Bookshelf Speaker Reviews

Named after Paul and Sue Barton, PSB is located 2,555 miles away from our studio in Pickering, Ontario. PSB sent us a pair of Alpha Bs, which are about the same size as the NHT satellites. They utilize a 0.75-inch aluminum-dome tweeter and a 5.25-inch polypropylene woofer. For the center channel, they sent along the larger Alpha C, which was the largest center channel in the Face Off and looks like two of the main-channel speakers laid end to end, sharing a single tweeter. The drivers are the same type and size as those of the Alpha Bs. For the surround channels, PSB sent their dedicated Alpha S, which houses two 0.75-inch tweeters and two 3.5-inch woofers in a bipolar array. For bass, the new SubSonic 5i has 150 watts for its 10-inch polypropylene woofer in a ported cabinet.

Take a second to look at the measurements box for these speakers. Except for the Alpha S, they measure extremely flat, flatter than speakers that cost a lot more. Add in a sub with a wide frequency range, and you have a textbook loudspeaker system. Then there's the fact that they scored highest in the looks department, with two first-, two second-, and one rather odd last-place vote. So how could they not have won? Simple. Not everyone likes a perfectly flat speaker. Many purists argue that a speaker (well, all equipment, really) shouldn't add anything of its own. It should pass along the material exactly as it was recorded. That's a fair argument, but this is a prime example of why everyone doesn't feel that way. Here's a speaker that does an excellent job of purely passing the original material, and no one picked it as their favorite. For that matter, two people picked it as their least favorite. Polarizing, indeed.

Holly Cole was a good way to ease into this system. Maureen said that she had heard this track through many higher-end systems and that the PSB's performance was very similar. Chris praised the system's tonal balance and good imaging. Hilary thought Cole's voice was very lifelike and that the bass sounded quite rich. All three ranked the PSB ensemble second. Adrienne thought the PSBs were a little bright but had solid bass. Claire agreed and said the system sounded a bit "claustrophobic." She also thought the volume was too high. She didn't mention this about any other system, so that says something.

Bach, on the other hand, elicited strong responses on both sides. On the positive side, Chris thought the PSBs were nicely mellow for speakers in this price range. He added that the sub was fairly musical and not immediately obvious (a good thing). Hilary mentioned that, the longer she listened to this system, the more she liked it. On the not-so-positive side, Claire thought the high frequencies were hissy. She also didn't think that the cellos articulated clearly. Adrienne thought the violins sounded too sterile. In fact, that was the way she summed up the entire system: "Solid but sterile." Even she had to admit that these speakers were very revealing and that the source material affected them more than the other speakers.

Star Wars didn't do anything to ameliorate the two warring camps. At one point, it actually came to blows. "Sounds great!" "Less filling!" shouted the two sides. No, wait, that was all in my head. Chris said that the sub had a good rumble, but it could have been cleaner. Hilary liked the bass, as well as the surround speakers. She also wrote "That Anakin is psycho" in the margin of her Face Off cheat sheet. He's a character, Hilary, and a poorly written one. Claire agreed with Chris about the bass: "I felt it rattle my chair and my eardrums, but not in a good way." She thought the bass was too much and too sloppy. She liked the surrounds and the center channel, though. Adrienne thought the bass was too boomy, as well, but mentioned that many people might like this.

Band of Brothers didn't band these brothers-in-Face-Off together. Chris thought the bass was more controlled than it was in Star Wars, and he liked the explosions' attack and decay. He did think that the speakers got a little thin at times but that they were generally solid. Maureen felt that the gunshots sounded very accurate, while Hilary claimed that either the speakers or the material was giving her an anxiety attack. I think I can spin that as a compliment for the PSBs. Claire liked that she could hear the rustle of leaves, and the high frequencies didn't bother her as much as they did with music. She still picked this ensemble as her least favorite, though. Adrienne thought everything sounded artificial and bright. She, too, rated it last. I guess it all depends on how accurate you want your speakers. I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Absolutely. I want accurate. Why wouldn't I?" Well, that may be fair. Before you jump to that conclusion, though, read on.

HT Labs Measures: PSB Alpha B Speaker System

This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the Alpha B L/R (purple trace), SubSonic 5i subwoofer (blue trace), Alpha C center channel (green trace), and Alpha S surround (red trace). All passive loudspeakers were measured at a distance of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.

The Alpha B's listening-window response (a five-point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal and vertical responses) measures +0.88/–1.89 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3dB point is at 90 Hz, and the –6dB point is at 56 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 3.78 ohms at 238 Hz and a phase angle of –37.28 degrees at 129 Hz. Sensitivity averages 89 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.

The Alpha C's listening-window response measures +0.88/–2.00 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses measures +1.38/–2.82 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3dB point is at 103 Hz, and the –6dB point is at 71 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 5.16 ohms at 8.7 kHz and a phase angle of –46.67 degrees at 3.6 kHz. Sensitivity averages 89.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.

The Alpha S's three-face averaged response measures +2.14/–6.86 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3dB point is at 126 Hz, and the –6dB point is at 106 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 7.31 ohms at 374 Hz and a phase angle of –42.17 degrees at 218 Hz. Sensitivity averages 83 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.

The SubSonic 5i's close-miked response, normalized to the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3dB point is at 34 Hz and the –6dB point is at 32 Hz. The upper –3dB point is at 129 Hz with the LFE-input switch set to active.•AJ

Highlights

PSB Alpha B:
• Extremely flat response
• Simple, good-looking design
• Very revealing

Alpha B Bookshelf Speaker $249/pair
Alpha C Bookshelf Speaker $229
Alpha S Surround Speaker $399/pair
SubSonic 5i Subwoofer $449
PSB Speakers
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