PSB Imagine T2 Tower loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Source: Ayre Acoustics CX-7eMP CD player.
Preamplifiers: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance, Simaudio Moon Evolution 740P.
Power Amplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A, McIntosh Labs MC275LE.
Integrated Amplifier: PrimaLuna ProLogue Premier.
Loudspeakers: Wharfedale Jade 7, GoldenEar Triton Two.
Cables: Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla.
Accessories: PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 5 AC regenerator, Arcici Suspense Rack equipment rack, PolyCrystal amplifier stand, Nordost Sort Kone TC footers, Furutech RD-2 CD demagnetizer.—Robert Deutsch

COMPANY INFO
PSB Speakers
633 Granite Court
Pickering, Ontario L1W 3K1
Canada
(905) 831-6555
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
TreAdidas's picture

I too pair PSB speakers with PrimaLuna amplification and have been quite happy with it.  I myself run the Synchrony 2 tower driven by PrimaLuna Prologue Sevens; similar to the system reviewed, albeit with 6 year old equipment (is that considered vintage?crying...cool).  Given that the Synchrony 2 Tower and the Imagine T2 share that $3,500 price point, it seems PSB felt their efforts at $3,500 were better off by adding that 4” midrange and scaling back the exotic driver materials.  I’d be curious to hear what improvements or perhaps just what differences there are between the Synchrony 2 tower and the Imagine T2 tower. 

I also wanted to echo the comments about detail and power.  When determining which components to buy, I was a bit concerned that the PrimaLunas (which I already owned) would not have enough power to run the PSBs.  A few searches on different forums will reveal the consensus that PSBs are power hungry.  I was worried I would experience constrained dynamics and at worst get some distortion.  I am happy to report that while the volume knob now approaches 12:00 whereas it used to be firmly planted at 10:00, I am pleased with the decision to 86 my Vandersteen Model 2 and substitute the PSB Synchrony 2 tower.  Provided you’re not interested in waking up the neighbors, I have found the PSB/PrimaLuna combo to be very … “smile-worthy” (how’s that for audiophile jargon!).  In all seriousness I have found the dynamic range to be very adequate though I do wonder, curiosity be damned, what some nice solid-state monoblocs would do for me.   I have also found the sound to be very detailed, though never overly sibilant.  Robert D. calls it combining accuracy and euphoria.  Whatever your terminology, it is a pretty neat trick to pull off for such a relatively reasonable price. 

The T2 will make lots of folks very happy.  That I am sure.  

WLV's picture

I just can not understand, to start with, how a speaker manufacturer would demonstrate his high-end loudspeakers with poorly associated components. Developingt the said loudspeaker requires, I suppose, a lot of listening. Now, if you want to talk about room acoustics, I'm your man.

Robert Deutsch's picture

Although it's safe to say that no speaker manufacturer would deliberately use demo equipment that represents a poor match with their speakers, I've certainly heard demo systems where I felt that the associated equipment did not show the speaker to its maximum potential.  The choice of associated equipment at an audio show is often determined by relationships among exhibitors.  A speaker manufacturer may be good friends with a manufacturer of amplifiers that are good in a general sense, but not a particularly favorable match with these speakers.  To pay for the exhibition room, it's often necessary for manufacturers to share these costs, and it can lead to a speaker and amplifier manufacturer exhibiting with each other's products, with neither product  being shown to its maximum advantage.  Politically, it would be difficult for a speaker manufacturer to share a room with an amplifier manufacturer and not to use that amplifier manufacturer's products to demo the speakers--and the amp manufacturer to use using different speakers to demo their equipment.   I remember seeing this type of arrangement just once at an audio show, and the atmosphere between the two exhibitors sharing the room was decidedly frosty.

An even greater restriction of equipment choice is where speakers and amplifiers have the same distributor, and while each product may be fine on its own, they're not ideally matched.  And I'll give just one more example: a manufacturer that produces both speakers and amplifiers, where the speakers are truly excellent, but the amps do not match that level of excellence.  Again, there's no way the manufacturer would demo their speakers with anything other than their own amps. 

rcb3n474's picture

I demoed these speakers in my home for two months after reading all of the good reviews. I found the treble very harsh and metallic sounding. I tried three different amps, two sources, and two different sets of cables. Nothing helped. I find it odd that no reviewer has mentioned this. I can't be the only one that hears it.

Dr.Kamiya's picture

The harsh treble is real, and seems to be caused by a response peak that shows up both in measurements and in listening if you can hear up to 17kHz.

PSB uses the same tweeter across all their lines and when John Atkinson (who can hear up to 15kHz) reviewed the Synchrony One he heard the peak as "a lift in the presence region". But staffer Erick Lichte (who is younger and can hear to 19kHz) was less tolerant of that response peak, hearing it as outright harshness.

This is mentioned in page 2 and in the measurements section of JA's Synchrony One review.

JA remarks in the measurements section:

"A couple of small peaks can be seen close to the upper edge of the audioband, and I do wonder if these were the reason Erick Lichte was less tolerant of the Synchrony One's top-octave performance than I was. My hearing cuts off above 15.5kHz these days, while Erick's extends to 19kHz. Then again, he's half my age."

HTH

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