Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speaker Review
Sony has been in the electronics industry for as long as I can remember! Despite being among the most reputable electronics manufacturers in the world, the company hasn’t exactly made its name from producing stellar speakers.
Nevertheless, we’ve seen a couple of HiFi products coming out of Sony in recent years, albeit with a high price tag! So, the release of the SSCS3s was a welcome move by Sony for budget buyers. These speakers are very decent with the potential to transform your listening experience at home.
But what should we expect from the Sony SSCS3 3-way floor-standing speakers? Let us find that out in the review below!
94/100
our score
Last Updated: October 2023
Sony SSC3 3-Way Speakers at a Glance: Specs and Features
Sony SSC3 3-Way Review
If you are looking for clean and crisp audio to grace your home audio experience, the Sony SSCS3 3-Way tower speakers may just be the way to go! This double unit speaker system is said to be versatile enough to offer you a real and unrivaled sound experience.
It has all the features to deliver the kind of experience you are looking for but what’s more endearing about the unit is that it is reasonably-priced considering the performance. In this review, we take an in-depth look at the Sony SSCS3 3-
Sony SSCS3 3-Way Speaker Design and Construction
As far as design is concerned, the Sony SSCS3 comes with a modern and sleek appearance that is ideal for a home entertainment system. It allows you to match the unit with other electronics, as well as furniture inside your home.
The speaker system comprises of two floor standing speakers with dimensions of 14.2 x 11.6 x 40.2 to make for a small footprint. You’ll have an easy time placing them wherever you deem ideal in the living room.
Each speaker weighs around 10lbs, which makes them conveniently portable and easy to set up or move around when you’re rearranging the house.
The Sony SSCS3 stands out with its flashy design. The units have a rectangular shape and straight edges to go with a black finish. The slightly tapered faceplate edges ensure that edge diffraction is suppressed to allow for a natural and clear soundstage.
At the base of the speaker is the unmistakable “SONY” logo that can easily be made out from a distance.
The speaker cabinets are made out of sturdy wood, designed in such a way to offer a natural resonance. Meanwhile, the bass reflex construction serves to deliver optimized low-frequency performance.
At the base of the speakers, rubber feet not only provide the needed grip on a slippery floor upon installation but also isolate the speakers from the surface to limit floor vibration. This four-driver sound system is equipped with two 5-inch woofers, a 1-inch tweeter, as well as a 0.75-inch super tweeter.
The Sony SSCS3 floor-standing speaker unit can handle up to 145W at peak power while the integrated super tweeter uses a wide-dispersion design for high-frequency audio response-going up to 50kHz.
For the woofer, the manufacturer uses mic-reinforced cones to allow for optimized bass response down to 45Hz.
Furthermore, the speaker system’s crossover is built to limit signal loss!
The one thing I didn’t like about the design of the Sony SSCS3 is that the cones are exposed. While this may not necessarily be bad as far as sound production is concerned, most tower speakers usually feature a full-frontal grill cover to protect the delicate cones.
The exposed design raises the risk of children or visitors unintentionally poking at the cone, which can easily damage the speaker.
On the bright side, you get a two-year warranty when you purchase the Sony SSCS3 3-Way floor-standing speakers, which is more than the 1 year mostly offered for most audio equipment!
Sony SSCS3 3-Way Speaker Performance and Sound Quality
It’s always a good thing for companies to roll out a product in a niche market that is not primarily their focus as this raises the competition and generally results in improved offerings all around. This is what the SSCS3 does to the class of budget-tier floor-standing speakers.
Overall, the speakers produce crisp and clear room-filling sound with balanced bass. The first thing that grabbed my attention straight out of the box is the ridiculously high-frequency response ceiling. Most loudspeakers don’t even get to half of the 50kHz that the SSCS3 can manage.
This is attributed to the interesting 3-way design, which features two tweeters and the proprietary High-Resolution Audio.
The super tweeter enables high-frequency notes to be reproduced precisely across the room, no matter how expansive it is.
The 145W peak power handling is amazing at this price level and should be more than enough to fill a medium to small-sized room.
When it comes to the bass response, the speaker system has a low-frequency response floor of 45Hz, and given that there is no built-in subwoofer, you’d be wise to get a separate subwoofer if you plan to use the speakers predominantly for music.
I watched a couple of movie clips to test the performance of the SSCS3 and was particularly impressed by the high output level, as well as the lack of distortion at low bass. The audio quality remained clear and precise even when I turned the volume all the way up.
The bass is unbelievably tight for the price and I can compare it to something I’d expect from a $300 subwoofer.
Also, I didn’t pick any sound distortion in the low notes. The implication is that conversations are clear and it is easy to make out who is talking when following your favorite movie.
When it came to listening to my favorite playlist, the Sony SSCS3 produced a room-filling sound that spread across the living room. The system reproduces all the details in the tracks, including the musical instruments, positioning, as well as the depth of the soundstage.
I liked the effect of the wide-dispersion mega tweeter, which allowed for natural sounds and vocals that shot straight to my heart. This is specifically built to deliver a high-frequency audio response of up to 50kHz, perfect for high-resolution and crystal-clear audio.
Meanwhile, the mica-reinforced drivers perfectly capture every note and melody. The SSCS3s make use of a foamed double-layer mica woofer diaphragms that are uniquely constructed.
The upper layer manages to deliver supple sound quality whereas the bottom layer leverages stronger low weight to make for more powerful bass reproduction.
On the downside, there is only so much that you can do with a pair of low-priced 5.25” woofers. When I turned up the ante, the highs, mids, and bass remained clear. However, there was notable compression of the bass at lower regions, particularly below 80Hz.
The sound thins out and although it’s not bad, it just isn’t kickass!
This means the Sony SSCS3 is not the ideal choice if you want to crank up the volume and shake the walls of your house.
Sony SSCS3 3-Way Speaker Review: Weighing The Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Overall, the Sony SSCS3 3-way floor-standing speaker system is remarkably and decently priced. It produces high-quality sound with crisp and clear audio reproduction to fill the room.
Its compact and lightweight design allows you to install it anywhere in your house. Whether you want it placed in the studio, living room, or entertainment room, the speakers will prove to be a worthwhile addition.
The Sony SSCS3 will take your movie-watching experience to the next level, and the same is true for your music listening sessions. If you’re looking to buy a home entertainment audio system on a budget, this will be a nice unit to consider.
About the author:
Barry Allen
I grew up to be a self-proclaimed stuck-up audiophile, and I – partially – blame Pinnacle Speakers for it.
The whole point of me starting this website was to keep the tradition going. Although the means have changed, the mission remains the same: Bringing „sterling sound“ as they once put it into home theaters and sound systems worldwide!
They are excellent and a great price for what you get. Add the Sony sub makes all the difference. The center Chanel is also excellent and music or movies you just won’t believe what comes out of such an inexpensive system. The key is the receiver being used. They lit up when I put a Denon 4700 on them and had some hi end speaker wire. WHAT A DIFFERENCE from the regular wire….TRY IT. GREAT SPEAKERS. Even now at $229 are still a STEAL for a 3 way tower‼️