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PSB Alpha T20 Speaker System Review
Michael Trei  |  Apr 03, 2019

Speakers
Performance
Build Quality
Value

Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $1,800 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Neutral balance
Close timbral matching between models
Excellent value
Minus
Pedestrian styling
Basic finish options

THE VERDICT
PSB's long-running Alpha Series has been a value leader for more than 25 years. Now in their third generation, these speakers sound equally good with music and movies, and the value quotient is stronger than ever.

I think of PSB's entry-level Alpha Series speakers as being the loudspeaker equivalent of the Toyota Corolla. The Alphas may not be the sexiest speakers around, but they do offer solid engineering, long-term reliability, and excellent performance at a very reasonable price. Speakers from PSB's now sadly discontinued flagship Synchrony line have served as my personal home theater reference for over a decade, so you could call me a bit of a fanboy. As you might expect, that means I'm also interested in seeing what the company can deliver when keeping costs down is part of the equation.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
McIntosh Power Controller Aims to Protect Your Gear
SV Staff  |  Apr 03, 2019
McIntosh today introduced a high-end surge-protection system designed to shield up to eight components from potentially damaging power surges caused by lightning strikes.
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The S&V Interview
The Retro-Cool Analog Vibes of Nick Waterhouse
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 03, 2019
We called retro-cool singer/guitarist Nick Waterhouse at his homebase in Southern California to discuss his finely soulful new self-titled album and how an artist’s name can come to define their personal brand of sound, how he reconciled his mono tendencies with making an album in stereo, and the clever but logical way he mixes his passion for both 45s and 33s.
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Audio Video News
Best Gear of March 2019
SV Staff  |  Apr 03, 2019
When it comes to great gear we can recommend without reservation, speakers were the name of the game in March, which brought us one of the most versatile preamps we’ve seen and three speaker systems: a high-performance wireless model audiophiles will appreciate, a state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos-enabled “immersive sound” setup from one of Britain’s top speaker companies, and a modest but very good sounding home theater package from a respected American brand that can be had for less than a grand.
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Home Movie Theaters
Urban Oasis
SV Staff  |  Apr 02, 2019
This installation, by Ed Gilmore and Gilmore's Sound Advice of New York City, is notable for its open, multi-purpose layout and clever concealment of audio/video components when the system is not in use. In its resting state, the main room is a stylish, comfortable loft area, complete with brick walls from the original industrial building and floor-to-ceiling windows that peer out onto NYC's Tribeca neighborhood.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
SVS Builds ‘Cost-No-Object’ Features into New $800 Tower
SV Staff  |  Apr 02, 2019
Youngstown, Ohio-based speaker specialist SVS today announced that the Prime Pinnacle tower speaker it previewed at CES 2019 is now available for $1,600/pair in black ash or $1,800/pair in gloss black.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Suspiria
Al Griffin  |  Apr 01, 2019
Picture
Sound
Extras
It was a bold move for Luca Guadagnino, director of the 2018 Academy Award-nominated, Call Me by Your Name, to undertake a remake of Suspiria, the 1977 film from Italian horror auteur Dario Argento, as his next project. Buoyed no doubt by the critical acclaim Call Me by Your Name had received, Guadagnino, an avowed Argento fan, likely felt he could do Argento's cult classic justice.
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Audio Video News
Epson Sues Maker of RCA Projectors for Grossly ‘Exaggerating Lumens Claims’
SV Staff  |  Apr 01, 2019
Epson America today announced that it has amended its lawsuit against Curtis International Ltd. for “falsely advertising the lumens of projectors manufactured and sold under the RCA brand name.”
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Audio Video News
Vizio, Hisense Dispute Poor TV Reliability Ratings
SV Staff  |  Apr 01, 2019
Vizio has issued a scathing rebuttal to the results of a Consumer Reports (CR) TV reliability survey that led the magazine to remove its “recommended” designation from seven Vizio models TVs.

The report also singled out Hisense and removed the “recommended” badge from two of its TVs.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Samsung TVs Get HDMI 2.1, Adaptive Sound & More
Joe Palenchar  |  Mar 29, 2019
Samsung is serving up more 4K and 8K UHD TVs this year than last year, many with features not available before from the Korean electronics giant.
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