Pioneer SP-BS41-LR 2CH Bookshelf Loudspeakers Pair

Pros: I'm a budget audiophile, and had read some professional reviews of these. So when I saw them for such a low price, I bought a pair for the garage. But first, I set them up properly in my listening room on stands, broke them in for a day, then gave them a listen. While they don't really compare to my reference speakers (they'd better not at that price!), they come unreasonably close.

Here's my review: Imaging is generally good, but not pinpoint precise. But certainly better than in most mass-market bookshelf speakers. Frequency response is also good, and the bass is both well-defined and deep. Pretty solid response down to ~35hz in my setup. Vocals tend to be a bit forward (which I like), but not harsh or brash. Tweets are nice; not overly analytical, very listenable. My overall impression is one of vastly higher competence than can be explained at this price. Physical appearance, fit/finish and feel are nice. They're not exactly stylish or stunning, but there is a certain beauty to be seen in the engineering and design of such an affordable, yet functional and , loudspeaker.

Cons: Ummmmm...Hmmmm...trying hard to think of any serious criticism. I can't come up with anything at all that would be fair. I could nitpick them on insignificant details, but I can't think of anything bad to say, really. So styling. Yup. That's what's wrong with these. They don't look like thousand-dollar speakers.

Other Thoughts: It's not that these are perfect. It's just that the imperfections and design/engineering compromises are completely livable, listenable, and inconsequential. Most people will never need more speaker than this, and even most audiophiles will be able to listen to these without cringing. I currently own similar size bookshelf speakers from several niche audiophile brands which cost me from a few hundred to about a grand, and these mass-produced, plain-looking Pioneer (!) speakers are not only competitive, they're my favorites! Almost makes me cry thinking about how much I've spent on all the others. The value here is simply astounding.

Pros: Great all around speakers,for music,tv,& movies.

Cons: Can't be snobby & say i spent an arm & a leg for them

Other Thoughts: I bought these to expand my simple 5.1 system with the Towers,& sub from this same line.I'll definitely be getting the center too.Once "broke-in" every single speaker from this line has amazed me on sound quality for the price.

Pros: The high frequencies are amazingly smooth and listenable for long periods. The bass is quite powerful for 5 1/2" woofers, with a powerful amplifier. Instrument separation and clarity is excellent.

Cons: The balance leans toward a thin sound, although the bass and upper bass are fine.

Other Thoughts: I've compared these to a British speakers retailing for $350.00 a pair. I prefer the Pioneers. They are just a clear and present a more musical alive sound. Many speakers I've heard in the $200.00 to $400.00 price range sound brittle, harsh and dirty in the mids and highs compared to the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR speakers. When on sale, these are a no-brainer, just buy them.

Pros: Great Value ! Considering they are "Bookshelf" very high quality sound.

Cons: None....

Other Thoughts: Using these speakers in-conjunction with converting my vinyl collection to digital.

Pros: Great style,
Good mids and highs,
Can take as much power as you push them

Cons: Bass could be better,
Pretty large (also center channel for this set is huge)

Other Thoughts: Combined these with the center (c21 i think?) and a onkyo reciever pushuing 110Wpc and the original Onkyo passive woofer. Would definitely recommend a sub with this set. Having the center also makes it a perfect home theater set. Don't skimp on powering them too. Get em on sale for 85 and its a deal

Pros: Installed these for a friend. Originally used an old Sansui two channel amp, then switched him to a mid 90's Denon AVR-610. Both amps drive these speakers easily, so I'd say they must be a fairly efficient design. Also, they do look nice.

For his purposes I was looking for something less expensive and a little more versatile than a sound bar, though mounting these on a wall would be more challenging than a sound bar, but for a bookshelf these are perfect.

In terms of sound quality, they seem to bias toward the midrange however bass is quite acceptable and surprising for their size. In my house I've used the same Denon AVR-610 to drive a pair of old Advent Heritages, and while these are not quite in the same league as these old towers, these Pioneers on sale with free shipping, are a steal. So yeah, I'd say the upper to mid is quite good, with bass tending to muddy a bit, but hey...

Cons: The only con I think of at this price point is that they are curved on the sides, making vertical mounting a must without some sort of wall mount bracket. But for most people, who'd use these on actual bookshelves or other flat surfaces, in the vertical orientation, they're fine. The driver grills appear to be non-removable. I'm only docking 1 egg because of this, and the difficulty in possible repair down the road. Really they deserve 4.5 eggs (stars).

Other Thoughts: great value. nice design. very good sound.

Pros: Sound great across the useable audio spectrum

Cons: non

Other Thoughts: I like them so well I order a second set and the center channel speaker

Pros: Very crisp sound. Probably optimized for the vocals of home theater, not music.

Cons: These speaker are pretty darned big for bookshelf speakers. Also, the sound is rather tinny. My wife said they sounded like static.

Other Thoughts: I compared these side by side with Polk Monitor30 series II (same general price range) and the polks sound much better to me. I'll end up using the Pioneers as rears on my HT system.

Pros: amazing, crisp, loud sound. a lot has to do with the receiver obviously, but i was very impressed.

Cons: speakers are larger than i anticipated, but in the end sound quality is all that really matters to me, and these sound pretty darn good.

Pros: The best feature is that they have incredible pitch definition and excellent separation of individual instruments and vocals without being overly analytic. They respond very well to amplifier control and don't easily lose their composure when pushed hard and despite their bookshelf speaker status, there's some usable sound down at 31.5Hz so put on that Saint-Saens Organ Symphony #3 and have at it!

Cons: Their presentation is bit laid back (a nice way of saying that the transients can often be a bit slow) but they present without being dull so this isn't really a con.... however, there is a chance that despite their ability to play loudly, they are not the best when it comes to dynamic range (although this will likely change over time as they break in).

Other Thoughts: Every once in a great while, a speaker company does everything right. There was the Radio Shack Minimus 7, the NHT Super Zero, the Infinity Primus 150 and now, the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR. Despite only having had them for several hours, they came alive after about only 20 minutes and have just become better and better.

In comparison, to my Infinity Primus 150's, the SP-BS41-LR has superior overall musicality (with symphonic material) and didn't need subwoofer but the Primus 150 has far better vocals.

In comparison to my Infinity P152's, the SP-BS41-LR is far superior in every category.

In comparison to my Insignia NS-B2111's, the SP-BS41-LR easily bests them in every category except for dynamic range.

The 41 sounds very much like is the B&W DM302 but unlike the B&W, it NEVER gets screechy or congested when played to it's limit.

And now the bad...

If you're looking for soundstage, you won't get it with these speakers. They also have a tiny sweet spot so placement can be an issue (my listening room is 12x16). I found them best at a listening distance of around 7 feet.

I don't recommend this speaker for critical listening but if you want to just sit down and enjoy many hours of non-fatiguing music, this is one of the best ever.

(It should be noted that since speakers are mechanical like the engine of a car, I expect that these speakers will become better over time and will likely become far better than they are as of this writing.)