Rare Pioneer speakers? S-T500's and TZ-7's.

[kydog]

Finally got the tweeters in my ST-500’s and I’m truly happy with the results. I audition them first with the Sansui AU 717 and right away they performed as described by the owners of these incredible & under the radar speakers.
Being 6ohms, I feed them into my Pioneer A88X ( Elite) Amplifier rated 4-8 ohm @ 120 wpc with a true mono design. This non/switching low THD monster & the ST-500 are a perfect match. The stereo separation and soundstage was incredibly balanced with this particular pairing from top too bottom. Stanley Clarke “ East River Drive” CD produced every subtitle nuance of all the Bass plucks, This Amp took every CD and made them sound like the best analog version of themselves, I Was going like wow that’s crazy good reproduction.
At first the signal was feed through the ( Video/ Aux 1) Input and I noticed a ever so slight lower output on the left channel and the bass tight but not fully engaged. Moved the connection too Aux/2 and the magic appeared, damn did it ever. I think the signal is probably split and output voltage is lower on the Video/Aux1. The CD and tape 1/2 all produce remarkable results, the Pioneer ST-500 is one heck of a Speaker, Sonic bliss IMHO. I know you can run 6ohm speakers on Amplifiers rated at 8. I find to my ears the ST-500 likes an Amp/ Receiver that can carry that load, Especially because those twin 8” Woofers tend to become more focused and even. The Sansui delivered the bottom but the Pioneer smoothed it out and made the Tweeter and Midrange drivers the star of the show. I’m impressed!! Really impressed.

 

[Diesel66]

Finally got the tweeters in my ST-500’s and I’m truly happy with the results. I audition them first with the Sansui AU 717 and right away they performed as described by the owners of these incredible & under the radar speakers.
Being 6ohms, I feed them into my Pioneer A88X ( Elite) Amplifier rated 4-8 ohm @ 120 wpc with a true mono design. This non/switching low THD monster & the ST-500 are a perfect match. The stereo separation and soundstage was incredibly balanced with this particular pairing from top too bottom. Stanley Clarke “ East River Drive” CD produced every subtitle nuance of all the Bass plucks, This Amp took every CD and made them sound like the best analog version of themselves, I Was going like wow that’s crazy good reproduction.
At first the signal was feed through the ( Video/ Aux 1) Input and I noticed a ever so slight lower output on the left channel and the bass tight but not fully engaged. Moved the connection too Aux/2 and the magic appeared, damn did it ever. I think the signal is probably split and output voltage is lower on the Video/Aux1. The CD and tape 1/2 all produce remarkable results, the Pioneer ST-500 is one heck of a Speaker, Sonic bliss IMHO. I know you can run 6ohm speakers on Amplifiers rated at 8. I find to my ears the ST-500 likes an Amp/ Receiver that can carry that load, Especially because those twin 8” Woofers tend to become more focused and even. The Sansui delivered the bottom but the Pioneer smoothed it out and made the Tweeter and Midrange drivers the star of the show. I’m impressed!! Really impressed.

Great description of an audio experience. Well done and congrats. I knew it was not just me.

 

[mr.muddles]

Finally got the tweeters in my ST-500’s and I’m truly happy with the results. I audition them first with the Sansui AU 717 and right away they performed as described by the owners of these incredible & under the radar speakers.
Being 6ohms, I feed them into my Pioneer A88X ( Elite) Amplifier rated 4-8 ohm @ 120 wpc with a true mono design. This non/switching low THD monster & the ST-500 are a perfect match. The stereo separation and soundstage was incredibly balanced with this particular pairing from top too bottom. Stanley Clarke “ East River Drive” CD produced every subtitle nuance of all the Bass plucks, This Amp took every CD and made them sound like the best analog version of themselves, I Was going like wow that’s crazy good reproduction.
At first the signal was feed through the ( Video/ Aux 1) Input and I noticed a ever so slight lower output on the left channel and the bass tight but not fully engaged. Moved the connection too Aux/2 and the magic appeared, damn did it ever. I think the signal is probably split and output voltage is lower on the Video/Aux1. The CD and tape 1/2 all produce remarkable results, the Pioneer ST-500 is one heck of a Speaker, Sonic bliss IMHO. I know you can run 6ohm speakers on Amplifiers rated at 8. I find to my ears the ST-500 likes an Amp/ Receiver that can carry that load, Especially because those twin 8” Woofers tend to become more focused and even. The Sansui delivered the bottom but the Pioneer smoothed it out and made the Tweeter and Midrange drivers the star of the show. I’m impressed!! Really impressed.

I can only imagine the added bass of the 500s, but to me... the analog smoothness you are describing really came out and shined in the 300s... everything was just so sweet and smooth sounding with lots of detail and depth. After a few listening sessions, I promptly took my S-T300 out of the garage and have them safely stored in a spare room so they can be kept in pristine condition until I figure out where to put them in the house. I think pairing the 300s with the right sub would probably be similar to the 500s. I will be searching for whatever speakers from this line up I can find.

 

[kydog]

Great description of an audio experience. Well done and congrats. I knew it was not just me.

No it’s not just you ! Man they absolutely Rock,Soul,Jazz, The heck out of these speakers. No fatigue and will keep you listening for hours on end. They transported me back to when true two channel stereo was King in every single way. It’s was like hearing a great set of headphones and catching The notes of the instruments and voice of the singer & background vocals. Isaac Hayes “ Black Moses” CD outstanding !

 

[kydog]

I can only imagine the added bass of the 500s, but to me... the analog smoothness you are describing really came out and shined in the 300s... everything was just so sweet and smooth sounding with lots of detail and depth. After a few listening sessions, I promptly took my S-T300 out of the garage and have them safely stored in a spare room so they can be kept in pristine condition until I figure out where to put them in the house. I think pairing the 300s with the right sub would probably be similar to the 500s. I will be searching for whatever speakers from this line up I can find.

The analog reproduction is what floored me the most. It appears they were built with that in mind. Every CD I played placed the soundstage right there as if I was listening to Vinyl or a digalog Cassette tape recorded in Dolby s. They are keepers in my book.

 

[mr.muddles]

The analog reproduction is what floored me the most. It appears they were built with that in mind. Every CD I played placed the soundstage right there as if I was listening to Vinyl or a digalog Cassette tape recorded in Dolby s. They are keepers in my book.

I whole heartedly agree... I tried to stump them and through everything at them I could... I listened to jazz, rock, pop, soul, etc and even finished my session with some rap and it did not disappoint I was smiling the whole time wondering how they sounded so good... they are not as clear or accurate as some of my other speakers, and they do not image as well, but overall they are such a sweet sounding speaker..has that liquid analog sound that you are describing... listening to redbook CDs with them makes them sound like SACDs. I have not even hooked up my Pioneers to a nice amp or source yet, so when I pair them with a nice SACD player and a good amp I am expecting to be floored.

 

[kydog]

I whole heartedly agree... I tried to stump them and through everything at them I could... I listened to jazz, rock, pop, soul, etc and even finished my session with some rap and it did not disappoint I was smiling the whole time wondering how they sounded so good... they are not as clear or accurate as some of my other speakers, and they do not image as well, but overall they are such a sweet sounding speaker..has that liquid analog sound that you are describing... listening to redbook CDs with them makes them sound like SACDs. I have not even hooked up my Pioneers to a nice amp or source yet, so when I pair them with a nice SACD player and a good amp I am expecting to be floored.

My experience with the Sansui was as you described. Trust me the ST-500 became a lot more clear & Accurate and image nicely with the Pioneer A88X Big time. Get those twin woofers in sync with a Amplifier that can carry the load and focus on the job at hand. The Tweeters &’Midrange like I wrote earlier, Becomes the Star as the woofers move into their own lane and out of the way The clarity,imagery and accuracy you’re looking for will leap out. That was my experience when I switched to the A88X playing through a Sony SACD And Pioneer cartridge type CD player. It’s possible as you move up in the lineup what you’re looking for can be found in the ST-500, TZ-7 and TZ-9’s

 

[GlennDK]

GlennDK 5 posts up is the answer.
Or just look here. Same ad.
No affiliation with the seller.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pioneer-S-...343265?hash=item23bddeb021:g:zjwAAOSwRtJc8fVo

Thanks Diesel66! Unfortunately I'm in Australia and don't know about shipping here on that auction I only need the tweeters I did email the seller but never heard back. I was thinking I could get some tweeters similar but don't know what ohms they are, the speakers are rated 6ohms, but the woofers are labeled 8ohms (no indication on the tweeters) so I'm a bit confused if I should try and get 8ohm tweeters or 6ohms, at least until one day I can find a set of originals. Thanks again for taking the time to read my post!

 

[bluestime]

I think there is more involved in matching drivers then ohms. Personally, I would find original drivers.
But, to answer your question, I just measured one and it was 5 ohm.

 

[kydog]

Pictures: The Pioneer A-88X & Sansui 717 are kissing cousin looks wise

 

[GlennDK]

Thanks bluestime, I agree best to find originals but not that easy. I'll keep looking but in the meantime if I can find some cheap replacements I'll give it a go, more as an experiment.

I think there is more involved in matching drivers then ohms. Personally, I would find original drivers.
But, to answer your question, I just measured one and it was 5 ohm.

 

[mr.muddles]

Pictures: The Pioneer A-88X & Sansui 717 are kissing cousin looks wise

That A-88X looks really sweet! Looks like a great match for the S-T500.

I have a NEC CD-730? I believe... everything works great but NO SOUND output unfortunately...heard they are nice cd players.

 

[kydog]

That A-88X looks really sweet! Looks like a great match for the S-T500.

I have a NEC CD-730? I believe... everything works great but NO SOUND output unfortunately...heard they are nice cd players.

If you have an opportunity to buy the A-88X my advice is to run don’t walk and get it. It’s an amazingly great sounding Amplifier, Well made heavy monster second in line only to the Pioneer A-90. It’s a perfect match for the ST-500, Never sounded better.
Yes the NEC is nice indeed!! I’m sure you can get yours up & running. Mine can be picky and won’t read certain CDS, But it excepts more than it rejects.

 

[metrxseven]

Here's some scans out of catalogs I have. I don't have the Elite catalog here at work, so I don't have the specs scanned. I can do that if there is an interest.

Samova, where do you live? I'd sure love to take those TZ-9s off your hands should you decide to sell them! :drool: I can't imagine shipping them, though...

Greg

Do you have a full spec sheet on these?

 

[xlbee]

Do you have a full spec sheet on these?

That's right. 143lbs each!

 

[metrxseven]

View attachment 2344239

That's right. 143lbs each!

I just picked up a pair of the TZ-7. Do you have specs or brochure?

 

[xlbee]

From The Vintage Knob:

Pioneer TZ-7 specifications
Enclosure: bass-reflex with Twin Bass Drive
Bass drivers: 2x 20cm cone
Mid driver: 1x 10cm cone
High driver: 1x 2,5cm ceramic carbon dome
Nominal impedance: 4 Ohm
Frequency response: 20Hz to 40Khz
Sensitivity: 89.1dB / 2,83V input - 90dB / 3,17V input
Nominal input: 50W
Maximum input: 250W
Crossover Freq: 800Hz, 4Khz
Dimensions: Height 120cm x Width 32cm x Depth 36cm
Weight: 35kg

 

[mr.muddles]

From The Vintage Knob:

Pioneer TZ-7 specifications
Enclosure: bass-reflex with Twin Bass Drive
Bass drivers: 2x 20cm cone
Mid driver: 1x 10cm cone
High driver: 1x 2,5cm ceramic carbon dome
Nominal impedance: 4 Ohm
Frequency response: 20Hz to 40Khz
Sensitivity: 89.1dB / 2,83V input - 90dB / 3,17V input
Nominal input: 50W
Maximum input: 250W
Crossover Freq: 800Hz, 4Khz
Dimensions: Height 120cm x Width 32cm x Depth 36cm
Weight: 35kg

I'm not so sure about 20hz? That's the same response range as the TZ-9. They do kind of go low I guess but they are certainly missing that punch and slam. I still question that 20hz. I own the TZ-7 and the S-T500.

 

[Rickeagle]

also, my set sits on stands that wer offered for the s-t500's yet i have not seen another single pair with them.they raise the height of these speakers considerably as well.

 

[Rickeagle]

I think I goofed, posted this pic of my s-t500’s on someone else’s post,…, sorry, not intentional.