Pioneer S-IW571L manual Key Features, »up ‘n down»sound, Pioneer Elite, s-iw571l& s-iw871lr

Models: S-IW571L S-IW871LR

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OCTOBER/09

tE ST REporTS

OCTOBER/09

TR

Pioneer Elite

s-iw571l & s-iw871lr

In-wall speaker system Reviewed by Brent Butterworth

There are few concepts in manufacturing more hallowed than the “skunk works,” a design group that operates outside the 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 been flourishing for more than a decade. In this backwater of Pioneer’s worldwide operations, surrounded by shelves of raw drivers and carcass- es of past prototypes, Pioneer chief speaker de- signer Andrew Jones and his crew have designed

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.

The Pioneer Elite architectural speakers are notable for their concentric drivers, which use 11/2-inch titanium tweeters mounted in the center of various woofers. Pioneer refers to its concentric designs by the acronym CST, for Co- herent Source Transducer.

Key Features

+S-IW571L

($699 each)

(2) 514-in woofers;

612-in midrange/woofer; 112-in tweeter; 201116 in wide; 13 lb

+S-IW871LR

($899 per pair)

8-in woofer; 112-in tweeter; 131516-in high; 7 lb

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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Pioneer S-IW571L, S-IW871LR manual Key Features, »up ‘n down»sound, Pioneer Elite, s-iw571l& s-iw871lr, OCTOBER/09, Price