for me. Did Audysey, placement, the whole bit. But like I said, its ME. For the $45/each I paid for them on sale, I guess you could say they were a hell of a deal. But, I am used to a little "better" sound. Oh well.

cnh

You should get down on your knees and thank whatever Supreme Being/Thing you worship because the AVERAGE thirty year old CANNOT hear a 17Khz tone signal. So you are "exceptional", not even in the top one percent but much less! lol

As for using AVR sound corrections, I think I mentioned above that these speakers are just NOT going to impress if you run them off an AVR, so been there done that!

And, finally, if you're used to listening to primo speakers in the $2,000 and up class, then, yeah, you can't compare those to a $45 speaker. But ultimately, it is very true that what people will hear will vary and sometimes wildly.

I'm reminded of my first mini-Polk fest where doro put some Usher bookies on a Conrad Johnson and I thought someone was ice-picking my ears! lol And those were some big hitters. Could have been the room, or a number of other factors, because there wasn't much that sounded good in that space!

Polkie2009

+1 , spot on cnh.

polkfan38

cnh wrote: »

You should get down on your knees and thank whatever Supreme Being/Thing you worship because the AVERAGE thirty year old CANNOT hear a 17Khz tone signal. So you are "exceptional", not even in the top one percent but much less! lol

As for using AVR sound corrections, I think I mentioned above that these speakers are just NOT going to impress if you run them off an AVR, so been there done that!

And, finally, if you're used to listening to primo speakers in the $2,000 and up class, then, yeah, you can't compare those to a $45 speaker. But ultimately, it is very true that what people will hear will vary and sometimes wildly.

I'm reminded of my first mini-Polk fest where doro put some Usher bookies on a Conrad Johnson and I thought someone was ice-picking my ears! lol And those were some big hitters. Could have been the room, or a number of other factors, because there wasn't much that sounded good in that space!

I know. This was with an actual "medical" test done two years ago this Summer. Might have dropped a bit now??? 18kHz was there a little. 19kHz was not. I have never listened to headphones very loud or go to many concerts. But, I worked in Aviation for awhile. Around jets with no ear protection at times. D'oh! So, who knows?
But, like what has been said, it's all subjective.

I was in a Best Buy "Magnolia" store last year that had some B&W 802Ds set up in a room. Hooked up to some McIntosh amps. I didn't think much of it. Bloated/loose bass and not so forgiving highs. Good mids though. I'm sure it was the room but gees. If you are trying to sell that kind of stuff, you'd think they would at least try.

My favorite so far were some Paradigm Signature towers. Focal 800 series being second.

So as they say, to each their own. There are SO many variables, everyone HAS to take each make and model and listen for themselves. In their own homes.

I like the Polk brand as I find they have a good bang for the buck. I started out with Monitor IIs and now replacing them with RTis. Are these the end all of sound? No. But I personally feel the price makes them worth it.

Polkie2009

Right on Polkfan38, those BB stores with Ma can be hit and miss. Sometimes it's the salesperson working there just aren't very knowledgeable about their products or just don't really give a s***. Honestly, probably 60% of the members here know more about audio gear than most of those salespeople out there at BB. Just sayin'.... You're right, so many variables, glad to see you enjoyed the Paradigms and Focals, I've always liked those brands , just never owned them. Polk has a plan, make decent speakers for a decent price and the people will come.

polkfan38

Lets see what happens with Circuit City coming back. I have not heard of their plan or what exactly they will carry. I also cringe when going into a BB and hear what these "salespeople" say. I just bite my lip and move on.

I have not owned the Paradigms or Focals either. But I liked what I heard in a more proper setting. That might be my next upgrade in 3-5 years??? A 5.0 Grande Utopia set up.

DaveHo

Got these hooked up Monday night & now have about 20 hrs or so on them. Most of that time was just letting them run at a lowish volume over a couple of nights to break them in. They do need break-in. Right out of the box they sounded terrible. Extremely recessed mids. Just very hollow sounding with no bass to speak of. Now with some hours on them, the mids have improved immensely & the bass has come in some. I mean, they still need a subwoofer, but the sound is more balanced. You won't impress your audiophile friends with them, but they are pleasing to listen to & certainly blow HTIB speakers out of the water.

cnh

Two years can be a lifetime when you're older, lol

Focal makes some very nice speakers, wouldn't mind having some towers. McIntosh SS amps have never impressed, and my clansman (Chinese, that is), Mr. Ho, is correct, a niche speaker that is quite pleasing, but hardly a final destination.

polkfan38

Some Focals will probably be my upgrade. We shall see what they have in 3-5 years time.

hochpt21

The pre-orders are up for the UNI-FI series at Music Direct...

http://www.musicdirect.com/search.aspx?searchterm=elac uni

madmax

mhardy6647 wrote: »

(I'm still fairly itchin' to hear a pair of the little ELACs -- just a little too pricey to just buy a pair, though)

Just do it. Or better yet, buy my B6 and I'll try out their Uni-Fi model!