Top positive review
181 people found this helpful
An Audiophile Bargain (*Updated*)
By Rusty Shackleford on Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2014
My initial experience with the SB22's did not go well. The first shipment arrived in a box that had clearly been dropped by FedEx. Cosmetically, the speakers were okay, but after hooking them up, it was clear something was wrong with one (the one, it so happens, that was on the side of the smashed box corner). So I took a flashlight and looked through the port hole in the back of the offending speaker and, lo and behold, a piece of insulation was dangling there, along with a wire. That explained the noise issue. So, I generated and RMA, and Amazon dispatched a replacement pair, along with a prepaid return label. (Long story short: "Boo, FedEx. Yay, Amazon!") Luckily, the ever-dependable UPS delivered the replacements in an immaculate box. I pulled out the new pair and everything was in order. Now I had a chance to listen to them properly. Wow. I was thrilled. For less than $100 a pair (when Amazon has them on sale, which is frequently), you simply cannot buy a better bookshelf speaker. (Okay, I've read that the Micca MB42Xs are great, too. But I haven't heard them, and the indications are that the Miccas are, at best, equal to the Pioneers.) These Pioneer's are definitely not studio monitors. If you want the most neutral speaker, that might not be ideal. But for everyday listening, that's probably a good thing. (All speakers have their own character, after all.) In the BS22s, there's a subtle bit of upper-high roll-off, as noted in some reviews, but that makes the speaker sound a bit "warmer" and makes them less fatiguing for long listening. The midrange is excellent. To a certain extent, I could hear the subtle "boxiness" in some male vocals on these speakers that a few reviewers have dinged the BS22s for. But it's very subtle, and paired with an amp or receiver that reproduces mids well, this (very minor) "boxiness" disappears. The bass is incredibly tight and robust for bookshelf speakers. Stunning, really. Using them in nearfield listening, I had to debate if I really wanted a sub. (Eventually, I did go for it, picking up the matching SW-8MK2 when it was on sale for $95 on Amazon. It's an excellent addition.) In short, these are excellent bookshelf speakers for the price. ***Update 8/22/14*** The BS22/SW8-MKII combination has broken in nicely over weeks of intensive listening. In fact, I was so thrilled with them that I snatched up another SW8-MKII and the Pioneer FS52s when they went on sale on Amazon. Once again, I have no regrets on the purchase. They are fantastic speakers for the price. Reading through the more skeptical reviews, I think there are two genuine criticisms worth addressing, and one general point to be noted: 1.) As I mentioned in my first review, the highs in both the BS22s and the FS52 (perhaps moreso in the FS52s, though I haven't listened to them enough to break them in yet) sound a bit "rolled off." Now, they don't sound muffled, and it's not clear to me that they're actually "rolled off." (Frequency response graphs that accompany several online reviews seem to indicate the high end is fairly accurate in these speakers.) The highs on these Pioneer's are very, very smooth, which is notable if you're used to a very bright speaker. At first, a bright speaker might sound better, because it grabs you more. But on long listening, you're going to prefer the one with the smoother high end. This is particularly true if you're listening to MP3s, even high birate ones. The "digital harshness" people talk about when it comes to "lossy" formats like MP3s is usually most easily heard in things like acoustic guitar string plucks or symbol crashes. The DAC you use (in your receiver, amp, or external box) will, of course, affect the extent of this harshness, but, all else equal, I find that the Pioneer speakers are very, very forgiving on digital music (even as, like all good speakers, they reveal limitations in poorly recorded albums, regardless of bitrate or format). The Pioneers eliminate much of the digital harshness, in part, because the highs on these speakers are so smooth. So, while these speakers might not satisfy those who prefer a very bright speaker, if you don't have strong feelings on the issue, you won't be sorry buying the Pioneers. 2.) Many call the sub the "weak link" in this system. Don't believe it. Or, if you do, realize that it comes with a very big asterisk. This is a great sub for the price. Very tight and musical. (It's not bloated or flabby like a lot of -- actually, nearly all -- budget subs.) Now, if you're looking for a deep-reaching sub to use for movies -- one that will rattle the fillings out of your teeth during explosions -- this sub will definitely disappoint you. However, if you want a nice musical sub that will blend in with these speakers, you're going to love it. 3.) Finally, it's worth remembering that a lot of the "these speakers are overrated" reviews on Amazon are coming from audiophiles who are used to $1k+ speakers. This is actually a compliment. Why? Because these are the people who would normally not even consider rating sub-$100 speakers. These Pioneer's are astounding in that they've received glowing reviews from publications that rarely pay attention to "budget" equipment, let along fawn over said budget equipment. (And, as mentioned above, you can look at the frequency response graphs in many of these audiophile magazine reviews to see that, despite some Amazon reviewers' protests, these are very well-balanced and accurate speakers.) I have no doubt, though, that the audiophiles used to McIntosh equipment and the like who bought these Pioneers as a throwaway whim might not think they live up to the highest of high end speakers. But isn't that actually a compliment that these Pioneers are even being evaluated alongside such expensive gear?!? I think so. Quite simply, many speakers that cost hundreds of dollars (let alone those that can be had for less than $100) sound awful. Just go into a local big-box electronics store and sample some. Their limitations are apparent very, very quickly. That's not the case with these Pioneers. Are they perfect? Of course not. But they're amazing for the money, and for the vast majority of people -- even budget audiophiles -- these are speakers that you're going to be very, very happy with.
Top critical review
47 people found this helpful
Love[d] them! Major QC issues, horrible Pioneer "service" for the one-star!
By isiton? on Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2014
I just got my pair of BS22's, so what follows is a first impression. That impression is, basically: "OMG! How can it sound so good for the price?" And actually, nevermind the price, these things just sound great, to my ears anyway. I'm going through my music library and playing all sorts of material from opera to Jerry to Maiden, Herbie, Jimi, Otis, Jello, Iggy, Bowie, Johnny, and back to Rachmaninoff, loving how it all sounds. Absolutely flat, no EQ, John Prine's "Glory Of True Love" sounds just perfect, glorious. I believe I'm in love. I 'm running these with an Onkyo 100wpc receiver crossed over at 100hz with a mediocre 100w sub, and it's amazingly satisfying in my acoustically challenged 12x20 room, although now I'm saving pennies for a better sub, maybe something sealed... These speakers deserve a great sub, and with all the money I saved, maybe I can justify buying one. :) When I was setting these up, I was tweaking my receiver settings and thought I'd turned on the sub when I hadn't. These little things will make a surprising amount of bass on their own, and if you like watching the tiny little woofers flutter through their huge excursion, it's pretty entertaining. Or maybe alarming. I must confess I cranked it up, fascinated by the excursion, until I found the mechanical limit. It's crazy how much bass these will make just before they clip... But this is mean and abusive; please don't beat yours up like this! Mine seem no worse for the torture test, though. But turn on the sub, and relieved of that bottom octave or two, these become awesome main speakers. Everything I've played has sounded exactly like itself, which is a really good thing. All the audio cliches apply here- the speakers disappear, revealing the music. The sound is natural, balanced, transparent. From delicate trebly stuff to wall-of-sound, these speakers just do it transparently without drawing attention to themselves. I'm reminded of a pair of much larger B&W bookshelves I auditioned but could not possibly afford... Not that these are directly comparable, but they both had a certain magical quality that I have always previously associated only with expensive speakers, a feeling of effortlessness and unlimited ability. I would call these a "must buy" for anyone remotely interested in good sound. For the retail price, these are an amazing deal, and if you get them on sale so much the better. These would be the best gift ever for an audio newbie who's only heard ipod docks and such. These are so sweet. As I listen, I'm drawn in, and I keep coming back to dead flat EQ, which is a first. I have a theory about why these are so great: Apparently the designer, Andrew Jones, is a genius, but even more he really seems to love what he's doing. He said something in an interview about being happy to make a speaker that his friends can afford, which is so cool. That passion, combined with the vast corporate resources of Pioneer and the questionable blessing of cheap Chinese manufacturing, have combined to bring us a great speaker that is giving voice to great music, and somehow has the magical power to bring a smile, all for pennies. It's a weird world. There are lots of more expensive, prettier, and frankly better speakers out there. But right now, I don't care at all. Right now, I am happy listening to the music and forgetting the speakers. It's so rare to get more than you pay for in this world, but I feel I just did. I've achieved audio nirvana, at least temporarily. Thanks, Andrew and Pioneer! Wow, Ladysmith sounds amazing on these. Enjoy! [Edit to add: Hmm. There is a horrible resonance happening at a particular frequency. I'm trying to track it down, but perhaps there's a problem with my set. A perfect track to reveal this is Abro La Ventana, from Lhasa de Sela's The Living Road. At 3:13, there's just horrible squealing instead of tone. Ouch.] [Got a replacement set of speakers. Yup, the first ones had one bad speaker, that had a nasty resonance. New ones are sweet, but minus one star for QC!] [Oh boy. The second set developed the same resonance as the first after a few months. Of course, it happened right in the middle of a recording gig... We traced the problem to a woofer surround screw that apparently just lost the will to do its job, stripped itself out from vibration. I guess that's understandable, as the screws are tiny and the baffle material is compressed Chinese whoknowswhatboard. I guess I'll set t-nuts inside the baffle and use bolts; problem solved. I put a bigger screw in, which worked for the moment. But when I attempted to contact Pioneer, they were ridiculously unhelpful. The first rep asked me to send proof of purchase, which I promptly did, then ignored my emails for weeks. I finally called, and got a surly person who clearly didn't care about what had happened or why, didn't want to help, and demanded that I send the proof of purchase, again. I did, and quite a while later she got back to me saying that since I hadn't submitted the proof of purchase in .pdf format, the rep couldn't process my request, goodbye. What? I am neither proud nor ashamed of the fact that at that point, I flat cussed her out. Then I tried to get a manager, and after many phone messages, finally did. He was even more surly, and instead of trying to get my warranty claim resolved, told me that I had to fax in the proof of purchase; because of my strong language in the email to his rep, they were no longer accepting emails from me, not that emailing them dozens of times had done me any good up to that point, so no loss really. Well, they have the responsibility to be professional, not me. I only cussed her out after multiple frustrating attempts to get service from a bunch of people who are clearly intent on denying claims, not facilitating them. She was personally rude and insulting to me, and I responded in kind. Anyhoo... I told him that I'm getting ready to spend several thousand dollars on car stereo alone, and he just really helped me narrow my choices, because service is super important to me. This product had the same problem develop twice in a row. That's a manufacturing defect. Pioneer clearly cheaped out on the manufacture of this product, and it's hard to hit a low price point while still delivering good quality. I get it, but their screws are obviously too small for the material, and probably ought to be nuts-n-bolts instead, which would add a whole dollar to the price... But when there's a problem, a company needs to give prompt, courteous service, in my book, if they want my money. I'll never spend a dime with Pioneer again. If they would have made this right promptly and courteously, they would have gained a customer, probably for life, and they would have gained maybe a few thousand bucks in sales immediately, because I was looking at some of their stuff, like a shallow sub, amps, and a head for the '71 Bus... But never another Pioneer for me! Bummer- I grew up with big old Pioneer receivers and speakers at home, Pioneer in my parents' cars... Let this be a lesson to anybody in business: One lousy interaction can break a lifetime of loyalty. Every interaction is important, and your customer service reps are your relationship with your customers. I hate large corporations as a rule, although I like some of the stuff they make and do, and this is another reminder why. I think next time I'll spend the money on parts and make my own speakers. I'll stick some t-nuts or something inside these, and post a fix when I find one, because I bet other people are going to run into this. Demand good service and boycott lame corporations! Amazon's great about service :^]
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