PBN's WAS2 Speaker

Robert Deutsch reported below on PBN's $14,999/pair Liberty speaker. My attention in the company's large room at T.,H.E. Show was attracted by the large WAS2 (right), which costs $55,000/pair, with its piano-black lacquer-finished enclosure and mahogany hardwood front baffle, and weighs 1000 lbs/pair. It combines two 15" subwoofers, driven by a 1kW ICE-Power amplifier, two 8" coated paper-cone woofers, two 5.25 Nextel-coated paper-cone midrange units, and a 1.1" soft-dome tweeter. Frequency response is quoted as 18Hz–22kHz ±1.5dB and sensitivity is said to be 94dB!

With the WAS2 speakers driven by all-PBN amplification, I listened to a QRP pressing of Shelby Lynne singing "I Only Want To Be With You"—Oh my! The PBN room was decorated with a number of beautiful paintings of musicians from Merryl Jaye Studios, including the one you see here of Chick Corea next to another WAS2 speaker on passive display.

COMMENTS
PBNAUDIO's picture

Thanks for the coverage of our room, one small correction the large speaker in the photo next to Chick Corea is actually the KAS2 featuring dual 12" woofers driven by 500W of ICE power each for a total of 1KW just like the WAS2.  This KAS2 is finished in Raptor Black Metalic paint with a tinted Walnut front.  We got many wow's  on this particular finish stating they fit right in here in Las Vegas :-),  the metal flakes go from Red to Gold to Green depending on viewing angle.   The KAS2 is flanked by a Sammy in Walnut and a Liberty in Black Piano is to the left in the photo.

Thanks

Peter Noerbaek

PBN Audio

 

John Atkinson's picture

Thanks for the correction, Peter. I had mistakenly assumed that the KAS2 was actually the same as the similar-looking but larger WAS2s to which I was listening :-(

John Atkinson

Editor, Stereophile

PBNAUDIO's picture

Your welcome John,  but why the :-(   it should be a :-)   

 

Thanks

 

Peter

John Atkinson's picture

:-) for the sound; :-( for the error.

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