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Impressed with new Sony Core SS-CS3!

teebee

teebee

Well-Known Member
Just got them today. They sound very well balanced and are fairly well made. I am quite pleased, to say the least. They are priced under the gone-too-soon SS-K line from last decade, and sound great. They don't look drop dead gorgeous, but they are very solid, and pass the knuckle-rap test with flying colors.

Braced MDF enclosures, poly capacitors, air core inductors and vented woofer baskets are all nice considerations.

HT Review has some very useful info: http://hometheaterreview.com/sony-ss-cs3-floorstanding-speaker-reviewed/

Obligatory dissection completed...

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Sony did it again!
 
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Read a lot of good press over these...BestBuy had then on sale during the holidays, but just have no room for more speakers...
 
Had a full set of Sony speakers for my home theater - enjoyed them quite a bit, given how much I paid.

My floorstanding speakers are the SS-F6000 - a predecessor to your SS-CS3 (but without as much fanfare). As much as I liked their sound, I think it was mostly stockholm syndrome.

Replaced every last Sony with KEF and haven't looked back.
 
I never thought much of any Sony speakers I'd come across until I found a pair of the largest of the SS-Ks and soon thereafter found a pair of the smallest of that line. They aren't the best I've found, but they are impressive compared to any other Sonys I've heard. Now all I need is to find whatever center channel was in that line and I'll have a surround system!
 
stereofanboy said:
I never thought much of any Sony speakers I'd come across until I found a pair of the largest of the SS-Ks and soon thereafter found a pair of the smallest of that line. They aren't the best I've found, but they are impressive compared to any other Sonys I've heard. Now all I need is to find whatever center channel was in that line and I'll have a surround system!
Click to expand...

That is really where those Sony's shined. I had the F6000 floor standings with the 3000 bookshelf and 5000 center channel, and it was honestly *really* impressive for movies. On their own, none of them were particularly amazing but I do think that they really worked well together to accomplish a solid movie sound stage. (I actually still own all of them - I've only just recently replaced them with KEF gear)
 
The core series really is a different animal. No sub-tweeter midrange or polycarbonate style tweet. They're even +\- less than 4 db throughout their range. Check them out. They're special even when compared to a pair of ADS L710s, but of course with a good bit less bass.
 
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Sony gets a lot of undue hate because of their large amount of cheap, loud speakers but they do make decent stuff. I ran an SS center channel in my 5.1 for quite a while until I found a vocally matched center for my Klipsch mains. These towers honestly sound as good or better than anything in their price range. They also tend to go on sale often, which makes it an even sweeter deal. Enjoy!
 
I've got a pair of the SS-HA1s that are part of their new Hi-Res line. I'm very impressed so far. Very clean and clear without sounding harsh.

Sony likes to voice their speakers "clean and articulate" - neither warm nor cold. Sometimes that means a lack of "body" or "emotional connection."

I'm thinking of replacing them with Spendors for seriously more money.
 
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