# Last Call? Pioneer Releases Two More Andrew Jones Designs (SP-T22A-LR, SP-BS22A-LR)



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Pioneer Electronics hit pay dirt with their well-reviewed line of Andrew Jones designed loudspeakers. If you’ve spent any time researching the budget speaker market, then you’ve undoubtedly read the heaps of praise the company has received for Jones’ highly affordable options. Several months ago, Jones left Pioneer to become vice president of engineering for ELAC America, but it appears his legacy at Pioneer will live to see a new day. Recently, Pioneer announced two new Jones designed products that attack the fertile market grounds created by the emergence of Dolby Atmos. Both new models are upward firing Atmos-enabled products, each designed for specific applications.









The SP-T22A-LR is an add-on module with a footprint that mates perfectly with Pioneer’s current line of compact and floorstanding speakers (SP-BS22-LR and SP-FS52). In fact, it features the same RF-molded, black-wood grain laminate, cabinet as the company’s other speakers, so the match is seamless. And with a 7-1/8-inch by 8-1/16-in footprint, the T22A will likely fit on a wide range of speakers from other manufacturers.

The top side of the T22A has a 10-degree slant and features a concentric driver with a ½-in tweeter and a 4-in woofer, all primed for Atmos channel duty (180 Hz – 20 kHz, 6 Ohms). The speaker also features 5-way gold binding posts and can handle up to 80 Watts of power. 










_The SP-T22A-LR is an add-on module for Atmos duty._​
The SP-BS22A-LR is a completely different animal, presenting itself as an all-in-one Atmos speaker option. In fact, the BS22A is a near mirror image of the company’s current compact speaker offering (SP-BS22-LR) with an added height of nearly 2-inches (total height is 14-5/16-in). The biggest difference between the two is the speaker’s topside slanted design element and the inclusion of the same concentric driver found on the T22A. The front side of the BS22A features a 4-inch structured surface woofer (designed for smooth deep bass and articulate mid-range sound) and a single 1-inch soft dome tweeter. The tweeter is placed in a proprietary wave guide designed to control sound directionality for optimal on and off-axis response. Pioneer says the woofer/tweeter combination is managed by a six-element crossover network.










_The SP-BS22A-LR is all-in-one Atmos enabled compact speaker._​

While it’s difficult to advise choosing upward firing Atmos channels over in-ceiling options, the reality remains that most consumers will likely find ceiling configurations difficult to implement. If you’re in that camp and are currently in the market for a compact budget-oriented Atmos set-up, then the SP-BS22A-LR is a model to be watched.

The SP-T22A-LR and SP-BS22A-LR are available now for extraordinarily affordable price points ($199/pair and $299/pair MSRP, respectively). For more information, visit www.pioneerelectronics.com.

_Image Credits: Pioneer Electronics, Dolby_


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