Pioneer S-1EX Loudspeaker

I am auditioning the S-1EX's in my room this weekend. So far, these are by far the best $15,0000 - $18,000 speaker I have heard in my room (they are now specially priced - new - at $7,000). I also auditioned the "2's" (the smaller "monitor" version and they are also very impressive). Wow! tough choice...

I can't believe I never hear about these truly excellent speakers...

Audio Video Logic has a few pairs left for anyone looking for a new speaker in the under-$10,000-range. I would advise those to consider these before pulling the trigger on anything in that range.

I just got a pair of Pioneer S-3EX Loudspeakers. The more you play them the better they sound. They need about 400 hours before you hear what they really can do.

How did you guys set them up and how close to the walls were they? These things are so new to the American market that's there's very little set up information to be had. I have a 16 by 14 foot room with 9 foot ceilings. Any suggestions?

I went ahead and bought the S-2EX, which are exceptionally well-built speakers. I am not currently satisfied with their sound though and I fear it is the beryllium dome tweeter that is the culprit. I have about 75-hours on them and I sure hope that, with another 200-hours or so, they will "mellow out."

They are indeed very revealing speakers and they certainly present a lot of information - very resolving. They do measure pretty flat across the spectrum, but the upper treble is just too dry for me at present. Right now, I miss my old Krell Resolution IIs, but they were a bit too rolled off in the upper treble (I've gone from one extreme to the next!).

I haven't made my final analysis yet and I hope that with additional hours on them, these speakers turn out to be keepers. They're quick, detailed and highly resolving, yet at this point they are just too thin and dry - lacking the needed air around the upper treble... I hope this isn't indicative of beryllium tweeters in general...

I have my S3-EX 16 inches from the back wall and 30 inches from the sides. They have warmed up a bit since I got them, I still don't think I have them in the right place for the best sound.

Zeal:

Have you tried experimenting with the amount of toe-in (both away from and toward the listening position) as well as the amount of rake (the way the speaker leans forward or backward - which affects the direction the tweeter fires; either directly at or above the level of your ears)...?

What exactly do you not like about the current sound; too thin, too boomy, not resolving enough, sound-staging issues...?