PSB Speakers Owners thread - Page 96

Thanks for your input, as well as the respponses from TL5 and jgiddyup. Since I am still getting to know these speakers, I'll rely on testing different configurations over time. The nice thing is that they sound great right now!

Ok, this is what I have decided to go with. Fellas, let me know if this prices are fair or not.

T5 - $649
C5 - $300
S5 - $550
Sub ( will pick up a stf-2 or vtf-1) anybody selling one?

Total - $1499 including tax..out the door price.

My onkyo sr608 would drive the t5 just fine?

Can I get a better price? Let me know what you guys think....thanks.

guys help me out here....I just got back from pacific sales and auditioned the t5, t45 and t65's(demo'ed the t45 side by side to the t65). I notice a difference with t45 being a little more soft compared to the t5 and the t65. also, sales guy offered me the s50(older model of the s5) $279/pr for the floor stock model. have you guys have any experience buying with pacific sales? any reasons not to buy floor stock models as they carry the same warranty?

basically, i can get the t65 for the same price as the t5, which should i pick? couldn't demo the t5 and the t65 since they were in a different room.

please advised if any of you have had any experience with any of these speakers....need to make a decision within the new few days!! please help!!

Hey guys, i've been thinking of ugrading my entire system from paradigm monitor series v.5 to the PSB image T6 line. I'v been reading reviews and getting quotes from some of the nearby PSB dealers. So far, i have heard all good things, but was wondering how that little C5 center blends with the rest of the system (T6's and B6's). I would be going from the paradigm cc-290 which is 27" wide and is paired with my monitor 7's which are actually substantially smaller than the T6's, and I still find myself turning the gain up on the center sometimes. So I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on how this rather small (19") C5 blends with the rather large T6's. I'm kind of surprised that the image series wouldn't have a larger center chanel to choose from, I mean they have the B5 bookshelf which I would assume in most circumstances would be best paired with the T5 tower and the B6 bookshelf with the T6 tower. I think a C6 center chanel would be a great option. Anyway I have'nt even heard this system yet thats just my 2 cents. I would be glad to hear your thoughts and opinions on the C5 and how it performs in a 5.1 setup. Thanks for your time.

I actually have the exact combination (Image T6 and C5), however in my case it is all tied together with Audyssey MultEQ XT (Onkyo TX-NR1007). I do not hear any tonal disbalance. T6-es are set as full range and C5 is set to play above 40 Hz by Audyssey.

Generally you have to understand, that from tonal stand point C5 is very close to T6 (twitters are identical and mid range speakers look the same to me). The big difference in woofers, but for low frequencies my receiver redirect everything through T6-es anyway.

P.S. I love my Image T6. I have been choosing between Monitor 9 and T6. I think you will appreciate substantially better lows comparison to Monitors 7, especially in stereo. If you have a big subwoofer, the difference is less pronounced,... there might be clearer mids and hights, but to make sure you have to compare them in one room.

Thanks for your input dimma I'm glad to hear that your enjoying your speakers. BTW I got a quote from a nearby dealer and I know were not supposed to discuss prices here but he offered me the T6's two B5's and a C5 for $1,900.CAN would you consider that a good price?

would be paired with L & R Martin Logan Encores as part of a 3.1 system in a small room for movies and music. I can only use a small center and the CLR1's size is perfect (major WAF ). Best choice or is there a better choice in this price range?

I bought 2 x Image T6 and 1 x Image C5 from the local dealer in US. I paid all thogether 1375$ US (tax included). Initially they gave me standard 10% off PSB's MSRP, but told me that if I am interested, we could come to happy numbers for both sides. That is exactly what have happened Based on your quote, I think you might be eligible for a better number as well.

Now, I am still thinking about the rears. I do like S5-s, but I have not made my mind yet. I currently rent, so I am not sure what room I will have in the future.

hi,

how much is everyone getting their image t6's for? i want to know the price range so i can make a good offer to my sales guy tomorrow? also, need to know the pricing on the c5. thanks!

I just got a quote from a nearby dealer and he's willing to let the T6's go for $1,300 and the C5 for 400.00 CAN. I'm not sure if thats considered a good price, but thats the cheapest I could find in my area.Oh, and btw cannuckaudiomart has a dealer ad for a pair of dark rosenut T6's for $999.00 Good luck.

Does anyone know where I can get a tweeter for a psb image 9c? The speakers are about 9 years old (10????) and I'm not having a lot of luck finding them anywhere.... Thanks

I thought the MSRP on the t6 are $1,199 and c5 for $375...why would you be paying for then MSRP??

WOW. great deal. I guess I'll have to try to get my quote brought down a bit but I am still not a 100% set on getting the image T6 system. I was just browsing there site and happened to glance over at the imagine series and wow, I gotta say, I'm really liking the looks of the imagine line. Did you by any chance have the opportunity to audition the T towers? Would love to know how they stack up against the T6's. My local dealer tends not to have any towers in stock, so auditioning them is almost impossible for me, but he did mention that he's had customers go from the more expensive imagine series to the image series just for the T6's. He recomends the T6's, but it would be nice to know the comparison of the two and whether or not they're worth the extra $$. I wonder, are they that much better?

Imagine T is a really nice speaker, it is made with genue wood veneers, and very nicely shaped box (not rectangular, like T6). However, T6 has some advantages in terms on design (dual chamber design with the extra woofer for good low frequency responce and certainly the price. Image T6 costs just a little bit more than half the price of Imagine T, while having nicer low frequence responce, exactly the same twitter and very similar mid speaker. Also, I like the ports to be front facing, like in T6 - that makes less troubles while setting the speaker closer to the back wall.

I would reccomend Imagine T for somewhat clearer voice if money are not very critical, you like the looks of real wood vs. plastic, and if you plan to use sub. I bet, the large difference in price is due to the much more expensive enclosure with real wood veneers in Imagine T.

If you are on a budget, T6 is IMHO a better choice for the sound/price ratio. You could also take a look at Imagine T5, especially if you plan subwoofer.

I have also auditioned the synchrony one towers and those put T6 to dust. I wish I had about four times more budget for my set up As I summary, T6-es sound very nice for me, and fit my budget well. I am happy, and my thanks to my dealer and Mr. Barton for making these things to happen for me. Should I have more money, I would look at Synchrony line.

Okay, I have a question that I always thought I knew the answer to but have come to realize I don't..... First the specifics: I have a brand new Denon 3311 (which replaced a rotel 1056) with audyssey dynamic eq and image 5T fronts, 9C center, 2B surrounds, and subsonic 6. (Yes the speakers are getting old but I am still very happy with them) The speakers are placed typically in my rectangular (yet very open... vaulted ceiling, no rear wall/opens to kitchen) room with the exception of the 9C which is above my fireplace and 58" tv so it is roughly 9 feet up (not optimal but the only other option is in the fireplace)... My question relates to all of the fancy room calibrations that the audyssey within the 3311. Specifically, I like to listen to music as loud as possible (when the wife and child are gone) but cannot just put a careful ear to a speaker and discover what setting is "too loud"/putting me in danger of blowing any drivers (I am currently awaiting a new tweeter for the 9c) because all of the speakers are set at individual levels now. My logic tells me since the 9c is furthest away it is the one that i should listen to/ use to determine my "cut-off volume" but that is just an assumption.... I would appreciate any input that might be provided regarding determining safe listening levels that won't blow my speakers.....

1. Honestly I am not sure what the maximum allowed power input to each speaker per their specifications, but Denon 3311 is not very powerfull. Denon claims 125 W/ch. However, when in 5 channel mode, it probably cannot reach 125 w/ch. SO, in theory you should not blow anything, unless you drive the amp into severe distirtions ( those you will hear)

2. Generally Audyssey does not do much in terms of protecting speakers. On the other hand it does reduces the headroom of the amplifier.

3. From my experience, there is only one way to find that border line when it sounds as loud as possible before blowing something up - experimental.

This could be a little dangerous; some people are more sensitive to distortion than others and at very high frequencies you may not be hearing much of anything (in particular, if you fall into the "aging male" camp) but still pumping lots of distortion into the speakers. Unfortunately, the tweeters are the drivers most likely to fail in that scenario...

Not sure what to recommend here. If loud takes precedence over accurate than PSB might not be the cheapest way to go, you'd probably have to upgrade to really be able to get the higher volume levels and their newer lines are not as efficient as some of the competition (they give that up for accuracy) so that could also mean an amp upgrade (you did come here to spend more money right?)

I'd guess that in your case, for the moment, some careful listening to the center channel might be the most important indicator of when you are in danger. But, long run, if you really want "loud" you may have to look at upgrading all around...

I have decided to upgrade to the Imagine line (from paradigm monitors) and at the same time find a new receiver to replace my ancient Yamaha RX-V640. I understand the Imagine line will be more difficult to drive than my monitors (8 ohm and extremely efficient) but should one of the following be able to do the job?

1) Pioneer VSX-33
2) Marantz SR6005
3) Anthem MRX-300
4) Yamaha RX-A1000

They are all about the same price and all have more than enough features for me, so I guess my real question is do any of them pair better with an Imagine T,C,S, Rhythmik F12 setup, especially for music? Also, my room is 3,000 cubic feet and I do not listen that loudly...

Thanks

As seen here:

http://stereophile.com/floorloudspea...er/index5.html

The Imagine T has decent sensitivity and presents a fairly easy load to an amplifier (never dropping below 4 Ohms), so any decent receiver or amp should be able to drive them without too much difficulty.

The Imagine B bookshelf speaker is a little more demanding, with a slightly lower sensitivity and a lower impedance:

http://stereophile.com/standloudspea...er/index3.html

Overall, the package is still relatively easy on an amp.

Imagine line is 4 Ohm speakers. I would reccomend a receiver that specs out capability to work with 4 Ohm load. In most cases it means that the receiver should be above average. My preference is Onkyo TX-NR 1007, 3007, 3008 or better.

Thanks for the replies so far. Neither of the dealers I have been working with carry Onkyo, nor have I ever heard them recommended for an emphasis on music, but I will look further into them.

Maybe i didn't explain myself clearly enough, definitely do not want distortion as that totally ruins the whole experience, rather I want to acomplish as loud as possible with no distortion/not blow any drivers. Scientist did hit on what I was getting at in that although I heard no distortion (while listening loudly) I managed to blow the tweeter from the center channel so I was wondering if there was any knowledge base regarding how to go about making sure I can turn up the volume without blowing drivers... In a conversation, i was told that the center channel really isn't meant for music (and loud music at that) so driving it really hard isn't such a good idea in the first place so it appears that the best route is to only use 3-channel (front L, R and sub) although i have to admit that i am a sucker for sound coming at me from all angles.....

as far as upgrading etc. i am still really happy with the images, if anything i just want to protect them as they are getting older and if i should happen to blow another driver it might be difficult to replace (luckily psb still had the tweeter i needed!!!)

I know it's commonly done that way, but it's nearly meaningless to say that the "Imagine line is 4 Ohm speakers." Giving a single number for the impedance of a speaker is a huge oversimplification; speaker impedance varies greatly with frequency and is not merely resistive in nature. That's why I included links to graphs showing the complex impedance of the Imagine Ts and Bs.

Hm. Yeah, I would try to leave the CC out of it for your once-in-a-while crankfests. How much was the tweeter? Are they like $25, or is it more? I know that dealer cost for the previous gen of Images (not the current gen) are about $75 for the mids/bass. You can stock up on tweeters. If not, I would simply ask PSB which tweeter (if any) would be the best match from what is available. Then I would replace at least two (if not three) tweeters, namely the fronts. But see that still will be more expensive than stocking up on a tweeter or two, haha.

I am in the middle of a speaker repair (long story). I have one tower that I will use as my new CC, whereas the other was decimated while on the pallet. Basically, I'm getting the second speaker free. I could look at it like 3 backup drivers and xover if I wanted to . . . maybe you can run into something . . . never hurts to ask/call dealers in your area, because that's how I came upon this. I am lucky, because I've never seen T55s sold individually.


In defense of dima, a few rather describe a speaker's impedance by its minimal, and not its nominal. I also like his receiver recs for entry/mid level PSBs. But you're right about the possibility of difficult phase angles.

For those who are interested in gaining more power/headroom, Emotiva is having a sale on their UPA5 for $399 right now. I almost wish I had a need for one! I am confident this will be more than enough for almost any user of Images or something similar in the typical room.

http://emotiva.com/upa5.shtm

You are absolutely right. Moreover, industry worked out a standrad for nominal impedance of speakers, like 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 Ohm as standard numbers. In some instances PSB writes 6 Ohm nominal, 4 Ohm minimum However, if OEM writes 4 Ohm nominal, it means there are prolonged intervals of Z(f) chart where impedance is about 4 Ohm. Low nominal impedance speakers are generally harder for amplifier to handle, since higher current is required. Higher impedance speakers on the other hand requires higher voltage for amplifier to achieve high output power.

[quote=jostenmeat;19308545]Hm. Yeah, I would try to leave the CC out of it for your once-in-a-while crankfests. How much was the tweeter? Are they like $25, or is it more? I know that dealer cost for the previous gen of Images (not the current gen) are about $75 for the mids/bass. You can stock up on tweeters. If not, I would simply ask PSB which tweeter (if any) would be the best match from what is available. Then I would replace at least two (if not three) tweeters, namely the fronts. But see that still will be more expensive than stocking up on a tweeter or two, haha.

i actually got the tweeter straight from psb who, amazingly, still had what i needed, for only $42... now about that $20 shipping because of all that international mumbo-jumbo coming from canada.... at least i know i am getting the right product... ps: how do you only quote a portion of what someone said (as i tried to do unsuccessfully so just copied and pasted)

Hi,

I am building a setup from scratch and I went and auditioned various PSB Imagine B yesterday. In my non-audiophile terminology I will try to describe my impressions. I am hoping for guidance in selection.

Imagine B: stunning clarity, vocals separate from bass, the best imaging I have heard. I did listen to several other PSB offerings at the store and the Imagine B struck me as the most precise clean sound.

Now to my question:

I am looking to match these up with an Outlaw 100w/160w(@4ohm) solid state receiver and an Outlaw LFM-1 EX sub.

How does this match-up hit you?

The RR2150? I dig it. If not to your satisfaction, return it.

I'd try without subs first. Then if I was absolutely sure I needed help in the low end, I'd start asking around (with layout explained; speaker spread, etc), about getting dual subs vs single sub.

Ruh roh. Then you start getting into separates if only so that you can add more advanced bass mgmt.

^^^ +1, the RR2150 is a terrific product.

michael, sorry my post was pre-coffee, and I was reading Imagine T for some reason. My guess as to what you want, with a certain budget . . . get the RR2150, the Bs, and two* subs, both using the mono signal from the Outlaw's bass mgmt. Add Y splitter and two cables from monoprice for the whopping price of $10 or so. The higher you xover, the closer you will want the subs to each respective speaker (something like 1/4 wavelength of xover point, but don't listen to me there).

Well, I guess you can just do one sub for now. You can always add the second later. Then if you want more advanced bass mgmt, the RR2150 should be easy to sell at minimal loss. I've never tweaked with one, but the bang for buck unit is said to be the Behringer DCX. Cheers!