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Review: PSB Stratus Gold Speaker

Category: Speakers

I already had PSB Stratus Goldi's for a living room system, so when I was forced by SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) to get rid of my (beloved) Dahlquist DQ-10's (ugly factor) from the rec room system, I jumped when I found a gentleman on the net selling a pair of mint Stratus Gold's and at a very attractive price. These are the precursor to the Gold's and were sold until about 1998 when the "i's" replaced them.

These are very heavy speakers, so I have not A/B'd then side-by-side against the i's (also very heavy), but given placement in different rooms, they sound very similar. What that means is wonderful bass and mid-range and very good highs. These are just too big to do a really great job of imaging (the baffle board is quite wide and even has a little ridge at the edge to further mess with sound propagation), but they are not bad at all for their size. They are very pleasant to listen too. For me their best feature is the bass. It is very tight and very deep. I suppose for home theater you might add a good sub, like HSU, but you dob't really need to. I use them purely for music. They are not especially power hungry and have plenty of dynamic range. I recall a report that because of an internal bracing problem, you can get them to resonate under just the right conditions, but I have never had this happen. I contacted PSB to ask it and they said it is so rare as to not be something to worry about in non-testing use. PSB is really nice about answering their e-mails, by the way. They do not just blow you off becuse you bought a used speaker. A class act.

Fellow at PSB told me that Paul Barton is a wood-worker and so cabinet finish is very important to him. It shows, even 8 years old, these speakers still have their gorgeous oak finish. Hate to think what vinyl would look like after that length of time.

I also own a pair of NHT 2.5i's that I bought for the sale price (new) as the Stratus Gold's and the Gold's beat them severely about the head and shoulders in all performance categories, in spite of being 8 years older. The magic of buying used. And the 2.5i's are no slouch.

Highly recommended on the used market.

Associated gear
Scott 390R stereo receiver, Pioneer DVD player in CD mode

Similar products
NHT 2.5i, PSB Stratus Goldi, NHT 2.8, Paradigm Studio 100 Improved
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Showing 1 response by darrenlite

darrenlite
24 posts
 
I'd echo many of the above comments regarding the quality of these speakers. I've been a pretty serious audiophile for 20+ years and IMO Stratus Gold i's are my favorite speaker under $10k.

They do everything very,very well and have no nasty edges. The bass extension and quality is superb, the midrange is sweet and inviting and the treble magical and airy.

I would, however, note something that I feel is very important. They are not particularly efficient and are a nominal 4ohm load that dips down below 3 ohms. These speakers will take your 50-100 watt receiver or integrated and eat it for lunch if you play them at high volumes. The more and better juice that you give them, the better they will sound.

I had them hooked up to an Acurus DIA 150 (no wimp) and was very happy with the sound. I then upgraded to an Aragon 4004mkII (200w/400w into 4 ohms)and the improvement was astounding. Give them the biggest and best amplification that you can and your investment will be well rewarded.
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