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Once I was over that (thankfully brief) period of acclimatization, the PSBs presented me with an open, detailed, clear…

Fig.1 shows the impedance (magnitude and phase) of the PSB. Note that it does drop below 4 ohms from 70 to 400Hz. This indicates that some caution should be exercised in the choice of amplifier, but should not cause a problem with most well-designed separates. The port is tuned to about 27Hz, shown by the minimum at that frequency.

Fig.1 PSB Stratus Gold, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).

Fig.2 is the (MLSSA-derived) impulse response of the PSB. Visible is a small amount of ultrasonic ringing,…

Six years. Has it really been six years since I first reviewed the $2100/pair PSB Stratus Gold loudspeakers? More, actually—I completed my writeup of the Gold at the end of 1990, and the review appeared in the February 1991 Stereophile. Since that original review, Stereophile reviewers (myself included) have heard the Stratus Golds at trade shows and elsewhere—certainly enough to renew our confidence in the product and justify its continued recommendation. But we have not had samples to audition in our own…

The original PSB Stratus Gold has been a consistent presence in Stereophile's "Recommended Components" listing since Thomas J. Norton first reviewed it in February 1991 (Vol.14 No.2). Initially launched at a price of $2000/pair, the Gold had crept up to $2100/pair by the end of its seven-year life, which still made this three-way floorstanding design a sonic bargain. When Tom Norton recently did a "Follow-Up" on the original Stratus Gold (Vol.20 No.4, p.247) he concluded that "you can also spend a lot more than…

The Stratus Golds ended up about 30" from my listening room's rear wall (which is faced with books and LPs) and approximately 60" from the side walls (which also have bookshelves covering some of their surfaces). The amplifiers used were all solid-state: a Pass Labs Aleph 3, a Mark Levinson No.333, and a pair of Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks. The preamplifier was primarily the remote-controlled Mark Levinson No.38S, replaced late in the auditioning by the new Levinson '380S. A Mod Squad Phono Drive EPS was used to amplify LP signals from a Linn Sondek/…

The Stratus Gold i was relatively insensitive, 2.83V raising a calculated 84dB on the midrange axis at 1m. Its impedance curve (fig.1) also suggested that it needs to be partnered by an amplifier capable of a healthy current delivery. Not only does the impedance drop to a low 2.72 ohms at 97Hz, but the phase angle is quite severe through the midbass region. This curve, however, does imply excellent low-bass extension, the "saddle" in the curve around 25Hz indicating the tuning of the big port.

Fig.1 PSB Stratus Gold i, electrical impedance (…

Description (original Gold): Three-way loudspeaker. Drive units: 10" woofer, 6" midrange, 1" metal-dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 250Hz, 2.2kHz. Frequency response: 36Hz-20kHz ±1dB. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal. Power recommended: 10W minimum, rated for amplifiers of up to 250W clipping no more than 10% of the time. Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 13.5" W by 44.5" H by 14.75" D. Weight: 95lbs net.
Price: $2000/pair (1991); $2100/pair (1997). Approximate number of dealers: 40.

Description Gold i: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding…

Any resemblance between what you are about to read and any real-life high-end store is, of course, entirely coincidental:

The bank came today and seized the store. They came with a court order, two moving vans, and a team of six movers. After a cursory inventory, they took almost everything: amplifiers, speakers, CD players, VCRs, videotapes, LPs, cables, tools, tone cones, discs, disc dampers, desks, chairs, paintings, calendars, staplers, and note pads. They hauled the Duntech Sovereigns out like old…