Pioneer S-1EX Loudspeaker

Try this... Disconnect one speaker from the amp - either speaker - (turn amp off and remove one set of speaker cables from the amp).

Meaning , listen to the tweeter only on one speaker? I have mono blocks, so I just leave one turned off. I hope I have that right. Thank you very much for that test. I prefer warm speakers but I know just what you mean when you say "Balanced". These speakers are very planner like and remind me of my Martin Logan's in some ways, good thing I have a subwoofer. Sounds like you have them "Raked" very high in the back. What did you use to do that?

What did you find better between the Tad and the S2EX when listening to them side by side? Was it subtle or a real night/day type of thing? In other words, lets say you listened to both in an a/b OR even the Tad on one channel, the S2EX on the other channel. What precisely do you hear different in such a scenario?

Thanks for the input and hopefully Zeal figured out what was happening with his setup!

Have you ever tried experimenting with smaller tube or transistor amps on these speakers? They seem very sensitive/efficient and I'm curious why many are using such high powered amps for these speakers. Perhaps better put, how much power do you think you are giving these speakers to make serious spl? Those 180's are brutes for power, but are you even needing much of that power to make excellent music? Sounds like the speaker is so resolving/revealing that every microscopic movement makes a night/day type of a difference, as in, this is a "very" high level speaker that involves a ton of critical care and not just your average/typical (cost no option even) speaker that you can make work quite simply without too much work.

Thanks for the input regarding power.

Sounds like the speaker is so resolving/revealing that every microscopic movement makes a night/day type of a difference, as in, this is a "very" high level speaker that involves a ton of critical care and not just your average/typical (cost no option even) speaker that you can make work quite simply without too much work.

Actually, I agree with Kal Rubinson's evaluation (from his excellent review in Stereophile):

In regard to ease of placement in a domestic room not exclusively dedicated to listening, the S-1EX surpassed all other speakers I've used. This means that anyone who buys the Pioneer is more likely to enjoy optimum results than with more finicky speakers.

All speakers require proper setup and some rooms are trickier than others...to say the least! While the S-1EX's are indeed very resolving and detailed, they have not presented me with any difficult/unusual placement problems/issues as compared with other floor standers that I've had in my room. Since they are front-ported, they can be placed closer to the front wall (back wall to some folks) than the typical rear-ported floor standers.