tESt REpORTS
TR
OCTOBER/09
Pioneer elite
s-iw571l & s-iw871lR
Reviewed by BRENt BUttERwORth
in-wall spEakER sysTEm
here are few concepts in manufacturing
more hallowed than the “skunk works,” a
design group that operates outside the
everything from $40-per-pair minispeakers to the
$60,000-per-pair TAD Reference One towers.
Jones’s team has recently focused on archi-
tectural speakers — i.e., in-wall and in-ceiling
models. Extra effort went into the models de-
signed for Pioneer’s high-end Elite line, which are
intended to compete with the world’s most sto-
ried speaker brands.
Key Features
T
+S-IW571L
($699 each)
mainstream of the corporation that employs
them. The name was coined to describe a Lock-
heed facility in Palmdale, California that has
produced some of the world’s most extraordinary
jet aircraft. Only 80 miles away, in the nondescript
suburb of Pomona, another skunk works has
(2) 51⁄4-in woofers;
61⁄2-in midrange/woofer;
11⁄2-in tweeter; 2011⁄16 in
wide; 13 lb
+S-IW871LR
($899 per pair)
8-in woofer; 11⁄2-in
tweeter; 1315⁄16-in high;
7 lb
The Pioneer Elite architectural speakers are
been flourishing for more than a decade. In this notable for their concentric drivers, which use
backwater of Pioneer’s worldwide operations,
11-inch titanium tweeters mounted in the
Price
$2,996 (as tested)
PIONEERELECTRONICS.COM
»
uP ‘n down sound
The S-1W571L’s concentric-driver
arrangement means it can be installed
either horizontally or vertically with
no effect on the sound.
52 OCTOBER/2009 | SOUNDANDVISIONMAG.cOM
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tESt REpORTS
TR
OCTOBER/09
Pioneer elite in-wall SpEakER SySTEm
results in radical changes in timbre as region seems barely present, even
»
TesT Bench
you move from one end of the couch
to the other (and closer to either the
woofer or the tweeter).
with the treble switches set on +. This
characteristic de-emphasized percus-
sion instruments that are especially
high in frequency, such as splash cym-
bals and cabasa. Despite the upper
treble rolloff, the stereo soundstaging
was some of the best I’ve heard from
The one decision you have to make
with these speakers is the setting
of the treble level switch, which has
positions for – (cut), 0 (flat), and +
(boost). But unless you’re putting in-walls. Sounds stretched to the far
them in a room with no absorptive
material at all — not even a carpet —
I strongly recommend the + setting.
The S-IW871L also has a bass cut
switch that can help in fine-tuning
left and right of my room.
The S-IW571L and S-IW871LR
sound similar, as you might ex-
pect.
I
preferred the S-IW571L
because its reproduction of voices
is a little smoother; the S-IW871LR’s
big 8-inch woofer doesn’t blend
with the tweeter as evenly as the
S-IW571L’s 61-inch midrange/woof-
»
the low frequencies.
I first tried both the S-IW571L and
the S-IW871LR as stereo speakers
without a subwoofer. I then used them
to create a home theater system with er does. The S-IW871LR does deliver
three S-IW571Ls up front and the two
S-IW871LRs as surrounds; I alternated
between Sunfire TS-SJ8 and Proficient
Audio PS12 subwoofers.
deeper bass, though.
You kinda have to figure any speak-
er that can handle the Stooges should
play movie soundtracks with ease,
and the S-IW571L certainly does. What
proved especially compelling to me
15
10
5
MusiC & MoVie PerForManCe
Sometimes a particular CD track or was its treatment of dialogue. I threw
0
DVD chapter practically defines
a
on DVD after DVD trying to find an ac-
tor whose voice would bring out the
speaker for me. That’s definitely the
–5
–10
–15
case with the S-IW571L, through which bad side of this speaker, but I couldn’t
I played Iggy & the Stooges: Live in find a single one. Even Danny DeVito’s
Detroit over and over and over again, dialogue tracks on the children’s mov-
1k
20
100
10k 20k
courtesy of the Netflix streaming built
into my LG Blu-ray Disc player.
ie Matilda sounded smooth and clear;
through many speakers, his voice in
hertz (Hz)
SuRRound
29 Hz to 20 kHz 5.2 dB
LcR
30 Hz to 20 kHz 4.9 dB
Technically, the material is mediocre: this movie takes on a harsh, nasal to-
video that’s barely better than VHS
and a two-channel Dolby Digital sound-
nality.
When I tried pushing the S-IW571L
Mounted in a wall, both the
Pioneer Elite S-IW571L and
the Pioneer Elite S-IW871LR
deliver smooth bass and mid-
range response but exhibit some
anomalies in the tweeter range;
both show a broad dip in the
range from about 7 to 12 kHz.
Off-axis response is fairly consis-
tent out to 30° off-axis with both
speakers. Both deliver fairly
strong bass response between 40
and 80 Hz — average output at
10% distortion or lower is 88 dB
for the S-IW571L and 93 dB for
the S-IW871LR. — B.B.
track. But this 2003 performance, to its limits with action movies, I heard
like these speakers, is relentless and some distortion, but it wasn’t the ear-
engaging; the S-IW571Ls sounded straining distortion one usually hears
fantastic pumping out the Stooges’ from speakers — it was more a sense
visceral rock & roll. Although I expect- of sonic confusion. With a subwoofer
ed that the voice of a frantic, scream-
ing, ecstatic 56-year-old man might
push any speaker into harshness and
added to take over deep-bass duties,
both the S-IW571L and the S-IW871LR
play plenty loud with any material you
»
BoTToM Line
distortion, the Elites treated Iggy Pop want to throw at them.
with far more care than he ever lav-
I can’t say for sure that the skunk-works approach works
miracles — after all, I’ve heard plenty of great speakers
designed by big corporate engineering crews. But these
Pioneer Elite in-walls conjure a certain magic that runs counter
to the usual mass-market priorities of a worldwide manufac-
turing conglomerate. They may be somewhat shy in the upper
treble, but both the S-IW571L and the S-IW871LR generally
ished on himself.
RATInGS
As I explored gentler music (a cat-
egory that includes almost every
other recording ever made), I noticed
that the Elites were just as kind to ev-
ery other singer, from smooth-voiced
Holly Cole to the raspy tones of Ron
Sexsmith. I have heard few speakers
sound so good with such a wide range
of vocal styles.
dESIGn
0
PooR
6
ExcELLEnT 10
PERFoRMAncE
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PooR
7
ExcELLEnT 10
deliver smooth, satisfying, kick-ass sound that’s a joy to
VALuE
+
SV
experience hour after hour, day after day.
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PooR
8ExcELLEnT 10
oVERALL ScoRE
FUll lAB RESUltS At
SOUNDANDVISIONMAG.cOM/pIO-INwAll
One unusual aspect of the Elites’
performance is that the upper treble
0
PooR
7
ExcELLEnT 10
56 OCTOBER/2009 | SOUNDANDVISIONMAG.cOM
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