The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers have carved a niche for themselves in the budget audio market, earning accolades for delivering impressive sound quality at an incredibly accessible price point. Purchased for just US $118 on Amazon, these speakers defy expectations, boasting a build quality that belies their affordability. Let’s delve into a detailed analysis of these budget-friendly marvels.
The physical construction immediately impresses. The speaker enclosure, while tall, maintains a manageable weight. A standout feature, particularly for speakers in this price range, is the inclusion of high-quality binding posts on the rear panel.
Adding a touch of sophistication typically reserved for higher-end models, the SP-BS22-LR features a curved cabinet design. Close inspection reveals no signs of sloppy adhesive or manufacturing shortcuts, a testament to the attention to detail in their construction. To rigorously assess the acoustic performance, industry-standard Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS) measurements were employed. This advanced robotic system minimizes room reflection interference and ambient noise, providing highly accurate data on the speaker’s inherent sound characteristics, independent of the testing environment.
Decoding the Spinorama: Comprehensive Audio Measurement Analysis
The Spinorama, a standardized set of acoustic measurements, offers a perceptually relevant overview of a speaker’s sonic capabilities, particularly in terms of tonal balance and potential flaws. Analyzing the Spinorama data reveals key insights into the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR’s performance.
A flat on-axis frequency response is generally considered desirable, indicating neutral and accurate sound reproduction. As indicated in the graph, the SP-BS22-LR exhibits a remarkably flat response below 1 kHz. However, deviations become noticeable around the 3 kHz crossover frequency, with a response peak preceding the crossover point and a dip following it. Encouragingly, the early reflections curves (dashed blue lines) demonstrate smoothness, suggesting well-controlled off-axis behavior.
Examining the directivity index, which illustrates the relationship between the speaker’s direct sound and the sound reflected off surfaces, further refines our understanding.
While some deviations are present above 2 kHz, the directivity performance remains commendable, especially considering the speaker’s budget classification.
The predicted in-room response, simulating typical listening room acoustics, provides a practical perspective on the speaker’s likely tonal character in real-world scenarios.
The minimal deviations in the predicted in-room response suggest a generally neutral sonic profile, indicating the SP-BS22-LR’s suitability for various listening environments.
Basic Speaker Measurements: Impedance and Distortion
Analyzing basic speaker measurements, such as impedance and distortion, provides further insight into the SP-BS22-LR’s technical performance. The impedance curve reveals the speaker’s electrical load across the frequency spectrum.
The impedance graph shows minor kinks or wiggles, indicative of resonances. Notably, resonances are observed around 280 Hz and 1.6 kHz. While the 280 Hz resonance appears insignificant in the frequency response, the resonances around 1.6 kHz might correlate with some peaks observed in the frequency response measurements, suggesting a potentially more audible impact.
Distortion measurements, although ideally conducted in an anechoic chamber, offer insights into the speaker’s linearity and potential for unwanted sonic artifacts. It’s important to note that measurements below 200 Hz may be less reliable due to the non-anechoic testing environment.
Advanced Speaker Measurements: Directivity and Soundfield
Delving into advanced measurements, such as early reflections and directivity patterns, paints a more complete picture of the SP-BS22-LR’s acoustic behavior in diverse listening spaces. The early reflections measurement highlights the speaker’s off-axis response characteristics that contribute to room acoustics.
The smoother nature of the early reflections compared to the on-axis response suggests that excessive room absorption might not be necessary and could potentiallyDeadening room acoustics excessively may negatively impact the overall sound experience with these speakers.
Visualizing the speaker’s soundfield through directivity plots offers a clearer understanding of its dispersion characteristics both horizontally and vertically.
The directivity plots illustrate the speaker’s sound dispersion at various angles. The 20 and 30-degree off-axis responses, highlighted on the horizontal directivity plot, are particularly relevant for listeners who prefer not to toe-in their speakers directly towards the listening position.
The contour plots further detail the speaker’s sound dispersion patterns across a wider range of angles, revealing nuances in its off-axis behavior.
The soundfield at the crossover frequency (3000 Hz) provides a visual representation of driver integration and potential interference patterns.
Ideally, a speaker with perfect driver integration would exhibit a single, focused sound dispersion pattern. However, the SP-BS22-LR’s crossover directivity plot reveals a more complex pattern, indicative of interference between the tweeter and woofer at the crossover frequency, resulting in a multi-lobed dispersion pattern.
Informal Listening Impressions: Subjective Sound Evaluation
Subjective listening tests provide a real-world validation of the objective measurements. Initial impressions of the SP-BS22-LR were positive, characterized by a generally balanced sonic profile. However, a slight brightness and a lack of deep bass were noted. Experimenting with speaker toe-in revealed that angling the speakers slightly away from the listener significantly improved the tonal balance, mitigating the perceived brightness.
Compared to the JBL LSR305P Mark II, a speaker often praised for its value, the JBL exhibited superior bass response. However, in terms of overall tonality, the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR held its own, demonstrating a surprisingly comparable level of sonic performance, albeit with a slightly more prominent midrange.
Loudness testing revealed limitations in deep bass reproduction, with significant distortion emerging at lower frequencies when pushed to higher volumes. However, the speakers handled techno music with higher-frequency bass content considerably better. Implementing a high-pass filter to reduce extreme low-frequency content in playback software is recommended to optimize performance at higher volumes.
Conclusion: A Budget Audio Triumph Engineered by Andrew Jones
The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR stands as a testament to the design philosophy of Andrew Jones, a renowned speaker engineer. His insight into prioritizing component quality, even within a budget, has resulted in a speaker that significantly outperforms its price point. As Jones himself stated, “people making budget speakers put in 10 cent parts. I spend $1 and that makes a big difference!” This philosophy, combined with skilled engineering, is evident in the SP-BS22-LR’s impressive sonic performance and build quality.
In conclusion, the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers achieve their mission of delivering non-offensive, and indeed, enjoyable sound reproduction at a remarkably low cost. Their attractive design and commendable performance solidify their position as a top contender in the budget speaker category, offering exceptional value for money.
