We tend to think of car audio as relentlessly forward-looking, always at the cutting-edge of technology. But increasingly, it’s doing something else: reaching into the archives, pulling out retro or fan-favourite designs and saying: “Let’s make these again!”
Pioneer is doing exactly that with its yet-to-be-released TS-X40SXT retro box speakers – a return to the classic rear-shelf-mounted speaker systems of the 1980s and 1990s, before door builds and sound up front became a thing. The result is part nostalgia trip, part rolling nightclub.
The speakers are already on sale in Japan under the Carrozzeria name, but UK versions will carry the classic Pioneer branding and fork logo instead.
Each unit combines a 5in cone woofer, 2in mid-range and 1in dome tweeter, all wrapped in a square retro enclosure with exposed fixings and a matte metallic finish, and a Pioneer logo that lights up in blue at night.
But despite the throwback styling, the spec sheet is properly contemporary.
The system delivers a frequency range from 45Hz-36kHz, with 100W rated input and a claimed 84dB sensitivity. It uses a bass-reflex enclosure with a “double slit port” design to improve low-end response, while the cone materials are built for clearer mid-range separation.
In plain English: it should sound far better than anything with a glowing logo from 1994 has any right to, all for around £250 on release.
Each speaker also comes with a 5m cable, 4-ohm impedance and a relatively modest 85mA current draw for the illumination system. Multiple mounting positions allow for different rear shelf layouts, while Pioneer includes flexible brackets and pre-wired connectors for easier fitting.
It’s clearly designed for that sweet spot between OEM+ restomod and full-on nostalgic build – the kind of car where you’ve already decided originality is optional but vibes are mandatory.
And somehow Hayes-based retailer Car Audio Security has already had a chance to get hands-on with the new speakers, as seen in a new Instagram video:
This isn’t Pioneer’s first step back in time either. It follows the SXT-C10PS retro-style head unit launched recently – a single-DIN system that looks like a cassette deck but hides Bluetooth, USB and DAB+ behind the nostalgia. And le’ts not forget, the company is also leading the pack in modern car audio innovation, having been the first to bring a Dolby Atmos-equipped head unit to the aftermarket.
From fake tape decks to Dolby Atmos – and now retro box speakers – Pioneer is clearly happy operating across multiple eras at once, and making each of them sound a whole lot better in the process.
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