psb synch and paradigm signature sound very similar to me, perhaps a function of their both being canucks who (i believe) share the government-sponsored r&d. i think of the psb as being very transparent, detailed, nuetral and, above all, balanced--driver integration is just about perfect. the psb imagine sound like 90% of a synch; still a very credible speaker. the paradigm are perhaps a little bit more forward and bright/colored; a bit more overall oomph. i don't know the revel f208, but i own or have owned the f50 and f32, which are both great speakers--very airy transparent highs, also well balanced; midrange is less forward than the paradigm and bass is tight, though perhaps not as deep. very "elegant" and refined sounding; not the first choice for reggae or heavy metal. soundstage width is enormous--they sound great from just about anywhere. |
I have to agree with loomisjohnson, the Paradigms are a tad to bright for my tastes. Not familiar with the newer PSBs (older models were always designed too much for a budget sound IMO) have always liked the Revels (currently own the F32 as well and their description above is just about perfect) the higher level Ultima line is pure awesome! Have heard both models in several setups and truly great sound from them always. Probably my next upgrade. As with all things speaker related, best to try and get an audition-preferably in your room. |
Thanks to both of you. The F208 is announced but not yet shipping, part of a complete revamp of the Performa series. |
I recently purchased a pair of PSB Synchrony Ones and they are easily the best speakers I have had in my system and I have not yet heard anything else that would cause me to replace them. Clean, articulate, extended, quick and with warmth. Very musical. They are appreciablly better than my prior PSB Stratus Golds. |
Have tou looked into KEF lately? They have also redesigned their line. It may be woth a listen and they cime in a a variety of pricepoints. I happen to like speakers that err, if at all, on the upper midrange, which is why I like JM Focals.
The PSB is a very good speaker for the price and has a more balanced tone to my ears than the others have argued. |
I visited two rooms with KEFs at the Newport show. The Blade was very impressive, but the more reasonably priced models did not sound good to me. But that's show conditions, so yes, I will give them another listen.
Sounds like I may want to give Focal another listen, too. |
there are much better ones for the money. |
Oh Marakanetz, you're such a tease! C'mon, out with it -- what are some of those much better ones for the money? |
If you check my threads, you will see that I own the Sig. S8s v2 (w/ Be tweeter) and have reported very positive comments. I haven't critically compared the S8s to the other speakers noted in the OP -- and maybe that's for the best. The desire to constantly upgrade and change gear in our hobby is never ending. Right now, I am in "tweak mode."
Perhaps, the reason why I do not find the S8s bright is because I drive them with a tube amp which may mitigate the brightness (if there is any) a bit. Also, my sound room (man-cave basement) is carpeted and furnished, so that may help too.
But who knows, if I did some home trials with other speakers, I might come back with different comments. Having said that, who wants to schlepp 100+ pound speakers up and down a flight of basement steps when I am blissfully ignorant and satisfied.
So last night, I was listening to my girlfriend, Linda Ronstadt singing the old Chuck Berry standard, "Back in the USA," recorded in the 70s. She was about 30 yrs old then and the album cover has a pic of her in roller skating shorty-shorts. Boy, was she cute back in the day. And the house rocked!! Then my wife confiscated the record on the pretext that the music was too loud. I think it was of the Linda R pic. She told me to listen to Gershwin.
Well, I'm almost 60 yrs old now -- and its not worth risking a heart attack from either schlepping speakers, dreaming about Linda R, or getting yelled at by the wifey. LOL
Cheers. |
Nola Contender comes onto mind. |
I have heard the revel f 208 loudspeaker.
The best loudspeaker Revel has ever made under $10,000
I know they spent over $30 million in research for the new Salon
And Performa 3 line . Every facet of the design including the drivers .
In the Perfoma series all Aluminum that are ribbedfor strength and to diffuse distortion,all poly caps, Copper air oil inductors and precision
Resistors. The cabinet is 1 inch thick this speaker is 80 lbs.
I thought this was a $7-8k speaker. This speaker I heard at studio in August
As a finished prototype.fantatic dispersion on top
Imaging was lock on, and the midrange and tweeter were very seamless.
The bass through test tones was almost ruler flat to below 34 hz.
Even at 26 hz there was some usable output. And this speaker was much more coherent and musical then Any psb,or paradigm in the $5-6k range
These speakers are not bright at all. I was told they take a solid 300 hrs
Of play time o fully settle in.
The dark walnut I saw was very elegant looking ,other company's
Would charge at least $600 for this veneer. The piano black in the pictures looked also very sharp. A no brainer.p.s their stand mount for $2k
Was by far the best I ever heard at that price point.also the F 208 is fully adjustable for the tweeter, as well as the bass which is a huge plus in a home environment. |
Manitunc, I have a pair of PSB Stratus Gold i's and am thinking about getting a pair of used PSB Synchrony 1's. I have heard the newst T3's and i think PSB went in the wrong direction with those; muddy bass, just bad sound overall. Do you still have your Synchrony's? I am curious how you found them better?
Thanks, |
