Pioneer CS 303

J

JRW

Active Member
I've had a pair of these since I bought them new in the 80s or early 90s. I still have them because they keep working, and they aren't really worth selling. These are the CS 303 3 ways with the 12" woof and the ribbon tweeter. There's a CS G303 that is a different speaker.

They were my only speakers when they were all I could afford. They've probably been moved at least 10 times, so the particle board cabs have corners that are less square than they used to be. They have been relegated to AV duty for a while but came out for testing duty when an untested Sansui 771 came to my house.

I find I like the sound in short intervals, but the ribbon tweeter can fatigue my ears. OK bass if driven with half decent equipment, but not necessarily tight or fast.

I have never really seen any reviews or discussion of these speakers before and wondered if anyone else is testing "new" equipment or blasting their garage or basement with them. What are your impressions of them?
 
Register to hide this ad
I'm bringing this post back from premature death. I figured I had been lazy in my internet searching, and the answers were out there. They are not. There are a few enthusiastic posts here and there from people who paid under $20 for a pair at a garage sale and were "blown away". There have to be more of these out there. It seems Pioneer stopped making them in favor of the CS-G303, which is a different speaker. I'm curious if building new boxes would be worthwhile or if someone out there otherwise modified a pair. Anybody? If no one on this board has information on them, I have to assume there just aren't that many in circulation.
 
JRW said:
I'm bringing this post back from premature death. I figured I had been lazy in my internet searching, and the answers were out there. They are not. There are a few enthusiastic posts here and there from people who paid under $20 for a pair at a garage sale and were "blown away". There have to be more of these out there. It seems Pioneer stopped making them in favor of the CS-G303, which is a different speaker. I'm curious if building new boxes would be worthwhile or if someone out there otherwise modified a pair. Anybody? If no one on this board has information on them, I have to assume there just aren't that many in circulation.
Click to expand...
I have a pair. My son gave them to me about 3 years agao. They were just sitting in my basement until now. I am thinking about rebuilding them. Any recommendations?
 
To me untrained eyes they appear to somewhat resemble the HPM series. HPM 100 and the like.

SO, is it possible these were an overseas marketed product which might explain why there is not a lot of info available here?
One other reason I mention overseas is a couple names or words used in a couple youtube video links.
 
I did see a Malaysian video about these speakers. I am currently plying them thru my Sansui 7070 receiver. They sound pretty decent. The tweeters are bright. One woofer crackles every now and then. I would like to redo them, but not exactly sure if it's worthwhile, other than just having a little project to do. I was about to throw them out, but decided to give them a chance.
 
Fred Blount said:
I did see a Malaysian video about these speakers. I am currently plying them thru my Sansui 7070 receiver. They sound pretty decent. The tweeters are bright. One woofer crackles every now and then. I would like to redo them, but not exactly sure if it's worthwhile, other than just having a little project to do. I was about to throw them out, but decided to give them a chance.
Click to expand...

That might be one of the "clues" I saw, I think the other might have been a persons name which seemed like an overseas name.

I have hardly any experience with Pioneer, but they so much remind me of some HPM's I'd GUESS they could have been either an overseas issue OR a series right before or after the HPM's.
 
I bought mine brand new, in the boxes, from an electronics store in Austin, Texas (I think it was a CMC or such). Austin can be a little different, but not foreign. I always thought building boxes of the same dimensions and layout, but using good, heavy materials, and bracing. Then again, I may just give them to my daughter.

And given when I bought mine, I would say they came along after the HPMs but before Pioneer speakers completely jumped the shark.
 
It was a hell of a lot weirder, more interesting, and fun, before it became a slightly cooler big city. It's hard to be weird with tens of thousands of folks watching.
 
The crossovers are probably due for a recap by now, as they're 40 years old. Speaker crossovers are cheap and easy enough that the value proposition really doesn't come into play (I'd be shocked if there were more than 2 or 3 caps in these), and eliminate the crackling and distortion.
 
Well, I'm reviving this thread, since I am now the proud owner of a pair that were VERY well taken care of. Picked them up from a guy in Missouri. Have not hooked them up to anything yet, but want to try them out a little. I do t that a re-cap will be in order, before I do anything else to them. Yes, I have also watched the Malaysian (?) YT video as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom