How do you like your PSB Speaker (http://www.psbspeakers.com) setup? What's your room size, receiver, sub, speakers that you are using and what is your usage percentage (movies/music). Are you planning on upgrading anytime soon? If so, why and what is your upgrade path? What speakers have you owned prior? How would your rate your setup on a scale of 1 to 5? Feel free to include coments on individual components, things you like or dislike.


My System:
front l/r - PSB Speakers Image T55 Tower Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=13&sId=3)
Center - PSB Speakers Image C40 Center channel (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=18&sId=3)
surrounds - PSB Speakers Image S50 bi-polar Surround (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=19&sId=3)
subwoofer - PSB Speakers SubSeries 6i Subwoofer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=25&sId=5)

Electronics:
Receiver - NAD T763 AV Receiver (http://www.nadelectronics.com/av_receivers/T763_frameset.htm)
DVD Player - NAD T534 DVD Player (http://www.nadelectronics.com/dvd_players/T534_framset.htm)

I also connect my new Intel Imac to it for everyday listening of mp3's
I am thinking of going up to the PSB Platinum Line of Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=1) Or a PSB In-Cabinet Speaker Setup (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=13) when I am done with these.

Does anyone have any PSB Platinum Out there? are they worth the jump in price? I won't be upgrading for a while but i thought I could at least start dreaming of my next system.

How do you like the PSB Image speakers?

I really truly like them. I listened to Paradigm and a few others, but for the money they sounded the best to me.
They are a very flat speaker that adds nothing to the recording giving you nothing but what the artist had in mind.

I might move up to the PSB Platinum M2 Bookshelf speakers as i am moving into a condo and don't need the loudness anymore but would prefer a little more detail


are you thinking to buy PSB?

Do you mean the PSB tower speakers are too loud for a condo? I am now living in a condo and thinking of that, what about sub-woofer? what level of sub-woofer power shall I consider in a condo? I don't want my neighbours knocking my door all the time.

Hello, I have PSB Golds in a 2 channel set-up. Nad 7000 am/fm receiver set-up as a pre-amp. Two NAD 2400 thx amps for bi amping the Golds. A GCD 700 Adcom cd player. and sometimes a turntable; an old Denon. The children like the novelty of the records.
Over all I like the sound of the Golds. Previously I had a pair of Maggies, Smga's. I much preferred them. But my wife didn't. So ended up with the Golds. The Golds aren't quite as intrusive as the maggies, And definitely the Golds have more BASS, which my family really enjoys. I like the speakers OK. I have gotten tired of listening to them and looking to try something else. I imagine I would have better luck changing the CD player... so I might trade it out as well later on down the line.

Not much to read about, but when the music is turned up, it's enough to get the family dancing and having fun.

We just purchased a new TV set a 50" Sony SXRD. We will probably be going to a HT set-up, so I will keep the Golds for front channels and look for some more PSB speakers, ie Silvers (finger crossed) to round out the HT system, (won't need a sub-woofer right off the bat with the Golds lol). I'll move the 2 channel to the bedroom.
Raymond

Mains: PSB Stratus Goldi's
Center: Atlantic Tech 450 (I know, I know, PSB didn't have a matching center)
Surrounds: PSB Image I 10, Altec Lansing THX dipoles
Subs: SVS CS Ultra, SVS CS-14-46i, Citation 7.4.

Very satisfied, will not upgrade. If I find a buyer for the center channel, I might get a matching PSB stratus center channel speaker.

Do you mean the PSB tower speakers are too loud for a condo? I am now living in a condo and thinking of that, what about sub-woofer? what level of sub-woofer power shall I consider in a condo? I don't want my neighbours knocking my door all the time.
Towers may be more than you need in a condo; a good pair of bookshelves with a nice sub to fill in the lower frequencies would probably be perfect. In the same breath, though, I live in a condo and I'm probably going to buy towers from the new line that is replacing the Stratus series this year (as long as they sound great).

For your sub, keep it at a level that sounds good and still respects your neighbors. It helps having a receiver that has a good auto set-up; I'm very pleased with the level that my Pio 74 set my sub at.

stony1999:

The point I was trying to make is that I wanted to get a more detailed speaker then the PSB Speakers Image T55 Tower Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=13&sId=3)

Not to say that the T55's are not detailed, but more about the fact that I only end up stretching the T55's legs once a week or so. But if you want the option of blowing your friends ears off every once and awhile then the T55's would be a great choice.

as far as subs are concerned i Have the PSB SubSeries 6i Subwoofer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=25&sId=5) . That matches very well. get that one or it's little brother PSB Subseries 5i Subwoofer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=26&sId=5) both of these will have enough power for a medium space

I find if you invite your neighbors over for a movie once every 6 months of so, they tend to be much less gimpy about you playing music or movies loud.

subversive:

I have seen the new PSB G•Design Loudspeakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) they are very nice (very nice). They look to have a more rounded cabinet (like a kef).

Knowing PSB though i wouldn't hold my breath for them this year. but they might surrprise us.

a local dealer has a pair of PSB B25 he said he would let me audition for a week. i'd really be interested to hear more opinions on PSB (esp. image) and how they compare to ascend, energy, paradigm, etc.

one thread i was reading at ecoustics said that the PSBs sounded "livelier" or more airy and 3-D than the ascend 170s. i'm leaning toward auditioning them, but he doesn't take CC so i'd have to give him a check, and it's a bit of drive. but i probably will -- it's always hard to resist audition opportunities.

more PSB opinions please! :D

I've owned a couple of different PSB set ups for about 15 years now.

My current set up is:

Mains - 800i
Center - Stratus C5
Surround - 10S
Sub - Hsu VTF2
Tactile transducer - ButtKicker

I'm a big fan of PSB, and feel they offer a good value for the cost. I've been contemplating an upgrade for almost a year now. Ideally, I'd like to have three PSB Stratus Mini speakers across the front, and adding an additional pair of 10S surrounds to be back.

In comparison, I recently purchased a set of three Ascend 340s, but ended up returning them. To my ears, they were a bit too shrill, and the bass was a bit boomy for my taste. In fairness, during my audition they announced their signature series which were supposed to address these very concerns. Maybe the new design would have sounded better to me, but I just wasn't floored enough by them to want to swap them out.

Please at least give the PSBs a listen. I think their sound is very clean and accurate.

Scott

subversive:

I have seen the renderings of the new PSB Stratus Loudspeakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) they are very nice (very nice). They look to have a more rounded cabinet (like a kef).

Knowing PSB though i wouldn't hold my breath for them this year. but they might surrprise us.
You don't happen to have any pictures, do you? I'm curious to see what they're going to look like. Were they keeping the four different types of Stratus speakers, or are they consolidating them?

I'm a little surprised that the stopped producing the Stratus speakers last year, and haven't even officially announced any details on the replacements yet. It's odd to leave that wide of a gap without any Stratus speakers to sell (other than what might be left in dealer's inventories.)

Scott

I saw The new stratus on a computer screen (renderings) so I have no pictures, But I think there will be two towers two monitors and maybe a surround bi-polar.

Ill see if I can grab some pictures during CEDIA this Sept. PSB Speakers (http://www.PSBspeakers.com) might have some prototypes on display. As far as the look of them they kind of looked like kef reference series without the mid, tweeter assembly sitting on top. In my opinion it is a huge step forward for them in design.

Not sure when they are coming out but I would say late 2006 would be a good bet, seeing as they announced new alpha line at CES and they are coming out within a week or two. (fast for PSB)

I think that the hole left by the Stratus series has been big, But they have not been updated since 2000! so they were well overdue. Besides you can probably get a PSB Platinum Loudspeaker (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=1) for a lot cheaper then the MSRP. I heard of people buying T8's for about $3500 almost half the msrp.

---starcycle---
I would definitely take the B25 Image Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=15&sId=3) for a spin. I had them for a few months and loved them. I actually just bought a a par as an anniversary gift for my Dad.

If you do take them for a spin let us know what you think.

hey PSB HEad's I came across these pictures on the web (I think it was on a employees personal site) and I thought you guys would like to have a look.

PSB Speaker Designer Paul Barton (http://www.psbspeakers.com/audioTopics.php?fpId=4&page_num=1&start=0)
http://www.studiowerx.com/PSB/PaulB.jpg

New Look PSB Alpha Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=4)
http://www.studiowerx.com/PSB/NewPsbAlpha.jpg

CHS40 and CHS60 In-Cabinet Loudspeakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=13)
http://www.studiowerx.com/PSB/PSBCustomsound.jpg

VisionSound Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=15)
http://www.studiowerx.com/PSB/VisionsoundDemo.jpg

VisionSound Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=15)
http://www.studiowerx.com/PSB/VisionsoundSilver.jpg


What do you guys think of the new alpha paint job? now CES is "international" remember so we might not get these color in North America.

Cool to see those Masters at work, too.

Those pics are great. I like the paint job on the Alphas. I'm not a fan of the red itself, but the I like the idea.

I gotta question for you guys. I started a thread in the Speaker forum regarding this problem. Here's the link : Amps out on 7pts (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=663836)

I had a lightning strike a few months back that took out the amps/crossovers in my 7PTs :eek: :eek: . Now, I have a speaker with a passive crossover for the Mid-Tweeter combo and nothing for the two bass woofers. PSB wants $275ea. for replacements. I can't afford that (baby #2 on the way :) :) ).

Any ideas as how to make these viable, whether making them passive or bipassing the amp and just using the active crossover? :confused:

Know any PSB or indigo(BASH) engineers?

TREVOR

Hey FoeHammer865 sorry to hear of your bad luck, I actually did read your thread the other day and started to do some research on your problem. Here is what I found out.

The Amp in the 7PT is not a BASH amp. It is a classic AB amp so really any competent repair shop will be able to fix the amp. so you might try that. Also I have heard that you can turn your 7PT into a 6T with a little modification. It involves buying a few parts though and may end up being a little cheaper then buying new amps, but not by much.

I think fixing the amp is your best bet. but if you wanted to ask PSB Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com) what would be involved in modifying your 7PT into a 6T give them a call.

Those pics are great. I like the paint job on the Alphas. I'm not a fan of the red itself, but the I like the idea.


same here. basic black still rules (imho :D) but they would cool in different colors, like those blue dali speakers. the dark gray ones look pretty nice, too.

I have: for 6 years now
PSB stratus SilverI towers
C6i- center
T+A surrounds (high-end German)
SVS-12sdi – sub
Denon 3803
Older Sony CE775Modified CD player-SACD
PanRP82 –DVD
NEC xr5 plasma

I have been reading and going to local hi-end Hi-Fi stores. I have been wanting to up grade my EQ. But where? The PSB Speakers are great Music & HT, the music fidelity is wonderful, and would purchase them again. However, I think the 3803 is underpowered and needs some help. So, I’m looking at a power amp.
Then I’ll look at changing out the DVD player or CD Player. I am learning the “source” is the KEY.
dB

I have owned Stratus Golds for six years. I use them with an ADA amp and a Marantz pre-amp. They have worked great and would love to go to a Gold surround set up.:) Actually with the prices these days, a set of Silvers or Bronzes would be fine in back and a pair of Minis for center front and back.

Ericglo

I have:

Fronts: 7pt's (in limbo)
Fronts(for the time being): 2b's (normally the back surrounds)
Center: Image C40 (actually its predicessor, but my mind is blanking)
Surrounds/side-surrounds: 10S's
Subwoofer: S.S. 6i

Denon 3805
Pioneer DVC-503 (5-disk)
Dish DVR
Xbox

Future upgrade to Infocus IN76 (next 6-8 months, and also why the 7pts are in limbo)
I love my psbs. I also listened to Paradigms, Klipsch, Polk. Just didn't get the quality for the same cost as the PSBs. I guess that is just repeating what most coming to this forum already understand.

Firebook: How do you like that NAD T534 DVD Player?

My usage is probably 25% movies, 25% Xbox, 35% SDTV, 15% Music.

My room that is being built along with finishing the basement is about 2.5 months from completion. Once the system is moved down there the % of movies will go up considerably. The room is 15 X 24 X 9.

Firebook: How do you like that NAD T534 DVD Player?


I love my NAD Very musical, and great for movies. (dvd audio sounds great as well)
2.5 months you might be able to get the T535 DVD player that will be out soon ... or so i hear.

As you may or may not know NAD Electronics (http://www.nadelectronics.com) and PSB Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com) are owned by the same company so a lot of the time they sound really nice together.

-k

Another PSB Goldi owner. Ironically enough, I had some MG 2.7QR for a short while that my wife loved but just didn't do it for me. I also have a SVS passive sub and some PSB A/V rear speakers. I power them with a pair of Parasound HCA1200 amplifierw through an Audio Reseach LS3 preamp.
I really enjoy my Golds and second the recommendation above of the Stratus Silver, Stratus Bronze and Stratus Minis. All received great reviews and be found a bargain prices now.

Platinum T6 = fronts
M2 = surrounds
C2 = center
Velodyne HGS 18 = sub

I'm seriously considering the Platinum T6/in cabinet CHS 60.
The only reason is because it is a speaker designed to outwit the effects of putting a speaker in a bookshelf/near a wall.
However it happens to be to my advantage that the components come from the highest end model PSB offers. Of course that makes it about 50% too much money. I have currently an all Onix Reference setup (still less than the cost of a pair of CH40's). I have heard ascends, JBL, canton, Athena, PSB alpha's, energy takes, Tyler Freedoms, yamaha, infinity, wharfedale, mirage, monitor bronze, martin logan, energy connoseur, kef, bose, orb, and some others that don't come to mind in the 60 seconds I took to write this.

Does anyone know how the platinums compare? Does anyone know where a good platinum setup can be heard that I can bring my ref 1's to hear against?

Seth W.

--sethwas--

you can buy PSB Platinum Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=1) at most PSB Speakers Dealer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/r/usDealerFind.php) But as far as a demo, it may be a bit harder to find. Try.


Awesome Home Theater
351 Plaza Drive
Eustis
FL
32726
352-589-7012

Accusonic
Appointment Only
Miami,
FL
33175
305-220-8556


As far as comparing Platinum with PSB In-cabinet Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=13) I found them very close. If you are looking for an in-cabinet speaker these are one of the better ones on the market today.

Have a listen to the PSB Speakers In-Cabinet CHS40 (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=44&sId=13) which i think will work in most small to medium size rooms (with a good Subwoofer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=28&sId=13) ... that way you'll be able to save a bit of money
hope you find a dealer where you can take a listen because it will be worth it.

Yeah, I know the 80 in cabinet is overkill. The 60 may be as well. The 40 is the perfect size but it is the only model that does not have a direct 'sister' speaker in a non-cabinet design.

The appointment-only bit I'm shying away from and the other one, well, people underestimate the size of Florida. That's 270 miles away, as in over an hour flight. I'd have to book a flight to Orlando, then rent a car. Funny that some online resellers have their warehouses here in S. Florida but not the boutique stores. I thought there was a place in west palm (also a 90 minute drive) that had them.

Seth

My experience here with PSB, i read the AVS fourm -years ago- about "best speakers for $$$" so i went to try those different recommendions, PSB was one. I found a company here in a warehouse then did highend comerical installs-(resturants -new tech building) they where auth. reps. but most "normal" purchasers would not have gone to this location-or area......
They were planning to move to a new location (good move) and they said they would sell me their demos for a very very good price. they had less than 25 hrs on them . i have the orginal speaker box, the hardware was still in mfg sealed bags. couldn't be happier....
db
Dealer: still in a warehouse...... still Rep.'s them...

Yeah, I know the 80 in cabinet is overkill. The 60 may be as well. The 40 is the perfect size but it is the only model that does not have a direct 'sister' speaker in a non-cabinet design.

The PSB Platinum M2 (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=6&sId=1) is the sister to the CHS40.

Sorry to hear that there is no place to hear these speakers near you. I would see if you can get a hold of the PSB rep for Florida and see if he could be any help, or call PSB's 905-831-6555 and ask for PSB America

The PSB Platinum M2 (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=6&sId=1) is the sister to the CHS40.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The only thing they share between the CHS40 and the M2 is the tweeter.

The CHS 40 is a 3-way and has one 8" bass woofer, one 4" midrange, and a 1" tweeter.

The M2 is a 2-way speaker and has one 6.5" woofer, and one 1" tweeter.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but just curious as to what you found to be "sister" like. I agree with Samwas that the CHS40 is the only one that doesn't have "sister".

Foe

Not trying to rain on your parade, but just curious as to what you found to be "sister" like. I agree with Samwas that the CHS40 is the only one that doesn't have "sister".Foe


your right Foe, the m2 is not the sister (more like a bastard cousin) of the CHS40. The only sister to the CHS40 would be the CW383 In-wall Speaker (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=35&sId=12)

sorry for the confusion. I think that you'll still get very similar performance out of the CHS40 and the M2.

bastard cousin? I love it! LOL :D :D :D

Your probably right. :rolleyes:

Nice pics, firebook. Any idea if the Image series is also getting updated/getting a new look?

Nice pics, firebook. Any idea if the Image series is also getting updated/getting a new look?

The PSB Speakers Image Series (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=3) was the last to get a face lift about 8 months ago, so i am sure that It will be quite some time. the original Image was around for about 5 years. So if you are planning on buying this is the time to do it, as you'll have new up-to-date product for at least 2-3 years.

Look for a PSB Speakers Stratus Series (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) update next.

PSB Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com) has just launched the NEW Alpha Series on their home page. have a look.

I posted my opinion of 3 x CHS40s, 4 x 180s, and the 212 sub (all good) here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=562046&highlight=chs

I posted my opinion of 3 x CHS40s, 4 x 180s, and the 212 sub (all good) here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=562046&highlight=chs

greenbill are you still having trouble with not liking them for your two channel set up? the CHS40's have a wide dispersion but I guess putting them above a door is asking a little to much

greenbill are you still having trouble with not liking them for your two channel set up? the CHS40's have a wide dispersion but I guess putting them above a door is asking a little to much

Actually, I just never use 2 channel anymore. After experimenting for a while, I think 7.1 (through Dolby IIx) sounds better in all circumstances (music and HT), even though it's not true to the original format. I should also add that my listening position is always in the same place.

Well,
In my conceived setup with the CHS boxes I was going to put them inside skinny bookcases that would stand where regular towers stand so that they are in an 'ideal' setup albeit inside a cabinet. My only concern is that I just won't like the tonality of the speakers.

Seth

The PSB Speakers Image Series (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=3) was the last to get a face lift about 8 months ago, so i am sure that It will be quite some time. the original Image was around for about 5 years. So if you are planning on buying this is the time to do it, as you'll have new up-to-date product for at least 2-3 years.

Look for a PSB Speakers Stratus Series (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) update next.

PSB Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com) has just launched the NEW Alpha Series on their home page. have a look.

Cool, I'm gonna pick up an Image bookshelf 5.1 system for the bedroom, and I'll look at upgrading my main set-up when the new Stratus series gets released.

I have read this thread and the Paradigm thread and I have not seen where anyone had asked this before. So I was wanting to know what people thought was a better system.

The Paradigms Monitor 11's, CC370, Cin 220 and PW 2200 or the PSB Command Performance System....Image T65 Towers, Image C60, Image S50 and SubSeries 6i Subwoofer

Price for both of the setups are very close....Any comments will be greatly appreciated. I think I'll post this in the Paradigm Thread too. In hopes of getting as many opinions as possible.

BTW I have heard the Paradigms and I listend to the PSB T45's Towers only the Store didnt have a PSB system set up.

AM

The Paradigms Monitor 11's, CC370, Cin 220 and PW 2200 or the PSB Command Performance System....Image T65 Towers, Image C60, Image S50 and SubSeries 6i Subwoofer

Price for both of the setups are very close....Any comments will be greatly appreciated. I think I'll post this in the Paradigm Thread too. In hopes of getting as many opinions as possible.

BTW I have heard the Paradigms and I listend to the PSB T45's Towers only the Store didnt have a PSB system set up.

AM

Since you are posting this in the PSB thread I am sure that most of us prefer the PSB's To the Paradigms. I listened to both PSB and Paradigm before I bought my system, and I finally went with PSB. When you listened to the PSB T45 tower speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=14&sId=3) and the Paradigms which did you prefer? I am sure that if you liked the T45's then you'll like a system based on the T65 which is a much better speaker.

I would see if you can audition the Front L&R and the center of each of these set ups at the very least.

happy listening

It was not a very good audition....since it was only music. They did sound good to me, but I really would like to hear the PSB's in a 5.1 system. So that I can watch a couple clips from movies that I watched when Auditioning the Paradigms.

AM

AM- i have the Stratus SilverI, for many years. I think they are wonderful for both HT & Music. But you need to calibrate them for system and room. Good power is a must too.
db

I just finished a theater for a client using the CW-800s for front and center, the CW-180 for sides and rears and the CHS-212 subwoofer. NAD T-773 receiver.

It was the finest in wall/ceiling speaker system I have ever heard. The subwoofer is rediculous. The CW-800s are simply amazing. The CW-180 blend in with them really well for being pretty standard 8" 2 way in-ceilings.

I knew within 15 minutes that I had found the speakers that I will end up putting in my own theater.

I have another similar system going in using the CW-383s for surrounds with the acoustic chambers instead of the CW-180s, I'm excited because I know the client is gonna die when he hears it. Plus his room is half the size. :eek:

WOW Erik - --- Sounds like a great set up!
you should take some pictures and send them into PSB for the:
PSB Speakers Case Studies (http://www.psbspeakers.com/caseStudies.php) page. It's worth a shot.

I'll post some here. This room was designed to look like an old barn even though the house was brand new. Not really my taste but hey, a job is a job right?. 133" Draper motorized, tab-tensioned screen w/ a Sim2 Domino 30 projector.

The three fronts are painted black and trimmed out in old barn boards, the sub is built into the corner. The 4 CW-180s are in the ceiling over the seats.
http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/4441/breezypointleftview12jo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The camera does a horrible job of representing the image quality of the Sim2.
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2075/dscn01294or.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Middle Atlantic Rack in a barnwood closet. You can slide the doors over it to hide everything.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3356/dscn00904nt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Some of the seating. You can see the rack location in the rear of the room. All the standard doors and windows have sliding barn doors that you can pull over to cover them.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4389/dscn01007wt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Overall it was a great project. Like I mentioned before the sound was amazing considering the room didn't have any substantial acoustic treatment done to it.
I would highly recommend these speakers, and have already specified them in other theater projects.

I recently bought the psb silveri's and indeed they do need room calibration...once your set, there are a wonderful sounding speaker. Last week I was able to listen to the axiom M80's and thought maybe I made a mistake. The M80's seemed to have more detail with same tonal range as the Silveri's. Has anyone here compared the M80's to the silveri"s

Erik - Although not my taste you did a wonderful job making that look like a barn! it's people like yourself that makes custom installers worth their weight in gold.

N24- what receiver are you using---how much power? I am up grading to a pre-amp. I heard this with more power than i have currently and they do sing..
db

Sh*&^T Firebook-- anyone can place a speaker in Mooses head and make it look great..... :D

Erik - Although not my taste you did a wonderful job making that look like a barn! it's people like yourself that makes custom installers worth their weight in gold.

I have been in Canada on business all week and during my visit I have been trying to get some good demos of speakers. Today I went into 2001 audio/video and they did a great PSB vs Cerwin Vega demo for me.

T45s vs some monster CV speaker. Obviously the low end wasnt covered by the T45s BUT when you add the sub they sounded pretty damn good.

Not sure about the price tag at the store, I will try to shop online to find out about better pricing.


Anyways, are they worth more research?? Im looking in the $1500-2000 range for 5 HT speakers (I have a sub already).

Sh*&^T Firebook-- anyone can place a speaker in Mooses head and make it look great..... :D

funny.. Erik is the Moose's head ported or not? what kind of sound does this kind of enclosure give? Because my wife has wanted me to get rid of my "huge" speakers for some time. I think ill make the upgrade to your 5.1 in-moose speaker set up. I am sure she won't mind 5 moose heads in our living room. LOL

Hahaha. Now that would be custom. We could put them into production for high-end hunting camps and ski lodges. PETA would have a field day.

subversive:

I have seen the renderings of the new PSB Stratus Loudspeakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) they are very nice (very nice). They look to have a more rounded cabinet (like a kef).

Knowing PSB though i wouldn't hold my breath for them this year. but they might surrprise us.
I spoke to a PSB rep today and he said the new Stratus line won't be out till this time next year, at the earliest.

I spoke to a PSB rep today and he said the new Stratus line won't be out till this time next year, at the earliest.

Ya i would believe that. Ill have a look at their booth during CEDIA in September and see if they are showing any prototypes. If not i am sure they will have something for us to see at CES in January.

ill keep you all posted.

I am new to this forum. Does anyone have any recommendations on stands for the Alpha S surrounds? Would stands be a no.. no for these, for a side surround in a 7.1 setup?
Thanks for any help.

IMO stands would probably put the side surrounds a little lower than you would like. I would suggest hanging them just above eye level(when seated in primary location), maybe a foot or so. This helps the side surrounds disperse the sound a little better, considering that is what the Alpha S is designed for as a bipolar speaker.

Stands would definately work if that is what your stuck with. Just not optimal. But then again, I am NO expert. Just a Wannabe :rolleyes: that reads a lot.

Good Luck with these. What's the rest of your system consist of if you don't mind me asking?

TREVOR

What are people's opinions on the t55 vs. t65? I've heard the t55's and loved them--not that I've heard THAT many to compare to. I probably won't be grabbing a sub anytime soon, and the dealer mentioned that the t65's would fill in the low end a lot better than the t55's.
The t65's are just so damn DEEP! 20" of depth compared to the 14" of the t55 makes a big difference. Anyone had a chance to comnpare these two? Are the t65's much better/worth the cost and space?

I've listened to the T55's vs T65's. IMO for most listening the T55's are almost equal to the T65's. Personally I wanted more so I went with the 7pts (T65's with powered amps), but they are no longer available.

For the price, and if space is an at all an issue for you, the T55's are the way to go.

the T65's are better, if you have the money and space. But for the price, If I did it all over again, I would probably go T55's, plenty of low end. The money you save can be set aside for your future sub :) Which I would definately recomend :D

Trevor

p.s. If you have a 32" CRT monitor or similar it's going to run you 20-26" deep anyways.

I spoke to a PSB rep today and he said the new Stratus line won't be out till this time next year, at the earliest.That's too bad. Since production has been discontinued for months on the Stratus line, that means that there will be almost a year-and-a-half gap before the new models are available.

I just think it's odd that they wouldn't continue some production during the change over.

Scott

I spoke to a PSB rep today and he said the new Stratus line won't be out till this time next year, at the earliest.

I had heard more optimistic implications from higher up in PSB, but I've seen huge delays in speaker productions in other companies, so it wouldn't surprise me to see it drift into next year.

All you AVSers that have "higher-up" connections at PSB :cool: , can you get them to swing me a deal or something on replacement amps for 7pt's? ;) ;)

PM me if you have any info.

Thanks

TREVOR

~FoeHammer865~

I checked with a guy i know from PSB and unfortunately he has none sitting around. he told me the same thing as customer service did. "best bet is to bring them in for servicing"


sorry but i think your going to have to bite the bullet. Ill keep my eyes open though.

I've listened to the T55's vs T65's. IMO for most listening the T55's are almost equal to the T65's. Personally I wanted more so I went with the 7pts (T65's with powered amps), but they are no longer available.

For the price, and if space is an at all an issue for you, the T55's are the way to go.

the T65's are better, if you have the money and space. But for the price, If I did it all over again, I would probably go T55's, plenty of low end. The money you save can be set aside for your future sub :) Which I would definately recomend :D

Trevor

p.s. If you have a 32" CRT monitor or similar it's going to run you 20-26" deep anyways.


I agree....when I was shopping for my images....upgrade from a complete alpha system... I really liked the T65's, and to be honest they are pretty mean looking. Since I already had a sub, I went with the T45's because I really like PSB's 5.25 speakers. I just think vocals are a lot more defined and get a little muddy with the 6.5's.

I dont think you can go wrong with any of the Image towers.

Today I joined the PSB owners club. Picked up a pair of the Image T45 and an Image C8 Center. The store was closing so I got an incredible deal, 435 for the T45's and 179 for the C8. I'm LOVING the sound. Now I just need to get some surrounds. Since I pretty much blew my budget away, is it possible to go with alphas in the rear or should i stick to the image line?

What are you guys using to power your PSB Images series set-ups? I have an Integra 6.5 receiver powering my 5T, 9C, 10S setup (with an Earthquake sub on the way.)

I love the PSB Image series so much I am thinking about really powering them with some high end electronics and amplification. What do you guys think?

mwz26 - welcome to the club, you will truley love your t45's and center. As far as the rears go, I would wait and save money for some Image B's, ideally B15's to match your towers. Anything for surrounds will work use something cheap to get you by, but sonically your best sticking with Images. They will blend in much better and not sound like a seperate entity. I suggest you pop in Dark Side of the Moon, preferably in SACD, sit back, close your eyes and enjoy.

Has far as powering my Images I am currently using my NAD reciever and its more than enough. I wish I would of went with the NAD T163 preamp and ran NAD's 7 channel amp, biamping the towers. I am looking at getting 4 Integra 2 channel amps from a buddy of mine, 1 per tower - biamped, half of one for center, and the fourth for rears. Your towers, or fronts, are really the only speakers that should need more power than a reciever can give them, and thats only for music play back. Movies and such you shouldnt really need anything more powerful. From what I have experienced, NAD power is the way to go with PSBs, maybe because they are both from Canada, I dont know, but its the best combination I have tried, I had an Integra reciever, Onkyo, and the NAD was leaps and bounds above in sound quality.

What are you guys using to power your PSB Images series set-ups? I have an Integra 6.5 receiver powering my 5T, 9C, 10S setup (with an Earthquake sub on the way.)

I love the PSB Image series so much I am thinking about really powering them with some high end electronics and amplification. What do you guys think?

I'm using an Onkyo 603. I'm sure there's a much better way to go but I love the sound I'm getting. This is my first "real" HT setup after owning HTIB's. Last night the wife and I just kept popping in movies to watch scene after scene and couldn't stop smiling at how good it sounded.

I have Sliveri Stratus towers & c6i >>to a Denon3803. w/ a 5.1 system. They sound wounderful. I demo a QSC pro-amp to just the fronts. They took off...sound 1000% better.
db

I'm using an Onkyo 603. I'm sure there's a much better way to go but I love the sound I'm getting. This is my first "real" HT setup after owning HTIB's. Last night the wife and I just kept popping in movies to watch scene after scene and couldn't stop smiling at how good it sounded.


Do you think and external amp will give me a better sound for HT with these spoeakers?

PSB Image T55/C60/B25/S50 here. Oops forgot the subs... 2x Sub5i
Pioneer 52TX driving them.

Mmmmmmm PSB.... :cool:

Usually seperate amps will sound better than a receiver. That said, I am powering my Image system with a Denon 3805. Very please with the power the Denon is putting out. :)

FYI, NAD and PSB are owned by the same parent company. You will hear many a salesman tell you that they are "designed" to work best together.

NAD is an excellent source of amplification for any speaker system.

TREVOR

I want to clarify my early statment. My sound quality of my silveri is wounderful with the the power that the Denon 3803 provides. The PSB's work fine with this much power. but they " really like to come alive" with a little more power..
db

I have Sliveri Stratus towers & c6i >>to a Denon3803. w/ a 5.1 system. They sound wounderful. I demo a QSC pro-amp to just the fronts. They took off...sound 1000% better.
db

Today I joined the PSB owners club. Picked up a pair of the Image T45 and an Image C8 Center. The store was closing so I got an incredible deal, 435 for the T45's and 179 for the C8. I'm LOVING the sound. Now I just need to get some surrounds. Since I pretty much blew my budget away, is it possible to go with alphas in the rear or should i stick to the image line?


It is totally possible. I run an Image tower and center System (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=3), with Alpha surrounds. It is not as important to timber match your rears with the rest of the system.

It is totally possible. I run an Image tower and center System (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=3), with Alpha surrounds. It is not as important to timber match your rears with the rest of the system.

Although it's totally possible, you will notice a huge difference when they are timber matched when listening to SACD or DVD-A. For movies its not necessary at all, the new alpha's do look like they have inherited some tech from the Images, but I would still save your money for Images.

You will only end up spending at the most $150 more for a pair of PSB Speakers - Image B15 Monitors (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=16&sId=3) then you would for a pair of Alpha LR1 Monitors (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=72&sId=4). I agree with Hammer28 wait a few weeks and save up the extra money. My second system in my HT is all image and sounds a great deal better when i am playing DVD-Audio. or any type of surround music. I hear a difference bettween the Alpha LR1 in movies but it is not worth it for me to change my livingroom system. It's just not that big a deal for my everyday TV and Movie watching.

I recently moved and have to reconfigure my theater. I'm using the 8C as a rear center. Does anyone know of a good ceiling mount to use?

thanks

Do you mean that your couch/seat is going to be up against the back wall and you're going to have it pointing down? Or just don't have a rear wall back there due to a pool table or other room? :confused: :confused:

What's up fellas. I'm looking to acquire some PSB Image T65's in the near future(possibly this xmas). For my setup, I was going in the general direction of having some powerful front floorstanding speakers with two relatively cheap surrounds(150 - 250 range) assuming it can be done with no problems. I'll be using the set up for mostly movies. I am also a bit of a newbie when it comes to HT's. However my main (newb) first question is a rather simple one:

On the specification page for the T65's at PSB's site it says under input power, "Program: 150 Watts". What exactly does that mean?

Second question. Based on what i've read I think I want to stick with digital recievers exclusively. I was thinking of getting the Panny Digital SA-XR57S. I'm not looking to spend bucket loads on a reciever, and 300 bucks coupled with the positive responses sounds like a winner to me. Do you think the Panny + the T65's would make a good pair?

Do you think the Panny + the T65's would make a good pair?

I ended up with some T55's and a Panny XR55 earlier this year and am very happy with the combo. I went with the Panny from reading reviews here and due to it's low cost. I'm a bit of a newbie myself, but we love the PSB's for both music and movies. For surrounds I went with B-15's and a C60 in the center. The only semi-annoying thing about the Panny is when it clicks on and off when switching audio sources. The Panny seems to deliver plenty of power to fill our large >3000 cubic foot space.

We ended up with PSB's after auditioning them against Paradigm's, B&W's and SVS's. I would definitely recommend trying out the PSB's versus some other brands just to make sure you like their sound. It was a close call with the B&W's, but the PSB's price made it an easy choice.

Good luck.

-Lee

Current (older) setup in living room:

Mains: Image 2B
Center: Image 8C
Surround: Image 1B
Sub: JBL PB10
Receiver: 5-year old Yamaha R-series (can't remember which one off the top of my head)

I purchased this set after directly auditioning them to a similar-priced B&W series and Phase Tech., and also listened to similar-priced sets from Paradigm, Klipsch, and another set I can't remember at a second location.

Of the 6, the PSBs sounded the best to me. What stood out for me were the crisp, clear highs. I had the easiest time listening to dialogue from movies. Also, I had little to no distortion when we turned up the volume on music.

The Paradigms were the next best and I would have gotten those had I not heard the PSBs. Great sound quality, just not as crisp and refreshing on the highs.

B&Ws were ok on quality but they were very understated on the highs - almost muffled. I actually had to strain to hear the dialogue clearly.

The Phase Technologies were 'meh'. Neither here nor there. Not bad, but nothing great either. They were capable, but didn't stand out.

The Klipschs seemed to push it in the 'high' department like the PSBs, but they had detectable distortion in the highs when you turned up the volume (I guess that would make them 'bright'?). Worst, quality-wise of the 6 I heard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, my setup has served me pretty well in my living room setup. The 2Bs can get pretty loud(!) with no distortion. I would probably do better with actual surround speakers for my surrounds, rather than the 1Bs though. But I couldn't afford the surrounds anyway at the time, so I'm not disappointed.

I'm in the process of finishing putting together a dedicated HT room in my basement. I liked the PSBs so much that I didn't bother to shop around for a new brand. I just went with bigger speakers in the same Image line (which matched my new budget) - T55, C60, S50 for surround and rears, and an SVS sub.

I ended up with some T55's and a Panny XR55 earlier this year and am very happy with the combo. I went with the Panny from reading reviews here and due to it's low cost. I'm a bit of a newbie myself, but we love the PSB's for both music and movies. For surrounds I went with B-15's and a C60 in the center. The only semi-annoying thing about the Panny is when it clicks on and off when switching audio sources. The Panny seems to deliver plenty of power to fill our large >3000 cubic foot space.

We ended up with PSB's after auditioning them against Paradigm's, B&W's and SVS's. I would definitely recommend trying out the PSB's versus some other brands just to make sure you like their sound. It was a close call with the B&W's, but the PSB's price made it an easy choice.

Good luck.

-Lee

Appreciate the reply, thanks!

soundstage just posted an article on paul barton and a review on the T45 loudspeaker

T45 Review (http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/psb_image_t45.htm)
Paul Interview (http://www.soundstage.com/traveler/traveler.htm)

PSB Speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com) Home Page
PSB Speakers Image T45 loudspeakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=14&sId=3)

got a great review. i love my T45's.

Have a couple questions....I wanted to Demo a set of PSB's in the same Category as the P'digm 100's I have read and believe that the Stratus Line is what I need to listen to, but the dealer in my area dosent have any and has said that PSB has stopped making them due to the fact that they are going to be updating them. He also said that he was told a Fall of this year release, but is going to call on Monday to confirm.

However, I read the post by Alimentall about the release bing next year.....So any adivse? Since I wouldnt want to get a Line that is being updated now.

We have to listen to PSB and Monitor Audio's before we make our final choice.

AM

Is there another dealer that may have them in stock? I dont see a problem with buying a model that is being updated other than your guy doesnt have them and cant get them.

although the PSB Speakers - Stratus line of speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) are a fantastic speaker (i was at a friends house to watch a movie last night and he has silver i's and they sound way nicer then my image system) they are almost 5 years old. I hear rumors that the new stratus will be out around December of this year.

do what you will with that info.

I think since the stratus line is being updated, if you can find a dealer with them, then i am sure you will be able to get them for far less then the MSRP. But if you wait till the new ones come out you will pay full MSRP.

I would try to get a good deal on soom platinum stuff. nice sound, and i am hearing that they are going for cheaper then their MSRP in most places.

:) ;) ...mmmmmm...plaaatttiinuuummms....... :) :D

Has anyone upgraded from the subseries5i to the 6i? A friend offering to sell his old sub and I am thinking about switching out but haven't had a chance to listen to it.

I've never owned the 5i or auditioned it in my home, but I love the performance of my 6i. Then again, I guess I am self-justifying my purchase too. ;)

Has anyone upgraded from the subseries5i to the 6i? A friend offering to sell his old sub and I am thinking about switching out but haven't had a chance to listen to it.



I have heard most PSB Subwoofers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=5) and i can safely say that the 6i is the best money Vs. performance subwoofer that PSB makes. Last year at CEDIA i talked to the Subwoofer designer from PSB and i asked him what sub hits the sweet spot of performance vs. Money and he said without even thinking about it "SubSeries 6i Subwoofer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=25&sId=5) ". He confirmed what i thought all along.

Hi guys, I'm a newbie to the PSB owners club.

I just purchase a pair of Stratus Silveri's and a C6i center speaker. I'm planning to use them in the master bedroom of my new house, which is prewired for 7.1 surround sound (along with the family room and dedicated HT/media room, yes I'm a nut :D ). I purchased a Denon AVR-2807 receiver to drive them, along with a Martin Logan Abyss subwoofer.

Now my dilema is what to get for the in-ceiling side and rear surrounds. My room is 17.5'x20.5'. Should I also go with PSB for the surrounds? If so, would you recommend the CW180R or M6.1R's? Can I pivot the tweeter on either of those speakers for optimal positioning?

Thanks for any feedback.

I know it is said that surronds only handle about 10% but I would suggest sticking with the PSB's, even if it means using a differnet line. Keeping the Stratus all the way around would be the best bet though. I couldn't recommend the 180R or M6 because I haven't heard either one (out of my price range). Let us know which ones you go with.

You might have trouble finding the M6.1's as they are being phased out in the next month. I have heard that they are being replaced by a model called the CW160

but the CW180S in-wall speaker (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=38&sId=12) is a far better speaker then the M6.1 just so ya know.

the tweeter in the 6.1 is movable but the 180 has a thing called the sonic guide. You can move it 180 deg around, and about 90deg back and forth. The way it was explained to me was that the guild helps separate the frequencies of the tweeter and the driver, because some frequencies have a tendency to cancel each other out.

happy listening... let us know how it all works out

Phoenix, i have that same set up -silveri+c6i,{denon 3803} if you have space, you might consider a preamp for those speakers. Not just so you can play them loud, but the fidility of those speaker really come to life with a little more amp power. ( don't know much about the D-2807), but they are very nice speakers..
You will enjoy them,,
db


Hi guys, I'm a newbie to the PSB owners club.

I just purchase a pair of Stratus Silveri's and a C6i center speaker. I'm planning to use them in the master bedroom of my new house, which is prewired for 7.1 surround sound (along with the family room and dedicated HT/media room, yes I'm a nut :D ). I purchased a Denon AVR-2807 receiver to drive them, along with a Martin Logan Abyss subwoofer.

Now my dilema is what to get for the in-ceiling side and rear surrounds. My room is 17.5'x20.5'. Should I also go with PSB for the surrounds? If so, would you recommend the CW180R or M6.1R's? Can I pivot the tweeter on either of those speakers for optimal positioning?

Thanks for any feedback.

You might have trouble finding the M6.1's as they are being phased out in the next month. I have heard that they are being replaced by a model called the CW160

but the CW180S in-wall speaker (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=38&sId=12) is a far better speaker then the M6.1 just so ya know.

the tweeter in the 6.1 is movable but the 180 has a thing called the sonic guide. You can move it 180 deg around, and about 90deg back and forth. The way it was explained to me was that the guild helps separate the frequencies of the tweeter and the driver, because some frequencies have a tendency to cancel each other out.

Thanks for the helpful info! But WOW, there is a huge price gap between the 180 and 6.1 -- especially considering I have to purchase 4 surrounds! I think perhaps the 180 is overkill for a bedroom system; I may just go with the 6.1 or its replacement (the 160) instead. It should be adequate for the occasional movie viewing that I'll be doing in my bedroom. I'm more concerned about music listening, and I think I've got that covered with the Silveri's. :)

BTW, are there any differences between the CW180R/M6.1R vs CW180S/M6.1S other than the shape (round vs square)? The specs are identical. If there are no sonic differences I'll probably go with the round version of whatever I decide on.

if you have space, you might consider a preamp for those speakers. Not just so you can play them loud, but the fidility of those speaker really come to life with a little more amp power. ( don't know much about the D-2807), but they are very nice speakers..
You will enjoy them,,
db
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see how the Denon performs first. I'm not too crazy about jamming a ton of equipment (pream & amps) into my bedroom, but if I find the sound lacking then I might consider going that route.

I'll keep y'all posted. :cool:

Update: I just ordered the M6.1R's from DMC Electronics. I was concerned that I might not be able to get them anymore since they're being discontinued, and after speaking to David @ DMC, he recommended that I go with the 6.1R rather than the 160R because the 160R has the new tweeter and might not match as well with my Silveri and C6i speakers.

I only wish I had purchased the M6.1R's from DMC when I was there over the weekend to pick up my other equipment. David gave me a good deal, but I hate waiting! I hope they get here by Saturday so my A/V installer can cut them in when he installs the other equipment.

I'll post my impressions of the system once everything is properly broken in. :D

well you wasted no time. Congrats

Thanks for the helpful info! But WOW, there is a huge price gap between the 180 and 6.1 -- especially considering I have to purchase 4 surrounds! I think perhaps the 180 is overkill for a bedroom system; I may just go with the 6.1 or its replacement (the 160) instead. It should be adequate for the occasional movie viewing that I'll be doing in my bedroom. I'm more concerned about music listening, and I think I've got that covered with the Silveri's. :)

BTW, are there any differences between the CW180R/M6.1R vs CW180S/M6.1S other than the shape (round vs square)? The specs are identical. If there are no sonic differences I'll probably go with the round version of whatever I decide on.


good point on the tweeter. and yes i think the 180 is a bit of overkill for a bedroom system. as far as any difference between the R and S models there is non. They are the same speaker with a different mounting option. usually people like to put square on the wall and round in the ceiling.

Well today I picked up a set of Alpha B-1's for surrounds to go with my Image T45 and C8. I know it isn't the same series but it was a nice deal and i decided to get them. Right now I have them at my in-laws house becuase I am out of town for training. Can someone tell me what size stands I should be looking at? I believe the tweeter should be around the 37-38" high range but I'm not sure what the distance of the tweeter to the bottom of the speaker is. I did find 30" stands here (http://www.racksandstands.com/Plateau-W-30-B-7PT0097.html) but if i need a different size please let me know. Also I believe there was only a keyhole mount on the back of the Alphas. How would I secure them to the stands? Thanks and long live PSB.

Just found this forum and great advice. Here is my system - my question is what if any value is there in upgrading my speakers and since I cobbled them together, do i have a good match? Thanks

2 Fronts - PSB 800 (about 12 years old)
1 Center - PSB Image 8 (about 3 years old)
2 Rears - PSB Alpha (about 12 years old)
1 Sub - SB Alpha Subsonic 6 (about 3 years old)
AV Receiver Onkyo TX DS-797 (about 3 years old)

I mostly use them for watching movies, HDTV etc. but occaisonal music as well. THoughts/Perspectives?

thanks

Rick

Just found this forum and great advice. Here is my system - my question is what if any value is there in upgrading my speakers and since I cobbled them together, do i have a good match? Thanks

2 Fronts - PSB 800 (about 12 years old)
1 Center - PSB Image 8 (about 3 years old)
2 Rears - PSB Alpha (about 12 years old)
1 Sub - SB Alpha Subsonic 6 (about 3 years old)
AV Receiver Onkyo TX DS-797 (about 3 years old)

I mostly use them for watching movies, HDTV etc. but occaisonal music as well. THoughts/Perspectives?

Since no one else has responded...My take is this: if you're happy with the sound of your system, I wouldn't bother changing anything, unless you want to try something different and have the money to blow. I don't know how your speakers sound, but it might help make up your mind if you auditioned some other setups.

I was at a couple of high end stores over the weekend, and demo'ed a few other brands (Infinity, Polk, Martin Logan, Mirage). I'm glad to report that I'm still happy with my PSBs (phew!). :)

I have heard most PSB Subwoofers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=5) and i can safely say that the 6i is the best money Vs. performance subwoofer that PSB makes. Last year at CEDIA i talked to the Subwoofer designer from PSB and i asked him what sub hits the sweet spot of performance vs. Money and he said without even thinking about it "SubSeries 6i Subwoofer (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=25&sId=5) ". He confirmed what i thought all along.


Thanks a lot for this info. Exactly what I needed to hear.

I started construction of my dedicated home theatre and I'm combining two systems, a two Channel system Stratus Golds and a five channel system made up of a 4 Alpha Bs and an Alpha C center. I haven't bought a 7 channel receiver yet, and I don't want to hook up the golds to my cheap Sony receiver because it is not rated for 4 ohms.

However when I do hook everything up, I can't imagine the Alpha and the Stratus working well together. Especially with an Alpha center channel.

I'm trying not to break the bank, and I was just wondering what you guys thought.

I started construction of my dedicated home theatre and I'm combining two systems, a two Channel system Stratus Golds and a five channel system made up of a 4 Alpha Bs and an Alpha C center. I haven't bought a 7 channel receiver yet, and I don't want to hook up the golds to my cheap Sony receiver because it is not rated for 4 ohms.

However when I do hook everything up, I can't imagine the Alpha and the Stratus working well together. Especially with an Alpha center channel.

I'm trying not to break the bank, and I was just wondering what you guys thought.

Have you auditioned either of them yet? And what is your budget?

If you were to go with the Golds I wouldn't drop to the Alphas for surround, although I just bought Alphas to use with my Image T45's, so maybe I'm not the best source for info.

I think the Alphas sound great and I was going to get 4 of them originally, I just happened to find a great deal that I couldnt pass up on the Images.

I would try to find a PSB dealer that would be willing to set up the system for you just as you described. It shouldn't be a problem if they have the Golds and B-1'a in stock.

I already own everything, I just trying to find the best way to make it work. I think trying to get my hands on a C6 or C6i would be a good start.

ya a C6i would be a great start. then just use the alphas as your rears when you get the new receiver.

might be able to find a Stratus C6i on ebay if you can't find one at a PSB Dealer.'

How do the Alphas sound in comparison to the Stratus Golds? Is there a huge difference in sound? I have never heard the Alphas, so I am curious.

How do the Alphas sound in comparison to the Stratus Golds? Is there a huge difference in sound? I have never heard the Alphas, so I am curious.

I have never heard the Golds but i wanted to say....

DAMN thats one impressive bedroom system!!!

Thanks! It's not finished yet, my installer didn't have time to install my 4 M6.1R surround speakers, so he'll be back later this week to complete the job. Then we'll she what she can do... :D

I'm doing a head to head this weekend of the PSB Alpha B1s and the Paradigm Titans.

The PSBs had a 6ohm rating compared to the Titans at 8 ohms. Therefore it seems the PSBs are harder to drive. I am looking at midrange receivers, specifically the Marantz SR5600 and the Denon AVR-2106. Will these receivers be powerful enough to drive the PSBs?

-Eric

I'm doing a head to head this weekend of the PSB Alpha B1s and the Paradigm Titans.

The PSBs had a 6ohm rating compared to the Titans at 8 ohms. Therefore it seems the PSBs are harder to drive. I am looking at midrange receivers, specifically the Marantz SR5600 and the Denon AVR-2106. Will these receivers be powerful enough to drive the PSBs?

-Eric
I'm not sure about the AVR-2106, but my Denon AVR-2807 can be configured so that the amps for the back speakers are used to power the front speakers in a bi-wire, bi-amp configuration. Are the Alpha B1s bi-wireable?

I'm doing a head to head this weekend of the PSB Alpha B1s and the Paradigm Titans.

The PSBs had a 6ohm rating compared to the Titans at 8 ohms. Therefore it seems the PSBs are harder to drive. I am looking at midrange receivers, specifically the Marantz SR5600 and the Denon AVR-2106. Will these receivers be powerful enough to drive the PSBs?

-Eric

I dont think you will have a problem. I am running all of mine off an Onkyo 603 (Image T45, Image 8C, Alpha B-1).

I did the same comparison of speakers and at first I was all set to go with the Titan/Atom setup. Then after a little more listening I realized the PSB were much more accurate with the highs and less boomy with the lows.

I'm not sure about the AVR-2106, but my Denon AVR-2807 can be configured so that the amps for the back speakers are used to power the front speakers in a bi-wire, bi-amp configuration. Are the Alpha B1s bi-wireable?

Sadly, the Alpha B1s cannot be bi-wired. Also they website says that the nominal impedence is 6 ohms and the minimum impredence is 4 ohms. What's the difference here? Can these speakers be run safely with receivers rated for 6 ohms only or should they be run by something rated for 4 ohms?

-Eric

Sadly, the Alpha B1s cannot be bi-wired. Also they website says that the nominal impedence is 6 ohms and the minimum impredence is 4 ohms. What's the difference here? Can these speakers be run safely with receivers rated for 6 ohms only or should they be run by something rated for 4 ohms?

I'm not sure what the difference between the nominal & minimum impedence means (my Stratus speakers are rated 4 ohms for both), but I'm fairly confident that you can run the Alphas on a receiver rated for 8 ohms. That's what I'm doing with my Denon right now, and I have no issues. The manual for the receiver says that it can run speakers rated for lower impedence values, however it might overheat after a long period of time, and in that case the circuit protection feature will kick in and shut off the receiver until it cools down. HTH.

How do the Alphas sound in comparison to the Stratus Golds? Is there a huge difference in sound? I have never heard the Alphas, so I am curious.

They're really two different animals, the golds have a much larger, 3 dimensional sound stage, I also find then more transparent. But the alpha's are great, I think most of us will agree that there is not a better speaker out there for the price.

Also they website says that the nominal impedence is 6 ohms and the minimum impredence is 4 ohms. What's the difference here? Can these speakers be run safely with receivers rated for 6 ohms only or should they be run by something rated for 4 ohms?

-Eric

As an Electrical Engineer I will try to shed some light on this for you. There are other places on AVS that have info on this as well.

Speakers have a dynamic impedence (resistence or load ) and the impedence changes depending on the frequency of the signal and the amplitude (volume) and can range anywhere from 2 ohms to 10 or more.

The Nominal impedence is the average impedence the receiver will see or more accurately what the speaker will measure when there is no power being applied.

Minimum impedence is considered the lowest impedence the speaker will show at any frequency provided. Now this isn"t always accurate and speakers will go lower than that at times.

You need not be worried. If you are using an EXTREMELY cheap receiver :( you may run into a problem of overheating, but that is about the only problem you will see. Also, most receivers that are ~$350 and up are going to work just fine unless you are really trying to crank the volume up for long periods (ie. college parties).

I have to say that in my experience (lots of college parties :D ), I have seen many different brands of receivers used and found that Denon receivers out perform all others when it comes to this, without going to highend receivers ($800 and up).

Plus this problem has become less of an issue in recent years as receiver quality has gone up and prices down. :D

The Alpha series should pose no problem for you if running a "8-ohm rated" receiver. :)

Regards,

TREVOR

As an Electrical Engineer I will try to shed some light on this for you. There are other places on AVS that have info on this as well.

Speakers have a dynamic impedence (resistence or load ) and the impedence changes depending on the frequency of the signal and the amplitude (volume) and can range anywhere from 2 ohms to 10 or more.

The Nominal impedence is the average impedence the receiver will see or more accurately what the speaker will measure when there is no power being applied.

Minimum impedence is considered the lowest impedence the speaker will show at any frequency provided. Now this isn"t always accurate and speakers will go lower than that at times.

You need not be worried. If you are using an EXTREMELY cheap receiver :( you may run into a problem of overheating, but that is about the only problem you will see. Also, most receivers that are ~$350 and up are going to work just fine unless you are really trying to crank the volume up for long periods (ie. college parties).

I have to say that in my experience (lots of college parties :D ), I have seen many different brands of receivers used and found that Denon receivers out perform all others when it comes to this, without going to highend receivers ($800 and up).

Plus this problem has become less of an issue in recent years as receiver quality has gone up and prices down. :D

The Alpha series should pose no problem for you if running a "8-ohm rated" receiver. :)

Regards,

TREVOR

Thanks for clearing that up. This is a great post.

As an Electrical Engineer I will try to shed some light on this for you. There are other places on AVS that have info on this as well.

Speakers have a dynamic impedence (resistence or load ) and the impedence changes depending on the frequency of the signal and the amplitude (volume) and can range anywhere from 2 ohms to 10 or more.

The Nominal impedence is the average impedence the receiver will see or more accurately what the speaker will measure when there is no power being applied.

Minimum impedence is considered the lowest impedence the speaker will show at any frequency provided. Now this isn"t always accurate and speakers will go lower than that at times.

You need not be worried. If you are using an EXTREMELY cheap receiver :( you may run into a problem of overheating, but that is about the only problem you will see. Also, most receivers that are ~$350 and up are going to work just fine unless you are really trying to crank the volume up for long periods (ie. college parties).

I have to say that in my experience (lots of college parties :D ), I have seen many different brands of receivers used and found that Denon receivers out perform all others when it comes to this, without going to highend receivers ($800 and up).

Plus this problem has become less of an issue in recent years as receiver quality has gone up and prices down. :D

The Alpha series should pose no problem for you if running a "8-ohm rated" receiver. :)

Regards,

TREVOR

Really great post, thank you so much. I'm shooting for a receiver in the $700 MSRP range, i.e. $500 retail, so I guess I should be fine.

Now I just need to get my hands on some PSB Alphas in NYC to demo - they're a hard speaker to find (Any NYC Alpha B1 owners out there want to let me come demo their system!?)

-Eric

PSB's hard to find-- isn't the right words.
Here in SF CA, both dealers are in very strange locations, one place is a DJ electronic warehouse, & the demo room isn’t really conducive to showing them off. The other dealer is behind locked gates and you have to make an appointment- and go during day light hours {if you know what I mean}. They have a better laid out demo room. They sell the NAD products also.
db

I am the only one that feels that PSB dropped the ball when it came to the Discontiue of the Stratus Line?! The reason I say this is, they decided to do a upgrade to the Speaker Line and so that means stop production. Which is a plus to consumers, but why in the Hell did they not increase the inventory in hopes of maintaining a full product line while they are developing the replacement....Now they DO NOT have a Speaker the fills the Gap between the Image and Platnium line.

I have wanted to Audition the Stratus line, but all of the dealers in my area cant get any from their Reps and dont have any in stock....Except for their Demo's! I dont want used Speakers....So their is basically no reason to Audition the Stratus line. Since their really isnt a stratus line anymore and the new line will most likely sound different.

RANT OVER!!!!

AM

I would have to agree that PSB did drop the ball a little bit, if what you say is true. That PSB stopped production of the Stratus line until the new one is designed.

We'll have to see what happens.

TREVOR

Mains: PSB Stratus Silver i
Center: PSB Strauts C6 i
Surround: Infinity
Front Sub: HSU VT-3
Rear Sub: SVS 20-36 PCI

Several years ago I came across the piano black Silver i's on sale as cosmetic blems for $999 out the door. Remarkable price at the time as they listed at $2200. My wife and I looked with a fine tooth comb for defects and found none. They still sound and look fantastic and I haven't calibrated my room in a few years.

My listening is about 50/50 2.1 (2.2 in my case) stereo and movies/dvd concert. I have my big beautiful mains set to small. They sound clear and effortless with the ability to go very loud without harshness as they don't have to work the lows. The subs work well together with no cancelation and provide all the crisp bass one needs without booming. The mains are powered by a dedicated bridged 4 channel ATI amp that provides 900W per channel. A Yamaha RX-V3200 receiver provides 120W to the center and surrounds.

Hard to rate speakers or system as I'm sure there are better components out there. I will say that for my investment, I doubt I could beat it.

Guys, would I have problems pairing the S50's with the 6T's and 9C?

I can't for the life of me find 10S's or 2B's anywhere, since they've been discontinued. Sound City and DMC both have the 10S's, but only in white and that's a no go. I need them in black.

Guys, would I have problems pairing the S50's with the 6T's and 9C?

I can't for the life of me find 10S's or 2B's anywhere, since they've been discontinued. Sound City and DMC both have the 10S's, but only in white and that's a no go. I need them in black.

Try calling soundcity (the store in franklin, nj or denville, nj, I bought my stuff directly from the store and got prices much cheaper than the website, plus I found things not listed. The store and the online portion are two different entities. One of their stores is closing and I bought some demo stuff for unbelievable prices.

Well I spent most of the day today, calling around to places such as Sound City, DMC, and a few local dealers in surrounding states, with no luck. Since the 10S's and 2B's have been have discountinued, nobody has any, and the places that do, such as Sound City and DMC Electronics, only have them in white. Can't find 2B's at all.

So I don't know what to do at this point. I've looked on Ebay, I've looked on Audiogon, I've searched classified adds, still nothing.

If pairing the 6T's and 9C with the S50's would be ok, and there wouldn't be an issue with their preformance or difference in sound, then I could go that route, otherwise it looks like I'll have little choice but to purchase the T65's and C60.

I guess my orginal question still stands. Does anybody think that paring the 6T's and 9C with the S50's would be fine, or pose any problems?

Here is what one local dealer recommended for me to check out for the $2,000, I am planning to spend...

PSB Alpha B : Fronts & Rear
PSB C : Center
B&W 12" 200watt subwoofer
NAD T743 (90watts x 7)

I may go give these a listen today.

Here is what one local dealer recommended for me to check out for the $2,000, I am planning to spend...

PSB Alpha B : Fronts & Rear
PSB C : Center
B&W 12" 200watt subwoofer
NAD T743 (90watts x 7)

I may go give these a listen today.

I'm not sure about those prices but the Alpha B has been replaced by the B-1 so I would check on which model you will be getting.

The MSRP went from $249 to $279 with the change. I picked up a demo pair of B-1's roughly 30% off MSRP and use them as surround to my Image T45's.

$2000 seems high to me.

Can't find 2B's at all.
...

If pairing the 6T's and 9C with the S50's would be ok, and there wouldn't be an issue with their preformance or difference in sound, then I could go that route, otherwise it looks like I'll have little choice but to purchase the T65's and C60.

I guess my orginal question still stands. Does anybody think that paring the 6T's and 9C with the S50's would be fine, or pose any problems?

I believe that the S50's and the 10S are the same speaker, just different names. About 2-3 years ago, PSB renamed all image speakers and got rid of the 7pt.

10S became S50
6T became T65
5T became T55
2B became B25
9C became C60
etc.
etc.

I hope this helps you in finding them. You should be able to find combinations of all the newly named speakers. I don't know of any differences or price differences, other than the exterior of the unit got a slight curve to the edges and new colors. From 20 feet you can't tell the difference other than color.

The pairing you discribe sounds like great setup.

Good Luck.

TREVOR

I believe that the S50's and the 10S are the same speaker, just different names. About 2-3 years ago, PSB renamed all image speakers and got rid of the 7pt.

10S became S50
6T became T65
5T became T55
2B became B25
9C became C60
etc.
etc.

I hope this helps you in finding them. You should be able to find combinations of all the newly named speakers. I don't know of any differences or price differences, other than the exterior of the unit got a slight curve to the edges and new colors. From 20 feet you can't tell the difference other than color.

The pairing you discribe sounds like great setup.

Good Luck.

TREVOR

Thanks Trevor! I'll keep everyone posted as to what I end up upgrading to. It'll either be the PSB's or Revel.

Thanks Trevor! I'll keep everyone posted as to what I end up upgrading to. It'll either be the PSB's or Revel.


I know soundcity had B15's at a really good price. Especially for the Cherry. They were demos but GREAT prices.

Main's: PSB Stratus Silveri's (5 years)
Center: PSB C6i (5 years)
Sides: PSB Image 10S (5 years)
Rear's: JBL HLS810's (7 years)
Sub: SVS PB2+ (3 years)

I guess my original question still stands. Does anybody think that paring the 6T's and 9C with the S50's would be fine, or pose any problems?

There are a few changes to the PSB Speakers - S50 Surround Sound Speaker (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=19&sId=3) over the 10S but nothing that will stick out like a sore thumb. The drivers are different updated material and i think they played with the bracing a bit. I say get the S50's they should sound just fine.

I'm interested in the PSB Image series, but I'm not sure what would work in my family room. It's very small (13ft x 8ft) with wood flooring, the speakers would be inches from the back wall, and on the right side, the speaker would be about 1 ft from the side wall. I want tower speakers (Image T45's), but I guess that will not work with practically zero space to the sides and rear. My second choice would be the larger bookshelves (B25's).
Any comments or suggestions?

I'm interested in the PSB Image series, but I'm not sure what would work in my family room. It's very small (13ft x 8ft) with wood flooring, the speakers would be inches from the back wall, and on the right side, the speaker would be about 1 ft from the side wall. I want tower speakers (Image T45's), but I guess that will not work with practically zero space to the sides and rear. My second choice would be the larger bookshelves (B25's).
Any comments or suggestions?

See if you can find a dealer in your area that ill let you demo at home, that would be the best bet. I bought a pair of Alpha B-1's in Fairfax, VA and they were some of the nicest dealers I have met. You may want to see if they would let you try some at home, not sure how may PSB dealers are in the Rockville area.

Looks like these are your choices in MD.
Mad Maximus~ try putting some DIY acoustic wall coverings on the walls right beside the speakers then you can get any speaker you want.


Innovative Multimedia
7960 Cessna Ave.
Gaithersburg MD 20879
301-208-0054 301-208-0340
sales@inov8vmm.com
http://www.innovative-multimedia.com

Source One, Inc.
8565 Atlas Drive
Gaithersburg MD 20877
301-977-6260 301-977-6267
main@source1online.com

Brinton Elec. Security Services
4E Fisher Creek Drive, Suite 5
Kimberling City MD 65686
417-739-9614 417-739-9614
brinton@yahoo.com

The Listening Room Call for Directions
Pikesville MD 21208 410-239-2020

How about the Alpha T1 Towers? I listened to those yesterday. Not bad. I also listened to their B1 in another room. Very impressive!

I jsut post in the AMP- thread, I i think it's impollite to double post.
But does anyone have a Crown 402 or 202 pre-amp in their system?
I have PSB :. :. Stratus Silveri Tower :.
I just want to know which would give me the best sound, really do not play these loud.
dave
Denon 3803, c6i>svs 12isd>T+A rears> SONY CE775 mod -SACD player.

Hello,

I am new to the forum, but certainly no stranger to PSB speakers. Anyway, I am hearing reports that the Stratus line may be re-introduced in the coming year? Has anyone heard conclusively about this eventuality? I currently own a pair of Stratus Mini's, and I am going to sell them on Audiogon. A new Stratus Mini would certainly be something.

Hello,

I am new to the forum, but certainly no stranger to PSB speakers. Anyway, I am hearing reports that the Stratus line may be re-introduced in the coming year? Has anyone heard conclusively about this eventuality? I currently own a pair of Stratus Mini's, and I am going to sell them on Audiogon. A new Stratus Mini would certainly be something.


Yes new stratus are coming, (ya) I would look for them around the new year. dec 06 - jan 07

Hi guys, I've been pretty busy with work and finally got around to having my M6.1R surround sound speakers installed this week. There are some updated photos in the link in my sig.

Now is it just me, or does that look like a lot of speakers in the ceiling? Am I nuts for having a 7.1 system in a bedroom? I have to admit, the sight of holes being cut in my pristine drywall did make me a little queasy, but damn--it sure sounds good so far! Please let me know what you think, do all those speakers ruin the aesthetics of the room? :confused: :(

System now:
Platinum T6 fronts
Platinum C2 Center
Image 10s surrounds
Image T4 surround backs
Powerd buy Sunfire TGIV and CG 400x5 Sony 9000ES 125x5
Denon 2900

Love them will not trade them...til I hear something far better in the price range.

Will upgrade the surrounds to Platinums soon and maybe eventually the T8's and C4 center someday.
have had: old Infinaty, PSB 600i's, T4's, T65, C60, Phase Tech center and sub...sure I am missing some.

Nate

[QUOTE=firebook23]Yes new stratus are coming, (ya) I would look for them around the new year. dec 06 - jan 07[/QUOT


I can't wait to see the new Stratus Line. In the mean time, I have been looking for a used pair of Silveri's, but everone is asking too much, or everyone is in California, making shipping to NY State out of the question.

My current speaker setup consists of:

Center: PSB Image 9C
Fronts: PSB Image 2b
Rear: Polk R10
Sub: DLS 12" 100watt sub (cheapy sub from PartsExpress.com)

I am considering an upgrade to the T55 for the fronts, and moving the Image 2b's to the rears to replace my cheapy Polks.

Will there be any voice matching problems with the T55 in my setup? or should i just try to find a pair of Image 5T's? It would be nice to have a matching set. However, that T55 does look mighty pretty. I'm kinda torn between these two options.

I live very close to DMC-electronics. I bought all my PSB speakers from them. They sold Image speakers for a long time, but they have ran out of the 5Ts, and now mainly carry the new Image line.

My current speaker setup consists of:

Center: PSB Image 9C
Fronts: PSB Image 2b
Rear: Polk R10
Sub: DLS 12" 100watt sub (cheapy sub from PartsExpress.com)

I am considering an upgrade to the T55 for the fronts, and moving the Image 2b's to the rears to replace my cheapy Polks.

Will there be any voice matching problems with the T55 in my setup? or should i just try to find a pair of Image 5T's? It would be nice to have a matching set. However, that T55 does look mighty pretty. I'm kinda torn between these two options.

I live very close to DMC-electronics. I bought all my PSB speakers from them. They sold Image speakers for a long time, but they have ran out of the 5Ts, and now mainly carry the new Image line.

Would they let you do an in home demo?

I have the Image 8C and T45 with no problems.

I went from the 4T to the T65's and no voice match issues at all but WOW what a difference so much fuller I still use my old 10S rear surrounds and 4T suroound backs with my Platinum front stage sounds freakin AMAIZING.

And most places will let you demo them inhome.

Nate

Found this on the Stereophile Ultimate AV website:

PSB Stratus (http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/cedia2006/091506PSB/)

That's not a whole lot to go on, but they're definitely coming - next year.

Interesting news on the drivers. The wait may very well be worth it.

Scott

Found this on the Stereophile Ultimate AV website:

PSB Stratus (http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/cedia2006/091506PSB/)

That's not a whole lot to go on, but they're definitely coming - next year.

Interesting news on the drivers. The wait may very well be worth it.

Scott


The floor stander looks A LOT like an Image Series speaker. The feet and the curved edges all look like a black version of the newer Image series speakers.

The center channel above it looks more like a stratus and such. It will be interesting to see what happens.

TREVOR

The floor stander looks A LOT like an Image Series speaker.


I thought the same thing, only i like the piano black look.

Yeah, the piano black look is a great look. It looks wider than the T65/55 though, more like a Stratus speaker.

TREVOR

I talked to the guys at CEDIA about the new Stratus stuff, They said that PSB will be coming out with two stages of stratus. what you see in the picture posted above is the first stage of the new stratus line.

(lets say stratus -a, stratus -b)
stratus -a are in beefed up image cabinets with better bracing, crossovers, tweeter, and much better fiberglass drivers

stratus -b will be different yet again. I was unable to see what they will look like.

i have a pair of 3LRs for my bedroom and my main system has a pair of psb subs (subsonic 6 and 6i). very happy with my psbs

I talked to the guys at CEDIA about the new Stratus stuff, They said that PSB will be coming out with two stages of stratus. what you see in the picture posted above is the first stage of the new stratus line.

(lets say stratus -a, stratus -b)
stratus -a are in beefed up image cabinets with better bracing, crossovers, tweeter, and much better fiberglass drivers

stratus -b will be different yet again. I was unable to see what they will look like.

That's good to hear. I was a bit underwhelmed by the look of Stratus. Nice, but "where's the beef?" Everyone was busy on Saturday so I stupidly figured I'd come back on Sunday, only to find everything roped off. The speakers look like they might very well sound nice, but I always much preferred the sound of the 3-way Golds over the 2.5-way Silvers. I'd hoped more for a smaller and larger Stratus tower, both 3-ways. Paul loves 2.5-way design, but his 3-way just smoked his 2.5-ways by a large margin.

Of course these days, it's smart to either do bass seriously or not at all. The middlin solutions are only good for stereo in a small to mid-sized rooms and there's not a ton of that going on. I'd have killed for a 3-way tower with dual 6", single 4" CF drivers and a matching center, designed to go with their subs, and then a bigger, badder version, maybe with subs built in or something.

I was a bit underwhelmed by the look of Stratus. Nice, but "where's the beef?"
Agreed. To me, these polished-up Image speakers are PSB's way of saying "We got nuthin'."

That's good to hear. I was a bit underwhelmed by the look of Stratus. Nice, but "where's the beef?" Everyone was busy on Saturday so I stupidly figured I'd come back on Sunday, only to find everything roped off. The speakers look like they might very well sound nice, but I always much preferred the sound of the 3-way Golds over the 2.5-way Silvers. I'd hoped more for a smaller and larger Stratus tower, both 3-ways. Paul loves 2.5-way design, but his 3-way just smoked his 2.5-ways by a large margin.

Of course these days, it's smart to either do bass seriously or not at all. The middlin solutions are only good for stereo in a small to mid-sized rooms and there's not a ton of that going on. I'd have killed for a 3-way tower with dual 6", single 4" CF drivers and a matching center, designed to go with their subs, and then a bigger, badder version, maybe with subs built in or something.






Just be a little patient. The speakers you saw were the stratus a. They will be coming out with a stratus be that suppose to be totally different. Paul is too smart not to improve on the stratus line.

They had told me to be prepared for very different and cool styling, so I can only assume you are correct in this! That's why I was a bit disappointed, not so much in what was shown, but what wasn't.

Has anyone heard the Stratus G (first stage) speakers? Comments?

I am selling a PSB Image series set-up on Audiogon. It is the 5T, 9C, 10S combo. I will take good offers.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1168663751

Has anyone heard the Stratus G (first stage) speakers? Comments?

I have heard them and in my opinion they are very! very! nice. way better then the Image series (they are only close to the same look as the image series and that's where the similarity end). The only thing is that if you want the low end of the old stratus gold's then you should get a sub. but the new stratus G's are a great step.

let me tell you they look like a million bucks as well

Happy PSB owner here. I have Silver fronts, C6 center, 800's as my rears right now. I need something that mounts on my back wall for my surrounds. The 800's are only there until I find something else. Does anyone recommend the S50's or should I wait to see if there is a dipole/bipole speaker coming out with the new Stratus line?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice - I've got a 3-speaker setup right now that I compiled while I was in University - an older PSB centre channel (from 2002 - I am unsure of the exact model right now) and 2 Image bookshelf speakers up front.

I'm now in a small condo and have started to watch a lot more HD content. Not surprisingly, I want to now add surrounds. I noticed that the Alpha line was just revamped, and I am particularly interested in the Alpha LR1 at $199/pr.

Does anyone have experience with these? I'm looking for something small, as the condo itself isn't very large - and on paper these seem to fit my requirements.

Many thanks!

:confused: Well, I've basically decided that the Image T55's were ging to be my next speaker purchase until I read that the straus GT1's were much better--at least to one member here that has heard both. What would one expect b/t the new alphas and the T55 or maybe even the T65's..?

I still have a full PSB Image series set-up for sale here. 5T, 9C, 10S and I am taking ANY reasonable offers. Need to sell these soon! PM me and I will send pics and info! THANKS GUYS!

I just bought a pair of PSB Image B25s so as to upgrade & save space within our new media room. We love them...our original thought was to use speaker brackets to mount them to the wall however, due to placement of the new flat screen this will no longer work. So speaker stands it is, any suggestions on those would be my first question....

Space is now a huge factor in the design of this room. So now I need to get in-wall rear speakers and I do not know what to get that would compliment my two new front speakers, while fitting into my budget of $200. I'd like to stick with the same brand, but my budget doesn't work with PSB's in-wall speakers, so any suggestions? :confused:

My receiver is a Yamaha, RX-V595a and I listen to a lot of music, however, movies are starting to now be played a lot on the new plasma...

Hi all,

I am converting a smallish den (12x11) to a home theater. I can fit three seats in the rear against the wall and the view distance will be about 9.5 feet to the plasma screen. I currently have a set of PSB Stratus (2 fronts, center and 2 rears) that I used in a larger room. My problem is that there isn't any room to the sides to place the rear speakers on stands and if they are behind the seating they would literally be next to the viewer's head.


What would you recommend?

Thanks,

Brownie

Brownie, since this is a HT- and not so much a Music listening room?? However, PSB really are Music speakers. Do you listen to 2ch or SACD/A?? if you want HT primary, look at dipoles- you have more options in placement....
db
PSB SiliverI and C6i

DAB,

First off, let me say I am quite a novice in this area, but these speakers were purchased initially for a larger familyroom and were used for both music and TV. I also need to correct the model. They are Image (5Ts Fronts, 2Bs rears, 9C center) Are these ok for home theater? (I will be watching some DVD concerts, but mostly movies and sports.)

Thanks,

Brownie

Quote: DAB,

First off, let me say I am quite a novice in this area, but these speakers were purchased initially for a larger familyroom and were used for both music and TV. I also need to correct the model. They are Image (5Ts Fronts, 2Bs rears, 9C center) Are these ok for home theater? (I will be watching some DVD concerts, but mostly movies and sports.)

Thanks,

Brownie
END QUOTE


Well, I have to say that PSB makes excellent HT speakers :D . Your 5T, 2Bs and 9Cs will work great if you had room to place your 2b's behind you. My suggestion would be to purchase the PSB S50 (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=19&sId=3) or the 10s, which are pretty much the same thing as the S50 but are from same time period as your 5t's.

The S50/10s' would be placed on the side wall toward the back...but that renders your 2b's worthless :( unless you use them in another room.

A second option, that I have used :) : With a couch or seating directly against a back wall. Slide the couch away from the wall just far enough to fit the 2b's behind them. Face the 2b's upward toward the ceiling. Move the 2b's out closer to the corners of the room or to the farthest extents of the couch. By facing them toward the ceiling you get reflections off the back wall and the ceiling which then disperses the sound and spreads it out over a larger area. This option still gives pretty good surround functions :rolleyes: from these speakers, and maximizes your viewing distance in small rooms :cool: . Keeps the sound behind you for the most part and off to the sides. Place the tweeters toward the inside when orientating the 2b's.

Hope this helps.

TREVOR

The 10s/s50 bi-polar design is meant to disperse the sound and not allow for as much directional sound so it is harder to pin-point exactly where the sound is coming from but in that general direction.

By having the 2b's reflect off the ceiling and wall you get the dispersion effect AND some directional ;) .

Thanks for the excellent suggestions. Moving the couches forward isn't an option as the view distance will be too short. Also, the doorway is to the side of the couch. I phoned a local PSB dealer and he suggested doing in ceiling speakers. (C-160s) Would that work?

Thanks,

Brownie

I should clarify- i use my PSB for both Music and living room HT- they handle both wonderfully. My rears are 6'& 4' from PLP. But only 3' from the end of sofia. and Sofia is 1' from back wall- in a acoustically challenged living room. But the system sound lovely. in a 17x20 room
db

Just a correction. The speakers are CW-160s. There are also in wall CW 260s. Any thoughts on these as ceiling rears for a 5.1 set-up?

Thanks,


Brownie

I currently have Axiom speakers, with the M22s as fronts. I've always had an itch to upgrade to towers. I've tried the M50s, but didn't really care for them. I am currently considering the PSB t45 and changing the center channel to whatever PSB center matches the T45's. I am considering this not because I don't like my Axioms, but simply because I could get the T45's and the center for less than upgrading to Axioms M60s. I'm not sure if the T45s/T55s are much of an upgrade vs the Axiom M22s. Would I disappointed if I made this move? Thanks for your responses.

I can get the C40 for $150 from a friend, then sell my existing 8C somewhere. Would it make sense? Would the C40 sound nicer than th 8C? FYI, my setup includes PSB Image 4Ts in front, 2Bs in back, and a Subsonic 5. I've always thought the 8C sounded a tad weaker than the rest of the setup.

Thanks!

Can anyone say whether PSB dealers deal on price at all?
For example, with Paradigm's there's a pretty consistent 10% discount off MSRP from dealers.
I'm wondering if there's a similar unwritten rule for PSBs.

Thanks,


Mitch

Can anyone say whether PSB dealers deal on price at all?
For example, with Paradigm's there's a pretty consistent 10% discount off MSRP from dealers.
I'm wondering if there's a similar unwritten rule for PSBs.


We sell PSB speakers at the store I work at, and there is no unwritten rule regarding discounting them. (At least not one we know of. :) )

Just a heads up. PSB has added the new G series Stratus speakers to their product pages. Here's a link:

Stratus Series (http://www.psbspeakers.com/series.php?sId=2) \

I'm anxious to see what the second Stratus series will be like.

Scott

I can get the C40 for $150 from a friend, then sell my existing 8C somewhere. Would it make sense? Would the C40 sound nicer than th 8C? FYI, my setup includes PSB Image 4Ts in front, 2Bs in back, and a Subsonic 5. I've always thought the 8C sounded a tad weaker than the rest of the setup.

Thanks!

It would only make sense if you could sell your 8C for more than $150 and the C40 was in better condition than your 8C.

For all intents and purposes the C40 is identical to the 8C. The C40 uses the same size and type of driver, same dimensions, and pretty much everything else. PSB just really made a visual upgrade to the image series and changed the nomenclature that went with each speaker. Colors are different etc.

TREVOR

For all intents and purposes the C40 is identical to the 8C. The C40 uses the same size and type of driver, same dimensions, and pretty much everything else. PSB just really made a visual upgrade to the image series and changed the nomenclature that went with each speaker.
TREVOR

That's not entirely true... At CEDIA, one of the PSB engineers told me that the C40 woofer cone is lighter and injection molded; 8C was vacuum formed. The tweeter design was tweaked. The crossover was re-designed to take advantage of the better drivers. The 8C uses straight port tubes whereas the C40 uses curves ports which eliminate port resonances that show up as dips in the frequency response.

Other than that, they're functionally identical. :D

That's not entirely true... At CEDIA, one of the PSB engineers told me that the C40 woofer cone is lighter and injection molded; 8C was vacuum formed. The tweeter design was tweaked. The crossover was re-designed to take advantage of the better drivers. The 8C uses straight port tubes whereas the C40 uses curves ports which eliminate port resonances that show up as dips in the frequency response.

Other than that, they're functionally identical. :D

Great to hear that. :o I'm sure everything you say is accurate. Problem is most of the dealers I have talked to are clueless to those facts and would repeat what I had said :( .

But for all intents and purposes, I think the responses you're going to get from the newer images are going to be very similar in most respects to the "older" models when matching them with other speakers and such.

Thanks for the info :) .

TREVOR

Atkinson is off on a few things in his T8 review but he did nail how they do voices almost perfectly. I wouldn't classify them as on the cold side of neutral but rather slightly cool which is much more accurate than the false midbass warmth so many speakers have. I purchased the C4 and M2s last night so have the full setup now. I was hoping to get another set of the T8s for rears but none were available. I had the Paradigm S8 when they first came out and have heard them many times and the T8, to my ears, are in a completely different league in terms of accuracy, imaging and transparency.

Wes Philips has an interesting review on the T6 at Soundstage where he preferred it to the Aerial 20T. in my mind he nailed the sound much better than JA .

Wasn't looking for speakers as I am pretty happy with my Magnepan 3.6R, 1.6QR and CC3 and in the stereo rig Revel Ultimas but yesterday I was confronted with a deal on a set of PSB Platinum T8 speakers. Now PSB has never really been on my radar I'd heard them plenty of times and always found the Stratus Gold to be warmer than neutral and not my thing. Figuring the Maggies and Revel were pretty much untouchable we unpacked them and hooked them up for what we thought was a brief time and then they'd be listed on Audiogon. Boy we couldn't have been more wrong. What started as, we thought, a five minute audition lasted all night. These speakers reproduce vocals in a way I have never heard in 30 years of being into high end. The clarity and sense of a well recorded performer being in the room was literally off the map. Both the Maggies and the Revel are superb in the midrange and I thought they couldn't be surpassed but these unassuming BIG boxes are revelatory in the midband. Voices are beyond reproach, horns have just that right amount of blat as they do in real life and violins and strings are seductive when need be and piercing when called for. At this point I cannot find any discernable colouration. They are as neutral, or moreso, a transducer as I have yet to hear.
The soundstage is huge, when it's on the recording, with exceptional delineation of all layers and no truncation of the stage even to the very rear. Imaging is beyond reproach.
The bass is something I think many wouldn't expect. It first of all is deep, extending to 25 hz in my room and with NO overhang, doubling and a distinct lack of distortion. Basically a stand up bass sounds as it should and tympanis and kick drums are superb with a great sense of skin.
The highs are more accurate and musical than the Maggie's ribbon tweeter, yes I actually said that. I never, never expected that out of a dome but cymbals have that natural sparkle, that sound of wood or metal to metal and the most natural decay I have heard.
This has been the biggest surprise to me in all my audiophile "career". The only downside is their looks. Nobody will mistake these for $30,000 by their looks but they would by their sound. This speaker seems to have flown under the radar for many people and it's a shame as I have never heard anything near their price that comes close. I strongly urge you to audition these if you're looking for speaker at their $7000 list price or much higher. I have a feeling many will end up with these in their houses.

Great review of the T8. I see them on Audiogon, so I assume you are not keeping them?

Great review of the T8. I see them on Audiogon, so I assume you are not keeping them?

Oh I'm keeping them. I sold the Maggies off.

Very good, I like my PSB's a lot but I'll certainly keep my eyes open down the road for the T8's.

Well, I've finally taken the jump and bought most of the stuff needed for my new HT room in my basement.

On boxing day I picked up the following:

front: Image T45s
center: C40
Rear surrounds: Four B25s
subwoofer: 5i
Projector: Hitachi HDPJ52
Reciever: Yamaha RX-v1600

Now a couple of questions :)

For the B25s, can they be wall mounted?
Should I hook-up the T45s Bipolar to the Yama Receiver?
What is a good gauge of speaker wire without going overboard, but yet not losing anything.


Thanks

For the B25s, can they be wall mounted?
Should I hook-up the T45s Bipolar to the Yama Receiver?
What is a good gauge of speaker wire without going overboard, but yet not losing anything.


Thanks

wall mounting: I believe the B25's come with a pattern for drilling holes or adding screws in the right locations, to attach brackets/wall mounts. It should be included with the paperwork in the boxes.

Speaker wire gauge: 14ga speaker wire should be more than adequate for your setup. If you are running some distances over 50 feet, you could co to 12ga, but not absolutely necessary if your right at 50 feet. Home Depot/Lowes/Menards has in-wall and standard 14ga wire for a decent price. AVS has some great sponsors as well that carry it online at great prices. Blue Jeans Cable comes to mind, but theirs is most likely just 12ga or larger.

Good Luck.

TREVOR

Thanks Trevor,

I opened up the boxes today and noticed that it mentioned to use one of four recommended mounts, two of them being the omnimount 20.0 and 30.0 series. Now I just need to find a place in Canada that sells them at a cheap price. Unfortunately, my speakers will just have to sit here for another month or so while I finish off my HT room. :(

Well, I've finally taken the jump and bought most of the stuff needed for my new HT room in my basement.

On boxing day I picked up the following:

front: Image T45s
center: C40
Rear surrounds: Four B25s
subwoofer: 5i
Projector: Hitachi HDPJ52
Reciever: Yamaha RX-v1600

Now a couple of questions :)

For the B25s, can they be wall mounted?
Should I hook-up the T45s Bipolar to the Yama Receiver?
What is a good gauge of speaker wire without going overboard, but yet not losing anything.


Thanks

Hey mavento,

How to you like the T45s with your RX-v1600? I'm thinking of picking-up a pair of t45s or Alpha Ts to replace my Boston Acoustics Left, Right and Center.

On another note, are all PSB speakers made in Canada, or do they make the lower-priced models in China? If they were made in Canada, that would seal the deal for me.

On another note, are all PSB speakers made in Canada, or do they make the lower-priced models in China? If they were made in Canada, that would seal the deal for me.

It's my understanding that they are ALL assembled in Canada. Though i believe Firebook23 could answer this a bit more definatively. He always seems to have the hook-up when it comes to PSB info. :cool:

Hi,

unfortunately I haven't hooked up my stuff yet. Still working on my HT room, hoping to have it all finished by mid-feb.

Need to pick up some mounts for my Image B25s...anyone have any recommendations/links on a place with good prices?

It's my understanding that they are ALL assembled in Canada. Though i believe Firebook23 could answer this a bit more definatively. He always seems to have the hook-up when it comes to PSB info. :cool:

Sounds promising! Thanks!

Hi,

unfortunately I haven't hooked up my stuff yet. Still working on my HT room, hoping to have it all finished by mid-feb.

Need to pick up some mounts for my Image B25s...anyone have any recommendations/links on a place with good prices?

Try these from Monoprice. (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082804&p_id=3011&style=&seq=1&format=1#largeimage). I've heard nothing but good things about their products, especially for the the $$ you pay.

On another note, are all PSB speakers made in Canada, or do they make the lower-priced models in China? If they were made in Canada, that would seal the deal for me.
I'm pretty sure they're all made in China now (minus the Platinum series maybe). The boxes for the current Image and Stratus series speakers read "Designed and engineered in Canada, custom manufactured in China"

I'm pretty sure they're all made in China now (minus the Platinum series maybe). The boxes for the current Image and Stratus series speakers read "Designed and engineered in Canada, custom manufactured in China"

Makes sense to me. In this day and age, it seems like everyone has to do this if they have a line that has good bang for the buck.

Thanks!

Joe

I just got in a batch of the new CW inwall series, made in China. Haven't heard any yet, but the build quality seems excellent.

Regards

I wonder why it is that they use 2.5-way design with multiple 6.5" woofers in the regular speakers, but the in-walls are more traditional, beefier-looking 3-ways.

Any news from CES? I have a call in, but no reports of any *new* PSBs being shown thus far.

Paul seems to think 2.5 ways are the best "bang/buck" design. I disagree and prefer 2-way or 3-ways, but he's the guy. The custom product is amazingly well done and the upper end models are basically T6s in a custom box, but sealed.

Thanks Jsantos,

I just ordered a bunch of cable from them a couple of days ago. Needed a couple of 50' runs so I thought I'd try their cables. Indeed great prices, just hoping the quality is still there. Never thought to check the mounts though, may have to give them a try for that price.


thanks again

heres a link
http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/ces2007/011007PSB/
Ryan

They did mention in there that the new center will have a vertically aligned tweeter and mid, nice to see that they are making good changes.

I have just set up a new home theater in a smallish room. 12 x 10 I am using older Image series fronts and center, with new rear CW 160s in the ceiling. Using a Denon 2807 receiver. Any advice on what settings for the speakers? Small vs large, etc. I have a Hsu subwoofer.

heres a link
http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/ces2007/011007PSB/
Ryan

Nice catch!

I have just set up a new home theater in a smallish room. 12 x 10 I am using older Image series fronts and center, with new rear CW 160s in the ceiling. Using a Denon 2807 receiver. Any advice on what settings for the speakers? Small vs large, etc. I have a Hsu subwoofer.

I'm a firm believer in letting a capable sub take care of all the lowest bass. I set my Stratus Silver-i towers to small and avoid any bass cancellation, which also allows the sub to work in 2 channel stereo where a large part of my listening takes place. I use 2 subs, a HSU and SVS sub. It took a few extra hours to calibrate, but the results were worth it.

Experiment and find out what works for you and your room.

Hi everyone great thread. I love the PSB speakers. I was hoping for some advice. I am looking to upgrade my front speakers. Here is my setup;
Fronts: Atoms (yes the ones form the early 80's)
center: alpha center (2000)
surrounds: alpha Intro Lr (2000)
sub:reel acoustics Rsw 810 (2003)
Receiver: Yamaha RX-V520
Tv:Toshiba 32HL86
Rec room 11 feet by 13 feet. I am hoping to move to a little bigger room in the next couple of months

I was thinking to get the Alpha B1 or the Alpha T1. I would like to best pair to match my current set up and center speaker, and maybe my new home

thanks

Hi all,

I've been pondering on buying the B25s or T45s for a while, and two days ago one of my old fronts died, so it is shopping time.

But at the moment my budget is a bit strained, so I'll probably not be able to get a new amp just yet. Today I have an old Rotel RA-820 (25W-ish, late 80's).

It should be able to drive B25's, but will it manage T45s? At the moment I have an offer for the T45s for B25-price +10% (~400 USD, I'm based in Norway) which seems like a _very_ good deal. But if I'm unable to use the speakers it's not really worth it.

So, will a small amp like that be useable for a while with T45's or will it I be unable to play at all?

kind regards,
-sig

H
center: alpha center (2000)
surrounds: alpha Intro Lr (2000)

I was thinking to get the Alpha B1 or the Alpha T1. I would like to best pair to match my current set up and center speaker, and maybe my new home
thanks :) Fanboy,
I believe you would be happier with the response from the T1's than the B1's. They just have an all around better response than the B1's.

:rolleyes: Sigurdur,
it should be able to drive B25's, but will it manage T45s? At the moment I have an offer for the T45s for B25-price +10% (~400 USD, I'm based in Norway) which seems like a _very_ good deal. But if I'm unable to use the speakers it's not really worth it.

So, will a small amp like that be useable for a while with T45's or will it I be unable to play at all?I believe your amp should be just fine with the T45's. :) As with any speaker, you will not be able to push them to "party" levels, but normal movie and music listening levels should be fine. The B25's and T45's have the same spec on the bottom end, but more power is always recommended. Any standard mid to lower-end receivers (I recommend Denon) would have MUCH more power than your Rotel. You can find many nice receivers for $100 or a little more on ebay or even new and have plenty of power to crank them up.

avoid any bass cancellation,
I have the the PSB Stratus Silver-i and C6i - svs 12sdi{cross over 80hz) and T+A rears.
Dedicated carvin900 amp for fronts and denon3803 for the rest.
I have been playing around with cd player set to small and in the receiver small for speakers- but changing the front from small to large and back inforth.
2ch and SACD play. Haven't really come to a conclution on what i like better.
Q? for you can you explain a little more on what you found out about :avoid any bass cancellation: using Siver-i set to either large & small what have you found.
dave



I'm a firm believer in letting a capable sub take care of all the lowest bass. I set my Stratus Silver-i towers to small and avoid any bass cancellation, which also allows the sub to work in 2 channel stereo where a large part of my listening takes place. I use 2 subs, a HSU and SVS sub. It took a few extra hours to calibrate, but the results were worth it.

Experiment and find out what works for you and your room.

My HT includes,

Front L/R : PSB Image 5T
Centre : PSB Image 9C
Surr : PSB Image 10S
Sub : M&K V1250 THX

Processor : Anthem AVM 30
Amp : Anthem MCA 50
DVD : Denon 3930CI
HD/PVR : Motorola DCT 6412
HDTV : Samsung HLR 6178
CD-R : Pioneer PDR-555
Remote : Harmony 880

Cables : Audioquest (King Cobra, Sidewinder, YIQ-5, YIQ-2, Hawk Eye, VDM-5, NRG-5, NRG-3, NRG-1, CV-6, Type 2); Shunyata Black Mamba V2 power cord

My HT is the envy of all my friends. I love my HT!!!!! :)

How do you like your M&K sub? I'm going with 3 x M&K SW-150s in the front, and Sonance Virtuosos in-ceiling in the rear & side, but I can't settle on a sub. EVERYONE likes the AVS, and Velodyne seems like a good <$1k option, but I was also considering M&K, as well as the PSB 8" & 10" in-wall subs.

I'm powering everything with NOS Carver 55 amps that I picked up about 5 years ago & haven't used yet.

The Sub thing is the sticker.

Hi Guys,

I'm a rookie here, this is my first post (I placed it also in 'Marantz Owner Thread') - please, forgive my lack of 'forum professionalism'...

Recently, I have bought Marantz SR 5001 and hooked it up with my new PSB T45 towers and C40 in the middle... I had very limited budget, so I couldn't afford the whole set of speakers for now (I threw my old fronts in rear so I can have a nice surround sound in my room).
I realize that comparing to what you present here my equipment is pretty poor... I'm just starting my adventure here.

But anyway! What I want to say here is: the 'marriage' of Marantz and PSB really works very well. Nice sound, deep bass, clean mids and highs and - what I have to add, too - PSBs look great :)

Before I got my T45s I tried Paradigm, KEF, DALI and Klipsch speakers. To be honest the closest to what I wanted to hear were Paradigm Monitor 9s (comparable price); I didn't like KEFs, DALI did not impress me that much (not enough to justify the price...), Klipsch were loud but this was not what I was aiming at.
I finally I went with PSBs ;)

I spent some time looking for a receiver, too. I thought of Denon 2307 or Yamaha (can't remember the model now). I chose Marantz and I'm glad - hopefully it will work nicely, without problems.

I will appreciate any comments from you guys - what do you think of the products I got? how would you set them up to achieve better effect?

Right now, I have to excuse you guys - I'm going to play once again 'landing in Normandy' - the coolest scene from 'Saving Private Ryan'... :)

Good start man I had several before my PSbs as well and love the sound of them. since upgraded to Platinums and with the Sunfire it is absolutly perfect. I also still use my t-4 for my suround back speakers.

Nate

thanks NastyN8,

this is what I'm thinking: when I have some extra money to spend on upgrading (completing, I should say...) I'd like to buy T65s for the front, install T45s as rear surrounds and add B25s on sides. That's the plan, but to do that I have to buy a house first and dedicate a separate room (basement) for HT... :)

Right now this stuff gives us a lot of fun; my wife and I really enjoy listening to full sound of our new PSBs... ;)
--------------------------

thanks NastyN8,

this is what I'm thinking: when I have some extra money to spend on upgrading (completing, I should say...) I'd like to buy T65s for the front, install T45s as rear surrounds and add B25s on sides. That's the plan, but to do that I have to buy a house first and dedicate a separate room (basement) for HT... :)

Right now this stuff gives us a lot of fun; my wife and I really enjoy listening to full sound of our new PSBs... ;)
--------------------------

I am also running the T45's up front and I love them. Glad to see another happy PSB fan, although I dont see to many unhappy PSB owners.

I'm a recent member to this forum and am in the 'buying' phase of my upstairs entertainment room (17'x15'). I have been researching both Vandersteens and the PSB's for my 5.1 speaker setup and would like to know if anybody has heard both lines and could provide inut as to their thoughts. The Vandies that I was considering (and have heard) are:
- L/R mains: 3A Signatures
- Center: VCC-5
- Rears L/R: VSM-1
- Sub: Velodyne HGS-18 - this will be purchased today

PSB Platinum
- L/R: T8 or T6 (thoughts from anyone on how much better the T8's are?)
- Center: C4
- Rears L/R: S2
- Sub: Velodyne HGS-18 - this will be purchased today

These would be pushed by a Denon 4806 receiver and an Anthem A5 amp.

If anyone can provide input/suggestions regarding these two options it would be greatly appreciated. I am hearing the T8's today at our local dealer but may not be able to hear an entire PSB surround system. That's why I would like to get input from this forum. I watch movies 60% with my wife and 10 year old son and music the other 40%. Thanks

I bought PSB Image (T65, C60, S60, Sub6i) setup about a year ago and am very pleased. My first "real" set of speakers. I drive with Denon 3806. My room is maybe 16'x16', so these are on the big size, but I'm guessing I'll have my speakers longer than I'll be living at this house, so went for biggest in series.

I auditioned Paradigm Monitor series and Studio series with a friend who is buying Paradigm. I thought that my PSB Image T65 was better sounding than the best Monitor 11s, but the Studio series (60s or 100s) were slightly better, but at twice the price. I got a great deal on the PSBs, so much cheaper even than Monitor 11 setup, which normally is fairly comparable in cost.

Just FYI for people that live in or near Orange County, CA , DMC-electronics.com has a local store in Garden Grove that has the best price on PSB speakers and they are authorized dealers.

They also have some blemished models for the Image line that's much easier on the wallet! Also, I'm pretty sure they will waive sales tax for you if you pay cash upfront.

I bought my PSB 2B and 9C from them and planning to get a pair of T65 soon.

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of building my first HT/media room setup and due to favorable childhood memories of my parent's PSB/NAD, and after favorable auditions compared with Paradigm, Energy, DefTech, and Totem modems, I decided to go with PSB for my 5.1 system.

I already purchased the mains and centre from Audiogon (decided to go used so I could extend my reach a little), my setup thus far:

Image 6T mains L/R
Image 9C centre

I was originally intending to go with 10S or S50 (if I couldn't get the 10S used) for the surrounds, but after actually seeing those beasts, I have opted for CW28 in-walls since the space behind the listening position in my basement is a walking space.

Has anyone here tried this combo? How well/poorly do the Image series match with their in-wall offerings?

I am extremely happy with the 6T's though. I have them running in my living room while I finish my basement, and they absolutely rock. My favorite albums sound increadible, and the HT experience is top-notch. The towers put out enough bass in my room that if I wasn't moving the setup into a larger area I wouldn't need a sub (seriously, I was worried about my art falling from the walls, the 6T's just shake the entire room).

DrHollen, if you ever get a chance to barrow a pre-amp-to test out, and set it up w/ your PSB's try it. I have the D3803- many years- the i tried s neighbors Crown and wow!! and then purcahsed a Carvinhd900, i think the Crown had a sightly better SQ- but way to big. But my PSB Silversi really came to life with a little more power.
db



I bought PSB Image (T65, C60, S60, Sub6i) setup about a year ago and am very pleased. My first "real" set of speakers. I drive with Denon 3806. My room is maybe 16'x16', so these are on the big size, but I'm guessing I'll have my speakers longer than I'll be living at this house, so went for biggest in series.

I auditioned Paradigm Monitor series and Studio series with a friend who is buying Paradigm. I thought that my PSB Image T65 was better sounding than the best Monitor 11s, but the Studio series (60s or 100s) were slightly better, but at twice the price. I got a great deal on the PSBs, so much cheaper even than Monitor 11 setup, which normally is fairly comparable in cost.

Just want to add some love for the PSBs, I bought the 6T's and the 9C about 5 years ago and love the heck out of them, however I'm replacing the tweeters, I think my Yamaha receiver took it's toll on them before I bought the Rotel amp.

My system as of today:

PSB 6T's - Front
PSB 9C - Center
Design Acoustic PS10's - Rear
Yamaha HTR-5280 - Receiver used as a pre-amp
Rotel RB 956ax - Amp
Yamaha DVD-C750 - DVD changer

Tom

Hey Tom,

are you taking the PSB to an authorized service center for the repair on the tweeter? how much does it run?

I have a litlte issue with one of my front speakers, im not sure if its the woofer or tweeter, but it doesnt sound the same as my other front speaker. it does actually sound like something is blown as the sound coming from it does not have as much energy as the functioning one. It still works fine, not really noticeable when i allocate more volume towards the broken one.

are you taking the PSB to an authorized service center for the repair on the tweeter? how much does it run?

No I called PSB and they sent the tweeters, they're $44 + S&H, PM me if you need the number. Or just web search PSB tweeters. The tweeters are real easy to replace, just a screwdriver.

I had a hard time figuring out my tweeters were blown also, I knew something was wrong but I couldn't place it since they still sounded good. I listened to Yes Fragile (DVD-A) and found the piano missing in places. I had the center and my right tweeter blown, I could put my ear near them and not hear anything. With the new tweeters however, they're back to 100%.

Tom

I just picked up a patr of the Image T65's and am looking for a good intergrated amp or receiver to go with them. This is a 2 channel set up only, used for vinyl and cd's. Any suggestions on wwhat matches well with these speakers for around $1000? I am looking at the Rotel RX-1052 but would like to see others.

NAD!

Some friends of mine picked up an amp from Emotiva, not sure which model, but I think it is their middle of the road model, and have heard nothing but good things from them regarding the performance.

Audiohaulics just did a review I think of their low end models. check that out.

I personally would have to concur on the NAD though. I have heard those with PSBs and it was impressive.

hi, just wondering if anyone here is using the PSB Mini Theater System for their 5.1 system (Alpha LR/CLR & and subseries1)? Any input?
I need the Alpha LR for my front and rears, center and sub i can go bigger in size if needed, but its a small 10x12 or so room. Just wondering as i've narrowed it down to either the PSB or the Energy RC-Mini.

thank you

I got an OK setup....yes?

5T's front
2B's rear
9C center
Mirage BPS-400 sub
Yamaha rx-v2500 recvr

And a small 11 by 12 room

Got the new PSB GT1 Status and GC1 speakers. These are pretty heavy beasts. :D
Originally, I thought these are replacing their discontinued Silveri speakers, but later found out that wasn't the case. Someone from an earlier thread mentioned that there will be a "B" version of the G series and would cost $4000 for a pair. Maybe that's what the new Silveri's are replaced by, and out of my budget!
Well, I can say that I am very happy with my purchase and these are my very first set of PSB's. My brother had an old pair of Alpha's and I was impressed by them. I bought these without even demoing them.

Build quality: Very heavy and sturdy. Black Piano finish is stunning. Mine had a minor blemish on the bottom edge, not really noticeable. It may have been chipped at the factory and someone may have tried to "cover it up". In any case, I could live with it.
However the manual does not give adequate instructions on installing the speaker stands on the GT1's. It took me 3 tries to get it "right".

Sound Quality: I am no expert, but these sound crystal clear to me. After I set the Center and Left/Right to Large, it sounded much better. Much fuller sounding.
The best I'ved heard is on the movie trailers downloaded on to Xbox 360, especially "300" and " TMNT". The HD-DVD of the Eagles Farewell Tour sounds great on my set. Felt like I was there at the concert. Trumpets, guitars, pianos sound like they do in real life. The vocals are very accurate as well.

My Setup:

Harmon Kardon AVR340
Carver TFM-35x (Front Left/Right)
Carver Premiere 705x (Center, Surround Left/Right)
Sunfire D12 sub
Xbox 360 & HD-DVD add-on

P.S. I have not tried bi-wiring these speakers, anyone think I should? They sound great as it is. Also, feel free to ask me any questions about them.

Got the new PSB GT1 Status and GC1 speakers. These are pretty heavy beasts. :D
Originally, I thought these are replacing their discontinued Silveri speakers, but later found out that wasn't the case. Someone from an earlier thread mentioned that there will be a "B" version of the G series and would cost $4000 for a pair. Maybe that's what the new Silveri's are replaced by, and out of my budget!
Well, I can say that I am very happy with my purchase and these are my very first set of PSB's. My brother had an old pair of Alpha's and I was impressed by them. I bought these without even demoing them.

Build quality: Very heavy and sturdy. Black Piano finish is stunning. Mine had a minor blemish on the bottom edge, not really noticeable. It may have been chipped at the factory and someone may have tried to "cover it up". In any case, I could live with it.
However the manual does not give adequate instructions on installing the speaker stands on the GT1's. It took me 3 tries to get it "right".

Sound Quality: I am no expert, but these sound crystal clear to me. After I set the Center and Left/Right to Large, it sounded much better. Much fuller sounding.
The best I'ved heard is on the movie trailers downloaded on to Xbox 360, especially "300" and " TMNT". The HD-DVD of the Eagles Farewell Tour sounds great on my set. Felt like I was there at the concert. Trumpets, guitars, pianos sound like they do in real life. The vocals are very accurate as well.

My Setup:

Harmon Kardon AVR340
Carver TFM-35x (Front Left/Right)
Carver Premiere 705x (Center, Surround Left/Right)
Sunfire D12 sub
Xbox 360 & HD-DVD add-on

P.S. I have not tried bi-wiring these speakers, anyone think I should? They sound great as it is. Also, feel free to ask me any questions about them.

What did you pay for them?

td, I bi-wired my Silveri stratus, >out of curiousity and listen to them for a long time. I could not distinguish any SQ difference. I left them in for some time-why take them out? Then I remodeled with wall plates and took them out- could not hear a differences.... my 2cents
*But they did look cool- didn't cost me anything to do - used same cable after shorting it down.

Just found this forum the other day...

I have a set of PSB Alpha Ts and the Alpha Subzero I. They are connected to my NAD c350 integrated. Sources at the moment are my PC and also a modded toshiba 5950 DVD player for CDs.

They sound great for the money. I had the towers by themselves for the longest time. The original subzero was a peace of crap but the redesign sounds great and matches the look of the rest of the alpha series. I use the towers less now since I live in a smaller space, but the sub works wonderfully with these little JBL ControlX 1 monitors that I picked up.

The Alpha Ts sound neutral to dark. Sometimes I wish they were a bit brighter maybe, or warmer, I don't know... The sub definitely helped though... That little guy is alot more powerful then I expected, but crank it too loud and you hear port noise before you hear distortion. I don't do home theatre, and I live in an apartment, so I don't really have to worry about that happening.

Anyway, I think the NAD-PSB combo is about the best deal out there budgetwise. My setup has certainly fuelled my interest in this hobby... I just wish more places around here sold this kindof stuff.

Cheers...

I just got my T65 the other day from DMC-electronics here in Garden Grove, CA. I didn't believe it when the dealer said that the new Image series was a vast improvement upon the older models from a couple years ago, but he wasn't lying.

Well, that is the good news. The not so good news is they don't particularly match my older PSB Image 9c center well even though they both use the same tweeter. By comparison, the 9c sounded a bit more nasally, whereas the T65 didnt and sounded brighter (I'm still breaking them in). And as expected for the speaker of this size, the presence of the T65 easily outshined my 9c.

Perhaps it may be my 6 yr old Onkyo 474 receiver , because i've noticed that on occasion it likes to cut out some of the channels when im playing and requires warm up in order for all it's channels to work. As a fix, I hope to acquire a Pioneer Elite 81 and use the EQ settings to offset the difference im timbre of these speakers. Does anyone have any listening experience between the new and older models of PSB Images and recognize the difference in sound character?

Also, at the dealer, i found out an interesting fact: starting last fall, the PSB Image line have been manufactured in China instead of Canada. Not sure about how this effects the other PSB lines. On my T65, theres a sticker that was put on over the back-label says "Designed & Engineered in Canada, Custom Manufactured in China". I'm assuming that this sticker is put on the label to cover what is underneath that originally reads "Made in Canada"

I wonder if the new Alphas are also made in China.

I have a question for you guys. I was considering getting a pair of the Alpha LR1s for a desktop 2.1 system to replace these JBL ControlX 1s I am using (I still have a week on the return policy for the JBLs, hehe...) Do you think that would be an upgrade or do they have any problems or build quality issues over the Alpha Bs besides just being built on a smaller scale?

here's a general newbie question for you guys,

How loud can speakers go? THX cert is 75db which is very loud IMO. My main speakers are a set of Image 3LRs. specs here:http://www.cyberaudioshop.com/psb/image3lr.htm

I am running a pioneer vsx-1016 on 8ohm mode. If i play my speakers to output 75db (tested listening position is about 12' away from speakers), is it safe??

Does anyone know or have compared between the Silver(i) tower and C6i with similar GT1 and GC1? I have the Silver(i) along with the C6. They have taken some beaten over the years through all the moves. If I want to upgrade, would the GT be consider an upgrade or it'll be something similar SQ wise? Platinum seem a bit out of my price range.

From memory, I'd say the Silver is warmer over all. The GT1 sounds more dynamic with better bass, more accurate balance and more detail. Is it a *huge* upgrade? Well, maybe not. Notable, yes. But it's a comfortable change in that they are more similar than different.

From memory, I'd say the Silver is warmer over all. The GT1 sounds more dynamic with better bass, more accurate balance and more detail. Is it a *huge* upgrade? Well, maybe not. Notable, yes. But it's a comfortable change in that they are more similar than different.

Warmer is pretty accurate...and does not seem to have the sound stage and presence that I would have liked it to have. I have recently auditioned the Revel perofma (just the M22). hard to Believe that small bookshelf was very open and natural. Carlo Santana's guitar just came up alive. So this get me wondering. I've driving this with Pioneer Elite VSX47. Would a better separate help? or do you think it lies in the speakers, ultimately?

What other line do you think I should look at?

Thanks for your quick response.

I currently have an Image 8c and Im thinking of getting a pair of T45 as mains. Ive read a bunch of reviews and the t45 seem to be one of the best value/performance speakers out there.

Now, for the surrounds. Would it be okay to go with 4 alphaB1 speakers in a 7.1 setup? http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=69&sId=4

I could also get 4 b15 http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=16&sId=3 but they are a little pricey.

I will be mostly watching movies and concert dvds. I do listen to music pretty loud. Would the alpha match up well with the sound it produces compared to the image series or will it dilute the home theatre experiance.

As I have probably said in this thread or another... I have been experimenting with a desktop setup. I don't get to listen to my Alpha Ts as much as I would like since I am in a smaller place and don't have room to setup a good listening spot with proper placement and imaging.

Ok, well I wanted to build a desktop system that was a little smaller using my same NAD components.

I have tried over the last two weeks: JBL Control 1s, Polk RTi4s, and I even tried mating two different subs to the JBLs, but I just couldn't fall in love with any of it. The JBLs had so little bottom end that I needed a sub... but that was complicated and compounded the living space problem. The polks had enough bottom end to not need a sub, but they were so bright that half my music sounded like **** and I had to actually use my NAD's trebel tone wheel for the first time ever... well that was obviously not going to work.

So... I finally looked up the new PSB dealer in town (The places where I would go for all things PSB had all closed a few years ago) and I immediately saw a pair of Alpha Bs that matched my Tower's model series... and since the alphas just had an update, I got these CHEAP! I saved over 100 bucks over the polks.

I guess I was suffering from some kind of illness that made me go out and audition a bunch of crap before coming to my senses and just getting what I already know I love... PSB.

Even my girl was like "you like the towers so much why don't you just get the same things in bookshelf" but did I listen? No... that is the curse of the audio geek.

I am now in my happy place again... and I feel now more then ever that PSB makes the best sounding, most neutral (even if on the slightly dark side, and after the polk experience, I don't think that is so bad) speakers for the money. Hell... they even have a better bottom end then the polks that are about 25% larger.

The sub I may sell or hang onto... it's actually a good little sub for the money too (it *IS* a PSB afterall...) and it matches my alphas but I don't need that kind of bass yet... maybe eventually.

Glad to be back.

New to the forum, just found this thread.

Current setup (all black)
Mains - PSB 500 (11 yrs, started with original Alpha's)
Center - 100c (12 yrs)
Surrounds - Original Alpha (12 yrs)
Sub - Velodyne 10CHT
Yamaha RX-V2095

I am only a few days away from ordering T65's and a C60 from DMC. Still pondering the other upgrades (WAF is impacting this), would love to hear opinions on these thoughts:

Replace 2095 with Yamaha 2700, or add an Outlaw 7125 and replace the 2095 with a Emotiva LMC-2 or RX-V661 as pre/pro later this year. I thought about the Emo UL combo but I really want 7 channels (and have seen a few too may support posts). I keep hearing that seperates will open up the PSB's even more.

I am leaning toward the Outlaw and then a pre/pro, kinda like hving Christmas 4 times this year, 1. T65s and C60 2. Outlaw amp 3. pre/pro 4. Dec 25th

I love my PSBs.

Love the PSB sound!

I currently have an Image 8c and Im thinking of getting a pair of T45 as mains. Ive read a bunch of reviews and the t45 seem to be one of the best value/performance speakers out there.

Now, for the surrounds. Would it be okay to go with 4 alphaB1 speakers in a 7.1 setup? http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=69&sId=4

I could also get 4 b15 http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=16&sId=3 but they are a little pricey.

I will be mostly watching movies and concert dvds. I do listen to music pretty loud. Would the alpha match up well with the sound it produces compared to the image series or will it dilute the home theatre experiance.

conan48 - My first PSB System had Image 5T's (now the T55) as mains with Alpha LR speakers (http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=72&sId=4) as rears. I really liked this set up and didn't notice any matching issues. The Nice thing about the LRs is that they are very small but sill sound great.

I have Stratus Silveri 's c6i, svs isd-12 sub, T+A rears( german) Denon 3803 and a CarvinHD900 power amp for the fronts. oppo 970 as my music player.
I have not heard any other PSB so i'am not much help. But the silveri came more to life after add the sperate amp. I play them for both music and DVD. For my space i could not ask for a better set up. I was lucky to pick these up 7 yrs back.
didn't know much about them- i heard about them through AVS and they where on my short list- and then found the only dealer who had them ( but wasn't really reping them) and he was moving and these where their demo( less than 30 hours on them) so he gave them to me for cost. all the hardware was still seal in factory bags and i got the shipping box as well....



Does anyone know or have compared between the Silver(i) tower and C6i with similar GT1 and GC1? I have the Silver(i) along with the C6. They have taken some beaten over the years through all the moves. If I want to upgrade, would the GT be consider an upgrade or it'll be something similar SQ wise? Platinum seem a bit out of my price range.

I have Stratus Silveri 's c6i, svs isd-12 sub, T+A rears( german) Denon 3803 and a CarvinHD900 power amp for the fronts. oppo 970 as my music player.
I have not heard any other PSB so i'am not much help. But the silveri came more to life after add the sperate amp. I play them for both music and DVD. For my space i could not ask for a better set up. I was lucky to pick these up 7 yrs back.
didn't know much about them- i heard about them through AVS and they where on my short list- and then found the only dealer who had them ( but wasn't really reping them) and he was moving and these where their demo( less than 30 hours on them) so he gave them to me for cost. all the hardware was still seal in factory bags and i got the shipping box as well....

I think there may be many things that contribute to my setting.

* Room acoustics
* I do have separate amp
* Processor = 4-yrs old Pioneer Receiver (granted that it's THX Ultra 2).
* CD/DVD Source.

It's going to be hard to do anything with room acoustics because the L/R are boxed in between the media-niche wall and RPT-TV. I may try to move it out to see if there's any improvement...but WAF will object to speakers being out :(
I'm thinking about getting some nicer bookshelve ones. ie. Revel M22 or B&W 805. They are still pretty expensive.

just ordered the T65's and can't wait to set them up.

I've done a couple theaters using the CW-800 in-walls and the CH-212 Sub. It was like the sonic version of crack cocaine. Instantly and heart breakingly addictive.

Anyone else had the opportunity to hear these rediculously awesome speakers?

I figured it would only be a matter of time before magazine reviewers caught wind of these. Sure enough they did:

http://www.psbspeakers.com/review.php?fpId=92

I "upgraded" my PSB Image series from 6T, 9C and Axiom QS8's (originally I had 2B's) to a set of T65's, C60 and S50. They do sound better, but one thing I really notice, is that they sound like they are more closely matched to one another, and boy do the S50's ever sound good. A real good match. So good in fact that I am thinking of getting another pair of S50's for 7.1 :p

I love the bass, although I always want to get more and more. I was thinking it would be neat to make a custom PT65.5. You take the power guts and crossover from a 7PT and you mate them to a T65, using the newer enclosure and drivers, but with the exception that you somehow use 3 woofers and one midrange. Say you cross-over one woofer at 100 hz and aim it sideways or something, leaving the midrange woofer up top. I never understood how the 7PT could make more bass than the 6T when one of it's "woofers" was crippled into duty as a midrange only. How do 2 woofers make more bass than 3 woofers? AMP and EQ'ing? Weird.

One other thing I wish I could change is that the T65's are so TALL! I wish they were shorter. I thought the T65's were the exact same height as the 6T's because I trusted the specs on the website, but once I got them home, and before I sold the 6T's, it was obvious they were 1/2" taller. Oh well. I wish I could move all the drivers south on the front face so I could use a larger screen in my home theatre... but anyhow...

The PSB Image speakers have 4 things going for them for the money.

1) They are very efficient and have a good average impedance of 6 ohms, extracting valuable watts from your amp, but not requiring too much current as a 4 ohm speaker may.
2) They play very deep low bass for a mid-fi tower.
3) They are very well matched with one another making SACD, DVD-Audio and DPL II music and surround movies sound very good.
4) They sound clean and clear.

PS .. I really want a second set of PSB Image S50's. ;) ... if anybody is selling or knows of somebody who is selling a set... lemme know via PM :)

:)

ok... finally got some pics of the new setup

for reference...

image t45 - fronts
alpha b - surrounds
mbquart lcr - center
DIY 15" sub tuned to 18hz/ 300w bash amp
onkyo 503 reciever
xbox 360 prem w/ hd dvd
pioneer 42" 720p plasma

( pics will be in a following post)

before you ask ... yes there is neon behind them.

My house is a townhome built with double firewalls which work great as soundproofing. So unless my theatre is pumping loud the neighbors don't hear a thing. I have no pics of the surrounds but you guys know what alpha b's look like on stands...lol
In the second pic you can see the 26" x 24"x 20" sub,
yes the sub is huge but it rattles out the neighbors fillings when i want it to.

overall I'm very satisfied with the image 45's. Wide and deep soundstage with a very even, detailed sound.
Eventually I'd like to get the c40 and maybe upgrade to a pre pro/ amplifier combo for a clean driveline.

OH ... last thing
I auditioned the 65's, 55's, and the 45's
The money wasn't the deciding factor, I just thought the 45's sounded better and had better imaging than the other bass heavy towers. the 45's still go low but it isn't as overbearing as the 55/ 65's.


enjoy..comments welcome
jim

dammit, one more post.... :rolleyes:

here ya go....

http://sikniss.smugmug.com/photos/137275151-L.jpg

http://sikniss.smugmug.com/photos/137275302-L.jpg

http://sikniss.smugmug.com/photos/137275584-L.jpg

L/R PSB Century 500i
Center PSB 300i
Rears PSB 300i
Sub Alphasubsonic1

Denon AVR 85 Receiver

I bought this setup over: Mirage, AR, Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, and Polk.

The speakers are very flat far as response goes. Image nicely and with 8" woofers in the 500i's good for music in 2 channel mode.

I wanted a set of speakers that I could be happy with for 10-20 years. At the 11 year mark knock on wood.

and I'm about ready for new system. Not so much an "upgrade", just new stuff.

I'm leaning towards (99.9% sure) AV123 x-cs across the front, and would rather not have large bookshelves as rears. Looking for sealed design so I can mount right up to wall..... how do you think the Alpha LR1s would work as rears??? And I have a hard time getting to my local dealer - what is the MSRP????