Pioneer CS-53 made in Belgium?

Cathead45

Member
Anybody know about these? I came across 4 of them for $45.00. I have seen them made in Japan but not Belgium. Going to look at them tomorrow would you buy them?
 

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I found a little more info on them. 12" woofer and a 3 1/2" tweeter. 40 watts max. They had a division in Antwerp Belgium. I am buying them for the garage and have an SX-680 to drive them. If they sound decent I am going to pull the trigger. I will let you know how it ends up.
 
Curious as to why Pioneer installed 1/4" connectors on these? Looks almost like a ProSound accommodation.

The price is certainly right. Should be perfect for your intended use.

GeeDeeEmm
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Went ahead with the 4 speakers for $30.00. They are nothing special but when I'm out putting around in the garage I will have some tunes. They look great and vintage. The gal I bought them from told me her 64 year old father brought them back from Germany in the late 60's while in the armed forces. Sounded good to me so I bit. I will list the other 2 for $50.00 on CL.
 

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Well assessed all 4 and found that two of them had tweeters that did not work. pulled them out and both registered nothing across the +/- on the meter. We have a gentleman in the town over who rebuilds and sells used speakers and parts. I drove over and we found 2 used tweeters with the same specs in his vast collection, gave him $20.00 for both. The sound with the working tweeters is actually quite a surprise. Punchy bass and very crisp highs. No, they are not on the same level as the KLH 5's but I am happy and think I will get some tweeters for the other two. I really like the period correct looks and the veneer cleaned up nice with a little light sanding, Howards restore-a-finish and some bees wax. A rewarding little project with good results, now the garage needs a 1967 GTO to go with them.
 
Well assessed all 4 and found that two of them had tweeters that did not work. pulled them out and both registered nothing across the +/- on the meter. We have a gentleman in the town over who rebuilds and sells used speakers and parts. I drove over and we found 2 used tweeters with the same specs in his vast collection, gave him $20.00 for both. The sound with the working tweeters is actually quite a surprise. Punchy bass and very crisp highs. No, they are not on the same level as the KLH 5's but I am happy and think I will get some tweeters for the other two. I really like the period correct looks and the veneer cleaned up nice with a little light sanding, Howards restore-a-finish and some bees wax. A rewarding little project with good results, now the garage needs a 1967 GTO to go with them.
I found a pair of these locally and bought them for thirty bucks. I replaced the capacitor in each of them. I felt that the speakers sounded a bit tubby. With the new capacitors, I was very surprised at the tight bass that resulted. I have a pair of Axiom t-22 bookshelf speakers on top and I like the combination.
 
Very nice, I am going to have my speaker guy look at the caps when he gets done with the 2 other projects ahead of this. I will have to buy him lunch to get moved up in the line. Food is a great motivator for him, LOL. Enjoy those speakers they are great at that price!
 
I found a pair of these locally and bought them for thirty bucks. I replaced the capacitor in each of them. I felt that the speakers sounded a bit tubby. With the new capacitors, I was very surprised at the tight bass that resulted. I have a pair of Axiom t-22 bookshelf speakers on top and I like the combination.
Hi! I have the same speakers, and wish to recap. Could you please advise me about the replacing caps specs, manufacturer? In my speaker, the originals have only a nr 4. sign, and nothing else. Thanks, in advance!
 
Hi! I have the same speakers, and wish to recap. Could you please advise me about the replacing caps specs, manufacturer? In my speaker, the originals have only a nr 4. sign, and nothing else. Thanks, in advance!
I’m at work today. I can’t remember the specs but I will crack open one of the cabinets tonight and I will let you know! Have a great day
 
I’m at work today. I can’t remember the specs but I will crack open one of the cabinets tonight and I will let you know! Have a great day

Hey Scott, thank you very much for your kind help in advance! I am looking for this information since a long time! I appreciate your effort to give the information!
 
I picked up a pair today. Recapped them with Dayton Audio 5%'ers. Had high hopes for the bass because when I had one on the bench it sounded nice and tight... like a JBL. But together they sound as if they are out of phase and cancelling each other out. I've run many a tests to make sure everything is hooked up right; they image pretty well. But something wrong with the bass, like a woofer is wired wrong (but they image

Nevermind. The bad bass was speaker position. I now have them on the floor and the bass is nice... JBL like. And they image well.


IMG_2752.jpg IMG_2753.jpg IMG_2750.jpg IMG_2748.jpg IMG_2747.jpg IMG_2749.jpg well so...). Only thing left I guess is to put them back on the bench and run speaker pop on them. Anyway, here's some pics. Single 4uf cap in them
 
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I bought a pair off ebay last summer. Made in Belgium versions and as mint as mint can be. Since their efficiency isn't too bad, 94db. I figured they'd go well with a tube amp. I couldn't find any tube amp that sounded good with them. Just bright and muddy. BTW, I did re-cap them. I simply put them aside and figured I wasted my money. A few days ago I decided to try them with a similar period amp. I used my Nikko TRM 1200 and that worked with the speakers very well. They sound like different speakers. I am amazed how some things go together when a lot of amps wouldn't work. Why does this amp work with these speakers?
 
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