PSB speakers? Anyone have any opinions?


Am considering them for R/L front and rear and possibly center channel. Anyone heard them or have other suggestions in same price range?
mizendo
Mizendo: I have been using the PSB's for five years now and with great enjoyment. I have the PSB Stratus Gold, 4 x mini stratos, C-5 and two Alpha subs. I recently changed the speaker wires (bi-wired) to A/Q CV-4 and Gibraltar. I also updated the interconnects to A/Q Python and WOW, the PSB's are now sounding absolutely fantastic. My setup is HT, but will sound very good as a stereo "provider" as well. Yes you can spend much more and get a better sound, but the PSB cost --> value ratio is hard to beat. I found a company called Audiospectrum (Carl) in North Carolina being very reasonable to deal for both the PSB's and the cables. Good luck with your purchase.
I auditioned them with a friend and was not overly impressed with the stratus mini's ($1200). As much as I wanted to like them they did not sound as good as both the B&W N805's($2000) or lower end JM labs monitors ($1000). We were both very impressed with the JM Labs. They were cheaper than the PSB's and sounded better to both of us so he bought them. They are worth a listen. We were listening to them using an Audio Refinement integrated.
I have used PSB speakers for years. Paul Barton comes to speaker design from a"musicians" point of view and it is audible. His use of Canada's National Research Council's facilities has allowed him to develope his designs to a very high level of price vs. performance ratio. There are a lot of good speakers out there but few that offer the performance level for the price. I agree with all the previous comments. Stratus line for music and home theater is hard to better at any price.
Mizendo: These speakers have an excellent all around performance in two channel audio. And as a bonus they to very well in home Theater. Do visit PSB website and check for info. Advantage is that you get very good bass extension depending on room size and placing. Look at the long term Stereophile recommendation for Golds and also check number of inputs in audio review. They are very good and a balanced brand (good all around performance in different price brackets).
Thought I would add my two cents in regard that the PSB speakers would be good for HT. I recently (two weeks ago) auditioned the PSB Silveri and Goldi speakers and found them to be very good indeed in the price range for two channel listening. Not to say that they would not be fine for HT, but I would not limit (these two models anyway) to HT only, which to some of us that prefer two channel systems may consider the HT recommendation to be a negative reference. I did however see them set up in HT configurations with smaller models for the rear channels, but did not audition them in HT format. My personal preference was the less expensive Silveri (which had less bass) and was more to my taste and also sounded very good over all with the different types of music that I used for the audition. I also auditioned Silverline and Coincident speakers at the same shop and found them all to have merit. The Silverline speakers were my favorites (with a tube amp and preamp) but were also double (I believe) the price of the Silveri's. The PSB's also showed exceedingly good cosmetic craftsmanship in piano black. I would definately consider them if my speaker budget were doubled and if I could somehow detain my cats from damaging their beautifully finished cabinets.
I've really enjoyed my bronze's quite a bit. They're very friendly speakers in terms of positioning and set-up. PSB has also done a nice job of providing speakers throughout the lower price range (alpha mite -> stratus gold). I think of PSB's as good vanilla speakers. While everyone might not rank them #1, I think (for the price) they'd have to make everyone's top 5.
Good speakers for the money. There are a couple of Goldi used on Audiogon(1375-1450) which would be agreat deal. Good luck....LR
Have you ever seen a bad review of one? Try 2 pairs of Stratus mini speakers with a C-5i center and a good sub. MIND BLOWING!!
Hello. The general consensus is that they are top performers in their price range. I have 3 different pair, (Alpha A/V, 300i, and 400,)along with their Alpha sub, and have enjoyed each one. I have since upgraded past them, in performance AND PRICE, for critical 2 channel listening. For HT, I'd bet you would love them. I would recommend that you get their center channel and a sub as well, PSB has worked hard to achieve a balanced set. You should visit their website, as well. Good luck. Charlie