WOW! Finally a UNICORN! The $118 Sony SS-CS5!

WOW! Finally a UNICORN! The $118 Sony SS-CS5!

[musicformysanity]

So, I bought a set of these speakers on clearance ($70!!!!) a few months ago. I also bought the GR Research upgrade kit. I am not sharing photos, because its not pretty to look at (completely my fault!) but it is a night and day difference on sound!
Please understand that this is completely my subjective view.
Original listening setup: Luxman R-117 --> SVS Soudnpath cables -->Energy ESM-2 monitors
I was using this setup for years then I switched to these Sony SS-CS5 speakers.
Straight out the box they are genuinely impressive. A bit too much treble though, slightly fatiguing to the ears.
I listened to them for about 4 months on a daily basis in my home office. I keep the music going all day while I work.
Finally built the GR Research circuit and dampener.
DUDE!!!! They sounded pretty "big" for a small bookshelf speaker in stock form. Now they sound ridiculously HUGE!
The depth and soundstage is just mind blowing. You can push the snot out of these and really keep the integrity of the sound across the frequencies. I am just mad that I waited this long.
This combination is so good that I am going to buy another set and do the same thing for my workshop.
To anyone that doubts this gentleman's claims.... Don't knock it til you try it! The results are legit and can be duplicated repeatedly (the science works).
I know that my setup isn't 100% audiophile techy insanity. I have had a system like that, great for analytical listening but I didn't like it for general listening.
Cheers everyone!
THANK YOU Gr Research for turning me on to this combo!

[makarov]

I have a set of these Sony speakers that sounded way too bassy and lacking in the midrange. So I went inside for a look. The woofer was getting far too much low end and not enough of the lower midrange where I could hear the silence. The super tweeter on both speakers was wired backwards! Fixed that problem. Took the notch filter at the woofer out. Took two layers of wire off the iron-core inductor and put them back together. Now they sound fantastic.! And that super tweeter can be heard now. The mids are there. The bass is still there. The highs are all there. And they don't sound soft and muffled by all that bass!

[rondegroot]

Sony used to be the firm that gave their technicians a free card to design. V-Fet, Flamingo, APM square speakers etc. As it turns out here they still produce gems now and then.

[Acoustic_Theory]

I believe that the shimmering cone is a foamed paper-mica blend. It's a neat material; the mica flake immobilizes the paper fibers and makes the paper more rigid without being much heavier.

[carlosmacmartin]

Budget audio is how I roll. 🤩 I own a pair of these speakers and played them yesterday against a pair of Fluance Signature HIFI 2 way and a pair of Jamo S 803. I used a simple 70 watt Rockville BluTube LED stereo receiver/amplifier. Hands down, the Sony’s sound much better to my ears than the other two brands. I don’t know anything about the scientific measurements or numbers and really don’t care. I go on what my ears can actually hear and discern. The CS5’s have great bass, midrange and highs. I can clearly hear all the instruments and vocals on tracks. My receiver has treble and bass settings, so I tune the sound to my liking depending on the style of music and audio track. Jazz, Rock, Blues, Oldies, Reggae, Soul, R&B, Pop, Classical, Country, etc all sound great! Some song files sound better using the wireless Bluetooth setting than others. I’m betting any audio device plugged direct line into my receiver would sound excellent as well. These are a very affordable, great sounding, pair of bookshelf speakers for the money. Stupid cheap (in my humble opinion). Thinking of buying a used or refurbished pair to modify and see if there’s a noticeable difference. But “as is” and straight factory stock, they sound fine.

[audiomacaudiomac]

I have just finished the upgrade. The sound clarity is OMG astounding. I took my time on this and enjoyed every bit of the upgrade. It was challenging trying to fit all components into that tiny box and at the same time applying the inductor layout principle that Danny went over in one of his cable videos. I ended up building two boards for the crossover, one for the two tweeters and one for the woofer. I did run out of the wire provided for making the additional runs. I built one speaker first and compared it to the original. The original sounded pretty good until I put the upgraded speaker next to it. It made it sounds like a tin can with a muffled sound. Well, not to that degree but it was a night and day difference. I finished the second speaker last night and now enjoying them. The voices and string instruments are so clear. The bass seems less but I think because it is now clearer and not chuffing like before. I'm very happy with my work! Not Danny's. lol. This will satisfy my crave for the new Dynaudio Heritage Limited speakers which listed for $7000.

[tophat]

Hi Danny! I just received my upgrade kit for these little giant killers. It's my first time upgrading speakers and I'm really looking forward to doing this. Thank you for your efforts and sharing your passion for great audio with us. Cheers!👍🙂

[DjRjSolarStar]

My first speakers were Sony bookshelf 2ways, with a 1 inch tweeter and 5.25" woofer. They were $40 a pair. Paired to my entry level Denon back then, they sounded pretty damn good. I always told people Sony is thr value champion i speakers under $500, glad to see others giving them some love too.

[indridcold]

Two years in a row Amazon has had the SS-CS5 for $73/pair between late Nov. and early Jan. I picked up a pair two years ago and then picked up a second pair about 5 months ago. Really love them. I used Equalizer APO the free parametric equalizer on my computer and fixed the peak and dip in response.. Thanks for posting the curves!

[kegan]

Hi Danny,
Thank you for your help with the installation of the upgraded parts for the small Sony speakers. This was an inexpensive foray into DIY, and it was a blast, with a few frustrations along the way!
I wanted to comment on how the kit worked for me. I liked the sound of the Sony’s out-of-the-box, especially for a $100 pair of speakers. They were a bit “bright” and pushy in the mid and upper regions but acceptable and overall pleasant. After completing the upgrade for one speaker, I plugged it in and listened to it side by side with the remaining stock box. I was expecting a difference, but a subtle one. After all, how much can you tweak a small speaker like this? The differences were much larger than I would have imagined, and I went to work immediately on updating the second speaker. After completing that one, I have to say I was blown away.
I purposely loaded up one of my favorite CDs that has always been fatiguing to listen to on any system I have used (INXS – Welcome to Wherever You Are). I have listened to this CD on some pretty decent hardware before, but at the higher volumes, it gets a bit overwhelming. With your kit in place, this was no longer the case. Details I had NEVER heard before were now evident, including some ghost notes by the drummer (I dabble in drumming) that were astounding. The sound was strong yet not muddled or overwhelming in any way. A remarkable difference. Further listening just strengthened this observation with other musical sources. Some of the things you and others discuss now make perfect sense; I heard what you talk about on your channel. Separation, speed, non-smearing of music, spatial cues, it was all there. Some music even sounded holographic in spots. It was a very strange yet extremely enjoyable experience!
All this and the parts and the speakers are not even broken in yet. I truly could go on with how much difference there is with this upgrade kit, but I don’t want to make this too long. Suffice it to say I am impressed, very impressed, and extremely pleased with the result. You will certainly be getting more of my business in the future.
Thank you, Danny.

[brannonmcevers]

Very nice video Mr Ritchie.. Nice call on using the larger dome as a notch (filler) driver!! Impressive filter design.. More meat, less snake oil! Thank you very much!

[MisterDivineAdVenture]

OH HELL YEAH! Mine were just delivered - looking forward to adding this kit.

[Johns-lpen]

Danny, Keep up the great work! And thank you for all of your hard work and finding/building the unicorn products for us.

[ynstyne]

Just picked the last pair they had at Best Buy and ordered your upgrade. Now to learn how to solder stuff...

[robvermeulen]

This might just sound as my next DIY project. Cheap enough to practice my soldering before doing the Klipsch upgrade I kept postponing 😉

[michaelwright]

This would be a great first time speaker upgrade path for many of us. When I say many of us, those of us who have not used a solder iron in years, or the first time doing anything like this to anything kind of guy. Call it the "Confidence Kit", do one of these to the inexpensive Sony pairs and then say upgrade those SVS Ultra speakers you love so much, or order one of Danny's kits and build your own. I might just do this myself, it looks like a very fun and inexpensive project!

[ttues]

Just ordered the upgrade kit! Love the original CS5. It does everything very well. I cant wait to get my soldering iron out to improve it!

[SStrandh]

This is the kind of content I came here for. Great work 👍

[ShikataGaNai]

I have my SONY SSCS5s connected to my Denon RCD-N10 streamer and a huge Behringer 2092A dual 8" subwoofer. I also use the SONY 7506 cans in studio and at home. Audio NIrvana...all on the cheap.

[huntera]

Wow, discovering this channel is very fortunate. Thank you!