The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers, designed by renowned audio engineer Andrew Jones, have carved a niche in the budget audio market. Acquired recently for just $118 on Amazon, these speakers frequently dip even lower on sale, making them incredibly accessible. Despite their affordability, the initial impression speaks volumes about their build quality.
The speaker cabinet stands tall but maintains a manageable weight. A notable and welcome surprise at this price point is the inclusion of high-quality binding posts on the rear panel.
Adding a touch of sophistication often found in premium speakers, the SP-BS22-LR features a curved cabinet design. Examining the drivers, there’s no sign of messy adhesive or cost-cutting shortcuts often seen in budget offerings, suggesting a level of care in construction.
To rigorously assess the speaker’s performance, measurements were conducted using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This advanced robotic system allows for comprehensive speaker analysis, capturing sound radiation in all directions. Its sophisticated algorithms effectively eliminate room reflections and minimize room noise by measuring at close proximity. This methodology provides a highly accurate depiction of the speaker’s inherent sound characteristics, independent of the acoustic environment.
Spinorama Audio Measurements: Deciphering Speaker Performance
Spinorama measurements offer a perceptually relevant analysis of a speaker’s acoustic properties, revealing crucial aspects of its tonality and potential flaws. This comprehensive data set provides a near-complete picture of what to expect from the speaker’s sound signature.
A flat on-axis response, indicated by the red arrow, is a desirable characteristic. The SP-BS22-LR demonstrates commendable flatness below 1 kHz. The crossover point at 3 kHz is evident, with a response peak preceding it and a dip following.
Importantly, the early reflections (dashed blue line) exhibit smoothness, a positive attribute for overall sound quality in typical listening environments.
Delving into the “directivity index” highlights the relationship between the speaker’s direct sound and the reflected sound reaching the listener’s ears after bouncing off room surfaces.
While some deviations are noticeable above 2 kHz, they remain within acceptable limits, especially for a speaker in this price range.
For typical room placement (as opposed to desktop setups), the predicted in-room frequency response, derived from combining direct and reflected sound, reveals the speaker’s likely tonality in a real-world scenario.
The minimal deviations in the predicted in-room response suggest a generally neutral sound profile for the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR.
Basic Speaker Measurements: Impedance and Distortion
Speaker impedance and phase response across frequencies are fundamental indicators of its electrical behavior and compatibility with amplifiers.
The impedance curve reveals minor kinks or wiggles, indicating resonances. Two such instances appear around 280 Hz and 1.6 kHz. While the 280 Hz resonance is not prominent in the frequency response, suggesting minimal audible impact, the resonances around 1.6 kHz correlate with some peaks observed in the frequency response, indicating potential audibility.
Distortion measurements, ideally performed in an anechoic chamber, were conducted in a non-anechoic environment (hence, data below 200 Hz should be disregarded).
Advanced Speaker Measurements: Exploring Directivity
The smoothness of early reflections, as highlighted earlier, is further emphasized in advanced measurements. This observation challenges the common internet advice of excessive room absorption, suggesting a more balanced approach to room acoustics might be beneficial for these speakers.
To illustrate directivity characteristics, vertical and horizontal dispersion patterns are crucial.
The 20 and 30-degree off-axis responses, highlighted on the left, simulate listening scenarios where the speakers are not directly toed-in towards the listener.
Eye-Candy Speaker Measurements: Visualizing Crossover Behavior
Visualizing the sound field at the crossover frequency (3000 Hz) offers insights into driver integration and dispersion characteristics.
In an ideal scenario with a perfect full-range driver, sound dispersion would resemble a single balloon directed at the listener. However, due to interference between the tweeter and woofer at the crossover frequency, the SP-BS22-LR exhibits a more complex pattern. Instead of a single point source, three apparent sources emerge – one towards the listener, one upward, and one downward, illustrating the complexities of crossover design and driver interaction.
Full spinorama data is available for comprehensive analysis.
Informal Listening Tests: Subjective Sound Impressions
Initial listening impressions were generally positive, characterized by a balanced overall sound. However, a slight brightness was noted, attributed to a perceived lack of deep bass extension. Experimenting with toe-out (angling speakers away from direct ear orientation) significantly improved tonal balance, suggesting room interaction and placement play a crucial role in perceived sound quality.
Compared to the JBL LSR305P Mark II, the JBLs exhibited superior bass response. However, in terms of overall tonality, the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR held its own, demonstrating commendable performance for its class. A minor caveat is a slight emphasis in the mid-range frequencies in the Pioneers.
In loudness tests, while some low-frequency output was discernible, the speakers exhibited significant distortion at deep bass frequencies. Techno music with higher frequency bass content fared considerably better. Employing a high-pass filter in playback software to attenuate very low frequencies is recommended to mitigate potential distortion at higher volumes.
Conclusions: Budget Audio Champion
Recalling a conversation with Andrew Jones at CES during the initial launch of these speakers (or perhaps their predecessors), his design philosophy was clear: prioritizing component quality even within a budget. His statement, “people making budget speakers put in 10 cent parts. I spend $1 and that makes a big difference!” encapsulates the essence of the SP-BS22-LR’s success. Beyond just components, Andrew Jones’s expertise as a skilled designer is undeniably a key factor in their impressive performance.
In conclusion, the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers achieve their objective of delivering a non-offensive and surprisingly capable audio experience at an incredibly affordable price point. They present an attractive aesthetic and demonstrate performance that belies their budget nature, solidifying their position as a benchmark in affordable audio.
