Pioneer AJ SP-FS52, or custom-made floorstanders?!

[TheSeeker]

hello everyone,

in some dire confusion right now. the enclosure of one of my present floorstanders (custom-made, other than the enclosure, which was from an older pair of spkrs) is on the verge of breaking up it seems. i need new speakers/enclosure. i have 3 options now:

1. give them to the maker, extract out the drivers and get them installed in new, much better enclosures. cost - 14k.

2. buy a pair of pioneer AJ SP-FS52 from ebay. have been reading a lot about them since their debut, but never got to try them. cost - 25.5k.

3. get new custom floorstanders from the customised speaker maker. i have a powerful config with me. they'll also apparently match the sound-sig of my center-spkr and surround bipolars (made by the same spkr manufacturer). cost - 30k.

am seriously confused which way to go.

TECH-SPECS OF PIONEER SP-FS52 :-

- RF Molded Curved Cabinet
- Three 5-1/4 Structured Surface Woofers
- 1 High Efficiency Soft Dome Tweeter
- Gold 5-Way Binding Posts
- 8 Element Sophisticated Crossover
- Oversized Magnets with Vented Pole Piece for Improved
- Bass Response
- Improved Sensitivity for More Efficient Power Input
- 130 Watt Power Handling

- Enclosure......................................Bass-reflex Floorstanding
- Configuration...............................................................3-way
- Frequency Range.............................................40 Hz-20 kHz
- Nominal Impedance................................................6 Ohms
- Sensitivity (2.83 V).........................................................87 dB
- Maximum Input Power...............................................130 W
- Cross-Over Frequency..................................250 Hz & 3 kHz
- Magnetically Shielded....................................................No
- Woofer..................................................................5-1/4 (x2)
- Midrange.....................................................................5-1/4
- Tweeter...............................................................................1


TECH-SPECS OF THE PROPOSED CUSTOM-FS:

3-way 5-drivers
bass-reflex enclosure
8 ohms impedance
150W RMS
bi-wireable
bi-ampable
2x 165mm LF
1X 105mm mid
1x 25mm neodymium titanium LFS tweeter
anti-resonance construction
fully-chambered cabinet

further, the drivers are of similar quality in this, as in the pioneer FS52, but can also be changed as per requirement & budget. a superior pair can be made at not much high cost-difference. and the cabinet-built will be akin a 'battleship'.

what do you think, comparing the specs, if it helps? please suggest. i need to get this done soon, before my parents come here (they live abroad), and they're to arrive soon, because i'd surely face a lot of heat if i engage in all this in front of them when they're here, the huge spkrs & wire-jungle already a bitter eyesore for them.

tagging @efernand1 saar for some suggestions.

TIA.

P.S. - my AVR is Marantz NR1606. dont have the tech-specs of my other spkrs in the circuit currently with me. though can reproduce them here later.

 

[Cervi]

the decision is totally upto you, you can check out onkyo skf 4800 which has much fuller sound and better bass or the mission mx fs all in same price range.

 

[efernand1]

hello everyone,

in some dire confusion right now. the enclosure of one of my present floorstanders (custom-made, other than the enclosure, which was from an older pair of spkrs) is on the verge of breaking up it seems. i need new speakers/enclosure. i have 3 options now:

1. give them to the maker, extract out the drivers and get them installed in new, much better enclosures. cost - 14k.

2. buy a pair of pioneer AJ SP-FS52 from ebay. have been reading a lot about them since their debut, but never got to try them. cost - 25.5k.

3. get new custom floorstanders from the customised speaker maker. i have a powerful config with me. they'll also apparently match the sound-sig of my center-spkr and surround bipolars (made by the same spkr manufacturer). cost - 30k.

am seriously confused which way to go.

TECH-SPECS OF PIONEER SP-FS52 :-

- RF Molded Curved Cabinet
- Three 5-1/4 Structured Surface Woofers
- 1 High Efficiency Soft Dome Tweeter
- Gold 5-Way Binding Posts
- 8 Element Sophisticated Crossover
- Oversized Magnets with Vented Pole Piece for Improved
- Bass Response
- Improved Sensitivity for More Efficient Power Input
- 130 Watt Power Handling

- Enclosure......................................Bass-reflex Floorstanding
- Configuration...............................................................3-way
- Frequency Range.............................................40 Hz-20 kHz
- Nominal Impedance................................................6 Ohms
- Sensitivity (2.83 V).........................................................87 dB
- Maximum Input Power...............................................130 W
- Cross-Over Frequency..................................250 Hz & 3 kHz
- Magnetically Shielded....................................................No
- Woofer..................................................................5-1/4 (x2)
- Midrange.....................................................................5-1/4
- Tweeter...............................................................................1


TECH-SPECS OF THE PROPOSED CUSTOM-FS:

3-way 5-drivers
bass-reflex enclosure
8 ohms impedance
150W RMS
bi-wireable
bi-ampable
2x 165mm LF
1X 105mm mid
1x 25mm neodymium titanium LFS tweeter
anti-resonance construction
fully-chambered cabinet

further, the drivers are of similar quality in this, as in the pioneer FS52, but can also be changed as per requirement & budget. a superior pair can be made at not much high cost-difference. and the cabinet-built will be akin a 'battleship'.

what do you think, comparing the specs, if it helps? please suggest. i need to get this done soon, before my parents come here (they live abroad), and they're to arrive soon, because i'd surely face a lot of heat if i engage in all this in front of them when they're here, the huge spkrs & wire-jungle already a bitter eyesore for them.

tagging @efernand1 saar for some suggestions.

TIA.

P.S. - my AVR is Marantz NR1606. dont have the tech-specs of my other spkrs in the circuit currently with me. though can reproduce them here later.

Audition and trip on these....bargain for 16k.......then close at 18k or 20/21k....playback some bassy tracks....check each speaker of each tower carefully

https://www.olx.in/item/pair-of-black-speakers-ID1fj7f5.html#1a959491e5

 

[TheSeeker]

the decision is totally upto you, you can check out onkyo skf 4800 which has much fuller sound and better bass or the mission mx fs all in same price range.

Audition and trip on these....bargain for 16k.......then close at 18k or 20/21k....playback some bassy tracks....check each speaker of each tower carefully

https://www.olx.in/item/pair-of-black-speakers-ID1fj7f5.html#1a959491e5

thanks guys. sorry for the late response. was dug a little deeper in work the last week. nevertheless, managed to take out time on last Friday night & brought home a pair of the custom-built speakers I had written about, after an audition. getting a used pair was not an option. plus also didn't have time to go to stores for demos. I tested these new pair with my older FS. they are definitely louder & clearer, and match well with the other speakers in my setup! esp. the mids are these new ones' forte! i'll share some snaps of these later.

however am in a second conundrum now. I had this option of getting the present woofers on these speakers replaced with bigger ones - 6.5", paper cone, 8 ohm v/s 6.5", kevlar, 6 ohm (price-difference between both not being much). I bought & brought these speakers for a week's test with the present woofers, on the 'condition' that if I feel the need for bigger woofers, i'll return them for an overhaul. even though present woofers reproduce more deep lows than my older FS, but am feeling that I need more for movies. could you pls suggest which one out of paper cone & kevlar will be better? am leaning towards kevlar. slight downsides with kevlar are that they're 6 ohm, & might not match with the sound-sig of other speakers of my setup. though with the first point, there's an advantage that then with the AVR i'll hook up my DNM Audio A777 stereo amp that'll act as a poweramp & take some load off of the AVR, & thereby also wont keep eating dust like its doing now. I've scoured the net to arrive at a conclusion but have failed in it.

please suggest.......

 

[efernand1]

Given the size of the cone driver....kevlar would be the preferred choice here...

 

[TheSeeker]

Given the size of the cone driver....kevlar would be the preferred choice here...

kevlar it is then!
my only concern though has been, whether 6.5" woofers wouldnt increase boominess & eat away the punchiness in music. though i had auditioned a pair of 2-way speakers too with 6.5" paper cone woofers, & had much liked the music reproduction.

BTW i got a pair of the pioneer speakers too for another room. tested them alongside the FS i recently got. the pics tell the difference in size (and an idea of the size of sound as well ).

 

[SwaroopKS]

Both look great! Would be great if you can share your comparison of the both speakers. From where are you able to get the custom made speakers?

Cheers

 

[TheSeeker]

Both look great! Would be great if you can share your comparison of the both speakers. From where are you able to get the custom made speakers?

Cheers

thanks. i'd surely do. i was out of town for the past few days so couldnt reply here, though i had written a draft-response (about speakers-comparison) on my phone which i'd post soon. the custom-made speakers have been at the maker's place since that time for woofers & crossover-change. should be getting them back soon. (@efernand1, i ultimately decided to go for the paper-cone woofers, as the cost-benefit ratio with the kevlars wasnt very good i felt later. i found i was mistaken about their cost to begin with . it was about double of what i previously had thought it to be). the custom-built speakers i get from SMDAudio (his own website is under maintenance currently). he is known to some forum-members as well as is himself on the forum but not active here anymore.

 

[rajathv8]

Would be interested in your opinion of the Pioneer. I am using them currently for a stereo 2.0 setup and love them.

Where did you get the the pioneer from? Last time I searched I couldn't find them available anywhere except cart2india at a ridiculous price.

 

[TheSeeker]

Would be interested in your opinion of the Pioneer. I am using them currently for a stereo 2.0 setup and love them.

Where did you get the the pioneer from? Last time I searched I couldn't find them available anywhere except cart2india at a ridiculous price.

I managed to snag them off of ebay.
But looks like I will have to sell them now. Cant really make space for them in a secondary zone. :sad: