In the September 2001 issue of Home Theater Michael Trei takes a
first look — a tremendously enthusiastic one — at a home theater
system based on the Image 7PT, with the Image 9C as the center, the Image
10s bipoles as surrounds, and the Image SubSonic 6 subwoofer. Here are
excerpts from his review:
"While coming up with a mind-blowing design without any cost boundaries is
undoubtedly a daunting challenge, I would argue that producing a loudspeaker
that can deliver killer results for a very affordable price is much harder."
"Paul Barton is a man who believes that fine-tuning his designs, relying
heavily on Canada's National Research Council facilities in Ottawa. It is
here — using a combination of objective testing in an anechoic chamber
and double-blind listening tests — that Barton makes his final voicing
decisions. The approach is clearly successful: PSB speakers have the
enviable reputation of delivering exceptional performance for the money.
Prior to this review, I wasn't exactly a PSB virgin, but all my experience
had been with their ridiculously affordable Alpha Series (June 2000). So I
was eager to hear what PSB could deliver for a little more money.
"The Image Series lies in the middle of PSB's lineup, between the
super-affordable Alpha Series and their top line, the Stratus Series. The
real trick behind the Image Series is that Barton has used the modular
approach, designing 10 different models using only four basic modules. Each
speaker uses either 5.25- or 6.5-inch woofers and comes with or without a
tweeter on a molded baffle that has been specially designed to minimize
resonance and diffraction. By combining these elements in different ways,
Barton has developed a full line of sonically consistent speakers, which
makes it easier for the customer to put together a system without having to
worry about whether or not the speakers will sound right together.
"I dove right in at the top of the Image Series line with the Image 7PT, a
speaker that looks like a two-way tower with three woofers but is really
much more cleverly designed than that. This tall, slim tower clearly
demonstrates the Image Series' modular nature, as its three modules stack up
to form an impressive-looking monolith. My review samples were black, but
this speaker is also available in a decent-looking "genuine imitation"
cherry. Because it's tall, heavy, and narrow (only 8 inches across), the 7PT
comes with outrigger bars on the base that widen its stance, making it less
susceptible to being toppled by errant toddlers or dogs.
Although the three 6.5 inch drivers look the same, the tweeter and top
woofer operate as a passive two-way speaker, while the bottom two drivers
form a powered subwoofer driven by an internal 130-watt amplifier. The
amplifier gets its signal either from the speaker-level signal that feeds
the top drivers or from a low-level RCA input on the back. Generally, I
prefer to use the speaker-level hookup, since this eliminates any chance of
getting things out of phase and often results in a more harmonious blend
between the passive and powered parts of the speaker. One big plus of a
powered tower is that you can get terrific wallop in the bass, even if
you're still using that wimpy little 50-watt receiver you got for Christmas
two years ago."
"The Image Series speakers are quite large for the price, yet the cabinets
feel impressively solid. No, it's not exactly like rapping your knuckles on
a bank vault; let's say it's more like a solid-wood door. By using
molder-plastic baffles for the modular drivers, PSB has reduced the
resonance in the critical baffle area, and the baffle incorporates a
carefully radiused curve to reduce diffraction, which improves imaging.
"The Image 9C center-channel speaker uses the same metal-dome tweeter as the
7PT, flanked by two of the 6.5inch woofers. The thing is pretty huge for a
$400 center, and its size allows it to play very loud and quite deep. If
your shelf space is at a premium, you might want to consider the smaller 8C
model."
"The Image 10S surround speaker is an interesting semibipole design that
incorporates two modules with the smaller 5.25-inch woofers. Unlike a dipole
design that uses out-of-phase drivers to create a diffuse soundfield, a
bipole acts more like a point source, only with a wider listening window. By
angling the drivers rather than putting them on opposing faces, PSB has
avoided the response irregularities that can result when you listen to a
speaker edge-on, and they've managed to keep the speaker fairly slim. The
10S is available in either black or white.
"PSB has never believed in the mini-subwoofer trend, and the Image SubSonic
6 follows the more traditional practice of using a larger cabinet to get
better efficiency and control. The built-in 130-watt amp is sufficient to
drive the ported 12-inch woofer into the low 20s with good authority.
Because the moving mass is much lower than that of one of those heavy-duty
miniwoofers, the results are more pitch-accurate and tuneful."
"With performance cars, there's no substitute for displacement. I would
argue that, with speakers, it's the same. Although you can get plenty of
volume and surprisingly deep bass out of a puny little woofer-challenged
minimonitor, something usually has to give. More often, that something is
the dynamics. However, with this setup, I was immediately struck by how
lively and dynamic everything sounded. No matter how loud I played it, the
PSB system never sounded compressed, and this sense of dynamics let
everything hang out in an engaging and exciting way."
"The 7PT's active bass drivers make it sound like an even bigger speaker
than it is, and I was amazed by how much air two 6.5-inch woofers can move.
Although this speaker has a slightly cool midrange, refinement is still one
of its strong points, with the tweeter integrating well with the overall
sound. Some of the other powered towers I've heard tend to have a slightly
detached bass that doesn't integrate successfully with the rest of the
sound, but the 7PT. If I didn't know better, I never would've guessed that
this speaker how powered bass, yet the benefits of this active approach are
clearly evident. The bottom end is amazingly fast and free from overhand and
sloppiness, allowing me to clearly hear every funky note and pluck of Les
Claypool's six-string Carl Thompson bass on Primus' 'Pork Soda.' Even
large-scale classical recordings didn't faze the 7PTs, and big organ works
like Vierne's Symphony No. 5 rocked my listening room.
"In my home theater, the 7PT's had powerful-enough bass to run the system
without the SubSonic 6 subwoofer, yet there was no doubt about the benefits
of including the dedicated sub. At one point, fellow writer Steve Guttenberg
dropped by and wanted to hear the system, so we watched Fight Club.
There happened to be a sheet of paper lying on top of a box about 4 feet
from both the subwoofer and one of the 7PTs. During sections of the film
with loud bass, I noticed that the moving air cause the paper to flutter;
then, during the final scene where all of the buildings blow up, the sheet
actually lifted up off the box and fell to the floor. Now I'm not one to
judge a system's performance by its paper-moving ability, but this was an
unexpected demonstration of the PSB's ability to crank it out. Dynamics were
stunning, and the film's plane crash sequence had me clutching the arm of my
sofa for dear life.
"Although the midrange sounded a touch cool at times, this never got in the
way of my enjoyment, and warmer, more subtle soundtracks like Searching
for Bobby Fischer sounded wonderfully detailed and rich….Overall, the 9C
is impressively transparent, and it helps you easily understand dialogue
buried deep in the mix.
"I usually prefer the sound of a direct-radiating surround speaker, but the
10S manages to keep the benefits of a direct-radiator while mixing in some
of the advantages of a dipole, particularly the wider listening window. The
surround image was well-focused, with plenty of detail and spread, while the
transition from surround to front were well-integrated and smooth, due to
the speakers' similar sonic fingerprints.
"Subwoofers are perhaps the most difficult speakers to get right in an
affordable system, and many of them are little more than boomboxes that just
add a thump for sound effects. The SubSonic 6 is the first sub I've seen for
under $1,000 that really can be used effectively for both music and effects,
as it is surprisingly tuneful and quick-sounding. Yet, for those big,
pounding sound effects, it still delivers the goods in a truly impressive
way.
"Paul Barton has done it again, developing a line of speakers with
performance that goes way beyond what you'd expect for the price. It's clear
this is no accident. It comes from years of careful listening, combined with
the resources needed to make a cost-effective design. I'd recommend this
system to anyone."
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
"Surprisingly impressive on films and more than satisfying on
music, the PSB Image array reviewed here is any easy recommendation in
today's hotly competitive loudspeaker market."
The September 2001 issue of Stereophile Guide to Home Theater
presents a review by Thomas J. Norton of an Image home theater system built
around the Image 3LRs, with a pair of 10S as surrounds, the Image 9C as a
center-channel, and the Image SubSonic 6 as the subwoofer. Here are some
excerpts:
"The Image series is priced below the flagship Stratus series in PSB's
loudspeaker line. The drivers in all PSB Image loudspeakers are similar
— a key design goal was to make it easy to mix and match the models as
needed when putting together a home theater package. There are two woofer
sizes depending on model, both having polypropylene cones and rubber
surrounds. The same aluminum-dome tweeter is used throughout the series,
and all speakers (except the subwoofer) are shielded for use near
televisions.
"The low-resonance front baffles are cast in a gentle curve that blends
smoothly into the driver frames. This, in conjunction with the narrow
cabinets, limits diffraction. For the new reader: Diffraction in a
loudspeaker degrades the frequency response. It is caused by reflections
off the nearby baffle, baffle edges, and grille frames (if used). The
degradation is relatively subtle, but the difference between an uninspired
speaker and a good one is often the designer's attention to such small
details.
"The Image 3LR looks like a conventional speaker with two woofers and a
tweeter, but it's actually a variation on that theme. The top woofer is
crossed over to the tweeter at 2.2kHz (a third-order Butterworth filter,
for the technophiles in the crowd). The bottom woofer operates only below
500Hz (fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley). Thus, the two woofers operate in the
bass, but only the woofer closest to the tweeter operates into the upper
midrange. This isn't the first time we've seen this; some designers refer
to it as a '2-1/2-way' design.
"The 9C is the larger of the two center-channel speakers in the Image line.
Its two 6-1/2-inch woofers are configured into the now nearly universal
woofer-tweeter-woofer horizontal center-channel configuration, using a
single 2.5kHz (third-order Butterworth) crossover."
"Based on the old knuckle-rap test, the Image cabinets seemed free of
serious resonances. They're ported to the front to facilitate near-wall
placement, but with rare exceptions, freestanding speakers generally sound
best when placed at least a couple of feet from the nearest wall.
"The 10S bipolar surrounds are two-way designs, each one equipped with two
woofer-tweeter pairs mounted on opposing faces and angled at approximately
45 degrees. Wall-mount brackets are provided. The design, with its curved
baffles and grilles, is consistent with the rest of the Image line and
looks more upscale than its price of $649/pair might suggest. And while I
did all of my auditioning with the grilles of the 3LR and 9C removed, I
left the grilles of the 10S surrounds in place throughout the listening
tests; if you mount them, as I did, high on the side walls of the room,
you'll likely as not leave the grilles on for appearance (particularly if
you opt for the white finish).
"Though the SubSonic 6 is your typical big black subwoofer box, it's not
all that big — at 40 lbs, it's relatively easy to move around.
It has both high-level (speaker-level) and line-level inputs and outputs,
though most home theaters will need only the line-level connection.
Controls include selection of crossover frequency (continuous from 50 to
150Hz), output level, and phase."
"With re-EQ [from THX] disengaged, the Images' performance was remarkable
for the price, and impressive even without considering cost. In the
opening, computer-game sequence of Toy Story 2, the PSBs floored
me…The sound was just a shade forward rather than laid-back, but never
pushy or in your face. The whole system was very well matched from my
listening position of about 15 degrees off the center axis, with
a near-seamless front soundstage.
"The Perfect Storm was equally impressive. From the opening sweep of
James Horner's fine score, the cohesive naturalness of the Images continued
to pile up points in the system's favor. Dialogue was clean, with little
coloration. Sibilants were smooth, with no fizz or sizzle. As the action
moves into the Crow's Nest bar early in the film, the natural ambience and
other surround effects put me right inside the dockside dive and in touch
with the characters — a tribute to the system's coherent sound and the
effectiveness of the 10S surrounds.
"Then we moved out to seam and those wrenching action sequences. The PSBs
lit up the room with truly spectacular sound. As all hell broke loose, I
just knew I was going to be washed overboard. And finally, at the memorial
service at the end of the film, I was in the large space of a church,
surrounded by a convincing sense of space.
"The SubSonic 6 easily held up its end of the bargain. Whether the crashing
waves of The Perfect Storm or the rumble in Zurg's lair in Toy
Story 2, it dug deep, with solid impact. Though not quite as tight as
subs costing many times as much, nor as extended at the bottom (though the
specified low-end limit seems accurate), it never left me feeling there was
anything missing, or that it was straining to keep up.
"The Image speakers performed just as impressively on less explosive
soundtracks, including films in which the soundtrack's music plays a
significant role. The soundstage was, perhaps, a little more forward than
absolute neutrality might require, but the effect was subtle enough to be
hard to criticize — I fact, many might actually prefer it. The bus
scene in Almost Famous — my favorite scene in the film —
is particularly notable. As the band joins in one by one, singing "Tiny
Dances," the sound envelops the room in a way that only multi-channel
playback can manage. And my favorite pop-song-heavy soundtrack, Fools
Rush In, sounded about as good as anyone could wish for."
"Surprisingly impressive on films and more than satisfying on music, the
PSB Image array reviewed here is any easy recommendation in today's hotly
competitive loudspeaker market. In a past issue, SGHT senior
contributing editor Lawrence B. Johnson commented that PSB speakers have
traditionally demonstrated "exceptional value and rare musicality." Based
on my experience with the Images, that statement still applies."
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
"Highly recommended."
In the April 2001 issue, Australia's Home Theatre magazine reports
on its first test of PSB speakers — consisting of the Image 4T small
towers up front, the Image 8C center channel, a pair of Image 1B compact
monitors as surround speakers, and the Image SubSonic 6 subwoofer. The
magazine's response to this, our "Small Tower" HT system is very positive.
Some excerpts:
"The Image Series, PSB's second-top range, offers multiple size choices for
each home theatre element.
"The 4Ts are actually "two-and-a-half-way" designs; their
bi-wirable/bi-ampable crossovers serving up bass frequencies to both of the
dial polypropylene-cone, rubber-surround 133mm woofers, but sending
midrange to only one. The tweeter is PSB's new 25mm aluminium-dome model
common to all Image models. Slim cabinet design (175 x 914 x 362mm) makes
for an elegant speaker and minimizes the 'acoustic shadow' area of
dispersion anomalies.
"PSB has used sophisticated crossover design and centred the 8C center
speaker's tweeter between its two woofers to ensure optimum
intelligibility and seamless positioning of effects. The 8C is a wide (581
x 165 x 286mm) and sturdy unit, suitable for placement under or on top of
your TV, and, like all other Image speakers, it is magnetically shielded.
"The Image SubSonic 6 subwoofer's 300mm woofer is driven by 130 watts of
continuous power (440 watts peak power). Connection options are the
high-level speaker output route and the line-level preamplifier [and
subwoofer output] alternative, and you can adjust overall volume and
crossover frequency (50-150Hz) and reverse the sub's phase to tailor it to
your room or main speakers.
"Measuring a compact 165 x 328 x 235mm, the Image 1Bs use the same woofer
and tweeter as the 4Ts and 8Cm and are designed for use as rear surrounds
or compact front mains in their own right.
"The Image system components match each other beautifully and it's not just
their smart black woodgrain veneers and removable, rounded black grilles.
The ultraslim look is continued across from front mains to center speaker,
and the distinctive front baffle moulding used throughout. Finish,
fittings, construction quality and attention to detail were as uniformly
excellent across the system as their sonic characteristics.
"Every single element of the system is a superb transducer in its own
right. But they're so well matched that, when fed a worthy Dolby Digital
mix, the luxurious result surpasses many a more expensive system composed
of more disparate designs and drive elements.
"In our first, 'sub-less" run-through of our favourite channels of
Baraka and The Matrix DVDs, the 4T's bass output (a mere 3 dB
down at 38 Hz) lacked only the most physical of subterranean sub-bass
rumblings. But with the Image SubSonic 6 in tow, hearts were thumping
double-time and we were sent scurrying to secure rattling window frames.
And the rest of the sound spectrum sounded equally impressive. The network
of five identical tweeters spread a filigree of crystalline highs over a
rich, sweet seam of midrange timbres in which spoke nuances were treated
with the same delicacy as a solo cello or the wide spread of massed gospel
voices.
"If one of us were your spouse, and we'd heard the Image Small Tower
system, you'd need a good reason for spending more than $4,000 on a home
theatre speaker system. But then we haven't heard PSB's Image Large Tower
system yet! Highly recommended."
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
"The Image 2Bs are great speakers!"
Recently, Tone listened to and reported with obvious pleasure on our
Image 6T tower system. Now, in the April 2001 issue, it's the Image 2B's
turn, and it holds up beautifully to comparison with its (far) bigger
brother. Some excerpts from Tone's review:
"The first time we had a look at a PSB loudspeaker — the 6T in issue
#7 — we were blown away. It was a high performance speaker from a
range newly introduced in New Zealand.
"This time we have a bookshelf speaker, but the similarities to the
floor-standing 6T are certainly there.
"Each model in PSB's range is constructed from combination of three
pairings of drivers mounted onto precisely-shaped moulded front baffles.
"The Image 2B contains a pair of woofer modules plus a pair of tweeter
models. The woofer module contains a 165mmm polypropylene cone and a
moulded reflex port below that. The baffle is curved across the front and
is strengthened with ribs behind. The tweeter module is also curved. It
contains a 25mm aluminum-dome tweeter.
"While the front of the baffle is dark grey, the rest of the cabinet is
finished in a choice of black ash or cherry vinyl veneers. The cherry
veneer looks close to a real wood finish.
"The 2Bs measure 412mm high, 203mm wide and 299mm deep. The back panel has
a single pair of binding posts.
"And the sound? Big, bold, and dynamic, yet with plenty of finesse, the PSB
Image 2B is a classic example of a great sounding and highly enjoyable
loudspeaker.
"The imaging was also very good, with a large soundstage and stable image
localisation. Instruments are easy to pinpoint and center-fill was rock solid.
"The 2Bs are dynamic and open-sounding speakers and they reproduce sonic
shadings and detail very well throughout the all important midrange.
"The bass was powerful, tight, and articulate, while the other end of the
sound spectrum was sparkling and detailed.
"The Image 2Bs are great speakers!"
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
"All three front speakers and the subwoofer deliver a stable,
strongly-placed sense of excitement and punch that's downright breathtaking."
The January issue of Australia's premier audio/video magazine has an
extensive and laudatory review of a home theater system combining the Image
5Ts, 9C, 2Bs, and SubSonic 6. Here are excerpts;
"This is the first time the name PSB has graced the Audition pages of AVL,
despite is being very big in its home country. And that's Canada, where men
are real men, play lots of Ice Hockey, and like a big loudspeakers. PSB has
been around for a number of years and enjoys a healthy following in the
North Americas and has recently been brought to Australian shores."
"PSB's range is expansive, to say the least, and the new Image Series
contains no fewer than 11 models, offering plenty of choice and
combinations when putting together a home theatre speaker system."
"The man behind the brand is Paul Barton, with some 25 years experience in
loudspeaker design, and it's not just how his products measure during the
design stages; he actually listens to them and conducts blindfold tests at
Canada's National Research Council.
"What PSB claims to have produced with the Image Series is a range that
delivers "high-end performance, down into the price range most people think
of as medium-priced.'…What we have here is four of the new models: the 5Ts,
a fairly large floorstander, the 9C, a very large center channel, the
SubSonic 6 active sub and a pair of 2B bookshelf speakers to bring up the
rear. The large choice with the Image Series means that you can mix and
match the different models depending on things like the size of the
listening room, positioning, and, of course, price. Naturally, all models
are tonally matched."
"The 5Ts are the second largest of the Image floorstanders and pack to
165mmm bass/mid drivers and a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter. The cabinet is a
bass reflex design with twin, forward-firing woofers. Four feet are
supplied with the speakers, which, when bolted on, are fitted [if desired]
with carpet-piercing spikes and provide a stable base for the speakers.
"The same bass/mid driver features in the 2B surrounds and the hefty 9C
centre speaker, which resembles something of a sawn-off version of the 5T,
with the same two 165mm drivers [the 2B has one] and dome tweeter. There
aren't all that many AV speaker packages that include a centre speaker
which matches the specs of the partnering main front pair. Speaking of
specs, the collection all boast high sensitivity: 92dB for the 5T towers
and 9C, 91dB for the 2Bs and 94dB at the subwoofer end. Impedance is 6 Ohms
for the main fronts and surrounds, while the 9C is rated nominally at 8
Ohms and the SubSonic 6 sub at 4 Ohms. In plain old English, this is an AV
speaker system that's easy to drive.
"The low-stuff business end comes in from the active SubSonic 6. Its 300mm
woofer is powered by a 130watt amp, all fitted in a forward firing and twin
bass reflex ported cabinet. The usual controls are found: phase inversion,
crossover frequency and volume controls, and the SubSonic 6 can be
connected either via line or speaker levels.
"Once all up and running, the Image collection's scale and presence
capabilities with movie soundtracks match the physical size of the PSBs.
From the very first scene, or even the Dolby Digital trailer, of movies
like The Matrix, it's clear this speaker system means big business
in the surround department.
"The film's opening scenes have immediate impact and punch, the effect
transients delivered thick and fast by the PSBs. Push some gunfire through
the system and you'll be surprised at just how realistic a sonic bullet can
sound. As the films layers of effects build up, all three front speakers
and the subwoofer deliver a stable, strongly-placed sense of excitement and
punch that's downright breathtaking.
"This speaker package is ideally suited to the sonic mayhem and sheer scale
of action flicks, A well produced DVD and Dolby Digital or dts soundtrack
requires a few things from a home theatre system, both electronics and the
various loudspeakers. One element, especially with big-sounding
blockbusters, is the ability to handle and deliver dynamics.
"An AV speaker system can be dormant one second, then reproducing the
explosive action of a downtown block being demolished. It's here that a
speaker system either turns it on, or falls flat on its face, and it's
definitely the former with these Canadian AV orators.
"Room-filling power, scale and weight are delivered by the proverbial
truckload, but also with plenty of finesse, rather than just sheer grunt.
The SubSonic 6 is particularly capable here and doesn't need much coaxing
before it plumbs the depths of movie soundtracks.
"What really marks this system out is the way it feels 'all of a piece.'
Thunderous explosions in Fight Club, beefy low-level stuff in
Apocalypse Now, searing shifts of volume and speed in End of
Days, the PSBs love it all. The entire package gives an utterly
convincing performance…You're sucked straight into the movie's core, with a
sense of ambience and atmosphere that ensures you stay glued.
"The soundstage is broad and deep, painting a thoroughly believable
three-dimensional image; yet clarity and detail are maintained no matter
how much movie mayhem the Images are called upon to deliver.
"The big centre speaker delivers dialogue and centrally placed effects with
more substance than most. Vocals have ample weight and presence, a
characteristic that works superbly with dialogue-heavy films. Change down
to films where dialogue and tonality are more important —
Schindler's List, or Life is Beautiful, for example —
and voices have superb character and expression. The acting is as easy to
appreciate as the action.
"But it's not simply movies that these speakers are all about. Musically
speaking, the 5T towers are just as happy in the two-channel mode. Imaging
is clear and precise, lending an insightful, natural feel to classical
music — Nielsen's Fifth Symphony proves that the PSBs can
thunder as convincingly as they can seduce. A well recorded disc such as
Decca's Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos 2 and 4 also proved that both
the rear speakers and center have the same involving, musical presence."
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
"Wonderfully smooth and open sounding, the 6Ts produced a large-scale
sound that filled the room with ease."
PSB speakers have only recently appeared in Australia and New Zealand, so
it's a pleasure to report that the lead-off review, of the Image 6T, in the
November-December 2000 issue latter country's Tone magazine, is a
major welcome for our products. Here are some excerpts:
"PSB is a speaker brand new to New Zealand, but one that is well
established in the USA and Canada. Founded in 1974 by Paul Barton, the
company carries the initials of Barton and Sue, his wife. The Canadian-based
company has won a number of awards and positive reviews for good-sounding
and well-priced loudspeakers.
"The Image range is a new one for PSB. As the name suggests, the Image
series is aimed with an eye firmly on the growing home theater market. PSB's
object is to keep the audiophile credentials they've established while
growing a whole new market.
"This is achieved with a very interesting engineering design. Three
modules, each enclosed in a curved moulded baffle, are used in multiples to
make up the range. A common aluminum-dome tweeter is matched with either
160mm or 130mm polywoofers.
"The Image 6T comprises three of the 160mm woofer modules along with a 25mm
tweeter module. The result is an impressive looking speaker that wowed many
who saw it.
"The PSB speaker is a very slim but very deep loudspeaker. Using multiples
of 160mm woofers allows the cabinet width to be kept to 200mm, while the
speaker depth of 502mm allows for a large cabinet and extended lows.
"My pair were finished in a lovely cherry, which to my eye looked more like
rosewood. The front baffle was a dark gray moulded plastic, entirely covered
by a "floating" grille.
"The PSBs were another speaker that gained very positive responses from
listeners. Wonderfully smooth and open sounding, the 6Ts produced a
large-scale sound that filled the room with ease.
"A combination of the woofers and the very large cabinet allowed the PSBs to
produce serious bass. I'd be surprised if listeners felt that a subwoofer
was necessary with these!
"Even better than the large quantities of bass the PSBs could produce was
the quality of that bass. It was quick and articulate, allowing the timbre
of bass instruments to shine through."
"The mid-band and treble reproduction of these speakers was sparkling and
detailed. Above all, listening to music or watching movies through the Image
6Ts was fun! I really enjoyed their stay and was sorry to see them go."
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
In the new issue (Issue 31) of The Perfect Vision, the sister, video
publication of The Absolute Sound, Robert Harley describes how he put
together a tremendously satisfying home theater system at a price that
doesn't compete with buying a movie theater outright. The speakers for this
system are our new Image 6Ts up front, an Image 9C center channel, a pair of
Image 3LRs as surrounds, and the Image SubSonic 6 as the subwoofer. We'd
certainly urge you to get a copy of the magazine for a look at the entire
review of all the electronic components, which we can't begin to find the
needed space for here. What we can do here, below, is present are some
things Harley had to say about the speaker contingent of the system.
"The overall audio performance exceeded my expectations, particularly from
the PSB speaker system. In addition to using the PSBs in the family room as
part of the reviewed system, I drove them in the theater room with the Onkyo
receiver, a Denon AVR-4800 or a Classé SSP-75 controller, and a Theta
Dreadnought power amplifier (the later is a $12,000 combination.
"On music, the pair of 6Ts was exceptionally smooth, open, and uncolored
through the midband. Speakers in this price range usually have some sort of
readily identifiable frequency-response aberration. Not the 6Ts; they were
free from a boxy sound or "cupped hands" coloration through the midrange.
The treble was also refined and smooth, with no hint at excessive
brightness. Many loudspeakers aimed at a large market hype the treble to
give the impression of "clarity." The 6T doesn't play these games; the
product is driven by musical performance, not marketing demands.
"Low bass extension was remarkable; the 6T produced prodigious amounts of
bass, even into the lowermost octaves. I could easily live with the 6T's
bass without a subwoofer for film sound. The mid-bass, however, had a bit of
thickness that is characteristic of ported enclosures.…Because of this
generous bass output, the 6T needs to be placed well into the room to avoid
boominess."
"The 6Ts reproduction of dynamics was startling. It had lots of punch,
impact, and 'jump factor' that made music and film soundtracks sound alive
and vibrant. This was particularly true in the bass; the 6T presented the
leading edge of attacks cleanly and quickly, with very little overhang and
smearing. Even the CD Think…It's All Good by bassist Dean Peer (which
has the most dynamic bass I've ever heard) was reproduced in all its glory.
"Finally, the 6T was a soundstaging champ; the pair threw a spatially
coherent, focused, and deep soundstage. Images were rendered with pinpoint
precision, and small differences in spatial presentation were easily
resolved.
"This precision in soundstaging was a huge asset when the 6Ts reproduced
film soundtracks in conjunction with the 9C center channel and 3LR
surrounds, The 6T/9C combination created a seamless, unified soundfield in
the front of the room that allowed me to hear the precise location of sounds
in the film soundtrack. Even small changes in location were easily resolved.
I noticed this in the opening sequence of The Mask of Zorro (which
has a spectacular soundtrack) in which the camera cuts to a close up of a
drum being struck. You hear the drum, before the visual cut, as slightly
left of center; the drum's sound shifts toward the center of the visual cut,
unifying the sound with the image. The PSBs resolved this, and other spatial
aspects of the soundtrack, with a sense of precision and focus. Moreover,
pans from the left channel, through the center, and to the right channel
were smooth and free of changes in timbre as the sound was reproduced in
turn by each of the front three speakers."
"I favor dipole surround loudspeakers for reproducing film soundtracks, but
begin each review of point-source surrounds with a 'show me' attitude. The
pair of Image 3LRs reproducing the surround channel had many of the 6Ts
qualities: low coloration, tight imaging, and very wide dynamics. Still, I
could tell they were point-source speakers; they didn't disappear into a
diffuse wash of sound behind me the way dipoles do. Sitting farther away
from the surrounds in the family room made it a little harder to localize
the surround speakers, but I didn't get the sense of envelopment I hear from
dipoles. (By the time you read this, PSB itself will have introduced a
diffuse bipole, the Image 10S, for about $650 per pair.)"
"Finally, the Image SubSonic 6 subwoofer was amazing for the price. I had to
remind myself that this was a $650 subwoofer, not a $1,500 model. The Image
[SubSonic] 6 delivered a tight and punch sound, with tremendous dynamic
wallop. Most subs of this price sound slow, smeared, and boomy,
characteristics that are a constant reminder that you are listening to a
subwoofer. The Image [SubSonic 6] was articulate enough to integrate with
the 6T left and right speakers, yet powerful enough to be just for
reproducing the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel on many DVDs. (The LFE
channel is the '.1' channel in 5.1 channel sound.) In fact, I added the
Image to my reference theater system to reproduce LFE with excellent
results. Even when used with the $20,000 Revel loudspeaker system, it did a
creditable job in the bottom octave."
Our thanks to Robert Harley. The Image 10S bipole surround model which he
refers to in the review is due to start shipping at the end of July.
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
In the July/August 2000 issue of Sound & Vision, Ken C. Pohlmann
looks at and listens to our Image "Small-Tower" HT system, comprised of a
pair of Image 4Ts up front (they are the small towers that give the system
its name), the Image 8C center channel, two Image 1B compact monitors as
surround speakers, and the Image SubSonic 6 subwoofer. Here are some
excerpts from his review:
"Canada's PSB is well known in the audio community for
the particularly musical sound and cost-effective design of its
speakers."
"To check out the Image system's prowess at DVD movie
magic, I pulled The Truman Show off my shelf. Jim Carrey stars in
this thought-provoking film about a character who lives absolutely devoid of
privacy and even free will. The first hint of clever Dolby Digital 5.1 sound
(and of Truman's predicament) comes in Chapter 2, when a klieg light falls
from the sky. Without an overhead speaker, hight is hard to simulate, but
the sound designers use panning and Doppler shifting through the five
channels to add impact to the scene. The Image speakers fused this fast
combination of sonic riffs into a convincing effect.
"In Chapter 10, Truman enters a travel agency, and
appropriately cheesy music is mixed to four channels to envelop you. Again,
PSB's Image system properly immersed me in the simulated room sound. Some
folks prefer dipole surround speakers, but the front-firing 1Bs created a
good, nonlocalized sound field.
"The film is largely scored by Philip Glass and
includes a number of pieces from his previous compositions. In Chapter 15,
Truman is perched by the ocean, and "Living Waters" from Anima Mundi
provides the perfect atmosphere; the front 4Ts carried the tune while the
rear 1Bs conveyed the soft sounds of surf on the beach. These disparate
sounds were convincingly joined in my sweet spot. In Chapter 20, an ocean
storm lashes Truman's boat, with sounds of crashing water all around; heavy
drum hits are placed in the front L/R channels, and the low-frequency
effects (LFE) channel, in this case sent to the SubSonic 6 subwoofers, added
low-end weight. The LFE content is not extreme, and the SubSonic 6
reproduced it correctly, providing sound that was hefty but not boomy or
gimmicky.
"When the uplifting piano entered the scene in the
front channels, it sounded very natural (and plaintive), with a good sense
of ambience…In the film's climactic moments, the "Opening" from Glass's
Mishima perfectly celebrates Truman's emotions; the rising chords
begin in front, and then, as the music swells, reverberation is mixed into
the surrounds. Again, the speakers handled this sound design to great
effect.
"Staying with a Philip Glass theme, I auditioned the
Image system's musicality with his Violin Concerto (Deutsche Gramophon).
This is prime Glass, circa 1987, and its trademark arpeggios and repetitive
chords positively hypnotize me. The stereo recording was made in the Vienna
Musikverein, a hall familiar to lovers of classical music recordings. Its
excellent acoustics were instantly apparent over the pair of Image 4T
speakers, and I was immediately struck by their ability to convey ambience.
Many speakers seem to launch their sound in your face. In contrast, the 4Ts
gave a great sense of depth to their sound, which seemed to emanate from
deep within a layered sound field."
"For example, the end of the concerto's first movement
features a delicate solo violin, with chimes and tympani softly chugging
away in the background. The 4Ts handled this nicely, providing a naturally
spry violin sound that was only occasionally strident, a clarity without any
artificiality on the chimes, and a terrific sense of depth without seeming
muffled on the tympani."
"..Another PSB success story. Many home theater
systems are voiced for movie music in which an aggressive, sometimes forced
sound is thrust at you. While this punches up a movie's excitement, it can
make music listening a fatiguing exercise. To my ears, the Image system
overcomes this problem…Yet it doesn't hold back on movie mixes and creates a
realistic sound field. This system's subtle sound won't jump out at you, but
it will place the system far above many lesser packages in its price
range.
More Info: The Image Series.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
"These speakers are an extremely good
value and represent entry-level high-end audio at its finest."
SoundStage Reviews the Image 2B
SoundStage, one of the web's best audio sites, has posted a December 2000
review by Doug Schneider that praises the Image 2B, saying that they "sound exceptionally good and offer a high level of refinement." For the full review on the SoundStage website, please click here.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
More Info: The Image Series.
In the December 1999 issue of Sound & Vision, Daniel Kumin reports
on a comparative listening test of six under-$500. We are happy to report
that, in the ratings of the various models for tonal
balance, imaging, linearity, and bass extension, we share top honors. And
the following excerpts make clear why:
"The image 3LR belongs to a new line of slim PSB speakers with elegantly
curved and sculpted front baffles. I found the 3LRs striking with the
grilles on and just plain gorgeous 'naked.' Their backsides are nice, too,
with decent-grade biwirable double-multiway binding-post inputs. And as
befits their near-$500 price tag, the Image 3LRs sounded as good as they
looked.
"Voices were balanced and open, with good soundstage depth, solid imaging,
and sparkly but unexaggerated detail arising from the smooth but extended
treble. And given their overall size, the Image 3LRs delivered an
unexpectedly extended and powerful bottom end. They played a good
half-octave or so lower than most of the others in our group, playing down
a clearly superior foundation for much music — moreover, one that was
largely free of added midbass warmth.
"Together , these factors raise the 3LRs a class above plenty of other
small speakers….The 3LRs cheerfully played very loud indeed, without
strain, and with good clarity and dynamics, making them audibly
louder/cleaner than all the others in this group, except possibly the B&Ws."
Altogether, we could hardly ask for a nicer reception for the first Image
model to be reviewed.
More Info: Image Series specifications and US Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
More Info: The Image Series.
Platinum Series Reviews
Stratus Series Reviews
Image Series Reviews
Alpha Series Reviews
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