Sony Core Bookshelf Speaker - A $73 Audiophile Speaker?
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- #speakerreview #audiophile #bookshelfspeaker
Today we talk about the Sony Core SSCS5 Bookshelf Speaker. Can this be an audiophile spear at $73?
Sony Core SSCS5 Bookshelf $73 - amzn.to/3f6aWIC
Fosi Audio Bluetooth Amp $80 - amzn.to/2UKsEYZ
Klipsch Speaker Giveaway - • Klipsch R-51M Speaker ...
I really like your style of reviews and your humour as well. Most popular reviewers on youtube to me are way too loud and in your face, too much cut scenes/music/editing to make their videos look cool. Its nice to watch and listen to someone actually talking like a normal person.
Hes got a lot of Bill Murray in him.
👍agreed
Idk. Sometimes when he’s talking he seems a bit lost lol
its the coffee
I bought at Amazon for $73. The speakers are made in Malaysia, high quality built, sound very nice. Also bought a Sony subwoofer.
For 1 correct? Just checked they are 148.00 a pair now at Amazon
@@Tunz909 keep looking they will go on sale. I would pay $200 for these
@@Tunz909 $200 now
@@cup_and_cone well hope the folks who even voted for this disaster of a President have buyers remorse. TRUMP 2024!!
Came home from work and these were sitting on my kitchen counter thanks to my girlfriend. Love these speakers!!!
Randy, based off of this review i bought a pair of the SS-CS5 from Amazon. They were back at $118 for a couple weeks but just went back down to $73. I am very happy with them. Your review was spot on. Using for garage stereo. Thank you for being an honest reviewer.
I just bought these on Amazon for 73 dollars on your recommendation.
They are great, thanks for reviewing them. I am a budget vinyl guy and really enjoy your channel. Thanks for the great content.
Bought a pair of these Sonys from Best Buy yesterday based on your reviews. I have several pairs of decent bookshelf speakers sitting in my basement storage room...Pinnacle AC 650s, Pinnacle Platinum Performance 5.2s , Klipsch KG .5, Canton GL 260s....all 80s and 90s era two ways. I plugged these in and fired up Pandora. Whoa!!! Outstanding.
I had to pause the video and rack up "Shoot To Thrill". It's been awhile....Thank you.
It is $148 now
Thanks to you. I just bought a pair for $73 last week.
I have these hooked up to my tube amp, and am simply blown away at how great these sound!
me to thay are amazing with good sound love them
Thanks for this review. I just got the Sony speakers today to replace a pair of Klipsch R-15M speakers I've been using for about 8 years and never really liked. I always felt they had a sort of "dull", far back sound. These Sonys I feel have more depth of field (if that can be an audio term). The Sonys have more low end too so I had to dial the bass back just a bit compared to how I had it for the Klipsch. I don't listen to the same music you do so I just had to imagine based on your sonic descriptions if I thought these would work for my collection. I mostly listen to Jazz and Classical on vinyl from the 70s and a few Jazz Fusion CDs from newer groups. Again, thanks for the review. It is nice to know that a person with a modest income like mine can get some great sonic results these days.
This is the review that made up my mind about these. Got a pair last Sat.
Waiting on my Dayton hta 100bt to push em .Thanks CAM.🤘🏻
I have a set of four, a sony matching center, and the sony ten inch subwoofer, powered by an older sony avr. I love this system it sounds good for the room i have them in. I have heard reviewers talk poorly about other sony products, but nothing other than good about the sscs5's. I looked up reviews after i made the purchases and was not shocked after hearing them in person. It is always nice to listen to reviews on the product that is being reviewed. Lol
I love how honest you are, good stuff
Appreciate that.
Picked these up and a smsl sa50 for $142 and I'm blown away. I almost dropped that much on just the klipsch r-51-m if I hadn't found this channel. Excellent reviews my man.
So glad. Frankly, the Sony's are as good and I believe a better speaker with more placement options that the Klipsch.
I just bought 6 of these as the first upgrades for my existing Onkyo 7.1 "home theater in a box" front left/right and surround speakers. Couldn't pass up such a great deal from Amazon at $73 a pair. They arrive tomorrow, and I can't wait to hook them up! I'm sure they will be miles better than the junk I have now. Thanks Randy, I wouldn't have bought them without your excellent reviews.
I hope that you like them. They need a sub to shine. You probably already have one though.
@@cheapaudioman For such a low price and after watching your thorough reviews, I'm sure I will love them. I'm using the powered 10" Onkyo unit that came with the system, it's actually a pretty decent sub... for now. Can't wait to see you do a cheapaudioman review on budget subwoofers. =)
@@cheapaudioman Following up with an update on the 3 pairs of Sony SSCS5 speakers I purchased for 7.1 surrounds. I now definitely understand the love these Sony's get after just a couple days of listening. Upper mids and highs are spectacularly clear, very crisp and very detailed. Mid bass and especially upper midrange is nice and tight. They are power hungry at 6 ohms, but with enough power and set up with a decent subwoofer to handle the lows, these speakers really can be breathtaking for the money.
@@akersquarteracre8002 It's been my observations that the lower the sensitivity and resistance on a speaker, generally the better it will sound at a given price. To your point, however, if there isn't enough power to push them they can not live up to their potential. That was my experience with the Elac Unifi UB5's. Although that's not an inexpensive speaker by any means.
@@cheapaudioman Right now they are getting 100W per channel off of my 12 year old Onkyo 7.1 AV reciever, it doesn't like pushing all 7 channels at one time. Gets pretty hot. When I'm pushing just the two fronts in stereo mode with just the 10" powered sub, the Sony's really come alive and sound drop-dead gorgeous. I'm looking forward to getting a good amplifier to push all of them properly. Thanks again for your great reviews, these speakers are such a great value. I'm now using one as a center channel and one to cover both rear surround channels. Worth every penny!
Thank you so much for all your videos. I appreciate the way you explain everything and have helped educate me on the basics. Ordered these Sony speakers based on all your reviews. Also i can appreciate your humor and combined with your experience makes learning very enjoyable. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Thanks, you too!!! Thanks for watching.
Got a pair of these a few days ago after seeing them in some of your shootouts etc. These are amazing at $88 because they open the door to sound quality that I didn’t know you could get without spending $2k. Easily one of the best ROI bargains I’ve ever had.
So it's late 2022, a year later, and I'm looking at this speaker on BesBy for $333 Cdn which is about $245 US. I doubt this speaker will be discounted below $150 again ... unless there are a ton they cannot get rid of. Amazing what a year of hyperinflation can do. I am not tripping on my shoe laces to run out and buy a pair for Cdn $333. I currently have a set of Sony 2 ways that came with the Sony MHC EC55, hooked up to a vintage integrated amp, listening to Kind of Blue and it sounds pretty good. That whole "system" cost me about $100 13 years ago.
These are currently on sale again for $73 at Best Buy and Amazon. I grabbed a pair as well as the center. I don't know exactly where they'll end up in my house, but for the price I couldn't resist.
agree for sure.
lucky you as it is $148 now
@@MsLinjohn they’ll come back down. I’ll post it up when they’re affordable again.
@@cheapaudioman let us know too when the Klipsch towers will go on sale, I only have one R610F, i need another, have you reviewed the towers?
@@MsLinjohn I haven't yet. I haven't had a lot of opportunities with any towers.
Review is so on point.. got these on black friday and there STILL on sale for $73 on Best Buy. Also got there subwoofer as well.
Let me know how the sub is. I want to get one of those too to review.
Just picked these Sony’s up. Grateful for the advice. Damn they’re good!
I did as you said . . . bought the Sony’s and the Sony Subwoofer ($75 for the pair and $99 for the sub) at BestBuy. Great advice. . . .
I remember Sony used to make a 3 way with an 8" woofer affordable speakers (15-20 years ago). Its either the SS MB350H or SSB3000 (they look the same). Please review if you get a hold of it. My brother had a pair I always thought they were great value ($99/pair). They were fairly balanced (although not very detailed) but they could play bass well due to the large 8" woofer. Its a sealed design as well and I liked how punchy the bass was.
Kind of Blue is considered the most perfect recording of all time, legacy version is amazing!
i'm setting up a listening system for the living room with my record player, just picked these up. thanks for the review.
No home system within reach will sound like the concert. It may evoke similar feelings, which is all I want.
I have a pair delivering tonight, anxious to hear them.
Great review, new fan of the channel here. You sold me on my first set of speakers with these. Is there a higher recommendation than the Fosi for entry level bluetooth now or is that still your top pick?
You don't shill for a company. You have a bias towards people, that's why I am a subscriber. Sony Core SSCS5 bookshelf speakers are selling for $98 today. That's garage sale, Craigslist price. Includes free shipping and free returns.
They're still $73 on Amazon and a great deal at that price. amzn.to/3pF1ocj
And thank you so much for your comment.
@@cheapaudioman Yes, they are still $73 for the pair as I just ordered them this morning.
Subscribed. Love the format. Its more long form like my content. So sick of the cookie cutter 5 min videos that are just cuts of specs and a opinion at the end. Its disturbing how short of attention spans humans have these days. Great video, appreciate your opinion 👍 I also have the CS5 and I love them so much I re-wrapped them in cherry vinyl. I've tested them against many speakers on my channel and have placed them respectively at #1 over everything I've tested even the Jamo S803 and the $350 DCM TP-160.
I enjoy your reviews, too - and I've seen your videos comparing the CS5 against other bookshelf speakers.
How do these Sonys stack up against your DCM TP160S-CHs? If they were the same price, which of those 2 would you choose? I watched your video but was left unclear about these 2.
TL;DR
See what I did there.
@@DrFlippin If the DCM TP-160 still existed and could be bought on sale at times for $73 they'd be my choice. But DCM was dropped by MTX so they're gone unless ypu find a used pair maybe. The only other that comes close or matches the Sony CS5 is the Neumi BS5.
This video couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I purchased two pairs of the CS5s, the CS8 center and a pair of the CSE Atmos speakers for a budget 5.1.2 setup to replace my failed attempt at using a soundbar for a small home theater. I had researched them to death prior to purchase and felt like I was getting a great deal on decent speakers. Set everything up and was really happy... until I started reading the r/HomeTheater subreddit. These speakers get very little respect there, despite being on the recommended speaker list. Then I came across Facebook Marketplace and the plethora of used Klipsch and Polk models available at bargain prices. I had started considering returning the Sonys to pick up something from a more respected audiophile brand, but your video shook me out of it. So, thank you. Great review. I really like your style. This was the first video of yours I’ve watched. Won’t be the last!
Oh, and Andrew Robinson’s mini-review of these speakers on yesterday’s video was another reason I started thinking about returning them. I’ve generally appreciated his stuff, but was disappointed on his comments about the CS5s.
@@911jason it’s interesting because I just watched his review of them today and I actually kind of disagree with him. I found at louder volumes these actually do better than the Klipsch R51m’s. I’ve listened to a lot of speakers below $200 and this one is pretty much unrivaled with the exception of maybe the Klipsch R-51m but I find the Sony has more placement options and frankly better bass. Don’t second guess yourself. There is a reason why there are a ton of polks and Klipsch on the used market. Watch my best speaker under $200 and $100 video and I discuss these against others including Polk and Klipsch.
@@911jason I also bought the tower version of these and am thinking hard about the center but I just too many speakers waiting for reviews. May still buy one because they’re only about $75
Which sub are you pairing with yours? I had splurged on an SVS PB-1000 when I bought the Core Series speakers, but then returned it to get my dream sub, an SVS PC-2000. It’s currently on the way from SVS in Ohio and should arrive later this week. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how decent my All Sony Core Series 5.0.2 system sounds in the meantime.
Oh, and one other question, do you have any idea what the cheapest way to play Tidal MQA through my Denon receiver is? I’m assuming I’ll have to buy some sort of digital streaming box, but have never shopped for one before.
My first SONYs were the SAVA Series of towers....cranking 2.0-but they ran HOT.
Moved onto the 2.1 Sony HT-CT100....still going.
These SSCS5 are interesting to add-in.
Shift+N
Hey Randy I patiently waited for the price to go down, bc they were $198 a pair....I bought for $148 and they are in my apartment now...just waiting for the amps and cables. I'm looking for the great listening experience.
Form japan, you are the most reasonable. YES, i bought SSCS5 after this video. THANK YOU!!!
Hello, sir! I just won a Sony STR-DE895 on Goodwill. I'm excited to use it for my CRT and analog media. These Sony SSC55 speakers look like the perfect pair for my setup. I like the matching subwoofer as well.
I found these a year or two ago and loved them. I ended up getting a pair of them for a friend for Christmas with an SMSL SA100 amp/bluetooth receiver. As far as I know, he never hooked them up because he thought they were just junky, cheap speakers. It breaks my heart.
Damn, that's a shitty friend you got there.
@@fatfalcon3434 I try not to judge, but his closed-mindedness is definitely to his detriment.
I have a fluance SX6 and I really like them, I really like to see your review about them, to know how much sound I lose against more expensive Elacs, your reviews on accessible equipment are excellent, saludos de Mexico!
I've contacted Fluance and I hope to have an opportunity to review their products.
I measured the bass output cleanly at 30hz, 5" from the rear wall and several feet from the side walls. That was a surprise.
Rolled off by how much? A clean -24dB? These arent subwoofers!! 30 hertz from a 5.12 inch woofer! Dont think so. He says they need a sub, only go down to 50. You claim almost an octave down.....nope.
@@patrickmiller4987 Here's the results from tests I did today. The measurements were taken from 6' away directly in front of the left speaker. Although I ran the tests 5 times I'm only including the results from the last test which is representative of the other 4. 20hz - 67db, 30hz - 76db, 40hz - 73db, 50hz - 70db, 60hz - 71db. Power was from a Sony stereo receiver. Tone controls were set to 0. As you can see there is a 3db rise at 40hz from the 50hz level and a 6db rise at 30hz from the 50hz level before dropping off 9db at 20hz.
Now I'm not saying they can move as much air as a speaker with a larger woofer and definitely not a powered subwoofer, but the bass frequency response amazes me..
@@johnmclaughlin4496 I appreciate the effort but no way those numbers are right. Faulty testing equipment maybe.
@@patrickmiller4987 My ears confirm the test numbers.
@@johnmclaughlin4496 Your ears cant confirm this, thats why we have calibrated tools. We dont hear all freq. equally. What mic are you using? I have a calibrated UMIK-1 mic to take freq. response sweeps and plug into Room EQ Wizard to improve my 7.1 HT room response and have owned a number of subs and speakers and am willing to put a few paychecks on the line those numbers are not accurate and am sure you wont find any source to back this up. Sorry to sound like an azz, have a good day.
I haven't found these on sale yet. I found them used with marks on Amazon for $63 plus shipping the total of which made it better to wait for a sale price at BestBuy. My brother has a set. They're surprisingly not what you expect them to be, surprisingly very good.
Lucky You NOT even available on Amazon in the UK just like a lot Amazon in USA has so much more then we get her in the UK
@@Rob1972Gem I got them for $72.
IV OWN THESE FOR A YEAR AND LET ME TELL YOU THESE ARE THE BEST SPEAKERS YOU CAN BUY RIGHT NOW HANDS DOWN 💯
Great review, straight forward and honest. Based on your review, I bought a pair. I was looking for an awesome speaker for music. I bought them to go with my Sony STRDH190 receiver the sound is fantastic just as you described there is depth and height, very crisp and clear across the sound and volume range. I find there is enough bass as I live in an apartment. Just an awesome speaker, I paid 300 cdn.
Grabbed an open-box set of these from Amazon for about $50, and they are pretty darned great so far! :)
Dang that was an awesome deal. I went in a Best Buy outlet last week where all they do is open box deals and they had these but they were still 83 dollars but 88 brand new on Amazon. Based on a lot of these reviews I might grab these after Christmas with Amazon gift cards I asked for instead of a higher end pair like Wharfdale 220 or the Elac B6.
Randy! Thanks for everything. One queation. Do you see any potential in these sonys as a studio monitor? Remember... the Yamaha NS10s where made for home use yet they ended up in every world class recording studio in the world. Thanks.
You review is in the bullseye. This is an incredible gem of a speaker. A true no-brainer. I now have six of them, and want another pair. Great for music and for home theater. I do also have the Sony SACS9 subwoofer and SSCS8 center in my home theater. The sub definitely helps add bass and depth, especially in home theater. However, when I crank classic rock or other genres of tunes on CD without the sub, I truly do not miss the deep bass to the extent that I am not really satisfied with the great sound without the sub.
Question...I'm a newby, but can you share with me what cables did you use to hook up to the amp? I've got 2 and now I'm waiting for the amp to come today.
@@RobertSpiller Of course! I used Silverback speaker wire from Sewell Direct, 12 guage. (Be sure to get a speaker guage that will fit in speaker connection holes or banana plug connections, etc. 12 guage is pretty thick. The higher the guage, e.g. 16 or 18 guage, the thinner the wire. 10 guage is very thick and probably too thick for most speaker terminals or connectors. I bought the Silverback 12 guage in a 100-foot spool, cheaper per foot, but more wire for the money, for running my wires along baseboard trim around our budget-but-kick-ass-excellent living/home theater room. Sublime for our 5.1 set up with SSCS 5s on carefully selected and sturdy 31-inch and 36-inch metal speaker stands to put tweeter and supertweeter as close as possible to ear level for most viewers on couches and recliners around the big screen. Also pulled speakers out about 7 inches from walls, spaced the two fronts at about 10 feet apart (flanking big screen on a 15-foot wall. Also pulled back L and R surround speakers out from rear wall about 7 inches, and spaced them on 36-inch tall metal stands (tweeters near ear level), set wider apart than front L and R; towed rear surrounds in slightly toward center of room, while also near the back corners of the room, which created a nice reflection and room corner loading of bass from the rear SSCS 5s. For the Sony SAC09 subwoofer, I set it on floor not to close to the front R room corner, and slightly towed in toward center of room. All rooms are very different, so I used the "sub crawl" to confirm there were no discernable standing waves and nulls in the sub bass frequencies. I used Sony SSCS8 center channel and used stable acoustic wedge to angle it upward to aim it perfectly at ear level of the hypothetical person sitting in center seat on couch (the "catbird seat." Even my wife, who typically could not care less about the technical issues and reasons for my meticulous speaker measurements and placements, was absolutely floored by the incredible and realistic 3-D sounds flying all around her in the best seat in our budget "movie theater." She kept watching Star Wars "Rogue One" to feel like spaceships and laser cannons were flying and swooping right by and around the back of her. She was very amazed and approved of all the grunt work I did with careful measurements and trial and error to get it right. Trust me, it will be worth it, whatever you can do to optimize with even little tweaks. RUclips has many helpful tutorials and articles to study from. Most are consistent and correct, and you will pick up the recurring, repetitive advice of professional audio and Home Theater gurus. I was a newbie about 8 years ago, and I have grown to really love learning new tips and tricks today. Always a student, especially with new technologies coming out constantly. All the best!
Based on your review, I bought the SONY SSCS5s for $118 and I got the 2.1 version of the FOSI (BT-30D) for $76 and a Monoprice 8" Sub for $67. Great deal. I now have them hooked up to my Denon streamer (RCD-N10) and a HUGE Behringer Sub. Very pleased. The SONYs are now $228 on Amazon, still worth it...but have patience and wait for them to go on sale.
They are advertised for 115 at b&h now.
The current price is $123, which tells how well these speakers have held up.
Dear Randy,
Could you please suggest an alternative to the Sony sscs5?
In Italy, on Amazon they sell for almost 300€...I really don’t understand this huge difference between us and european market? Sony is also a leader worldwide brand.
Your theme song would hafta be 'The Index', Cardi B haha. Duran Duranesque!
Bought a Sony 5.1 surround sound system in the 90s ended up using it as a stereo only, used the receiver with the two included bookshelf speakers, sounded great. Nice review on the Sonys!
I am no audiophile, I like good sound and good music. I love your videos, they are entertaining and informative. I have always thought that just listening to my music over airplay on my 5.1.2 theater was enough. Ooooo man. I finally but the bullet this holiday with these Sonys ss-cs5, a loxjie A30, and an elac sub all for
Great reviews, just found your channel. Thanks.
Thanks so much! Appreciate it.
These or the klipsch rp51m? Primarily for avr surround, music secondary
Ordered a new pair yesterday for under 60 bucks so pumped
I just got Mine Monday for $128, Thanks, Superb Sound
i bought these and play them in my office at home and find the bass satisfying enough, I am more of a voice (mid-range) guy, and also appreciate the treble. It's ideal for jazz.
Danny Richie agrees with you. They are back on sale again so I snatched them up. Thanks for the review!
Question, are the X-LS Encores 5-7x better than these?
Just ordered a 7.1 system with 6 of these and a SACS9 Sub. Already have a receiver I like.
Thank you for doing these type of reviews. I've watched this ss cs5 review and the review for Kef's Q150, and I've decided I could get one of the two, which one of these two speakera would you consider better in terms of perfromance?
Thanks so much for the detailed, no bullshit review! I was looking for a small 2.0 system for TV to replace a soundbar, so space was a consideration. After watching this video and your comparison to the Miccas and ELACs, I found some stands on Craigslist, found a pair of these used on eBay (if they don't work out, BestBuy has some open box options) and I'll be hooking them up to an SMSL AD18, which I also went with thanks to your review. (Would've gone with the Fosi but I wanted a remote.) All in all, I'll be into the DAC/AMP, Speakers, and Stands for close to 300. I'm very excited to give away the sound bar for free, which is what it's worth.
Thanks to you Randy, I got these at $73 from your link at Amazon. They do need a sub which will probably be the Monoprice 8" sub you mentioned you have at work
Yep love them. Funny that some folks I talk to about this still refuse to accept that they sound good. Simply because of better marketing from other brands.
@@jackfalco5351 _A lot_ of people say otherwise.
SONY ALLWAY THE SOUND JUST GREAT LOVE MY SONY SS-CS5
All your praise has really upped the demand, these are now 179$ on Amazon, Thanks alot cheapaudioman, now I can only afford a pair of Pyles that are probably Piles.
I was just listening to Kind of blue on vinyl with these, HOLY CRAP it sounded like all of the musicians were right in my room!
Thanks! What have you found to be the best crossover frequency when pairing these with a subwoofer?
These are for sale again. I was deliberating on buying the Elac DBR62 to pair replace a set of old Kenwood bookshelves that are paired with my Onkyo TX-3000 receiver and Technics SL-23 turntable. Tempted to buy these now (along with the matching and also on sale sub) for 1/3 of the cost of the DBR62's. They're getting put on a bookshelf pretty much right against the wall. I'm curious on the thoughts of the collective.
sony has a link on their .com site giving these away among other things for the holidays.
Hi Randy.
I purchased a Fosi BT20A amp and Sony SSCS5 speakers based on your reviews.
This $200 dollar system sounds much better than my $500 Sonos Five.
I am going to add the Sony Core sub-woofer SA-CS9 with an in-line bass blocker.
The SSCS5 speakers go down to 53 Hz.
Question:
1) What size first order high pass capacitor should I buy for this system?
2) Where can I purchase the high pass filter online?
Hey! What's the latest on the upgrade for these? You teased out some cool tweaks and I am excited to try them out. Any news?
Are they good for desktop setup (nearfield listening) or maybe they`re too big for that? Distance from speaker to ear would be 1 meter.
I just bought a used (never used) pair of these with an SS-CS9 sub for a ridiculous price. I don't need them by any means but Randy's praise had me so curious. Cheers.
*SA-CS9
Hi Randy, I really like all your videos and your reviews for speakers and subwoofer. After this I changed my mind and ordered Sony instead of Klipsch for my new Media Room.
Need a suggestion: planning to set 5.2.2 (put the prewire for 5.2.4 but being their receivers are pretty expensive so going to leave those extra 2 wires as it is in the ceiling), ordered below stack yesterday from Best Buy:
1. Sony STRDH790 receiver for 5.2.2
2. Pair of Sony tower speakers for front- SSCS3
3. Pair of Sony Bookshelf for surround- SSCS5
4. One Center Speaker: SSCS8
5. Pair of Sony Subwoofer: SACS9
6. Not ordered but thinking to order Polk or Klipsch 6-1/2 for 2 in ceiling speakers(for Atmos) as Sony is not making in ceiling speakers.
Thoughts or Suggestions?
That setup sounds well thought out and very good. If you want in ceilings I’d go with Polk. They often go on sale and are good for that.
I've seen your reviews on these speakers. How do you think these compare to the older Sony SS-MB100H or the SS-MB300H (larger but likely more closely related as a 3-way)? BTW, thanks for your reviews, I only recently found your channel, but have enjoyed what I have seen so far.
I bought a set of sony cs5 thanks to this review, and they are great! Question: i have them paired with polk audios PSW10 subwoofer. Would there be a budget subwoofer you could recommend better than the PSW10? Also what would you set subwoofer crossover too? Thanks cheapaudioman!
Found an open box for $99 for the pair. Should I sell my MartinLogan 15's for it? These are on a secondary room system. Considering doing that since I have a pair of ML LX16's already on my main system.
I just grabbed a 1 year old mint/used pair for $50. Gonna do your buddy Neil's $20-plans/$200 mtls upgrade & be very happy.
Hello Randy! My Sony bookshelf speakers arrived yesterday afternoon! I listened to them late last night after everyone was asleep for a few hours, and WOW! You were soo right about these. They sound WONDERFUL!!!! They sound MUCH larger and more "airy" than the Def Techs. Everything sounded fantastic, all genres of music, and they did well at both low and moderate volume levels. Midrange and vocals were smooth and warm and surprisingly, the top end was smooth, where I thought they would be bright, but not at all. I listened to them with a sub, but I heard a lot more midrange, in the lower registry, than I ever heard before. Tonight, I'll turn the sub off, set the Marantz NR1602 to "large" for the fronts and listen again to see what they can do in the bass department. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I found an inexpensive speaker, that sounds fantastic to me, with your recommendation. Keep up the amazing reviews. God bless!
I'm so happy you like them. They are a remarkable speaker and an absolute bargain at their price. I bet you're glad you grabbed these instead of something for $300 that may not even sound much better. If someone has a sub there is almost no reason to buy something more expensive. I continue to be blown away by these every time I hook them up.
@@cheapaudioman yes sir! You were so right on about these. Even my wife commented that they sound really good and are not overly bright, which hear ears are sensitive to. They sound so good. I want to turn the sub off and set the Sonys to large on my Marantz to see what they sound like by themselves. I've auditioned Focals, B&W's, Cantons, Martin Logans, convinced that around $800 to $1,000 for a pair was going to be where I had to be to get something I was going to be happy with. None of those knocked my socks off and persuaded me to take the plunge. I've auditioned those all at nice shops in my area in Chicago twice each. I'm perfectly happy with these Sonys with my Marantz. Period. They're that good. I just need your help nailing down the best quality streaming set up. I'm interested in your help with this. Node 2i or something like the Topping you reviewed a while back or a little better. Thanks again for your wonderful advice.
@@ramondelgado6778 so glad you like them. I keep coming back to them in my office when I have the Elac Debut Reference and the Klipsch RP600M just sitting there
Hi, Am I the only one who noticed that Saturday Night Live had the sony sscs5 in one of their skits that was supposed to be in the past long before the sscs5 was made?
Thanks bob
Alright Randy, I'll subscribe, just because you said please, and because it means a lot to you. Oh, and because you make a lot of good videos, thanks.
Randy, where do I get the mod kit for this speaker, what does it cost and how difficult is it to do the mods? Thanks
Any update on the “Hotrodding” video?
I’m looking forward to another option for improving these…
I was wondering if you would say that the bass is lacking on the CS5? Im currently using powered speakers (Edifier 1280db) connected to a Sony high end CD player (QS series from the end of the 90's) and an average Audiotechnica turntable. I'm happy how they fill the room but was considering switching to passive speakers and an amp. The amp would be the Sony ta-fb940r qs) and I was thinking about these Sony cs5 speakers. In Europe they cost around 200 usd and do not go on sale. Nearly all the reviews are excellent but some underline this bass impression? Do you feel it is honestly an issue or just audiophile bs? Thanks for your great content!
Question for Randy, I use my vintage Marantz 30W receiver to listen to the Sony speakers, I also own a newer, more powerful AV Yamaha unit. Do you believe I can get better sound from the Yamaha?
I have a pair of these and I just connected them to my Denon AVR-591 HT receiver two nights ago and my family and I honestly feel they are much better than the Polk TSi100 speakers that was connected. I wish I could afford the towers and center to match. I may run Audyssey on them and see if there is an improvement. Maybe I should leave well enough alone. They sounds goooood, even in stereo mode with the sub. I was considering saving up for Klipsch, but why spend more and get less.
These are pretty tough to beat at even double their price. I have a marantz and there is a way to run audessey and then bypass the front channels. That way you can listen to it both ways and see which way you like it the most. I actually picked up the towers so I’m going to review those when I get back into town.
@@cheapaudioman Wow! You have the towers! Fantastic. I see my local Best Buy has a couple centers. I think I'll risk the bucks and a night in the dog house and go buy one to try. I'll let you know what happens. Please have a safe and fun trip. Thanks
@@cheapaudioman Well...... I took the plunge and bought the Sony SS-CS8 center speaker. And, just as I expected the clarity is much better than my muffled Polk TSi-C10 center. So, the Polks are going into storage. This center has made the front stage so easy to hear everything that happens from left to center to right. After manually setting the distances and gain for each channel my system is nearing what I have been hoping for since I have started putting it together 5 years ago. Have a great day!
@@welderfixer so happy to hear that and you’re out less than a pair of Polks that aren’t nearly as good.
@@cheapaudioman If I sell my like new Polk bookshelf and center speakers it's likely I'll use that money for a new pair of Sony towers. That is if your review proves them worthy.
Can they be good in a home theater environment?
Great reviews I'm a subscriber already 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Yes, absolutely.
@@cheapaudioman thanks for answering, right now I'm running an Onkyo TX SR606 with a set of all 7 Sony SSD170 (I've got everything used online) it was my very beginning in this home theater and audio world.
Now I'm looking forward into a new receiver and new speakers.
And I'm really thankful with you for this honest review. It really cleared my ideas about affordable and good quality speakers.
Best regards from México 👍🏼🔊
Randy, hru?
I'm hoping for your opinion real quick. I'm thinking about upgrading the components in my kef Q-150 by buying a upgrade kit online for 290$ What are your thoughts on upgrading the inners of a mid/low priced speaker like the q-150?
What do you do with all the equipment you review?
And today, 3 years later, these exact speakers are $308 a pair on UK Amazon! 😮
PLEASE advise, would sure appreciate your input, I just replaced a pretty new Klipsch R-52C, I bought because my OLD ears needed something with Clearer Dialogue, it did that, hardly nothing more.....replaced yesterday w highly rated ELAC D. 2.0 C5.2, it is already wonderfully better than that Klipsch C. NOW, I want to replace my OLD Infinity F. Towers, and after much reading etc. I decided to get a pair of ELAC D. 2.9 B6.2s, your reviews had alot to do w final decision, I am looking at Used for about $220 instead of $400 - - - BUT this where I need your help, I ran across your reviews and others about how GREAT these smaller Sony CS5s are and they sound exciting, but might they have a sound conflict with the new ELAC C.? I have never in all me years had "matching" Fronts w Center...so Please tell me which way you'd go with this decision for BEST Audio in my Home Theater 5.1.2 system? Thank YOU! michael
Hi just watched your sony ss cs5 speaker review. Very Exciting and Informative. 🙏🙏
Currently have Dali Spektor 2s with a subwoofer running of Marantz 6007 integrated amp fiio d03k dac with s902 x4 android box routed thru a sony h90 tv.
Sound and wifi conditioners in place.
Playing mostly flac from nas server, plexand amazon hires music.
Sounds pretty good but would like to improve detail and dynamic range.
Would these sony speakers help?
Better DAC?
Look forward to your thoughts?
🙏🙏🙏
In my country it seems to be sold out and they discontinued selling it. Does Sony have a follow up line which is similar price and at least this good? Thanks!
your opinion These Sony's or the Elac 6's???? Im torn bro...D
I just bought 2 more pairs and they are in the boxes just in case. I already have some in my bedroom I used but since they were $73 again I thought I should stock up.
What subwoofer would you recommend for under 150 dollars?
Really enjoy your channel.
When the bookshelves are on sale then their sub usually is too and for $100 I doubt you can go wrong with it. Goes down to 28 hz
@@cheapaudioman thanks
GR-Research has an upgrade kit for these. I'm curious to know how much better these Sonys could be although, I think I don't upgrade is worth the price.
I currently have a Sony STR DN1080 7.2 Dolby Atmos receiver, Looking to replace my Nuance 5.1 speaker system. Thinking of buliding a system around these. Thoughts?
Hey cheap Audio man.. can you compare this Sonys vs the Dayton Audio ION 6.5 with back radiator?? I wonder which will be better for long listening
I know you’re against tower speakers and have been back and forth on the Sony sssc3 but at bogo prices right now at bestbuy you can’t beat the deal they make up in bass where the sc5 lack. They have a unique front port so you if you have limited space they don’t need to sit out in the room to sound terrific.
Love to see you do a review on them and get your take on them. It also might be fun for you to test something you typically don’t seem to listen to
Thx for the videos. Good luck reaching your 1k followers giveaway
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a set myself. If they're remotely as good as the bookshelves I can't see any downside to them if one has the room... I'm about to get on Amazon right now and order them... you're a bad influence, Tim.
@@cheapaudioman
I’ve been super impressed by them after upgrading to them for my front L/R from the sc5 in my home theater setup last year. So much so I bought another set as my rear surrounds this year and moved my 4 sc5 to my bedroom.
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These ss sc line of speakers from Sony have been a hidden gem for years
I started acquiring them when the wife put me on a budget when I wanted to upgrade to the Dolby atmos theater setup. I was able to purchase a full 7.2.4 setup (Black Friday prices) for a little more then the price of 2 klipsch towers.
I’m exited to watch your review on them and to give me another reason to laugh and my friends who spend thousands on their home theater speakers in!! Keep the videos coming for us on a budget trying to get the most we can out of our listen experience
@@timgrande6332 I ordered them. There is something special about this line of speakers.
2 cs5 bookshelf speaks stack together will be better than 1 stand speak cs3?
Just go buy them! What great advice
Would you still recommend these speakers today? Is there anything better at the msrp ?
They’re very hard to beat below $150
Put an 80hz high pass filter before these speakers and they sound amazing, with a sub of course.