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56 OCTOBER/2009 | SOUNDANDVISIONMAG.COM
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
deliver smooth, satisfying, kick-ass sound that’s a joy to
experience hour after hour, day after day.
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OCTOBER/09
TR
TEST REpORTS
Pioneer elite in-wall SpEakER SySTEm
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.
FULL LAB RESULTS AT
SOUNDANDVISIONMAG.COM/PIO-INWALL
results in radical changes in timbre as
you move from one end of the couch
to the other (and closer to either the
woofer or the tweeter).
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
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
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
three S-IW571Ls up front and the two
S-IW871LRs as surrounds; I alternated
between Sunfire TS-SJ8 and Proficient
Audio PS12 subwoofers.
MusiC & MoVie PerForManCe
Sometimes a particular CD track or
DVD chapter practically defines a
speaker for me. That’s definitely the
case with the S-IW571L, through which
I played Iggy & the Stooges: Live in
Detroit over and over and over again,
courtesy of the Netflix streaming built
into my LG Blu-ray Disc player.
Technically, the material is mediocre:
video that’s barely better than VHS
and a two-channel Dolby Digital sound-
track. But this 2003 performance,
like these speakers, is relentless and
engaging; the S-IW571Ls sounded
fantastic pumping out the Stooges’
visceral rock & roll. Although I expect-
ed that the voice of a frantic, scream-
ing, ecstatic 56-year-old man might
push any speaker into harshness and
distortion, the Elites treated Iggy Pop
with far more care than he ever lav-
ished on himself.
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.
One unusual aspect of the Elites’
performance is that the upper treble
region seems barely present, even
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
in-walls. Sounds stretched to the far
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 6½-inch midrange/woof-
er does. The S-IW871LR does deliver
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
was its treatment of dialogue. I threw
on DVD after DVD trying to find an ac-
tor whose voice would bring out the
bad side of this speaker, but I couldn’t
find a single one. Even Danny DeVito’s
dialogue tracks on the children’s mov-
ie Matilda sounded smooth and clear;
through many speakers, his voice in
this movie takes on a harsh, nasal to-
nality.
When I tried pushing the S-IW571L
to its limits with action movies, I heard
some distortion, but it wasn’t the ear-
straining distortion one usually hears
from speakers — it was more a sense
of sonic confusion. With a subwoofer
added to take over deep-bass duties,
both the S-IW571L and the S-IW871LR
play plenty loud with any material you
want to throw at them.
SV
+
LCR 30 Hz to 20 kHz ± 4.9 dB
SURROUND 29 Hz to 20 kHz ± 5.2 dB
DESIGN
OVERALL SCORE
PERFORMANCE
VALUE
0 POOR
EXCELLENT 10
0 POOR
EXCELLENT 10
0 POOR
EXCELLENT 10
0 POOR
EXCELLENT 10
RATINGS
»
TesT Bench
»
BoTToM Line
15
10
5
0
–5
–10
–15
100
20
1k
10k
20k
hertz (Hz)
decibels (dB)
6
7
7
8
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