PSB Speakers Imagine T Floor standing speakers

Most significantly, however, the review pair are coated in high-gloss white lacquer finish, which will be bang on trend and now my most favored finish for loudspeakers, notably floorstanders. This really is the second of the PSB Imagine range - it's another model down in the flagship T2 - and has been released in the UK, but has not been unavailable for some time in Canada and America.

Compound-curved on every vertical face, and outstanding sonic performance makes this speaker (and the Imagine Series in general) a real class leader, says its manufacturer. It definitely is way out in the look stakes in front and ought to attract a wide selection of home makers, although I have no idea about course leading. The driver array is composed of a 25mm titanium dome tweeter plus a pair of 133mm clay/ceramic reinforced polypropylene cone woofers covering the frequency range below the tweeter - both placed within their own distinct internal enclosures, which are individually ported. The upper unit stretches from the bass up to 1.8kHz, where a 24dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley network rolls it off to the tweeter. The reduced unit additionally goes from the bass, but rolls off to avoid the interference with its partner that will result from having their output signals overlap in the midrange. The general sensitivity is quoted as 88dB anechoic and 90dB in room, and so should present a loudspeaker that ought to be simple to operate a vehicle and control even with a modest amplifier.

A cloth grille cover is furnished with the loudspeakers, but I choose to make use of them without it, and also a rubber plug bungs one of the two back-facing ports.

Users can fit this in both of the available ports. I find that this gives strong, but agile and plug the low port bass alongside a well-articulated midrange on the strong Keith Jarret Paris/London - Testament 2008 piano concert record.

The speakers are robustly constructed and should inspire confidence. The finishing and attention to detail in their construction - things such as the awesome, efficient 4mm bi-wire/bi-amp terminals come to mind, here in addition to the arrangement for attaching flooring or spikes protector pads - is quite striking really.

This finish definitely appears to be justifiably gaining in popularity nowadays.

For the listening test I drive the Imagines with my Naim 250 power amplifiers and Chord Business Trademark cables in addition to with a Supernait/HiCap mix. The loudspeakers are none too fussy to create and react well to free space positioning and being toed- that seems ideal for taking a number of the perceived hardness out of the treble and focusing the soundstage or so in by a modest 15deg.

Sound quality

Paul Barton, the designer, stated: "With T, I incorporated our latest design understand how into a taller cabinet, for deeper bass, a larger soundstage and increased power management." I think he was successful in each of these regards judging by the performance of the speaker on the end of my system mix. The Imagine Ts possess a graphic, enthusiastic high frequency group that may come from being voiced for the American market and a fruity, rather rich bass response.

They also generate frequently fairly graphic, well-dimensioned sound stages full of credible pictures of their instruments and performers. They produce a realistic image with excellent scale of the Utah Symphony Orchestra playing the challenging Ameriques by the avant-garde composer Edgard Varese, bringing out a wealth of detail in the group, particularly the smaller percussion instruments along with the brass section. There is a rewarding sense of scale that delivers a wonderful, threedimensional sound stage having a a convincing feeling of space that is acoustic and genuine air round the instruments in the orchestra.

The Imagine creates a similar sense of space and depth on smaller-scale music, for instance, that of the acoustic roots power trio Vivid Curve playing on their glorious Live At Edgefield recording. The speaker looks to excel at depicting the excellent harmonic construction and the didgeridoo that Jeff Cooper manages to persuade the instrument to make. The full-bodied, powerful demonstration is completely inconsistent until the speaker has had the chance to warm up completely as the acoustic guitar does not consistently project in the sound stage with all the exact same energy as it can do on other loudspeakers. Notably however, after the speaker has totally run-in, the performance is rhythmically engaging and shows vigour.

The PSB does a grand job of portraying Bill Frisell's Pipe Down from his East, West album and seems to relish small instrumental combos. Frisell's guitar dynamics are assertive and blessed with acute leading edge information. The speaker presents his exceptional tone and dynamic contrasts capably, and the guitar sounds faithfully energetic, colourful and attacking. Overall, the presentation is entailing and entirely engaging - it makes the music enjoyment and helps to ensure you want to listen further.

So the PSB fares well with jazz, classical, and roots music. But how can it contend with more current menu? It rocks capably and assuredly with artists as different as Alison Krauss, James McMurtry, Jeff Beck, Robert Plant and Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Robbie Robertson. The titanium HF unit also improves the timing of bass guitar fairly noticeably and seems to emphasise the attack of snare drum beats. The PSB sails gracefully through Rodrigo y Gabriela's Take 5 from the Refoc album, relishing the attack of their percussive playing as well as their acoustic guitars. The speaker also handles the more subtle challenge of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' vocal harmonies on Please Read The Letter on the 24/96 rip of Raising Sand, interpreting their voices like

Its only drawback is that its characteristic sound appears expressed more for preferences that are vivid and you would doubtless locate some music with which it sounds unsubtle, even a little apparent and uncouth sometimes. A cautious setup can tame this to some extent and I'm convinced that many will enjoy its vivacious sound.

PSB Speakers Imagine T Floor standing speakers photo