Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Bookshelf Speaker Review

[estuardo4]

So, most people in this thread who have owned these speakers have disliked them, but the Sean Olive rating places them in the Top 5 of speakers Amir has measured so far.

I had them, but I gave them to my son. I now have the KEF Q100. A little more expensive, but definitely worth the change. Now my son bought the JBL 305MkII and they are gathering dust on the garage. These Pioneers are fine speakers, but the way it reproduces low notes is really bad. It sounds like a fart.

 

[mhardy6647]

So, most people in this thread who have owned these speakers have disliked them, but the Sean Olive rating places them in the Top 5 of speakers Amir has measured so far.

Those probably aren't mutually exclusive (I would opine).
(the size of the latter pool is still fairly small)

 

[StevenEleven]

So you guys will go chasing down a $100 or $1000 DAC when a $2 oem chip in the gear you already have will do, but when confronted with a good $100 pair of speakers your brain turns off. I get it. They sound like a fart, eh. That’s just really immature and misleading. Seems like a lot of people here think with their eyes and wallets rather than their ears and their intellect, a lot more than they realize, and these speakers are smoking them out. Good luck with your expensive DACs. The money you spend on them won’t buy you good sound. Not any more than it would if it were spent on audiophile cables.

 

[estuardo4]

So you guys will go chasing down a $100 or $1000 DAC when a $2 oem chip will do, but when confronted with a good $100 pair of speakers your brain turns off. I get it. They sound like a fart, eh. That’s just really immature and misleading. Seems like a lot of people here think with their eyes and wallets rather than their ears and their intellect, a lot more than they realize, and these speakers are smoking them out. Good look with your expensive DACs. The money you spend on them won’t buy you good sound.

No, seriously, you have to hear them. It is a nice speaker, but the low notes are not very well reproduced. It sounds as if the bass driver went bad. But if you can EQ the output, they are a great set of speakers.

 

[StevenEleven]

No, seriously, you have to hear them. It is a nice speaker, but the low notes are not very well reproduced. It sounds as if the bass driver went bad. But if you can EQ the output, they are a great set of speakers.

Seriously, I’ve had them for years, probably longer than anyone else here.

 

[Robin L]

I remember hearing a demo of them at Best Buy, probably not the best way to audition, but I was seriously unimpressed. My yard sale a/d/s 400s [$15] beat them on all counts. The a/d/s speakers also require a sub.

 

[StevenEleven]

I remember hearing a demo of them at Best Buy, probably not the best way to audition, but I was seriously unimpressed. My yard sale a/d/s 400s [$15] beat them on all counts. The a/d/s speakers also require a sub.

Sure. Next!

 

[Archnmez]

I find myself helping friends put together inexpensive music systems, and these are my usual recommendations. I have a couple of pairs myself in non-critical locations. Yes, they don’t handle loud bass well, but everyone is delighted with their performance. Considered as value for the money, they’re amazing.

I would be interested in hearing what others consider better value speakers at this price point.
Thanks for the review, Amir!

My first post here! I would definitely recommend the Polk RTI A1 when on sale. Sometimes they drop to the $129 - $189 range. Way better build and sound in my opinion. There are also many online reviews to read and they have been around forever.

 

[Darkweb]

So you guys will go chasing down a $100 or $1000 DAC when a $2 oem chip in the gear you already have will do, but when confronted with a good $100 pair of speakers your brain turns off. I get it. They sound like a fart, eh. That’s just really immature and misleading. Seems like a lot of people here think with their eyes and wallets rather than their ears and their intellect, a lot more than they realize, and these speakers are smoking them out. Good luck with your expensive DACs. The money you spend on them won’t buy you good sound. Not any more than it would if it were spent on audiophile cables.

Andrew is that you?

 

[sweetchaos]

My first post here!

Welcome! Thanks for joining!
Amir should be testing the Polk T15 ($100usd) any day now....

 

[amirm]

Amir, would you say they sounded better than the LS50?

I haven't tested them the same way and the LS50 is back at its owner's. I will see if I can test it far field like I did with LS50.

Certainly from bass and low frequency capability it can't hold a candle to LS50.

 

[JohnBooty]

Regarding the bass on the Pioneer BS22, since folks are focusing on it...

Yes, the bass distorts if you crank them up. But that's not necessarily a problem. If you're using them in a smaller room, they will play at pretty enjoyable levels without this issue.

Regarding the ultrabudget $100ish competition...

I'm only familiar with a few models at this price. They are better than the Micca MB42X in all regards. Compared to the Micca RB42X, the Pioneers have better highs and mids but the RB42X obviously have that prodigious bass relative to their size. If DIY kits are an option, the C-Notes and Overnight Sensations dunk all over the BS22s for a similar price, although that's not really a fair comparison.

Regarding $100 speakers in general...

We obviously have a few members sneering at the idea of $100 speakers. That's fair. Obviously, anything at this price level will have one or more serious compromises. However, a lot of audiophiles have second and third systems apart from their main systems. Bedroom systems, something for the office, whatever. Budgets may not be high for these systems. We should also think about the future of our hobby. It is a dying hobby and good affordable speakers are key to getting fresh blood into our ranks.

 

[maty]

I had them, but I gave them to my son. I now have the KEF Q100. A little more expensive, but definitely worth the change. Now my son bought the JBL 305MkII and they are gathering dust on the garage...

My modded KEF Q100 are almost seven years old. Detected and solved their weaknesses (cost savings) sound incredible. KEF Uni-Q 5.25" drivers are very good.

Just now they play an orchestra incredibly well for its small size: https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/music/6958-playing-listening-post6075422.html

Anatole Fistoulari, Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam - Tchaikovsky - Scenes from Swan Lake (1961), SACD, Tower Records 2019, Japan

 

[confucius_zero]

the way it reproduces low notes is really bad. It sounds like a fart.

this, THIS^

 

[BYRTT]

I mean we have been comparing the Micca RB42 to the KEF LS50 so why not.....

I haven't tested them the same way and the LS50 is back at its owner's. I will see if I can test it far field like I did with LS50.

Certainly from bass and low frequency capability it can't hold a candle to LS50.

RB42 / LS50 / SP-BS22-LR comparison on same scales, @amirm see obs! below is it possible release hor/ver txt-files covering all the 360deg steps

 

[amirm]

RB42 / LS50 / SP-BS22-LR comparison on same scales, @amirm is it possible release hor/ver txt-files covering all the 360deg steps

Oh sorry, didn't know changing the display graph eliminated the export of the rest of the graphs. Just exported the full set and updated in the enclosure in the review post.

 

[BYRTT]

Thousand thanks amirm, it makes a big difference too for spinorama plot

 

[mac]

I recently gave my set to Goodwill after them sitting in my garage boxed up for a couple years. Never thought they sounded that good, even for the price.

 

[amirm]

Given the comments on this speaker, it sure would make for a good blind test of it against a few others. I will see if I can get our audiophile society interested in doing the test in spring.

 

[confucius_zero]

@amirm what is the next speaker on the queue?