Sony SS-CS5 vs Jamo S803 A/B Comparison (Quite Surprised) 

The mic wasn't up to the task (as you are clearly aware). However, with headphones on this is what I was able to discern. The recording quality of the source material seemed to be pretty good. I agree it was a good song to audition these speakers with. I couldn't hear much difference above ~4KHz because the mic didn't seem to pick it up very well so I can't judge the highs. The Jamos definitely seemed to have much stronger bass/midbass around 80Hz-100Hz. You mentioned the Sony's sounded louder overall. They seemed to have more midrange for sure, but I wonder if they just sounded that way on my end because of the weaker bottom end. What are your thoughts/opinions about Polk Audio speakers? I don't consider myself a Polk Audio fanboy, but there's only a few of their products I thought sounded poorly (some sound bars and cheap T15s come to mind). I have a pair of Polk TSi300 towers paired with a Denon AVR-X3200W receiver and I think they sound great. Even the bass is impressive for what they are IMO. I seldom find myself wishing I had a sub. I 2.1 setup in the basement, but can't make up my mind which bookshelf speakers to go with. I thought I had my mind made up on a pair of Polk TSi100s, but these Sonys are on sale right now for half the price. I was hoping to get a decent pair bookshelf speakers with a 6.5" woofer, but I didn't want to spend more than $200/pr either. If I could find a pair of the DCM speakers you reviewed, I'd buy those. I live in the Cedar Rapids area myself, so I'm not that far from you. I just came across your channel and like your content so far. Keep up the good work!

The Sony's are more sensitive. I'm wondering where the tweeter is crossed. I'm thinking somewhere around 4K. The Super Tweeter is sounding bright. I hear they have to much presence and are lacking in mid range. They also seem to be boomy. A blue printed crossover and box bracing may be required to make them sound better, and yes. I think they can be fixed! The Jamo's as expected sound neutral on the recording, they are not tinny sounding like the Sony's. This is the perception I get through my headphones. In short, I think the Jamo's would be better head to head with your Pioneers.

@@trashyaudiophile7301 The sound demo only demonstrates obvious differences in sound and are more less for for fun. I see no point in investing a lot of money in expensive gear just to capture audio that will be compressed encoded etc through RU-vid. Then play back what speakers sound like on other speakers. The Jamo S803 are over priced and over hyped by Zeos and more bassy than the others. The Pioneer BS22 are great but lack punch with the 4" woofer. In the future I may be doing a upgrade video to the Sony CS5. I think their crossed at 2,500k and 20,000k typical 3 way spread.

I dont know. Ideally they should cross at 800/4700. Obviously that might be an issue considering it's a tweeter and super tweeter. I'm willing to bet the tweeter is crossed at 4K to 6K and the super tweeter somewhere around 12k. That's typical of cheap speakers. But hey, I have a set of Insignia 5 1/4" 2 ways that blew the doors off a set of Polk T15's . Granted both are budget offerings. But the insignia were 40 on sale and the polks were 119. I do see where you are going with this. I would be interested to see the crossovers on these and see what the crossover points are.

@@trashyaudiophile7301 Have you watched my review video of these where I take them apart?

Good because the Jamo are a more serious overall sounding speaker , no coloration in the mid-range like the Sony and have a more serious crossover network, but for the money the Sony are a very good choice but not as natural sounding as the Jamo.

Hey Jerry got a question...Subs...do you need a subwoofer with these?

Hi im contemplating between the Sony and the BIC too. Did you ever get around to comparing them?

@@joanfrederick9176 Just close your eye and listen. Also actually went ahead and bought a set of the Sony speakers. They are amazing.

For me it wasn't just that the Sonys are louder, they were much fuller and alive. Yes db matching them is another way to compare. I didnt do it that way because it would be handicapping the Sonys efficiency gain over the Jamo, and efficiency is usually considered a good thing. But since everyones hearing varies what I think is better is only my own opinion. Thanks for watching.

@@iowaudioreviews The point of an A/B comparison isn't to test efficiency though, it's to test sound quality. The dB of the sound matters a great deal to people's perception of audio quality, efficiency does not. Efficiency only matters when choosing an amp, and most amps would be able to run either of these anyways, just turn up the gain for the Jamos. This way you're just handicapping the Jamos for no reason.

The Sonys sound tiny and dramatically less bassy.

Your totally correct , have to be even in sound output to hear the true results. He would have heard that the Jamo are better more a cleaner natural sound. Way less coloration in the mid-range because the better quality crossover , but the Sony are a excellent value and can complete with three times there price and hold there own to a point. But your right

Yes sir that's how it's done for sure I agree 100% with everything you said ,cand better than I did in my comment , thanks fellow critical listener of the hi end.

Your right the sound has to be equal for a true comparison. Jamos sound smooth and natural with way less coloration in the mid-range and have a more serious sounding crossover , more for the serious listener . But for the money the Sony did very good for sure. But your right he would like the Jamo better

Got Klipsch 150m for 240 and Sony for 90. Klipsch like 20% better. Both worth it.

@@ratacris5520 I have the 160s and the 600s. Definitely better for the price. More dynamic and can take power better than the Sonys can. Plus with movies and what not, Klipsch takes the cake. The Sony's were no slouch though.

@@SpencersStuffTV The "funny" thing is both Klipsch 150m + Elekit 8200 and Sony+Behringer A800 sound better than my KefLs50+Rega Brio R..crying here ..

@@ratacris5520 haha well at least you can afford all those different speakers to listen to. But yeah the kefs are expensive aren't they?

@@SpencersStuffTV got them for 800$ new on a promotion. Best/worse deal I ever made. Best for the price , worse for all the stuff I would need to buy to make them sound good. In the end not worth it..miles behind Klipsch+tubes

Thank you for that comment? Right now the Jamo's are $149 on Amazon...I wish they would go on sale for a little less, but time will tell. Brett, what amps or power are you using? I'm building a budget system and I want my amp to have a headphone jack, so the best one i"ve seen so far is the Fosiaudio Q4.

Sorry. My Marantz was missing the remote then. I finally found the original remote for it so I can do AB switching remotely. My more recent videos are done this way so the audio doesn't get efdected so much. Thanks for watching.

Also..a simple text overlay of which speaker is currently playing in the video would be very simple and go a long long way.

Its just Cherry wood vinyl rap off Amazon. There's hundreds of designs with vinyl rap and its a pretty cheap way to improve the looks of a speaker.

@@iowaudioreviews thank you for the info

There was a set for sale near me for $300 by a music teacher. I've messaged her a few times and she never got back to me. Pretty sure someone snagged them before I could.

@@iowaudioreviews Bummer! Hope you come across a pair, eventually (and that they aren't damaged or abused).

@@iowaudioreviews JBL has them in stock www.jbl.com/STUDIO+530BK.html?mrkgcl=741&mrkgadid=3363145518&Con%7CGSC%7CProducts&Google&product_id=STUDIO%20530BK&Home+Audio&creative=249866156292&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr564s7fI5gIVDdVkCh2DcwEjEAkYASABEgJYjPD_BwE

I have not been able to get my hands on the Elac b6.2 yet. But everything I've watched and read on them and being a $199 msrp speaker "higher price than the others". I'd be willing to bet they're just as good or better especially the low end since they have a larger 6.5" woofer. Realistically all these speakers are good value and perform well. With the Sony CS5 its value goes way up because they can often be found for $100 or less.

The CS5 are $73 on Amazon right now. Limited price, make your mind up quick : )

Forgot to mention if tour in the $200 budget give the Warfdale Diamond 220 a look.

@@iowaudioreviewsDo you like Diamond 220 better than sony?

@@kirankuttan Havent had a chance to try the Diamond 220 yet. Ive heard great things about them. When the CS5 are on sale for less than $100 they're unbeatable, but as of now they're full price which is close to the 220. Wharfdale is a quality name in audio I'd bet the 220 are pretty good.

They are the black furniture packing blankets from Harbor freight. Checkout my budget acoutic treatment video I'll talk about them and other things I use in my listening area.

Its on my list now that the rb42 seem to be back in stock.

At the end of the day both very good speakers for the price. Each have a different sound signiture, buy what pleases your ears and ya can't go wrong. To many audio nuts forget audio is hearing and all that matters is your satisfied with your system. 👍

Yes, that's how it is, it is a question of listening and taste

You probably just have a short attention span. Talking, words, opinion is what makes a review. The demo is part of the review. I don't do the same old cookie cutter 10 min videos like everyone else trying to pump out content and pull in sponsors. Try fast forwarding through the video till you reach the part you want. Thats what anyone else with a pulse would do.

I haven't been able to try the Elac but I'd be comfortable assuming they are better. Given they cost much more and Andrew Jones designed them. All I can say for now is the Sony CS5 are very good for the money.

News flash.... glad you like them good for you and not all pro monitors are flat, some just suck. But a flat response is the base line to a overall pleasing speaker. If I want coloration I'll use the EQ to tailor to my liking. Sad the industry has killed the good ol EQ. The S803 looks and sound are up to the buyer its your opinion fine. But its over priced in its class so even though its a good speaker for some people I don't fancy it unless its on sale. Zeos hyped it and the sheep followed as usual. If you like the S803 great enjoy them but for me I'd rather have the Sony CS5 for less than half the price.

Yep, they're cheaper and in my opinion sound better. The Jamo's are nice but overpriced compared to its competitors. Over hyped by Zeos as well. Thats why I took them aparts. Everything about them is just as cheap as their competitors but yet cost more and for what the Jamo name.... I know loudness or efficiency isn't necessarily fidelity but it can contribute to it and while the Sonys are louder in reality they have a much more live balanced sound signiture. The Jamos have increased highs and lows basically a built in smiley eq even other youtubes commented on it in their reviews. They seem to be more designed around home theater than music.

I heard the same thing. The Jamos sound good until I put them next to the Sony. The Jamo emphasizes the highs and lows to much that in some music the midrange really suffers and they lose their musicality. Almost as if the Jamo are more suited for home theater.

The Sony CS5 could be a good option. If you want to stick with a larger bookshelf like LX7 checkout the BIC DV62SI. I did a video on them as well, they're great for the money. Sold at PartsExpress.

€ 198.99, Amazon Spain right now ask for Sony SSCS5 speakers. Today's change is $ 219,235 USD It seems like a great scam of biblical proportions ...

I seen that, and posted a link to hifi guides. At t$73 these would be the best value speakers Ive reviewed.

@Luka Stemberger You're right, they rip us off with the "law" in hand, or put another way, trade laws are created with the sole purpose of scamming people.

Objectively the Sony measure better and are more balanced. Forget the super tweeter anyone with typical hearing loss will never notice it. Either could be fixed with a little DSP or Just get the JBL Stage A130 review coming soon.

Lol, I got a remote now. 👍

By the way the speakers I was referring to are the Sony cpx 22 speakers from early 2000s they had a light cherryRose like finish with a 5 1/4 woven Kevlar type Sony's version driver a 1" silk dome damped tweeter a 3 piece crossover and tuned front port. One of Sony's best small bookshelf speakers and system ever.

What marantz model is that? Analog?

Really the Sony are hardly a 3 way since the super tweeter is crossed so hi it doesn't do much that humans can hear. As I said in the video its more of a sales gimmick. Especially since people that by these will most likely stream or play mp3 on them and those formats are cut off at 16khz anyway.

No your wrong! What about people that listen to this kind of music and are interested in these speakers....... All the music has to do is make the difference apparent in this demonstration. And if your taking a RU-vid sound demo seriously absolutely shows you know nothing about audio. Probably just regurgitate crap you read on forums. Audio and sound quality are COMPLETELY subjective to the listeners preferences so you and nobody else can tell me or others what we think of a speaker. What next you wanna tell how I like my steak.....? The Jamo S803 are good speakers but over priced and over hyped. In my opinion.

Holy ship your a genius 👏 you should work for Elon Musk. But this is a hobby not a full time gig for me to bad you take things like RU-vid so seriously maybe you should try production television I hear they put more effort into they're content. Theres lots of things I could do to improve my content..... but I don't care its just RU-vid and its just for fun. Thanks for your view 😘

@@iowaudioreviews Right, because it's so hard to do a decent a/b job thousands of people get right. It's lazy, it's clickbait, It's wasting peoples time.

@@headphone307 Well its a hobby so I think amount of effort put in is irrelevant and subjective to the hobbyists. Most of the time my lazy azz is at work or with family but I guess those thing aren't as important as a RU-vid video on speakers.... I quite doing a/b tests on RU-vid, to many people take it seriously and think its actually is a legit way to compare speakers at all. Its not, it was just for fun. Plus I'm not going to purchase an extra mic just for usless RU-vid a/b comparisons the stereo mics in my phone are plenty good.

@@iowaudioreviews It's not a great way to experience speakers, but if it's not really legit, then why do you bother? Speaker comparisons on YT stir the curiosity of enthusiasts. Your laziness makes a mockery of the enthusiast by not offering a good listen, or even a good idea of which is playing. I know why I clicked, the big question I have, and I think a question you should be asking yourself is why do you even bother? Doing a good video isn't that much harder than doing a crappy video. But if you have better things to do then please, go do them, and let us spend our time watching better efforts.

Yeah yeah. These comparisons are only to make light of big differences and are mostly for fun. I no longer do them because no matter how many times I state the previous people take them seriously and badger me over it. Or someone gets upset cause they bought the speaker I deemed worse. Since I'm not measuring anything and just going by ear and my preference these reviews are subjective and people should use what ever speaker they like. Now if you want a speaker that is objectively better go over to AudioScienceReview and start going through the reviews. You'll find something like the JBL Stage A130 is objectively great for the money. I also disagree with many of these other RU-vidrs with expensive mic setups trying to convey a speakers fidelity through RU-vids heavily compressed audio codec and then on the viewers speakers. Theres several big issues why this will never work and can be quite missleading. Unfortunately the best way to find the system that fits you is to keep trying different gear till your happy.

Because even done with expensive gear its still is going through RU-vid and what ever the viewer has on their end. So its going to be heavily compressed and limited to at most 160kbps via the Opus251 codec (mp3 quality). So I'm not spending couple hundred bucks on recording equipment for RU-vid. Its just a basic demonstration so people can hear obvious differences. If you want a critical comparison buy both and try them in person in your listening space with your equipment then return the one you don't like.