Sony APM-22ESAV

At 16 kg and nearly half a meter tall, these bookshelf speakers were built to be magnetically invisible, and they were still meant to sound good.

Overview

The Sony APM-22ESAV isn't what most people picture as a 1980s bookshelf speaker. It's heavier, wider and more technically ambitious than the norm. Sony sold it as an anti-magnetic, AV-compatible system, made to sit near a television without messing up a CRT display. That was a real concern with the bulky home entertainment setups of the era. It cost ¥45,000 per unit around 1986, which put it in a premium tier, so Sony likely aimed it at listeners who wanted both fidelity and function. Collectors often call it the APM-22 or APM-22ES, but the full name, APM-22ESAV, marks the AV-tuned variant, likely an evolution of the earlier APM-22ES. It belongs to Sony's APM series, a line known for advanced driver technology and clean, functional looks.

It's classed as a bookshelf speaker, but the APM-22ESAV measures 290 mm wide by 515 mm high. That's closer to a compact floorstander than a true shelf unit. The 16 kg weight points to dense internal bracing and substantial drivers. It's a 2-way bass reflex design with a ported enclosure to extend the low end. The drivers are Sony's own APM-type transducers, which use planar technology instead of conventional cones.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Sony
Product type	Speaker system, 2-way, 2-speaker, bass reflex system, Bookshelf Type, Anti-magnetic Type
Original price	¥45,000 per unit (approx. 1986)
Playback frequency band	38 Hz - 30,000 Hz
Output sound pressure level	91 dB/W/m
Impedance	6 Ω
Maximum instantaneous input level	120W
Rated input level	60W
Crossover frequency	1.3 kHz
External dimensions	290 mm (W) x 515 mm (H) x 320 mm (D)
Weight	16 kg
Low frequency unit	290 cm² Plane type
High frequency unit	16 cm² Plane type

Key Features

APM-Type Plane Driver with Aluminum Honeycomb Vibration Plate

The APM-22ESAV uses Sony's plane-type drivers for both low and high frequencies, instead of the paper cones common in most speakers of the era. The 290 cm² woofer has an aluminum honeycomb vibrating plate, driven at multiple points by four armatures connected directly to the voice coil. The idea is to spread force evenly across the diaphragm, which reduces distortion and improves transient response. The tweeter has a 16 cm² plane diaphragm and a large voice coil. It follows the same approach and promises high-frequency output up to 30 kHz. These materials and driver layouts were cutting-edge for consumer audio in the mid-1980s.

Anti-Magnetic Shielding for TV Compatibility

Being an anti-magnetic type, the APM-22ESAV was designed to sit close to CRT televisions without distorting the picture. That was a practical need with living room AV systems. The shielding makes placement near a television safe. It also made the speaker part of a broader home theater setup, even before the term "home theater" became common.

2-Position AV Equalizer (AV/Pass)

A 2-position AV equalizer switch toggles between AV and Pass modes. Sony evidently expected the same speaker to be used for both movies and stereo audio.

Acoustic Rounded Enclosure Design

The cabinet has an acoustic rounded design with R-shaped corners, meant to reduce edge diffraction. Sharp cabinet edges can scatter sound waves, which leads to phase anomalies and smeared imaging. Rounding the corners was Sony's way to get a smoother off-axis response and a more coherent soundstage. This kind of diffraction control was more common in high-end monitors than in consumer bookshelf models.

2-Way Bass Reflex System with 1.3 kHz Crossover

The speaker is a 2-way design with a passive crossover set at 1.3 kHz. The bass reflex port helps extend low-frequency output down to 38 Hz, which is impressive for a speaker this size. Power handling is rated at 60W continuous and 120W peak, so it was built to play dynamic, room-filling sound without strain.

Collectibility & Value

Collectibility appears moderate, driven more by nostalgia and technical curiosity than high demand. It isn't rare, but functional pairs in good condition may need servicing before they perform their best.