Engineers love a challenge, none more so than Pioneer's chief speaker engineer, Andrew Jones.

Jones, responsible for engineering TAD reference speakers valued at $100k, was challenged by Pioneer to develop a home theatre package, incorporating his TAD expertise, but with an entry-level price tag.

Exceeding with flying colours, Andrew Jones delivered the FS51, a $1,299 home theatre speaker system, including bookshelf (SP-BS21-LR), floor-standing (SP-FS51-LR) and center channel (SP-C21) speakers, as well as, the (S51W) subwoofer.

Engineered to deliver exceptional audio performance, Pioneer's FS51 speakers not only reap the rewards of Jones' expertise, but also the company's 70-year long speaker heritage.

Typical speakers in the entry level price category utilise a low cost, flat-sided style cabinet.

The FS51 speakers feature radio frequency bonded curved cabinets, which not only provide a distinct cosmetic look but a stiffer and stronger structure, resulting in better sound reproduction through reduced cabinet resonance.

Featuring quality components both inside and out, each speaker is equipped with flush mounted grills for each driver, instead of a single grill for the entire front of the cabinet.

Rather than using cloth, the speaker grills are made out of metal for better protection. The grills add to the cosmetic appeal of the speaker while improving its durability in both home and retail environments.

Most entry level speakers make significant sacrifices in order to reduce cost. One of the most commonly compromised items is the speaker's internal crossover network.

Vital to the speaker's overall performance, it splits the full range audio signal into separate frequency bands and sends them to the individual drivers optimized for those bands.

The simplest crossover networks often used by other manufacturers consist of a single capacitor and inductor, but this limited, cost-driven design can leave a lot to be desired for the listener.

To improve sound quality, Pioneer's FS51 speaker series uses a sophisticated multi-component crossover that achieves a more accurate frequency division and a more precise re-creation of sound. All speakers in the line also feature gold plated 5-way binding posts that provide superior conductivity and flexible connection methods.