Whether or not high-res audio ever achieves mainstream appeal is still an open question, but if you’re an audiophile on a tight budget, consider these speakers. What’s unusual about this speaker is the super tweeter, of course, but also the foamed mica woofer cone. Seeing this material in a woofer cone is unusual, but it’s still light and stiff—just as a woofer cone should be. Even though the grills are attached with old-school grommets instead of magnets, the speakers look great with the grill on or off. For a $150 speaker set, the woofer performed about as well as expected. Purists will find there isn’t enough bottom end to get their foot tapping or head bobbing, with the low-end dropping off at 53Hz. The SS-CS5 has a fuller sound, and maybe a slightly smoother midrange than the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR, but its treble is softer. For a fuller sound with more bass, get a subwoofer or spend the extra for the SS-CS3 tower. For a more detailed sound, get a more audiophile-oriented mini speaker like the Music Hall Marimba. The SS-CS5’s response looks pretty smooth, especially for the price range. On-axis, it’s +/-3.4 dB from 70 hertz to 20 kHz, which is an extremely good result for a speaker at this price. There’s a slight boost around 1.1 kHz, which may make voices stand out a bit better. Plus, there’s a slight downward tilt in the tonal balance, which means the speaker is unlikely to sound bright or trebly or thin. Averaged on/off-axis response is close to the on-axis response, which is good. Impedance averages 8 ohms and dips to a low of 4.7 ohms/-28° phase, so no problem there. Anechoic sensitivity measures 86.7 dB at 1 watt/1 meter, so figure around 90 dB in-room. This speaker should work nicely with just about any amp with 10 watts or more per channel.
