PSB Speakers Owners thread - Page 13

Any MSRP on the Synchrony?

Looks like the T7 turned into the Synchrony One. Prices and info here:

http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messag...81/383455.html

Anyone have experience listening to the newer Image line mixed in with the older Image line? I'm considering a C60 (instead of 9C) to go with my 6T's. Any suggestions or does anyone have a spare 9C to sell ?

I think you should be fine with a C60. Why not try and e-mail PSB speakers and ask their opinion. I love my PSB Image series HT consisting of a 9C, 5T and 10S. My HT sounds great.

I was thinking of calling them but I'm sure they'll point me towards buying a new C60. I sold my 9C and 2B's and agree, they are sweet for the cost. I replaced them with a Klipsch THX Ultra 2 system that turned out to demand more volume than I need in order to really shine. My current setup is lower volumed most of the time. The THX U2's were great for a dedicated room though.

Just wanted to add my grain of salt in this thread by saying that I bought a complete set of PSB speakers yesterday and it just blows my mind. I LOVE those speakers...

Front: Image T45
Center: Image C40
Surround: Image B15
Amp: HK AVR 247

Playing Feist on that setup with the volume cranked up and it gave me goosebumps.

Awesome quality, awesome sound. Immensely satisfied.

There an audio dealer in SF, CA(mostly to real musicians) has some PSB demo speakers for sale- I didn’t get to which series- older ones. Do not worry about care most likely less than 100hrs on any of them- straight shooter.
Audioimages.com

American Theatre is advertising the Synchrony Line on A'gon already...

Hi Everyone - newbie here. I have been reading this thread and have lots of questions. I have a 13' x 18' room with a 11' cathedral ceiling, carpet floors. I'm looking for a good 5.1 HT system in the $2,500 range (speakers).

Questions:

T55's or T45's for fronts - What's best for this size of room? Has anyone experienced a muddier sound with the T55's vs. the T45's, as commented by some? OR, overall, do the T55's sound better than the T45's. Unfortunately my local dealer doesn't have any T55's in stock.

Are the T65's a good speaker (w/ no sub) for a music only application (non HT) for a different room in the house?

Is anyone powering the Image 5.1 HT system and/or T65 towers with a Onkyo TX-SR875? If so, how is the match?

Thanks!

With your size of room I would probably stick with the T55's. Unless you have worked on the acoustics of the room a lot, the 55's will have a much fuller sound. Personally I would go the T65 route if I were you with the tall ceilings in there. A lot of sound will get lost with that and you won't have the base extension going with the 45's.

Thanks for the reply, Foehammer.

Do you have T65's? Do you think the T55's and sub would be equivalent to a pair of T65's?

I recently demo'd some T55s along with a wide range of other towers and I found the T55s to be an excellent value. You can get them online at variety of places for $949/pr which is their running rate or get some B-stock at a few locations for 30% less.

I ended up spending slightly less and getting more speaker imho with Swans but PSB is still a very solid value and I like the T55s a lot. I found they had good clarity in the midranges, were not too bright up top, and had enough bass that I could listen to music without a sub in most cases.

I'm awaiting delivery of a pair of Platinum M2s to replace my B&W CDM 1NTs, any comments on these speakers would be greatly appreciated.

From a dealer...

"My first impression with the Synchrony 1 is that it is a very smooth sounding speaker. Image extremely well in vertical and horizontal. Bass is tight. Overall, the Platinum T8 is a better. May be not as smooth on the upper end, but it is solid in bass, mid and output level. The T8 is a more accurate sounding speaker."

Well the T8 is still one line higher than the Synchrony so technically, it should be the better speaker. But the Synchronys definitely have the edge on aesthetics.

The Synchrony line is replacing the Platinum line and the line below it. However, based on price and drivers, the T6 is the comparison that should be made with the Synchrony 1. How do they compare? The bass specs are a tiny bit better on the Synchrony 1, but the tweeter specs (though not in the audible range) may be better on the platinum series.

Although the specs of the Platinum and newer lines are very good, I still find the value of the Image line can be found not only in the frequency response, which is remarkable in the towers, but also in the efficiency/sensitivity. Although I am into energy conservation etc, the other reason I like efficient speaker is because it gives you lot's of bass and volume for your buck. The same number of watts gives you higher volume, and/or stresses your amp less for a given volume. Just something to think about. That is of course, unless you have boat loads of cash to spend on high wattage amps. Not to say less sensitive speakers won't work with lower power amps/receivers, but it is true that you do get a little more with higher efficiency speakers. Without breaking the bank, a reasonable amount o watts can produce a very satisfying level of bass with the Image towers

I agree that efficiency is good, and with PSB and Paradigm, if you're not really picky, the Image and Monitor lines are the best bang for your buck. However, I usually find that as you go up in a company's speaker lines, the efficiency usually drops. Often there are trade-offs made to acheive the efficiency. However, the point where spending more ceases to be worth it is different for each person. I could live with the image line, but I'm trying to get into the Platinum line

Paradigms Monitor series is so bad it's embarrassing.

I thought the samething. I was disappointed when I heard them. I liked the Monitor 11 v.3 I had alot better! Even the dealer didn't like them.
Ryan

I own the Monitor 11 V4 & CC370 and I like them, but I just bought the PSB Platinum M2 and C2 used and have a buyer for my Paradigms. The monitor 11s were a good value and are great for a home theatre but I prefer something more refined for music.

Are the century 300i speakers shielded?

Luap,

How do you like the M2s ? I have a pair arriving this week, any feedback would be great.

I am very impressed with them. What sold me on them was the sound of voices. They sounded very natural, and the sound was very coherent, not like it was coming from 2 separate drivers. You will want to use a subwoofer, crossed at about 80 hz, but they produce a great image and a wide soundstage. They are precise sounding without being harsh, quite neutral.

Hello. I have a question on impedance. I have the following PSB Image speakers. 5T (2), C40, 2B (2).

I have an Onkyo AVR (TX-SR703), and I can choose either 4 or 6 ohms for the impedance setting, and I'm confused as to which one to choose.

From my Onkyo owner's manual: "4 ohms: Select if the impedance of any speaker is 4 ohms or more but less than 6. 6 ohms: Select if the impedances of all speakers are between 6 and 16 ohms."

Should I select 4 or 6 on my AVR? Thanks.

I've heard it recommended that people leave the impedance setting at 8 ohms, because the lower settings artificially limit the power supply current and this can hamper performance. The issue is mainly whether you come close to the limits of the receiver. If you crank it loud, you're more likely to reach the limits and either blow a fuse or activate the protection circuit or blow a tweeter or transistor. If you use a subwoofer, that will take a lot of the load off the receiver and will make problems less likely. Also, PSB rate their nominal impedance conservatively (near the minimum). If you find a review they may have produced a trace of the impedance curve. If it never drops below 4 ohms, you should be fine.

That's great info - thanks. What should my setting be then, 6ohms?

I'd leave it at 6 ohms but you have to be aware that it's riskier. If you're not comfortable doing that, use the 4 ohm setting.

What am I risking at 4 ohms? Is there a benefit at 6 if there's a risk at 4? Thanks for helping me.

With it set to 6 ohms you're more likely to draw too much current and blow something (fuse, transistor, tweeter) or activate the receiver's protection circuit if it has one. However, with it set to 4 ohms the current available from the power supply is limited and so the headroom of the receiver will be reduced, so the performance will be lower on dynamic parts. It's a trade off... some performance for more safety.