The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers have carved out a significant space in the audio world, particularly for those seeking high-quality sound without breaking the bank. Purchased for a modest US $118 on Amazon, these speakers, often found at even lower sale prices, immediately impress with a build quality that belies their affordability. The robust enclosure, while not overly heavy, feels substantial and the inclusion of high-quality binding posts on the rear panel is a feature typically reserved for more expensive models.
A standout design element is the curved cabinet, a sophisticated touch commonly associated with high-end speaker designs. Examining the drivers reveals a clean assembly, free from the sloppy adhesive sometimes seen in budget-friendly options. To rigorously assess the performance of these Pioneer SP-BS22 speakers, industry-standard measurements were conducted using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This advanced system effectively eliminates room reflections and minimizes room noise, providing measurements that accurately represent the speaker’s inherent sound characteristics, akin to testing in an anechoic chamber but within a normal environment.
Detailed Measurements: A Deep Dive into Performance
To comprehensively evaluate the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers, we delve into a series of acoustic measurements, starting with the Spinorama. This comprehensive measurement set is crucial for understanding a speaker’s tonal balance and potential sonic characteristics.
Spinorama Analysis: Understanding the Sound Signature
The Spinorama measurements provide a wealth of data, perceptually analyzed to reveal the speaker’s acoustic performance. A key aspect of the Spinorama is the on-axis frequency response, ideally a flat line indicating neutral sound reproduction.
As indicated by the red arrow, the Pioneer SP-BS22 speakers exhibit a remarkably flat on-axis response below 1kHz. However, around the 3kHz crossover frequency, a peak is noticeable just before, followed by a dip immediately after. Despite these deviations around the crossover point, the early reflections, depicted by the dashed blue line, remain smooth, which is a positive attribute contributing to a balanced overall sound in typical listening environments.
The directivity index, derived from the Spinorama, illustrates how the speaker’s direct sound output compares to the sound reflected off surfaces in a room. This is a crucial factor in understanding how the speaker will interact with a listening space.
The directivity index of the SP-BS22 shows some variations above 2kHz, but these are within acceptable limits for a speaker in this budget category. These measurements suggest a reasonably controlled dispersion pattern, contributing to focused stereo imaging.
Predicting in-room response by combining direct sound and reflections provides a clearer picture of the speaker’s expected tonal character in a typical room setup.
The predicted in-room response of the Pioneer SP-BS22 speakers shows minimal deviations, indicating a neutral tonal balance in a typical listening environment. This suggests that these speakers are designed to offer a relatively accurate and uncolored sound reproduction in most rooms.
Impedance and Distortion: Technical Insights
Moving beyond frequency response, impedance measurements reveal the electrical characteristics of the speaker, crucial for amplifier matching and understanding potential resonances.
The impedance curve for the Pioneer SP-BS22 exhibits some minor kinks, suggesting resonances at approximately 280Hz and 1.6kHz. While the 280Hz resonance is not significantly reflected in the frequency response, the resonances around 1.6kHz may correlate with some peaks observed in the frequency response measurements, potentially having a minor audible impact.
Distortion measurements, ideally conducted in an anechoic chamber, provide insights into the speaker’s ability to reproduce sound cleanly, especially at higher volumes.
The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) measurements, although taken in a non-anechoic environment (limiting accuracy below 200Hz), offer a general indication of distortion levels. These measurements are useful for understanding the speaker’s performance limits and potential for clean sound reproduction at various listening levels within its usable frequency range.
Directivity and Soundstage
Further advanced measurements, particularly concerning early reflections and directivity patterns, offer deeper insights into the speaker’s spatial characteristics and how it interacts with a room.
The early reflections measurements of the Pioneer SP-BS22 are notably smoother than the on-axis response, reinforcing the idea that these speakers are designed to sound balanced in typical room environments where reflections play a significant role in perceived sound. This also suggests that excessive room treatment with absorbers might not be necessary and could even be detrimental to the overall sound quality.
Examining the horizontal and vertical directivity patterns reveals how the speaker disperses sound in different directions, impacting soundstage and room interaction.
The directivity plots highlight the speaker’s sound dispersion characteristics. The 20 and 30-degree off-axis responses, relevant for setups where speakers are not directly toed-in towards the listener, are clearly shown.
Contour plots for horizontal and vertical directivity provide a visual representation of the speaker’s sound dispersion across a wide range of angles. These plots are useful for understanding how the speaker’s soundstage might be affected by speaker placement and listening position.
The crossover frequency directivity plot, specifically at 3000Hz, illustrates the sound field behavior around the crossover point between the tweeter and woofer.
Ideally, a single, focused sound dispersion pattern would be observed. However, the Pioneer SP-BS22 shows a more complex pattern at the crossover frequency, indicating potential interference between the tweeter and woofer outputs at this frequency range, resulting in a less than ideal sound projection at this specific frequency.
Listening Experience: Real-World Audio Assessment
Beyond measurements, subjective listening tests provide crucial real-world validation of a speaker’s performance. Initial listening impressions of the Pioneer SP-BS22 speakers were generally positive, noting a balanced overall sound profile. However, a slight brightness and a lack of deep bass were also observed initially. Experimenting with toe-out, angling the speakers slightly away from the listener, significantly improved the tonal balance, suggesting room interaction and personal preference play a role in optimizing their sound.
Compared to the JBL LSR305P Mark II, a well-regarded speaker in a similar category, the JBL exhibited superior bass response. However, the Pioneer SP-BS22 held its own in terms of overall tonality, indicating a comparable level of sonic performance in the midrange and treble frequencies. It was noted that the Pioneer might have a slightly more prominent midrange compared to the JBL.
In loudness tests, the Pioneer SP-BS22 speakers demonstrated limitations in deep bass reproduction, exhibiting significant distortion when pushed to reproduce very low frequencies at higher volumes. However, they performed considerably better with techno music and genres featuring higher frequency bass content. It is advisable to implement a high-pass filter in playback software to mitigate distortion when listening to bass-heavy music at higher volumes with these speakers.
Conclusion: Budget Audio Champion?
The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers, designed by the renowned Andrew Jones, represent a remarkable achievement in budget audio engineering. Jones’ philosophy of utilizing higher quality components where it matters most, even in budget designs, is evident in the SP-BS22’s performance. These speakers succeed in delivering a non-offensive and surprisingly well-balanced sound at an incredibly accessible price point. Their attractive design and measured performance make them a compelling option for budget-conscious listeners seeking quality audio. While not without limitations, particularly in deep bass extension and high-volume deep bass reproduction, the Pioneer SP-BS22 speakers offer exceptional value and performance, solidifying their position as a top contender in the budget bookshelf speaker category.
