When you think back to the dawn of car audio, the name Pioneer probably pops up as one of the earliest memories. Not to date myself, but I remember back when Pioneer was a subsidiary of Craig. Sometime in the mid-'70s, Pioneer became a name unto itself and, since then, I can't count the number of TS series Pioneer speakers I've installed in my career. They were always a better-than-average choice, even that long ago. For this issue I got to evaluate the newest addition to the Pioneer Premier line of components, the TS-C720PRS (whew!) component set. This set uses 6 3/4" low-frequency drivers, 1 1/8" soft-dome tweeters and a dedicated pair of passive crossovers.
ImpressionsThe 6 3/4" woofer is an impressive piece. At first glance I noticed the robust cast aluminum frame that's been powder coated in a complementary gloss gray and gloss black finish that is the basis for this woofer. Its cone is a three-layer IMX (Injection Molded Matrix) composite made of a combination of interlaced Aramid fiber sandwiched between an Aramid fiber weave (a woven carbon-blended fiber, hence the yellow and black crosshatch pattern) and glass fiber layer to create a very light, stiff diaphragm for fast response and low distortion, to say nothing of a snazzy look.
The driver employs a 2" under-hung voice coil that surrounds the pole-piece and a unique, gray powder-coated center plug. This is no pointy-looking dust cap adhered to the cone, but a true solid-metal, fixed phase plug for enhancing the imaging of the system. The all-important tensile leads have been glued to the backside of the cone so they can't rattle during operation and they're concluded by gold-plated screw-type terminals built onto the frame to retain your speaker leads.
On the outskirts of the cone is a very cool, very different-looking high-density microfiber surround that looks and feels like suede. To paraphrase the Pioneer website, this extremely lightweight material features lower mechanical resistance and higher internal loss in comparison to other materials. Plus, this material is much less flexible than others, which stops unwanted "rolling" of the vibration system. Essentially, this keeps the voice coil in check under high power. This is further aided by the use of a cloth spider behind the cone to keep everything in proper alignment.
Included with the system is a 5/8" spacer ring with multiple bolt patterns so you can match the pattern in your particular application even though the woofer itself is larger than most 6" factory speaker holes will allow for. Pioneer was also thoughtful enough to include an adaptor plate to fit 6"x 8" speaker openings. And, if you need grilles for your installation, a set is provided with the package. The only downside here is that you won't be able to see this great-looking woofer behind the mesh... and that's a shame!
The tweeter in this set looks like jewelry. It's set in a die-cast housing that's been machined to look like billet aluminum and has a black metal grille consisting of three bars that protect the 1 1/8" Tetron dome. The tweeter employs a sealed rear chamber, allowing for greater frequency bandwidth and a lower crossover point. It comes with installation hardware to cover just about any scenario that might arise, including surface angle mount, flush mount and behind-the-panel angle mount. The tweeter attaches with a spring steel clip and one screw - an elegant and pretty much foolproof system.