AV Peripherals and Systems Guide
Event: Bringing The Boombox Back – Pioneer STEEZ Launched
What’s Your STEEZ?
It’s been a while since the last time we wrote about Pioneer, a Japan-based brand which has been associated with televisions (remember the KURO?), car audio, professional DJ equipment, and several other products. This afternoon, Pioneer, through its Philippine distributor Zamony Venture Corporation, made some noise with the launch of its STEEZ lineup of products, which took place at the Café Mary Grace in Greenbelt. Pioneer’s STEEZ celebrates the urban youth culture and is primarily aimed at street dance market.
STEEZ has three main categories, namely the STEEZ HEADPHONES, STEEZ PORTABLE, and the STEEZ AUDIO. Similar to many DJ-inspired headsets in the market, STEEZ HEADPHONES (SE-D10M-W) feature a foldable design and swivel mechanism for flexible monitoring. These fully-enclosed dynamic headphones pack 40mm driver units and come with a 1.2m cord that ends with a gold-plated 3.5mm stereo plug.
The STEEZ PORTABLE (NSP-C10P-K), on the other hand, is a digital audio player that comes with 4GB built-in memory and has a touch-sensitive user interface. It features Non-Stop Mix Play function which automatically selects tracks that are similar in melody and tempo, and play them without interruption. Another feature present on the STEEZ PORTABLE is Tempo Control which allows you to adjust the playback speed of a song.
Considerably the most relevant set of offerings under the STEEZ label is the STEEZ AUDIO which was actually the spotlight grabber of the event. The STEEZ AUDIO is composed of three models, namely the Type S, Type T, and the Type Z. These portable audio systems are ideal for b-boying or breakdancing because of their hip designs that are inspired by boomboxes or ghetto blasters.
The Type S (STZ-D10S-L) is the most compact and portable among the three, having a weight of less than 1 kilogram (0.8kg). It can store up to 4GB-worth of tracks, has a 2.4-inch LCD and two 40mm full range driver units. Without being plugged into a live electrical outlet, the Type S can be powered by six AA batteries.
The Type T (STZ-D10T-G) shares similarities with the Type S in many aspects, except that the former has a larger profile and a bit heavier (1.2kg). Both STEEZ AUDIO models are equipped with a USB port for storage expansion, have a dedicated dock for iPhone or iPod, and are compatible with other digital audio players via the auxiliary in connector. In the case of the Type T, the dock is a tilt type.
The big bad wolf of the pack is the Type Z (STZ-D10Z-R) which has a 135mm subwoofer driver, two 80mm full range drivers, and two 26mm tweeter drivers. This 7.4kg behemoth is packed with a 3.5-inch LCD and can be powered by ten size D batteries. With a high power output and a dynamic 2.1-channel sound system, the Type Z can fill a large rehearsal space. Similar to the Type T, the Type Z is drip-proof and resilient against impact, some attributes that make it ideal for active outdoor use.
Additional details on the features and specifications of Pioneer’s STEEZ-labeled products are available at www.pioneer-steez.com. The STEEZ AUDIO Type S, T, and Z are now available for the price of PhP 11,990, PhP 15,990, and PhP 24,990 respectively.