The crossover for the set is also quite interesting. It employs high-quality, large-gauge coils for both highpass and lowpass sections, poly capacitors and a polyswitch tweeter protector. You also get a tweeter level network (using low, 5-percent tolerance resistors) allowing you to set the response at -3dB, 0dB and +3dB by attaching your speaker wire to different screw-type lugs along an eight-terminal strip on the front side of the crossover. The crossover points are listed as 2,000Hz, which bodes very well for imaging as more of the program material will come from the tweeter (the perfect fullrange speaker would be infinitely small and able to reproduce the entire frequency spectrum from 20Hz - 20kHz). Efficiency of this set is listed as 88dB.
InstallationInstallation of the TS-C720PRS set was very straightforward, even without the help of the multi-lingual owner's manual, but in most cases I'd still recommend professional installation. With all the damping and panel stiffening tricks a good, experienced installer would use, you certainly will get the most out of these impressive-looking drivers. Now that we've taken a look at these speakers, let's get down to it and see if they can live up to their appearance.
ListeningFemale VocalDiane Schuur "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing"Diane Schuur is a name I'm sure you'll recognize if you're at all familiar with any of the best female vocalists around today. She's been at the top of the vocal heap for well over 20 years and has a range and purity of sound few can equal, let alone surpass. I was very curious to see how well the $550 Pioneer Premiers would reproduce all the subtleties and nuances inherent in this recording.
This piece starts off with a percussion ensemble featuring a guica (a Latin percussion instrument), full drum kit and some imaginative bass guitar work. All the various percussion instruments came through with great separation and placement on the soundstage, and the bass had very good low-frequency extension and a natural sound. About 20 seconds into the recording Schuur's vocal came in accompanied by a saxophone. Her voice was nicely centered and sounded quite natural, and the sax was also rendered without any unwanted resonances or overt aggressiveness; all the while, nice little percussion effects were happening. Cymbals, in particular, had a natural-sounding sparkle to them, and when Schuur and the saxophonist exchanged riffs in a scat duet, I'd swear I was sitting seventh row center in the audience. Even in the high register the Pioneers reproduced the sound without any perceivable harshness. The percussion break at about 2:30 was exceptionally well reproduced, as I could hear all the inner details very clearly and in the correct relationships. So far, listening to these speakers was truly a pleasure.Score: 7.5/10
JazzGrover Washington Jr. "Just Enough"Washington has been one of my favorite sax players for more than a quarter century and some of you may recall that I've used his recordings for evaluating component sets before. This is mainly because he has such a unique sound. Sometimes his tone can be rather abrasive on certain notes if the speakers in question aren't of the highest quality.
This track started with a solo piano in the intro and the Pioneers reproduced the piano without any harshness. It's very obvious that the drummer was using brushes rather than sticks and the cymbals had a smooth shimmer to them that sounded very realistic. The stand-up bass had appropriate weight and low-frequency extension to the point that it was quite pleasing, even without a subwoofer. There have only been a couple of component sets I've tested that have shown this well in this area. Of course, in a car, a subwoofer would add some realism, but in this case, auditioning in my listening room, I was very pleased with what I heard. Washington's sax had all the realism and emotion I'd expect to hear in a live performance without any harshness or over brilliance - very nice and smooth. The piano, also very difficult to reproduce smoothly and faithfully, sounded terrific!Score: 8/10