Any experience with PSB?

M

Mr Peabody

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I heard two models of PSB. Both stand mount versions. The first was some type of anniversary legacy model and the other in the Synchrony series. The Synchrony model was more lively. Each had this character that just made me want to keep listening. They were warm but the tones were so natural.

PSB must sell their speakers they are still in business I just haven't met many owners or seen them listed by folks on the audio forums. I listen to a wide variety of music including Metal. I'd love to hear a floorstander to see what they could do. They really tried to seduce me :)
 
I haven't but, IMHO, there are better speakers in their price class that would offer considerably better performance and are constructed from better quality cabinet construction, crossover parts and wiring.

For example, for just a bit more than the price of the Synchrony, ($1740 vs. $1400), you could buy a fully-assembled pair of GR-Research X-LS Encores that are a very comparable 2-way design but one that utilizes a better-designed and constructed cabinet, superior and more effective internal cabinet damping materials, and considerably better-quality parts for the crossover components, connectors, and internal wiring.

Link here: GR-Research X-LS Encore

I built up a pair of these as a kit a few years ago, and they are superb, very transparent and neutral and with excellent and very linear in-room frequency response, shown here:

x-ls-encore-response_orig.jpeg.webp

Horizontal off-axis response is excellent as well...
Screen%20Shot%202020-09-24%20at%207.43.27%20PM.jpg


Here's a pic of the Encore's crossover utilizing all very high-quality parts: Sonicaps, MIflex caps, Mills resistors, and all air-core, large-gauge, copper inductors. No cheap-ass sand-cast resistors, electrolytic caps, and iron-core inductors on these bad boys. You will not see this quality of parts used in the PSB speakers' crossover.

Crossover%20Rev.jpg


Building these up as kit, these speakers cost me less than $1K to build, including having the cabinets pre-assembled and stained. All I did was wire up the crossover parts, install the damping materials and drivers, and wire the drivers inside the cabinet to the binding posts. Easy-peasy.

Here's a pic of them driven by my Nelson-Pass designed, Class-A Amp Camp amps running as bridged monoblocks (shown in front, down on the floor) I also built the Amp Camps as a kit; they only cost $350/each.
DIY-Stereo.jpg


All in, the speakers and amps together cost less than $2K. And...they sound frickin' amazing.

Cheers.
 
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Mr. Peabody, I have never heard any PSB speakers. Therefore, I'm not going to point you to another brand of speakers and tell you they are superior to speakers you are interested in and that I have never heard.
 
To clarify based on what I heard of the small PSB I became interested in what the towers sound like. The T800 msrp is $12k a good amount of good speakers in that range. I'm wasn't actually looking for a new speaker though it's just the PSB sound touched something in me.

You know how you are content with your system until you hear something that interrupts that content.

I read a review of the T800 in Sound Stage the reviewer had a MSB DAC, I'd really love to hear that combo. The PSB has a really interesting sound. I went with my N05xd but the MSB sound is something special IMO.
 
I hope this link works it's one of the more in depth reviews of the T800 if anyone was interested. They do a couple unique designs like the way they stagger the woofers crossover points.

www.whathifi.com

PSB Synchrony T800 review

Amongst the very best-sounding speakers we've heard
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com
 
Mr Peabody said:
I hope this link works it's one of the more in depth reviews of the T800 if anyone was interested. They do a couple unique designs like the way they stagger the woofers crossover points.

www.whathifi.com

PSB Synchrony T800 review

Amongst the very best-sounding speakers we've heard
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com
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That was a very positive review! Since you are enchanted with the PSB sound, it's hard to imagine you wouldn't be happy with these floor standers should you decide to buy them.

What amplifier would you be using to drive them if you purchase them?
 
Bryan, I still have a pair of PSB Synchrony Ones and they sound awesome and were a Stereophile Class A or A plus for years. Then I bought a pair of PSB T3s. They were beautifully built and had an expensive looking furniture high gloss wood finish. The issue was that they were a not good match for my system and sounded dull and flat. Acoustic music sounded wonderful but anything else as dull and boring. Even my audiophile buddies thought the same.

I have not heard their newest models. The T3's did not sell that well according to Listen Up an Audio store in New Mexico that I visited. They certainly were not on the market as long as the Synchronies. Their new line is supposed to be much better. Stereophile gave the T3s a great review comparing them to 20K speakers. So did TAS I believe. I sold them to my friend Mark that you met at Axpona. He drove up from New Mexico to get them. He loves them with his PSA M1200 amps, Parasound JC2 preamp and PSA DS dac. He sold his Synchrony ones to my son and they are now up for sale. The PSB house sound is warmer.
 
mep said:
That was a very positive review! Since you are enchanted with the PSB sound, it's hard to imagine you wouldn't be happy with these floor standers should you decide to buy them.

What amplifier would you be using to drive them if you purchase them?
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If I bought a set they would replace my JBL and be driven by my 534. Sometimes I get impulsive. I did get drawn in by the sound of the B600. I was listening tonight to my system and reminded of why I love my 4367's.
 
Mr Peabody said:
If I bought a set they would replace my JBL and be driven by my 534. Sometimes I get impulsive. I did get drawn in by the sound of the B600. I was listening tonight to my system and reminded of why I love my 4367's.
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I forgot that you have JBL 4367s. Knowing that now, I have a few words of caution for you. You are used to having sensitive speakers (94dB 1w/1m) with a nominal impedance of 6 ohms. Your 4367s jump to life faster and with less power than many speakers.

The PSB speakers you are thinking about are less sensitive compared to your 4367s, but they are fairly sensitive at 91dB with a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Would you miss the way your 4367s jump to life vs. the PSB dynamics? That's a question only you can answer.

What I can tell you is that prior to owning my JBL 4345s, I owned the NOLA KO speakers. They were rated at 91dB 1w/1m with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. There was no comparison between the NOLA KOs and the 4345s in terms of jumping to life and the dynamic range they have that is so thrilling to hear. The 4345s have a sensitivity of 95dB 1w/1m with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.

I hope that whatever decision you make that you are happy with the end result. Sometimes the itch isn't worth the scratch, but only you can decide that.
 
Paul Barton is a very respected and experienced speaker designer and builder. His designs have been admired for years.
 
stereogeek said:
Paul Barton is a very respected and experienced speaker designer and builder. His designs have been admired for years.
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Nobody said he wasn't. I'm merely talking about the differences between higher sensitivity/higher nominal impedance speakers vice lower sensitivity/lower nominal impedance speakers.
 
Paul builds great speakers and he’s a heck of a nice guy to boot. I fondly remember the Synchrony Ones.
 
The Stratus Golds were one of my dream speakers in college then when the Gold i's came out in the late 90's I was determined to get a pair. By the time I had the means to spend that much on a speaker the options had grown, my tastes had changed, and I went a different direction. A buddy of mine got the Image 4T's in 2001 and the amount of bass those things always impressed me. Listened to the Synchrony One B's about 15 years ago and I thought they pretty nice but plenty other stand mounts I'd choose over them. Haven't heard a PSB offering since.
 
mep said:
Nobody said he wasn't. I'm merely talking about the differences between higher sensitivity/higher nominal impedance speakers vice lower sensitivity/lower nominal impedance speakers.
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I agree with you on the higher sensitivity vs low sensitivity point of view, I was just throwing a shoutout to Paul as he is a great guy and has great products. There was no challenging on my part intended (not this time anyway). Cheers.
 
stereogeek said:
I agree with you on the higher sensitivity vs low sensitivity point of view, I was just throwing a shoutout to Paul as he is a great guy and has great products. There was no challenging on my part intended (not this time anyway). Cheers.
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Understood.
 
Very fond memories here of the Stratus Gold i set from back in the day, and later the Synchrony One which had me questioning why I would ever need to spend more on a speaker. I eventually moved on but have great respect for PSB based on those models.

I did hear some other, much more affordable and "mainstream" PSB designs here and there, which I did not care for. So while not perfect they certainly knew how to design some amazing speakers when given a decent budget to work with. No idea how any of the newer models might sound though.
 
The Passif 50 (Anniversary model) looks pretty cool. They are a Canadian speaker manufacture started in 1972. I have never heard them but they appear to be a speaker offering an excellent value.
 
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PSB makes great speakers. Their Synchony Ones were a stereophile class A+ for many years. I still have a pair. I also bought their replacement model for the Synchony ones and they were well made a had a beautiful finish but they were not a good match for the Pass amp and my Luxman Dac. Too laid back. They were fabulous with acoustic music and vocals however. I sold them to a friend who loves them.

Supposedly, PSB had changed their classic sonic signature and made their speakers more exciting
 
Mechnutt said:
PSB makes great speakers. Their Synchony Ones were a stereophile class A+ for many years. I still have a pair. I also bought their replacement model for the Synchony ones and they were well made a had a beautiful finish but they were not a good match for the Pass amp and my Luxman Dac. Too laid back. They were fabulous with acoustic music and vocals however. I sold them to a friend who loves them.

Supposedly, PSB had changed their classic sonic signature and made their speakers more exciting
Click to expand...
The B600's I heard were "musical" with a punch to the bass and it seemed like the highs and mids might have a bit of tilt up. Not offensive but it made the snare and cymbals more lively. I wonder if that response carries to the current towers. As I mentioned they weren't offensive but I like the more flat response like my JBL have.
 
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