Pioneer SP-BS22-LR (Philharmonic AAM Mod) Review: #61 of 87

Last updated: September 10, 2026

The Pioneer SP-BS22-LR (Philharmonic AAM Mod) ranks #61 out of 87 total Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers for sound quality. See Top Recommended Speakers By Attribute for all the top speaker suggestions.

Brand: Pioneer

Prices on this page were last checked September 9, 2026 at 6:54 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR (Philharmonic AAM Mod) - ranked #61 of 87 Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers · Editor's rating 2.8/5

#61 Pioneer SP-BS22-LR (Philharmonic AAM Mod): $168 eBay

Pros: This is Dennis Murphy’s “Affordable Accuracy Monitor” (AAM) mod of the discontinued, budget Pioneer SP-BS22-LR: the stock tweeter is swapped for a Peerless BC25TG15 dome and a redesigned 3rd-order crossover is built to match it to the stock 4” woofer. CEA2034 spinorama shows only small variations from a flat on-axis response with some directivity error near the crossover, a marked improvement over the unmodified Pioneer, which the reviewer notes shows much more variation from flat. Distortion at 86dB SPL/1m is reasonably controlled above 200Hz, and tweeter distortion barely rises even at 96dB SPL/1m.

Cons: Some directivity error appears near the crossover frequency. Distortion climbs in the woofer’s range (below 200Hz) at both 86dB and 96dB SPL/1m. Minimum impedance dips to about 5 ohms with a couple of resonance peaks. This is a DIY project, not a finished retail product: Murphy sold ~$168 pre-built pairs for a while but no longer does, so it now requires sourcing a used/discontinued Pioneer SP-BS22-LR pair plus building the crossover and swapping the tweeter yourself. The mod itself is public domain, but there is no current turnkey way to buy this speaker.

How it compares: Just above it: Dynaudio X14 - $1332 more, 1Hz lower bass extension (-3dB). Just below it: Avantone Pro CLA-10 - $381 more, 7Hz higher bass extension (-3dB).

Bass Extension (-10dB)60Hz (measured, Audio Science Review)
Bass Extension (-3dB)78Hz (measured, Audio Science Review)
Crossover Frequency3000Hz
Dimensions12.6"H x 7.1"W x 8.5"D (320.0 x 180.0 x 215.0 mm)
Drivers1x 4" curvilinear-cone woofer (stock Pioneer), 1x Peerless BC25TG15 1" silk dome tweeter (replacement)
Impedance8 ohms nominal (approx. 5 ohms minimum, measured by Audio Science Review)
Sensitivity83dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Audio Science Review)
Weight9 lbs / 4.1 kg
Woofer Cabinetported, rear
Search eBay for Pioneer SP-BS22-LR (Philharmonic AAM Mod) →

More Pioneer speakers →