PSB speakers (I owned a pair of Stratus Golds for a while) tend to fall on the "ruthlessly revealing" side of the acoustic spectrum. If you can match them with high quality tube components and appropriate cables and interconnects you can have a fabulous sound, but it takes time and patience. They are never a waste of money but be prepared to experiment. The Stratus Golds are particularly nice speakers. The lower end models I cant personally speak for