# PSB Speakers?



## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

Anyone know much about them? I know they are a Canadian company, but I am not that knowledgeable about the different brands out there. I was looking at the PSB Alpha T1 PSB Speakers - Alpha T1 Tower
They are very reasonably priced at $500 for a pair. Anyone audiophiles have some reviews on this specific speaker or the company in general?

thanks


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## used to be jwoodget (Aug 22, 2002)

*Can't go wrong*

I have a pair of PSB GT-1 towers (previous version). They sound great to me (paired to a NAD C325BEE amp/pre-amp). PSB have an excellent reputation and that price also sounds good. PSB have been around for quite awhile. I also have a high regard for Paradigm speakers and JPW although I prefer the tiny Bose cubes for home theatre over large speakers (too intrusive and not immersive for surround sound).


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## Amiga2000HD (Jan 23, 2007)

I've only had experience with their older speakers (all dating from the 1970s and still in use) but they're good. If their quality's stayed the same or improved over the years, you'll be fine.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

PSB's a fine company with some nice sounding models


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

The Alphas are good speakers and good value for your money.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

PSB are fine - not sure if Paul is still designing but they were one of the beneficiaries of the NRC help that launched the Canadian speaker industry


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I'll let you know in a day or so. I just purchased some PSB speakers from Bay Bloor Radio who have them on sale. 

I got the Image series, C40 centre, B25 for fronts, B15 for rears, and Sub Series i for a subwoofer. They are currently sitting in boxes in my living room. I'm going to hook them up to my new Denon AV2309 receiver tonight. 

You might want to check out Bay Bloor's ad. I realize it is a bit of a trip from Waterloo, but you can get the Image Series towers for what you are looking to pay for the Alphas.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

Oakbridge said:


> I'll let you know in a day or so. I just purchased some PSB speakers from Bay Bloor Radio who have them on sale.
> 
> I got the Image series, C40 centre, B25 for fronts, B15 for rears, and Sub Series i for a subwoofer. They are currently sitting in boxes in my living room. I'm going to hook them up to my new Denon AV2309 receiver tonight.
> 
> You might want to check out Bay Bloor's ad. I realize it is a bit of a trip from Waterloo, but you can get the Image Series towers for what you are looking to pay for the Alphas.


Thanks for the link, I was looking at Bay Bloor before, but didnt see that add. So those speakers are a real step up from the Alpha series?


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

wonderings said:


> Thanks for the link, I was looking at Bay Bloor before, but didnt see that add. So those speakers are a real step up from the Alpha series?


Based on the MSRP listed on the PSB web site, it looks like they are.

I just finished hooking up mine. Much bigger than I am used to and the cabinet size might be a bit big for the size of room that I am in, but I don't think they'll stay in this room for long.

I've only had a quick listen, my 'reference track'. 'Thunder Road' from the E-Street Band 'Live 1975-1985' CD. This has always been my first play with a new system. It was the very first CD I purchased back in 1985. Played it through the Apple TV and it automatically senses that it is only stereo so it only used the fronts. Sound is amazing compared to what I had, I'm very happy. Too late to try anything surround sound. I'll check that out in the morning.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

I've owned PSBs, they are a fine low-mid range ($) speaker. If you are on a tight budget you will find that they deliver good bang (boom?) for the buck. If money is less of a restriction there are of course many other superior alternatives.


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## Guest (Dec 31, 2008)

I prefer to do my listening in a more controlled environment and use nearfield reference monitors (Genelec 8020's currently). I've never been big on "home stereo" type setups .. mostly because I spend more time sitting in a control room than I care to admit!


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## ZRXer (Jan 18, 2007)

I think PSBs are excellent speakers - designed well, built well and good looking boxes. 

In my opinion, they rank up there with several other Canadian manufacturers who just do it right. Paradigm (very difficult to beat these speakers at their price point) and Totem are my other favorites. 

If money is less of an issue, check out the Totems and prepare to be blown away at what the speakers can do for the music you listen to. You will hear things you've never heard before, I guarantee it. 

I own a pair of Mani-2s (the second generation) and I have still not heard anything that can touch these speakers (in their size category) when it comes to imaging and bass resolution. Speakers, of course, are as personal as food and partners, so YMMV but I highly recommend giving Totems a listen to anyone who's willing to spend a little more and make a lifelong investment. 

I bought two pairs of extra Totem speakers (Model Ones and Staffs) when A&B Sound closed their doors in Edmonton - incredible prices for one day for anyone who caught that sale!!!


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Meh, I turn the sound on my TV to mono to keep a steady level when watching a movie. The sound track, even on my small stereo is too loud and obnoxious for me. And why do they have to make the music twice as loud as the dialogue? It ruins movies for me, constantly adjusting the damn sound. It's like TV stations have to play their commercials twice as loud as the program. Sigh.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

I agree with you SINC about TV commercials, they do deliberately "pump up the volume" on them.

As for the sound on movies. I am afraid to say it is a sign of age.  As we age it becomes more difficult to discern speech from background sounds when in a mixed audio environment. If you had a 5.1 sound system you could accommodate for this as the centre channel primarily handles vocals. You could (with the right receiver) turn up the centre channel relative to the others thereby compensating for the hearing loss so that voices would be discernible over the background sounds.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

screature said:


> I agree with you SINC about TV commercials, they do deliberately "pump up the volume" on them.
> 
> As for the sound on movies. I am afraid to say it is a sign of age.


I guess I must have "aged" prematurely then screature. 

The sound levels of movies drove me out of theatres in the 70s and I've been using mono since stereo arrived on the scene.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Yes well theatres are another story, no control there, but with the advancements in home systems of today, you can tailor your sound environment to suit your tastes and hearing. 

Or if mono floats your boat, then stick with it but you are missing out on the incredible soundscaping sense of space that they are creating these days. With a properly tuned 5.1 system, movies can be an incredibly "immersive" experience, making you feel almost like you are "in" the movie. And that can be without blowing your ear drums or not hearing the vocals.


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

screature said:


> I agree with you SINC about TV commercials, they do deliberately "pump up the volume" on them.
> 
> As for the sound on movies. I am afraid to say it is a sign of age.  As we age it becomes more difficult to discern speech from background sounds when in a mixed audio environment. If you had a 5.1 sound system you could accommodate for this as the centre channel primarily handles vocals. You could (with the right receiver) turn up the centre channel relative to the others thereby compensating for the hearing loss so that voices would be discernible over the background sounds.


I'm still working on the setup (actually I'm in San Francisco for Macworld right now) and my new Denon receiver has a sound processing function called Audyssey Dynamic Volume automatic volume-leveling system. It handles exactly what you are complaining about, loud commercials and problems when watching movies when you turn it up to hear the dialog then have to turn it down when there are explosions and other loud noises.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2009)

Oakbridge said:


> I'm still working on the setup (actually I'm in San Francisco for Macworld right now) and my new Denon receiver has a sound processing function called Audyssey Dynamic Volume automatic volume-leveling system. It handles exactly what you are complaining about, loud commercials and problems when watching movies when you turn it up to hear the dialog then have to turn it down when there are explosions and other loud noises.


In my neck of the woods we call that a compressor/limiter 

In the end it doesn't do wonders for the actual sound of things, but it does even out the levels. To me explosions should be LOUD and quiet dialog should be quiet. As for commercials they are over compressed and I just avoid them altogether -- I haven't had cable or satellite TV in 5 years now. Most broadcast audio is pretty processed (compression, eq'ing etc) and it drives me crazy to listen to it.

I'm the opposite side of the coin as SINC, I much prefer a wide dynamic range.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

mguertin said:


> I'm the opposite side of the coin as SINC, I much prefer a wide dynamic range.


Yes I tend to agree, but not everyone has your "ear", some do need help hearing dialogue due to hearing loss. Wait for it, given time this will eventually be you as well, pretty much inevitable.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

screature said:


> Yes I tend to agree, but not everyone has your "ear", some do need help hearing dialogue due to hearing loss. Wait for it, given time this will eventually be you as well, pretty much inevitable.


If you think my generation has a problem with hearing loss, wait until folks in their teens and twenties today get to be my age. 

At the volume levels I hear in their vehicles and the headphones they wear everywhere they go, they'll be deafer than doornails by the time they're 50.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2009)

SINC said:


> If you think my generation has a problem with hearing loss, wait until folks in their teens and twenties today get to be my age.
> 
> At the volume levels I hear in their vehicles and the headphones they wear everywhere they go, they'll be deafer than doornails by the time they're 50.


Yep no kidding SINC. When I spent a lot of time on the subway I was seriously considering getting some business cards printed up that gave the basics on hearing loss and handing them to all the people that I could hear their music from their headphones that were at the opposite end of the car.

I suffer from Tinnitus (which has been continuous for 10 years or longer now) so I am very aware of the situation, an am especially cautious because I work in the music business and rely on my ears!


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2009)

screature said:


> Yes I tend to agree, but not everyone has your "ear", some do need help hearing dialogue due to hearing loss. Wait for it, given time this will eventually be you as well, pretty much inevitable.


Not eventually ... see the above post  Listening to movies semi-loudly is not a problem in moderation. The biggest problem with loud things is prolonged exposure -- i.e. the people that listen to music in their cars or on headphones way too loud for long periods of time.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

mguertin said:


> Yep no kidding SINC. When I spent a lot of time on the subway I was seriously considering getting some business cards printed up that gave the basics on hearing loss and handing them to all the people that I could hear their music from their headphones that were at the opposite end of the car.
> 
> I suffer from Tinnitus (which has been continuous for 10 years or longer now) so I am very aware of the situation, an am especially cautious because I work in the music business and rely on my ears!


Yeah I hear ya,... WHAT?..... WHAT?..... I suffer from tinnitus as well. 

Actually it isn't only the volume and longevity of exposure that can cause hearing loss and damage. Mine occurred as a sculpture tech at University when using a hand held planner. I ALWAYS wore ear protection as it was my responsibility to make sure that all the students did the same. 

One evening while working on a personal project I had a small job to do with the planner that was going to just take a second, so I didn't put on a headset. Well that second turned into a few minutes. By the time I was done my ears were ringing like crazy and my right ear hurt for a day. The damage was done, it only took a few minutes, but it was the high pitch that did me in. :-(


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

screature said:


> I've owned PSBs, they are a fine low-mid range ($) speaker. If you are on a tight budget you will find that they deliver good bang (boom?) for the buck. If money is less of a restriction there are of course many other superior alternatives.


That being said - PSB's mid and upper lines are hard to beat for the money as well. 

PSB doesn't just make low-mid speakers - the top end of PSB's lineup come in around $7K/pr. Whether that is pricey or not is pretty subjective. I've known guys that spend that on speaker cables... (that can be discussed in another thread!)

I've not listened to their current top end stuff - but their older Stratus line was hard to beat for twice the money. I've got a house full of them! I really liked the sound of their old Century line as well - but I never cared for the sound from the Image series. 

For the most part - it is hard to go wrong with most of the Canadian makers, even though many have been gobbled up by other companies.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Weren't PSB, Energy, Mirage and Paradigm made in the same factory (just different manufacturers)?


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

" ... Weren't PSB, Energy, Mirage and Paradigm made in the same factory (just different manufacturers)? ..."

Not exactly. They all benefit from the Anechoic Chamber the National Research Council of Canada built in Ottawa about 30 years ago, as well as a focus on psycho-acoustic research that began with the NRC in 1973. (It's still one of the best facilities in the world). So, they tend to cluster but they are not identical.

Also, you are just mentioning the well known Canadian brands. A very large number of international speaker manufacturers use the Ottawa facility under contract with Canadian researchers.

There's been some consolidation recently, though. Energy is now owned by The Klipsch Group, as is Mirage, which has been part of the NRC-Ottawa research group since the beginning. Mirage formed from the ashes of Tangent ** in the late 70's, originally a UK company they are now headquartered in Ottawa.

PSB (the initials of the founder and chief designer, Paul S. Barton) is owned by The Lenbrook Group. Lenbrook started as a Canadian audio wholesaler and distributor. Amongst their other holdings are NAD, the radio division of Motorola, Sonus, and Audioquest.

Paradigm's has a factory in Mississauga and still does R&D at the old factory also in the Toronto area. Paradigm owns the Anthem line of electronics, purchased from another Toronto firm, Sonic Frontiers (or possibly PartsConneXion; SF was in receivership and I'm not sure who ended up with what, but Chris Johnson of PartsConneXion was originally with SF).

Totem Acoustic was founded in Montreal in the late 80's. They deliberately spurned the NRC and performed independent acoustic research. They are still privately held, presumably controlled by the founder, Vince Bruzzese.

By far the most consolidation in the industry happened during the last three decades with Harmon International. Although Harmon is not particularly tied to Canada, well known former NRC researcher Floyd Toole now works for Infinity. Harmon also owns JBL, DBX, Soundcraftsman, Crown, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, Becker, QNX, Revel, Audioaccess, AKG, Digitech, Studer, and BSS Audio. Oh, and Harmon-Kardon. Or, as my friend (a pro audio rep) said, "We DO own everybody."

** If anyone ever runs across a pair of Tangent RS-2's, PM me. I'll buy them.


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

Great post, except...



gordguide said:


> PSB (the initials of the founder and chief designer, Paul S. Barton)


PSB actually stands for "Paul and Sue Barton"!! 

They were one of the first (if not *the* first) company to use the NRC chamber. That really put Canada on the loudspeaker map...


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