The legendary budget passive bookshelf speakers by Pioneer/Andrew Jones.
Very popular on audiophile forums. I believe these are discontinued, somehow Kogan has stock?
RRP $479 on Kogan.
Use 14 day Kogan first trial for free delivery, can cancel subscription afterwards.
Note that these are not powered speakers like most of the edifier's on sale. These will require a speaker amplifier to run, and speaker wire to connect them.
Can't trust Kogan rrp, but are these any good?
Haven't heard these myself but they are very well reviewed and recommended - one of the most highly recommended at their price point along with the Micca RB42, Micca MB42X, Klipscc r41m, etcetera
Have done a bit of research on what they go for/did go for before they were discontinued, and this is a very competitive price. People were buying them for well north of $150/160 USD when they were available, and generally speaker prices in Australia are much higher than the USD to AUD conversion
They are one of those cheap sets that hit at $99 on us amazon etc. and they sound great for usd$99
But they probably come off worse compared to something at $750.
But at $139 and with 88db it'll work on just about any amp.
RRP here is dumb $329 and up.
I think they've gone on sale for $70-$80 USD over the years, but this is as good as it gets in AU.
I have a pair and they're good for the price but not spectacular. A bit boomy in the mids and minimal bass. But if paired with a good amp or receiver, especially one that can calibrate the speakers, they can be very good.
I did find they weren't acoustically compatible with my Klipsch towers though, for whatever reason - just didn't mix as nicely as nicely as I'd hoped. I have them in a second zone on their own and they're fine
kinda makes sense given it has a 4" woofer and 55hz cut
cheap mod would be to replace the tweeter and even the woofer if its not big price obstacle
Why buy 2 way speakers just to replace both cones?
for a brand new speaker you won't beat these at this price point in this country.
they could do with a sub though.
these are famously good for the price
If you fancy doing some DIY work and wrangling up the same (or similar) parts, this can be made into an excellent speaker:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/dennis-murph…
The Vifa tweeter is now sold under the Peerless brand.
Review of the retail-sold version of this modification: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/a…
Thank you jasswolf, it is an honour to have you comment on my maiden post.
Thanks for thinking so highly of me, sorry about the neg brigade.
Maybe they think I was being facetious?
It's the internet so I won't take it too personally lol
@Khartoum: These w*nkers will neg anything.
They need to get out of mum's basement.
Jasswolf's webpage reference was really helpful.
Have you priced this up locally?
I haven't been dug in hard enough to properly source some of the caps, but I would estimate $100-$130 per pair, plus the time you'll spend modifying the enclosure and the crossover. Stock is the issue with the tweeters (unless you want to pay 50% more per unit) and range of options is the drama with inductor coils and caps.
I think in the end if you want to make this with AU-sourced parts this year, you're probably using slightly off-spec coils and getting a hazier crossover, but workable.
You're probably saving about $500-$700 in terms of comparable quality, minus the time you sink in for labour.
cheers, if the quality boost is really that good I'll have to look into it.
I'm in no rush so I can wait around for the tweeters.
Sounds like a lot of work, does Dennis still make and sell them?
@Jackson: Nope, he's more interested in BMR and ribbon combo speakers now, and those also punch way above their price bracket.
@Jackson: No. Not that much work. I had an set of large 3 way speakers years ago and replaced the t
weeters and was not so hard as I made shure they would fit the original cut out ok. Making up
and re-wiring crossovers should not be so bad either, take it up as a bit of a fun,
challenging indoor project.
These are good speakers but if you can get the ATMOS ones cheap, jump on them, they're perfect for that additional upfiring on top of mains.
Always expensive here so look out on Kogan for some specials.
Edit these are the ones I am talking about.
that's a joking price
That's Kogan for you.
Good price and this is mostly true, except maybe the bass is a bit too 'much' compared to my more neutral B&W … from Stereophile, "Jones's SP-BS22-LR is a stunning achievement at US$159.99/pair. Its sound is balanced, neutral, and involving, with no significant shortcomings." https://www.stereophile.com/content/pioneer-sp-bs22-lr-louds…
Jumped on this deal. Anyone able to recommend a decent budget amplifier with optical input that would work well with these speakers? :-)
Never mind, I just bought a new Yamaha WXA-50 for $392.85. Should do the trick.
Ooh! Where from?
Thanks OP, been looking for a set of rears and was looking at the cheap-ish Micca's but these will do nicely!
Anyone have any suggestions for stands?
I want to put this behind the sofa (which isn't against the wall).
I have this for 6 years, to be honest, I'm not impressed at all. Pretty average bookshelf speaker in my taste.
I already have a pair of the floor standing version which I can highly recommend.
Wish I needed these.
EDIT:
Ordered them anyway … might try to add them as rear channels … I don't have the space …