Anyone heard PSB Imagine T3?

A local dealer recently got their demo pair so I was able to hear them. It's just being released after its premier at the recent RMAF.

While I've liked some of PSB's previous designs including the Synchrony Ones, I was never so moved as I am by this new model. I heard them with both tube and solid state electronics, and they are quite revealing while maintaining an overall musicality and engaging quality rarely found in this price range.

The mids and highs are very smooth and effortless, while the bass is fully extended and articulate. They also recreate the music with a very convincing sense of space. Their appearance is stunning in the gloss cherry finish, making them look much more expensive than they are.

I think PSB hit it out of the park with this design, easily their best effort yet and competitive well beyond their price.

I just purchased T'3 speakers

http://s785.photobucket.com/user/apoid1/media/psbsystem.jpg.html?filters[user]=102730690&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&

I'm new to the forum and just purchased PSB T3 speakers from my dealer.
I agree with previous post that it's significantly better than Synchrony one.
Well defined,easy to listen,extended bass w/enjoyable high's.
Running them in now..

What is the price?

$7600 pair

The PSB Imagine T3 speakers retail for $7,498 per pair, in either high gloss cherry or black finishes. Definitely worth a listen if you have the opportunity. It is their new top of the line.

How is the speakers on bad recordings? What I remember from Synchrony was a fantastic deep bass. But I think they where harsh and my ears went tired listening to f.example 80's hard rock.
Is the treble more laidback or more smooth comparing to SYnchrony One?

I don't hear anything presented harsh
Also Good Quality interconnects are important

I've been listening T3 for three days now.
The Triwire set up was difficult because I had to purchase two sets of AQ Jumpers w/my full range Comet cables..
After inital difficult set up(for me)Quality sound came out of the speakers from the first Record.
I've been listning to high end equipment for about 2 decades.And I've finally "understood" that I can be satisfied,which I am.
Everything sounds balanced w/accuracy & musicality.
One word to describe would be precision.
The deep bass supports all the frequencies.
I listened to my favorite artists and it was a revelation.
Beatles abbey rd./Indigo girls become you/Grass roots gr hits on dunhill/Allman Bros & wendy maharry.
My new Audioquest Earth interconnects are the other main reason this system works well.
Anthony/NYC

Thanks for answers! But are the treble laidback and smooth? If the record is harsh, is the sound harsh? If the record has sharp sss-sound on vocals, is it sharp sss-sound from the speakers? Mostly all high end speakers plays bad produced records this way: "Shit in = shit out".
I want a speakers/amp that are laidback. I play much 80's hard rock, which has a harsh production.
I had the Synch One, and that was too harsh on bad recordings to my taste. Maybe an other amp could helped me.

And: Are they easy to place in a living room?

I really feel interconnects,source & quality of software determine if the sound is harsh or unpleasant..
That being said these speakers are on the mild side of treble.If I play a Good LP the electric Guitar solo isn't harsh..If I play a genric LP of Bad Company the guitars are harsh.
The Speakers are well balanced on the laid back side of neutral

These speakers are relatively easy to place in the living room.
I started with them 3 feet from the back wall and slowly listened while moving each time..
I would say 80's music is gong to sound harsh on these speakers unless adjustments are made..
Likely Tube amp/preamp or analogue sounding cd player like the one I have/Denon 1650.

Do you think I can f.example use a mcIntosh MA8000 to the T3's and make adjustments with the EQ, to make the 80's recordings NOt sound harsh?

Does anyone know if the treble on T3 is more laidback that Synchrony One?

We just got our demo pair of T3 in to the shop and I have to agree with the other posters, for the money they are amazing speakers,

We compared the T3 to the Syn One we just took a pair back in trade and the difference is huge.

The Mc eq will make a small difference in making an older bad 80's recording any difference, as the recording technology and mastering for many recordings had too much compression

I believe that they are amazing on fantastic recordings. But are they good on bad recordings? If the recording is harsh, the speakers is harsh?
Is the treble more laidback or more smooth than Synch One? I had Synch One for some years ago. Fantastic bass, but the treble was way too harsh for my ears and the music im listening to (much bad hard rock recordings).

I think the Mc EQ can help me alot. If I turn down around 1khz with many db's and maybe turn up around 150 hz with some db's that should help alot!

Have you heard T3 along with MA8000?

Update on our demo pair which are really starting to sing.

The shops owner has been breaking the speakers in every day since they first came in and boy have they gotten even better.

We are both blown away the T3 is a completely different animal from any past PSB. These are world class speakers which have more in common with $10k and above priced speakers.

The clarity in the treble is world class so is the bass. Macro dynamics are also exceptional.

We are just amazed at how good these new speakers really are, and we have a great $10k system set up with the new $2,500 Parasound Halo integrated amp/dac.

Audiotroy - I agree with your assessment completely, as the Imagine T3 competes with other speakers well beyond its retail price in sonic performance as well as its beautiful finish quality in cherry gloss. A stunning performer!

These speakers are supposed to be able to perform well in acoustically challenged rooms, so they say. Any opinions about that?

I wonder how they compare in that regard to the Amphions and their UDD technology for "taking the room out of the sound."

I am also wondering about these speakers. Can any owner describe their experience?

I have already given my impressions above. FYI, a full review is scheduled to appear in the upcoming issue 255 of The Absolute Sound.

Bill_K,
Yes, I did read your impression. When you say you were moved by this speaker, what attributes did you care the most and which one did you not like or did not care for? You mention that you found the musicality of this speaker is rarely found at this price level - so which other speakers would you consider, as the challengers or "to be considered" when comparing with Imagine T3? Were you able to compare other speakers side-by-side with this one?
Please understand that I am not challenging your impressions about these speakers. I am trying to conjure up the attributes that I think that would be important to me, if I were to purchase these. For example I got in touch with a PMC owner and got good feedback on a speaker that I am interested in. If I understand that a speaker falls within my "liking" parameters, I will make efforts to seek out a listening demo. I am really looking at speakers like the Imagine T3, Spendor D7, PMC 24, Quad S series, etc. This is the max price range I can stretch into. If you have suggestions, you are more than welcome!

Milpai - I find them to be an exceptional value, but selecting speakers is a very subjective endeavor. Any further description that I provide would still require you to hear and compare them for yourself with the rest of your planned system. Component interaction can also be a determining factor that can make or break a given speaker selection in any given application. So I would strongly suggest that you arrange to audition the speakers you are interested in which include some very fine choices, along with the rest of your system if at all possible. Only you can determine what will please you the most, and I wouldn't want to steer you the wrong way towards reaching your desired goals. I haven't heard the other speakers that you listed but am familiar with the brands and have heard other models from those companies. Spendors generally have a more laid back presentation, while the PMCs are more forward and present. The Quads that I've heard are older models which I wouldn't compare to the newer S series you mentioned.

I find the T3s to offer tremendous dynamics with full bass extension, a smooth and uncolored midrange, and nicely extended and clear highs. They image very well with the cabinets doing a very nice disappearing act into a convincing soundstage that they recreate. In order to sound their best they require quality electronics. If you drive them with a subpar amp the highs can be too dry and analytical. Again this is why you would need to audition them with the rest of your system choices.

Not being a professional reviewer I don't feel like I'm conveying just how good the Imagine T3s are. I find them to perform well beyond any previous speakers from PSB, many of which have been award winning models. Since they are such a new model they have not been formally reviewed yet, but as I mentioned a full review is supposed to appear in the soon to be released issue of The Absolute Sound. I would suggest checking that out when it becomes available, as it should be much better in describing the overall performance that the speakers offer, and probably make some comparisons to other competitive models.

Bill_k,
Thank you for your impression on these speakers and the Spendors. You say Spendors are laid back compared to PMCs. Another member on this forum mentioned to me that these were slightly laid back compared to some others like ProAcs. From your and the PMC owner's impression, it makes sense that on another Naim forum a person called the Spendors "pipes and slippers". But to me, I like laid back speakers better, as they would not definitely not give you listening fatigue. At the same time I like my sound stage to start 4-3 feet behind the speaker face.

Another speaker that I would look forward to is the JM Orfeo Supreme V2.

I forgot to mention that I briefly heard this speaker at AXPONA 2015, as I was leaving the show. It was in the Saturday exchange room. I was impressed with the starting notes. But I REALLY had to leave at that point. I regret not having auditioned them long enough. I completely agree with you that speakers should be auditioned before you purchase. I will be traveling to Maryland in the next couple of weeks and will seek out the Imagine T3.

I want lots of bang for my investment this time, because this is a speaker that I [most likely] will not change for the next 10 years or so, and the new speaker would be a major upgrade $wise compared to my current ones.

I would not describe the PSB Imagine T3 speakers as having a soundstage that starts 3 to 4 feet behind the speaker's front and goes back from there, if I understand your desire correctly. While it's not overly forward or aggressive sounding, its soundstage is more up front than that while extending to well behind the plane of the speakers. Good luck in your search and please let us know what you decide. I never heard the JM you mentioned, but there are certainly lots of good speakers to choose from these days!

Recently back from a trip to DC. Heard the Imagine T3 again, and also Totem Forest Signatures. The PSBs were connected to NAD amps while the Forests were connected to some expensive Macs. The PSB did not seem as open as the Totems, but I believe it was the amp pairing. Still not able to decide on these. Will not go with Forests, since they are not as efficient as I would like my next speakers to be.

I bought a pair of T3s last week to replace my well loved Synchrony Ones. I've done about 20 hours of listening since and have some first impressions. First, there is a strong family resemblance. Everything the Ones did well is echoed by the T3s. The T3s, however, have deeper and more impactful bass, play louder, are truer in vocal timbre, and retrieve both detail and spatial cues such as hall sound better than the Ones. While I loved the Ones, I never was able to shake a nagging feeling that they were a bit thin, even when partnered with a sub. Not so the T3s. I used the Ones with a McIntosh Mc 275 Gen VI and am using the same amp with the T3s. Part of the difference in what I'm hearing, therefore, may be attributed to the new speaker's (reportedly) being an easier load for a tube amp to drive. Whatever the reason, I'm very happy with my purchase.

hi ,

I am in the process of upgrading my old tannoy revolution dc6t speakers , these were paired with NAD M3 driven by blue sound Node / NAS 
they sounded pretty good and was happy until i moved into a new place the DC6t fell short ..
i am looking at the PSB t3 and Tannoy DC8TI ( Both same price range and initially short listed )
Being used to the ' forward' sounding tannoys i am quite divided and torn between these two.. 
havent heard the DC8Ti for there is no demo available in my city 
anyone who has experience listening to these speakers .. advise will be great !! 

I've heard both and they are very different sounding speakers. The PSB T3 speakers are very neutral in tonal balance as well as having much better bass extension being rated with output down to 24 Hz. The Tannoys have what some find to be a euphonic coloration which gives them a somewhat unique perspective on the music. I find it too intrusive for long term listening but others find it to be engaging. It's very subjective choosing between such different sounding speakers and I find it hard to better describe them. I hope this helps a bit.

My store, Audio Doctor, in NJ sells both brands, the Tannoys work better on tubes and their treble is way more forward. The older NAD stuff is okay the M3 was quite powerful but lacks the transparency of their later products. 

Either way I would upgrade to a better amp and source then a Node if you really want to hear what either speakers can do. The new NAD 32 integrated is mind blowing and represents a huge step forward over the older stuff, other great integrated depending on room size and volume required, Unison Research a Unico 90 high current hybrid, the new Micromega M100 looks promising we will have all three on display. 

My feeling with the right amp and source the T3 is a more refined speaker with a much more realistic soundstage.

Thanks Bill and Audio troy for your valuable inputs !.. appreciate !

finally got the PSB T3 about 2 weeks ago ... they are going through the various phases of break in !!! ( quite radical changes i must say .. and for me who always questioned break in )
waiting for it to settle down finally ...

initial impressions ..simply stunning neutral speakers and very musical .. quite happy that this one important aspect is taken care of and a good foundation for future system build ..
cant agree more with all you guys .. thank you .

just 2 more questions to complete the bal set up upgrade as i feel its not well matched at the moment
need help on below ...


Existing set up 

bluesound node ( streamer for NAS + inbuilt DAC ) > NAD M3 > PSB t3 
> all connected with evidence interconnects + speaker  cables 

.Proposed changes 

1. Interconnects - changing the cables from existing evidence to supra sword interconnects + supra quadrax  speaker cables factory bi wired ready 

2. DAC ?.
 bypass DAC in existing BLUESOUND node ( i feel ..some more transparency can help ) was thinking of a NAD M51 to take the digital out from Node to the M51 dac and  NAD M3 amp                                 or 

just get the NAD M32 amp as Audio troy suggests > as an all in one option .. question is the NAD m32 built in DAC that much better than a NAD 51 seperate ?..


thanks for any of your inputs !

Just talked to Dave store, owner, and we do have an M32 on order. 

They are shipping out soon,  The Dac should sound the same as what is in the M51 which is a great dac, extremely smooth and musical. 

You guys who haven't yet purchased the T3 might also want to listen to the new Paradigm Persona, a bit more expensive $10k vs $7.5 for the PSB but extremely good deep bass and amazing clarity an equilly fantastic speaker. 

Not sure if this is the right place, but since it's been discussed, any comments on the sound quality of the NAD M32 and the BluOS "add on" and app. Also comments on a comparison between the NAD M32 and the Moon ACE would be appreciated. Expect to use either with the Focal Aria 936 speakers. Thanks so much.