The Short Form

Price $4,696 (AS TESTED) / psbspeakers.com / 905-831-6555

Snapshot

An impressive-sounding system that's a comfortable fit for the long haul.

Plus

•No hype, just clean, clear performance •Superb timbral matching between speakers •Tuxedo-like good looks

Minus

•Slightly wispy sound on sibilants •No alternative finish options

Key Features

GT1 •($1,999/pair): 1-in aluminum dome tweeter, 6.5-in cone midrange/woofer, 6.5-in cone woofer; 36 in high; 45.3 lb GB1 •($1,099/pair): 1-in aluminum dome tweeter, 6.5-in cone woofer; 15.4 in high; 44 lb GC1 •($849); 1-in aluminum dome tweeter, (2) 5.25-in woofers; 23.8 in wide; 29.6 lb SubSeries 6i •($749); 12-in driver, 225-watt RMS amplifier; 15 x 19.9 x 19.3 in; 49 lb

Test Bench

The GT1, GC1, and GB1 all exhibited similar high- frequency response irregularities, including a gently rolling slope (less than 1 dB/octave) and narrow peaks and valleys starting at 700 Hz. The latter were tamed somewhat by removing the grilles. The SubSeries 6i subwoofer was superlative, delivering deep bass at 20 Hz (95 dB) and 108 dB or greater above 32 Hz. Maximum SPL was 112 dB at 62 Hz. - Tom Nousaine Full Lab Results

To check out the full range, I put together a 5.1 surround package using GT1s for the main left and right, a pair of GB1s for surround-channel duties, and a GC1 center speaker. Rounding out the system was a SubSeries 6i, which, though not technically part of the G-Design line, does provide a good complementary subwoofer solution. This beefy 12-incher rejects the recent trend toward mini-subs, going instead for the more traditional approach of a big driver in an even bigger box for smooth, low-distortion bottom-octave performance. The built-in 225-watt Class H amp (350 watts peak) includes both line and speaker level inputs and a crossover that can be bypassed for use in a home theater rig with bass management built into its preamp/processor or receiver.

SETUP All the speakers feature nice gold-plated binding posts, including a provision for biwiring on the GT1 and GB1. The floor-standing GT1s come with both spikes and adjustable rubber feet; these can be used in combination with supplied plastic extenders to provide additional stability. After experimentation, they ended up in my usual spots: about 2 feet from the front wall and 3 feet from the sides, with a very slight toe-in that helped focus the sound. I sat the center channel on an open stand below my TV screen, while the surround speakers were placed for optimal reproduction of multichannel music, on widely spaced 24-inch stands set to the sides and slightly behind the listening position. The subwoofer, meanwhile, sounded best from my stock position on the front wall, slightly right of the left front tower. I used my receiver's internal crossover, settling on 60 Hz to mate the sub with the bookshelf surrounds and, because my receiver allows it, a slightly higher 80 Hz for the center. The towers ran full range.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE After putting the system through my sonic workout program for a few days to break it in, I pulled the GT1s into my two-channel music room to see how they would perform in good old-fashioned stereo. When I cued up Jonny Lang's Lie to Me, it soon became clear that PSB has carefully avoided the common trap of delivering a slightly hyped-up sound that impresses at first, only to become tiring and irritating down the road. Early on I noticed how clear and unmuddled the mid and upper bass were, an effect achieved by not trying to push the speaker's bottom-end extension too far. The overall balance was clean and warm, giving me a transparent sonic window onto the recording. The top end did have just a hint of a wispy character on sibilant and fricative vocal sounds, but it was more than offset by the exceptional transparency and lack of distortion.

With appropriate recordings, the GT1s could summon up a wide and deep soundstage, and image focus remained impressive even when I was seated somewhat away from the center position. When I played Tom Waits' Bone Machine, the stage became so huge that it was hard to believe I was still listening to a two-channel rig. The super-deep reggae bass line on the Keith Richards track "Words of Wonder" was taut and defined, although the GT1s couldn't quite summon up the air-moving abilities of some (admittedly larger) speakers.

Satisfied that the GT1 could more than hold its own in a high-rez two-channel setting, I moved back into my home theater room to see how they would work in concert with their siblings. Starting with a 5.1-channel SACD of the Budapest Festival Orchestra playing Dvorák's Slavonic Dance No. 2, I found the warmth and purity of the string sound startling, while the new DualDisc surround mix of the Talking Heads track "Papa Legba" had the sound twirling around the room in a cohesive envelope with no obvious gaps or timbre mismatch.