Pioneer CS-99A

[Van_Isle]

I picked these up today, along with a Sansui 2000X, for $80 (CAD) total:

All the drivers work ... and the woofer, mid-range and higher-mid-range are all 'FB' drivers.Overall they are in ok condition .... veneer needs some attention (plant stains, etc.).

Should be an interesting project!

The Sansui isn't to be sneezed at either. Incredibly filthy inside but all seems to work:

By the way ... the CS-99As are sitting on top of a pair of Noresco SP-3037 (aka Isophon G-3037) I got a couple weeks ago for $20 at a SA. My wife has started to give me 'that look' ... (oh, who am I kidding, she's been giving me 'that look' for years!).

 

[quiet]

I see shopping in Canada is very good today. I have some of 99A's, and a Sansui 5000A as well. When I saw your post I paired then up for a few tunes. They work great together.
I've had the 99's for about ten years now. It took me a while to realize they are floor speakers best used right on the floor and not on stands or shelves. I now disagree with the bass shy critics. They're all wrong. The 99a's are great speakers. That's why they bring a grand or more for a pair.
My guess is you will give them the maximum effort. And rightly so.
There's no doubt the Sansui 5000A/Pioneer CS99A combo can really bring it. You're gonna love the match.

 

[ultumax]

Woah how big are those woofers? Are they 4 ways nice score! I’ve never even heard most vintage brands except one jbl.

 

[quiet]

Woah how big are those woofers? Are they 4 ways nice score! I’ve never even heard most vintage brands except one jbl.

Vintage is where it's at for free wheeling no holds barred fun. Try it, you'll like it.

 

[Van_Isle]

They are 5-way. 15-inch woofer. 5-inch mid-range. 4-inch 'higher-mid-range'. Multi-cellular horn tweeter. 1/2-inch super tweeter x 2. Cross-overs at 800, 2000, 5000 and 10000Hz. 25 to 22,000Hz frequency response. 97dB/W @ 1m sensitivity. 8-ohm. 100W max. power. Atenuators for the mid and high range. About 24H x 16W x 12D and 52 lbs each. 'FB' stands for 'Free Beating'. The cone paper is made of long and short, thick and thin fibers,that are beaten, not cut when the paper pulp is made. Pioneer claimed that it made a lighter, stronger cone paper.

 

[quiet]

Lighter and stronger must be a good thing because the 99a is a fast speaker. They will play almost anything.

 

[Van_Isle]

And they actually made these for a incredibly long time, when it comes to electronics ... 1971 to 1980.

 

[quiet]

How does it feel to know you can go all out on the rehab and sell at any time?

 

[Van_Isle]

Not quite following you there.

 

[quiet]

Any effort you put into the restoration will be well rewarded due to the excellent market for the 99a's.

 

[Van_Isle]

Gotcha

 

[432HzBob]

The 99's are a decent speaker with those unique brown "free beaten" cones.
Really good mids I found though the bass isn;t quite as deep and rumbling as their size would make you think.

 

[quiet]

No they don't put the earthquake or thunder storm in the room. And they don't waddle around in the bass mud either. I think they offer plenty of low, fast and sensitive bass without setting up a lot of lingering rumble around the room that washes out other things in the music. I find them to be very good from bottom to top. But they need to be on the floor to provide clean solid bass. And it is clean.
An excellent speaker for any year, especially as early as 1971.

 

[ultumax]

The 99's are a decent speaker with those unique brown "free beaten" cones.
Really good mids I found though the bass isn;t quite as deep and rumbling as their size would make you think.

There mid is closer to the size of today’s bookshelf woofers wow ! Awsome looking speakers lotta drivers too .

No they don't put the earthquake or thunder storm in the room. And they don't waddle around in the bass mud either. I think they offer plenty of low, fast and sensitive bass without setting up a lot of lingering rumble around the room that washes out other things in the music. I find them to be very good from bottom to top. But they need to be on the floor to provide clean solid bass. And it is clean.
An excellent speaker for any year, especially as early as 1971.

thats the type of bass best for music , thunder storm super loud bass is more for movie effects or rap .
Can’t turn bass to loud even on movies or it drowns our rest of audio in small rooms .

 

[Bodyblue]

I have a set of CS88s that I had re-capped and I really like them. I need a bigger room to really get them to sound the best however. The 88s use the 12in woofer in a cabinet almost as big as the 99s used and I think the bass is a bit better than the 99s. They can take a lot of power and can get just thunderously loud with crushing bass at high volumes. Very well built and simply beautiful. I like the upper end of the CS series.

 

[toxcrusadr]

The massive 15" cast frame woofer is a nice driver. Unfortunately it's in a much too small cabinet to ever get the claimed 25Hz out of it. Not trying to trash the 99a, I have nothing against it.

I would recommend a recap at this age or at a minimum, checking the caps. There are a bunch of them in there, at least 7 I think? And make sure all the drivers play.

 

[esprits4s]

Very nice score! Those are selling for a pretty penny these days. A couple of years ago, I sold a pair to a guy who then shipped them by container to Asia for resale.

 

[quiet]

The massive 15" cast frame woofer is a nice driver. Unfortunately it's in a much too small cabinet to ever get the claimed 25Hz out of it. Not trying to trash the 99a, I have nothing against it.

I would recommend a recap at this age or at a minimum, checking the caps. There are a bunch of them in there, at least 7 I think? And make sure all the drivers play.

Yes we hear that a lot about big woofer small sealed box speakers. Fortunately it's not exactly true, not all the time. The 99a's base is smoking fast and clear as can be. All the way down to where most of the music stops. And not a hump to be found. Not a lot happening in most music below 30 or maybe even 35 or whatever. It's not that it doesn't have enough. The reality is it doesn't have to much. A very musical and well balanced speaker. Maybe exactly what Pioneer wanted. All speakers have limitations. If the 99a's are bass limited I say good job Pioneer.
I think they are misunderstood, misused and misplaced.

 

[pappylon]

A quick search on ebay shows cs 99a sold for $400 - $1000
Sansui $200 - $395
I would say you had a major Scroe !!

 

[Bodyblue]

Big drivers and small speaker cabs usually mean that bass rolls off ......USUALLY. When I first saw the Dynaco A25, I thought "oh CRAP the bass is going to SUCK". WRONG. That 10in woofer in that tiny cabinet stomps a LOT of bigger cab speakers......they are better than my CS88s at normal volume. At higher volume the 88's bass is crushing. They also run right with my Imperial 6s.

It seems rules are made to be broken in this industry.

I just dont like the "A" models with all the extra drivers and foam surrounds that fall apart. The CS 88 and 99 are the ones I like better, but dont sell for as much because they dont look as interesting I think. Kubuki looks cool for sure.