Pioneer TS-E6902i
Made with a fibre described as Aramid and with igneous Basalt rock rended into fibres in the mad tech cone material of this speaker, this is a posh offering. A part of the TS-E series of speakers, it is a two way and has a very large 640g (23 oz) Strontium magnet, so the 360w peak may not be so fanciful. The motor structure on the back of each of these speakers is substantial. Mounted on wide poles, the tweeters are actually bordering on the exotic, with a rear chamber to damp their performance and keep octave to octave transitions smooth, we are told. This is similar stuff to the way Morel describe their reasoning for the low crossover point. Also, it is a Neodymium magnet on that HF and it is also bathed in Ferrofluid in the voice coil gap in there for better high frequency performance. Sad however, that the frequency passband is described in a ‘-20dB’ style. It is meaningless for bass and yet we can still believe it is good for the high bat frequencies above 20kHz. Why not let us know the -3dB point? That said, the cone angle is steep and the ‘waveguide’ shapes at the top and bottom of the tweeter housing look to be fashioned to direct the sound out sideways. Both of which are boding well for sound. The passives are high quality with an actual iron cored inductor as well a fat capacitor, sat perched on a spot on the chassis. Apparently, there is a difference in slope in the up and down crossovers. Bass is filtered out of the tweeter at 12dB per Octave as it goes up and yet highs are filtered out of the bass cone at a smoother 6dB per Octave. (The 6×9 cone can cope with this easily. After all, the classic guitar backline box screams lead from four twelves.) – Pressed Steel chassis- Dual Layer IMX„¢ (Injection Moulded Matrix) Aramid & Basalt fibre cone with Butyl rubber top roll surround- 28mm soft textile dome tweeter with rear chamber and Neodymium magnet with Ferrofluid
– 12dB per Octave passive crossover for HF; large capacitor and meaty iron cored inductor coil
– 6dB per Octave passive crossover for lowpass
– Power handling 80w RMS, 360w peak
– Sensitivity 90dB (2.83V, 1m)
– Frequency Response: 28Hz to 30kHz
– Impedance 4 Ohms- Mounting depth 89mm
– Lug connection terminals for spade-end speaker connectors
– Pressed Steel mesh grilles with silvered frame and silvered plastic insert
Review by Adam Rayner
You might think it odd that a much higher specification 6×9 should be a two-way rather than a three-way. (I know of some really cheap items that have eight drivers above the bass cone, wearing small Piezo tweeters like acne) Yet these TS-E6902i are not like the TS-A6903i and have but one high quality tweeter driver where the much cheaper product has a mid as well as the cheapie tweet.
Simple fact is that this is one of those speakers where Pioneer quietly remind the rest of the speaker making world that the Japanese are scary grade engineers and can do it.
Pretty much whatever ‘it’ happens to be.
In this case, making heavy duty 6x9s for that nutter I described in the opener. The tweeter is a peach and reaches deeper down as well as a long way up, so the crossover point can be a bit lower and the whole sound benefits. That and the huge proper passive speaker crossover components soldered in circuit on the shoulders of the chassis. The whole edifice looks gorgeous. Fire them up and the sound is excellent. Suddenly on a higher plane, a big wide image with more detail than before and a lovely rich midband and fat and yet detailed bass end. That track I loved through the Kenwood KFC-X692 was played brilliantly by these with the same bass ‘Proink!’ to that odd bass line I so enjoy.
Big serious speakers, these hit me in the chest for the first time in this initial group of six sets. So bloody loud, too! I raised some 116.5dB at maximum although I did over drive just briefly and heard a nasty ‘crrrrack!’ sound as I think I just bottomed out the coils on the bass drivers momentarily. But turned back a notch and they were wicked.
Definitely worth every extra penny over the price of the cheaper TS-A6903i, these are huge VFM.
Overall 8.4
Sound Quality 9
Build Quality 9
Power Handling 7
Efficiency 8
Value For Money 9