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Bookshelf Shootout!

Vintagear

Vintagear

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Disclaimer: As with anything relating to how something sounds, this is all subjective. Also, prior to this I have never tried any of these speakers as my mains in a 2 channel set-up. This is the first time I listened to them in the room they were tested in.

I recently purchased the Pioneer BS-22's because I had to hear them for myself. Since the consensus was that they hit well above their league I decided to do a little comparison with two other bookshelf speakers, the B&W 686's and the Polk RTiA1's.



B&W 686's-Polk RTiA1's-Pioneer BS22's (left to right)



I matched the SPL with test tones as best I could.



I ran wires so that I could have this Niles selector on my lap. This way I would not have to move from my listening chair when switching from one speaker to the other.



When I first listened to the BS22's I was impressed, I think a lot had to do with the fact that I only paid $59.90 for them. Although, I thought they sounded great for a speaker that retails for $129.

After a while I noticed what I believe is the the biggest drawback of this speaker, the tweeter or at least the way it's voiced to produce the highs. I think that might be what makes the midrange nice but they can squawk a bit when pushed with certain material. I found them to be a forward sounding speaker.

The RTiA1's were clearer without being any brighter than the BS22's. I found them to sound less congested than the BS22's and have more "air" or "space" between the instruments. They also had a better soundstage than the BS22's.

The B&W's had the most laid back presentation of the bunch. Surprisingly, they also had the most bass. When pushed hard on passages that would make the highs on on the BS22's a little sharp the B&W's played right through without the peaks. Nice and smooth.

It's amazing how you can pick out the differences in speakers when you can switch them instantaneously on the fly with the flick of a switch in your own home.

I ranked them in the following order:
1) B&W 686's (I liked the laid back neutral presentation)
2) Polk RTiA1's (I liked the clarity.They're a happy medium between the 686's & BS22's)
3) Pioneer BS22 L-R's (Very nice, but side by side shortfalls were apparent to my ears)


My son listened to them blind as I controlled the switch. He ranked them in the following order:
1) Polk RTiA1's (Liked the clarity)
2) B&W 686's (Liked the bass but did not like the laid back sound as much which he perceived as muffled due to the combination of both)
3) Pioneer BS22 L-R's (Could not put his finger on why he preferred the other two)

All in all the Pioneers are a fantastic buy for the price. They should be on everyone list that is on a budget and is looking for a starter system. Now I just have to think of where to use mine!


Pioneer BS22-LR



Polk RTiA1's



B&W 686

 
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I've been keeping an eye out for a decent speaker selector so I can do this with my growing collection of bookshelf speakers. Right now- B&W 602, Genesis model 1, KLH 17 and EPI 70c. The B&W's are on indefinite loan from a friend. The rest were goodwill or CL scores for $30 or under.
 
I have very similar impressions with my B&W 602's. I love the bass response. They are front ported though and I did notice the bass drops off significantly when I am not seated in front of the speaker. But yes very laid back and mellow presentation. They can crank without being shrill or edgy. I like them a lot. Although I do like the quality of the vocals in the Model 17's more- not as mellow as the B&W's so it has a more live show quality.
 
What a great thread we could do with more like this. :thmbsp:

Polk RTiA1 are currently manufactured and cost $324.99 for the pair. They are listed as low a $255 but those outfit tend to make up the price with shipping costs. I have what is next up in the lineup that being the RTiA3, love em They are $399 a pair.
 
Ahem, in the 70's and 80's this was the way we auditioned speakers. Dozens of them on a large wall. All could be selected quickly. Since human hearing has a short term memory, it is a great way to tell the difference between speakers.
 
Great review. I wonder if adding a little damping material to the edge around the Pioneer tweeter will help subdue the squawkiness. Like felt or 1/4" charcoal foam.


The B&W certainly look the most expensive. I'm not a fan of how Polk accentuated the drivers and port with the silver rings. Makes the speaker look cheap; trying too hard. The simplicity of the B&W is very appealing.
 
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Thanks for this comparison! Somewhat confirms what I was expecting about the Pioneers.

Your son's perception of the bass in the 686 is probably because they do have quite a bit of bass for a small bookshelf speaker. In my experience it is pretty tight, though, and can fill a small space better than most speakers its size. Your other observations of its sound is spot on.
 
nclh77 said:
Ahem, in the 70's and 80's this was the way we auditioned speakers. Dozens of them on a large wall. All could be selected quickly. Since human hearing has a short term memory, it is a great way to tell the difference between speakers.
Click to expand...

But kind of a compromise for anything being auditioned since positioning can have a big influence on a loudspeaker's performance. It can definitely give a quick side by side comparison of basic voicing and tonality, but LF response, sound stage production and imaging will likely suffer. I did get to experience a few "wall of speakers" demo rooms in my late teens/early twenties and I must admit, it was cool as hell. :yes:
 
Thank you for a well-written and informative review with great pictures.

The woven Kevlar on the B&W speakers may be why they can produce more bass.

For the budget-minded, the predecessor to the B&W 686 is the 601.
 
tomlinmgt said:
But kind of a compromise for anything being auditioned since positioning can have a big influence on a loudspeaker's performance. It can definitely give a quick side by side comparison of basic voicing and tonality, but LF response, sound stage production and imaging will likely suffer. I did get to experience a few "wall of speakers" demo rooms in my late teens/early twenties and I must admit, it was cool as hell. :yes:
Click to expand...
First, cool thread.

I second the thoughts on the positioning. I've done a number of A/B (C/D/E...) tests/comparisons and certainly one thing I discovered is that doing such a test without spending adequate time position EACH speaker can skew results. There of course is a point where the "quality" of the speaker in general will null this, i.e. the poorer the quality the less difference positioning will make, and in some cases the better the speaker the less effort (maybe) positioning.

Just to repeat, I think this will mostly be noticed in imaging, depth, etc.
 
nclh77 said:
Ahem, in the 70's and 80's this was the way we auditioned speakers. Dozens of them on a large wall. All could be selected quickly. Since human hearing has a short term memory, it is a great way to tell the difference between speakers.
Click to expand...

Some shops still practice this comparison test. I had a lot of fun about a year ago helping some good friends (married couple) choose their speakers and components. Before stepping into a stereo shop, they said they trusted me and did not want to spend time listening to speakers and every component. Well, everything changed when they started to hear the differences from one speaker to another. They ended up choosing what I liked best and what I would have recommended for a small bookshelf speaker--PSB Synchrony One B.
 
I'll probably be picking up a Niles SVC-4 after reading this, because it looks like a great way to A/B/C speakers. Plus, it looks like it can handle A/B'ing an amp as well.

I've often thought this is the only way to compare speakers head to head and form an objective opinion. But it's hard to do in practice.

Now... as others will always mention, the position of the speakers in the test matters as well, but to me even if little bookshelves don't sound at their best sitting in your seat spaced 12 inches apart from each other, they aren't going to sound much better in whatever their "optimal" position is.

Unless of course you are the kind of guy what values a very narrow sweet spot and can't stand to listen to anything else. A good bookshelf should be able to handle variations in placement, this isn't rocket science. Other factors like bass response and tonal balance for me are far more important than sound stage and depth when I listen to small speakers, as well as being able to place them without being finicky.

Nice review!
 
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