PSB Owners Thread

[3db]

Does anyone know if the thread size is an M6 metric size?

 

[Billy106]

Anybody have any experience with PSB custom designs? I'm looking to add some in ceiling speakers for Atmos?

 

[3db]

PSB launches its replacement for the top tier series....

PSB Synchrony T600 and B600 Loudspeakers Unveiled

PSB is celebrating 50 years of award-winning loudspeaker design with the launch of the PSB Synchrony T600 and B600 flagship models.

www.ecoustics.com

 

[juryman]

Purchased a pair of PSB Imagine Mini's off ebay. They are in mint condition and got a great deal on them. Would like to use them as surrounds, preferably mounting them on the wall but would settle for stands. Problem is I cant find the brackets or stands anywhere. Everything is discontinued.

Anyone have any suggestions for brackets or stands? Given their shape and where the mounting screws are located, Im having a hard time finding a good option.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

PSB launches its replacement for the top tier series....

PSB Synchrony T600 and B600 Loudspeakers Unveiled

PSB is celebrating 50 years of award-winning loudspeaker design with the launch of the PSB Synchrony T600 and B600 flagship models.

www.ecoustics.com

I'm surprised they went back to the traditional looking box, after more than a decade of curved enclosures.

 

[3db]

Purchased a pair of PSB Imagine Mini's off ebay. They are in mint condition and got a great deal on them. Would like to use them as surrounds, preferably mounting them on the wall but would settle for stands. Problem is I cant find the brackets or stands anywhere. Everything is discontinued.

Anyone have any suggestions for brackets or stands? Given their shape and where the mounting screws are located, Im having a hard time finding a good option.

I have experience with both BTech BT77 and the Pŕime Cable Speaker Mounts and they both work really well. I like the Prime Cable mounts better as they are cheaper and less obstrusive looking.

Here's a pic of my bedroom where the mains are PSB300 (slightly larger than the PSB Alphas) being held by the BTechs


and the PSB Mini in the back held by the Pŕime Cable Speaker Mount.

 

[Teetertotter?]

I recently purchased their Imagine XC speaker and now I have distinct sound with the best clear dialog. I am a DD movie watcher. I now have my eyes on their Imagine XB bookshelf, that just went up $50.00. But, the JBL Stage A 130 are doing just fine for mains.

 

[juryman]

I recently purchased their Imagine XC speaker and now I have distinct sound with the best clear dialog. I am a DD movie watcher. I now have my eyes on their Imagine XB bookshelf, that just went up $50.00. But, the JBL Stage A 130 are doing just fine for mains.

There are a couple of people who are selling used XB on ebay. Several online stores still have them at $549.

 

[juryman]

I have experience with both BTech BT77 and the Pŕime Cable Speaker Mounts and they both work really well. I like the Prime Cable mounts better as they are cheaper and less obstrusive looking.

Here's a pic of my bedroom where the mains are PSB300 (slightly larger than the PSB Alphas) being held by the BTechs
View attachment 47396

and the PSB Mini in the back held by the Pŕime Cable Speaker Mount.
View attachment 47397

Cant seem to locate Prime Cable online. where did you get them?

 

[Teetertotter?]

National has them now for $425.00 shipped, brand new, 5 year warranty. I have to wait a little while $$$$.

 

[3db]

Cant seem to locate Prime Cable online. where did you get them?

Amazon

 

[lc6]

I just tried PSB Imagine XC and have to say I am very disappointed. Despite the claimed +/-1.5 dB on axis and 30 degree off-axis frequency response, all those measurements at the NRC, decades of PB's research and engineering, this speaker does not correctly reproduce sibilants. They all sound as if the speaking persons had cotton balls in their mouths or were lisping. It turns out my observation is corroborated by actual measurements: a -2.78 dB dip between 6 and 9 kHz (see https://www.soundandvision.com/content/psb-imagine-x-speaker-system-review-test-bench). Wish I found these bench test results before purchase; they would have saved the hassle and cost of return.

 

[3db]

I just tried PSB Imagine XC and have to say I am very disappointed. Despite the claimed +/-1.5 dB on axis and 30 degree off-axis frequency response, all those measurements at the NRC, decades of PB's research and engineering, this speaker does not correctly reproduce sibilants. They all sound as if the speaking persons had cotton balls in their mouths or were lisping. It turns out my observation is corroborated by actual measurements: a -2.78 dB dip between 6 and 9 kHz (see https://www.soundandvision.com/content/psb-imagine-x-speaker-system-review-test-bench). Wish I found these bench test results before purchase; they would have saved the hassle and cost of return.

I would believe the NRC's measurements over S&V magazine. The best 3rd party measurements come from Soundstage Network and Stereophile magazines. Perhaps the tweeter was damaged. I can honestly say owning almost all of the Image and Century series speakers that Ive ever experienced that. I chose PSB because I could clearly hear an announcer who mumbled and were unintelligable with different speakers.

 

[lc6]

I would believe the NRC's measurements over S&V magazine. The best 3rd party measurements come from Soundstage Network and Stereophile magazines. Perhaps the tweeter was damaged. I can honestly say owning almost all of the Image and Century series speakers that Ive ever experienced that. I chose PSB because I could clearly hear an announcer who mumbled and were unintelligable with different speakers.

Although S&V's measurements are quasi-anechoic and NRC's are "anechoic" (since there are no truly anechoic chambers below several hundred Hz), the results are similar. I found one PSB speaker measured by both, the Imagine T2. Both results show a listening window FR bump above 10-15 kHz:

PSB Imagine T2 Speaker System HT Labs Measures

HT Labs Measures L/R Sensitivity: 88 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz Center Sensitivity: 88 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz Surround Sensitivity:

www.soundandvision.com

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - NRC Measurements: PSB Imagine T2 Loudspeakers

www.soundstagenetwork.com

So, I would not discredit S&V measurements.
Sure, the tweeter in the PSB XC unit I got could be faulty, but I am not sure whether going through the hassle of an exchange and re-evaluation is worth it. When doing A/B switch testing of the same female (to avoid bass) dialog between my front Snell C/Vs and the XC, the latter sounds as a small can muffled with cotton; voice lacks treble and is not natural.

 

[3db]

Although S&V's measurements are quasi-anechoic and NRC's are "anechoic" (since there are no truly anechoic chambers below several hundred Hz), the results are similar. I found one PSB speaker measured by both, the Imagine T2. Both results show a listening window FR bump above 10-15 kHz:

PSB Imagine T2 Speaker System HT Labs Measures

HT Labs Measures L/R Sensitivity: 88 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz Center Sensitivity: 88 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz Surround Sensitivity:

www.soundandvision.com

SoundStageNetwork.com | SoundStage.com - NRC Measurements: PSB Imagine T2 Loudspeakers

www.soundstagenetwork.com

So, I would not discredit S&V measurements.
Sure, the tweeter in the PSB XC unit I got could be faulty, but I am not sure whether going through the hassle of an exchange and re-evaluation is worth it. When doing A/B switch testing of the same female (to avoid bass) dialog between my front Snell C/Vs and the XC, the latter sounds as a small can muffled with cotton; voice lacks treble and is not natural.

Sounds like the tweeter was blown. I had a similar experience with one of my Image B15 where the tweeter was blown.

 

[lc6]

Sounds like the tweeter was blown. I had a similar experience with one of my Image B15 where the tweeter was blown.

If the tweeter was truly "blown," there would be no production of sound above the 1,800 Hz crossover frequency, but that is not the case. The speaker sounds as if a portion of the tweeter range is subdued but not entirely missing. You can still hear the sibilants (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibilant ) being pronounced, but they do not sound natural.
Elsewhere, I found anecdotal evidence that other buyers of the PSB XC experienced the same effect, but supposedly it vanished after 50 or so hours of speaker use. So is there some kind of a "burn-in" period with these speakers, similar to what other manufacturers, e.g. Klipsch, recommend (see https://www.klipsch.com/blog/how-and-why-to-break-in-your-new-speakers )? I could not find anything about that on the PSB site.
Also, I took down the front grille, which improved the treble a bit. Unlike other grilles, this one is not built as fabric over a flat rectangular frame without any solid plastic elements in front of the drivers. Because the front of the speaker is convex around the horizontal axis, the grille has a rounded honeycomb structure composed of fairly thick edges. Such a grille is hardly acoustically transparent. On the other hand, taking the grille off makes the speaker too visually distracting. The yellow woofer diaphragms and shiny metal cones stand out too much near the TV screen, especially during darker scenes (I like to have soft ambient light in the back of the room, which makes watching video easier on the eyes).

 

[3db]

I dont what to tell you. I suffer no such affliction from my PSB Alpha C, 100C, 200C or Image 8C center channels. This break in that you're reading about is not off the speakers but of the listeners getting used to the sound. Audiophiles will argue against my last statement because they live with the delusion that their hearing capabilities are absolute but science has shown that accurate hearing retention lasts at best for 1 minute. Go figure.

 

[Verdinut]

If the tweeter was truly "blown," there would be no production of sound above the 1,800 Hz crossover frequency, but that is not the case. The speaker sounds as if a portion of the tweeter range is subdued but not entirely missing. You can still hear the sibilants (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibilant ) being pronounced, but they do not sound natural.
Elsewhere, I found anecdotal evidence that other buyers of the PSB XC experienced the same effect, but supposedly it vanished after 50 or so hours of speaker use. So is there some kind of a "burn-in" period with these speakers, similar to what other manufacturers, e.g. Klipsch, recommend (see https://www.klipsch.com/blog/how-and-why-to-break-in-your-new-speakers )? I could not find anything about that on the PSB site.
Also, I took down the front grille, which improved the treble a bit. Unlike other grilles, this one is not built as fabric over a flat rectangular frame without any solid plastic elements in front of the drivers. Because the front of the speaker is convex around the horizontal axis, the grille has a rounded honeycomb structure composed of fairly thick edges. Such a grille is hardly acoustically transparent. On the other hand, taking the grille off makes the speaker too visually distracting. The yellow woofer diaphragms and shiny metal cones stand out too much near the TV screen, especially during darker scenes (I like to have soft ambient light in the back of the room, which makes watching video easier on the eyes).

With a blown tweeter, you would still hear sound above the crossover frequency. Crossovers are not brick walls. You would hear frequencies, sibilants as you say, above 1800 Hz with the crossover 12 or even 18 dB per octave roll-off added to the somehow limited high frequency response of a woofer or mid-range driver.

IMO, most likely the tweeter is indeed blown or disconnected. This would have to be verified.

 

[lc6]

With a blown tweeter, you would still hear sound above the crossover frequency. Crossovers are not brick walls. You would hear frequencies, sibilants as you say, above 1800 Hz with the crossover 12 or even 18 dB per octave roll-off added to the somehow limited high frequency response of a woofer or mid-range driver.

IMO, most likely the tweeter is indeed blown or disconnected. This would have to be verified.

The crossover in the XC is LR4 (see https://www.psbspeakers.com/product/imagine-xc-centre-speaker/ ), which is a 24 dB per octave, not "12 or even 18 dB per octave," roll-off (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkwitz–Riley_filter ). So at 2 * 2 * 1.8 kHz = 7.2 kHz where the sibilant energy resides, there should be a 48 dB suppression of the signal to the two woofers/mid-ranges. Could I still hear such a suppressed sound in the presence of other components? Maybe, but the highs would really sound subdued.
I conducted another experiment: playing a CD stereo jazz recording with a trumpet in a "70mm movie" surround mode on my AVR that artificially directed most of the signal to the center channel. The trumpet's high-pitched sounds were reproduced by the XC, but were not as well pronounced as from the fronts in plain stereo (to which I could almost instantaneously switch the same recording on the AVR for A/B testing). While the XC should not be expected to reproduce bass as accurately as the front towers due to its smaller dimensions (and it did a decent job at that anyway thanks to its vented port), there is no reason why it should not accurately reproduce the mids and highs, especially with its claimed almost-flat FR.
So I am not convinced that replacing the XC I have would yield different results. Unfortunately, none of the PSB dealers in my area actually has these speakers in stock, so I cannot audition them in the showroom for a comparison.

 

[Teetertotter?]

It is all about a speaker sounding best to your ears or not. I have a psb Imagine XC sitting in the basement less than a year old. Yes, I do believe in speaker break-in......as have noticed a difference over time.

Anyway, again, let your ears believe what they hear, for what best fits. Measurements are measurements and can the human ear grasp every measurement a speaker measures............and you can hear in music???