--- title: "Old-School Box Speakers Are Back—and Pioneer’s New ‘Cassette Deck’ Car Stereo Is Finally Coming to America" date: "2026-10-20" modified: "2026-10-20" authors: - name: "Andrew P. Collins" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/andrew-p-collins.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/old-school-box-speakers-are-back-and-pioneers-new-cassette-deck-car-stereo-is-finally-coming-to-america" categories: - "Aftermarket" - "Car Tech" - "News" --- # Old-School Box Speakers Are Back—and Pioneer’s New ‘Cassette Deck’ Car Stereo Is Finally Coming to America ![Pioneer TS-X40SXT in an old Porsche 911.]() *\Pioneer\* Last year, Pioneer trotted out a single-DIN [stereo head unit with a decidedly '80s]() look down to the "cassette tape" door, which actually concealed USB ports. Annoyingly, it was hard to get outside of Europe. But that's about to change. Pioneer, in collaboration with RADwood, will soon be selling the SXT-C10PS head unit in the US, along with another quintessential rad-era accessory: TS-X40SXT box speakers. Pioneer is aptly calling this equipment its Heritage Collection. Here's the logline: "The new collection pairs a head unit and speakers to bring its iconic sound to the cabin of vintage cars that defined a generation in the '80s and '90s. The collection reimagines the styling that marked those eras for modern-day drivers, including conveniences like Bluetooth, HD Radio, and SiriusXM readiness, while delivering the rich, detailed sound that has established Pioneer as a favorite among car audio enthusiasts." You can place orders directly on [Pioneer's site]()—the [head unit]() is $499 and the [speakers](), sold in pairs, are $300. ![]() ![]() There are certainly cheaper old-looking stereo solutions out there, but this price doesn't seem outrageous for name-brand equipment that looks awesome. There's also a 10% off discount deal going when you open Pioneer's homepage and give up an email address. Looks like Pioneer's planning to ship for the US market by November 2. I think these look super cool and would look awesome in pretty much any car from the "rad" era. I almost wish I still had my 300ZX to load them into! Maybe they'd look OK in my '70s International Scout? Here are some product details ... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ## SXT-C10PS Head Unit Continuous Power Output : 22 W x 4-Channel Load Impedance Allowance : 4 Ohm (4 Ohm to 8 Ohm Allowable) Max Power Output : 50 W x 4-ch 4 ohm, 50 W x 2-ch 4 ohm + 70 W x 1-ch (subwoofer) 2 ohm RCA Preamp Outputs : 6-ch RCA Preout Voltage : 4V RMS Power Output (CTA-2006) : 14 W RMS x 4-ch 4 ohm ## TS-X40SXT Speakers Continuous Power Handling (Rms) : Watts\~25 Frequency Response : 45 Hz to 36 kHz Maximum Peak Power Handling - Watts : 100 Nominal Impedance : Ohm\~4-Ohm Sensitivity : 84 dB (±1.5 dB) System-Type : 3-way Bass-Reflex Surface Mount Speakers Since the SXT-C10PS head unit has already been on sale officially in Europe for some time, there are already reviews floating around and [people seem really happy]() with it. If any of you have installed or heard one yourself, tell us about it in the comments! I for one am thrilled to see I'm not the only one who's sick of screens in cars. These box speakers are a pretty bold old-school cool visual statement, but the head unit will simply blend nicely into almost any pre-Y2K car cockpit. Can't wait to see (and hear) this stuff in person, myself. ![Pioneer speakers and stereo]() **Pioneer* *Pioneer, edited by the author** *Got a tip? Drop us a line at tips@thedrive.com.* ## Author As Executive Editor, Andrew touches everything on the site from daily news coverage to feature stories, sponsored content, product reviews, road testing vehicles, ecommerce, and more. He's held pretty much every role there is to have at an automotive news site and has been with The Drive's publisher Recurrent since 2020. Andrew's a lifetime gearhead and longtime writer with a particularly strong penchant for road trips, off-road adventures, and archaic vehicles. His passions outside of the automotive world include skiing, obsolete video games, and his dog Bramble who occationally helps review cars. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()