Stephen Mejias

I have to believe that it's not some sort of joke, but just a cold hard fact, that PSB waited to introduce their ultra-compact powered subwoofers until after I hurt myself lifting their massive, unwieldy SubSeries 5i.

I'm just messing around. The SubSeries 5i is neither massive nor unwieldy. It measures an unassuming 12.4" W x 16.5" H x 14.9" D and weighs a surprisingly modest 30.1 lbs. I was just plain stupid when I lifted it. Still, the news of a smaller, lighter sub makes me shake my head.

I received the press release today.

PSB Speakers, long renowned for affordable excellence in loudspeaker designs, announces the addition of the PSB HD8 and PSB HD10 powered subwoofers — the outcome of an 18-month endeavor to provide the performance of their award-winning subwoofers in a more broadly acceptable size.

Eighteen months, huh? A part of me — my self-obsessed lower back, probably — wonders if my recent injury was the real driving force behind the creation of this new series of cutesy-pie subs. My lower back and I would have happily waited for the powered HD8 and HD10, whose Class H amplifiers produce 500 and 750 watts of continuous power respectively, before we experimented with a subwoofer. Oh well. The new subs also use dual-opposing, high-mass, passive radiators. This, says the press release, preserves output down to 35Hz on the HD8 and 30Hz on the HD10, and removes unwanted vibrations, sending more energy into the room as deep bass.

The HD8 measures 10.5" by 10.5" by 10.5", weighs just 25 lbs, and costs $999. The HD10 measures 12" by 12" by 12", weighs 38 lbs, and costs $1499.