Great sound-great bargain
Written: Sep 08 '99
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Pros: Sound quality, price, ability to mix and match
Cons: none
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| robh's Full Review: PSB CENTURY 300i Bookshelf Speaker |
I've been in the process of upgrading to a complete A/V surround system from standard 2-channel stereo, and in the process stumbled over PSB speakers. Not only are they an incredible bargain, but the 300i's sound BETTER than my larger, 3-way Polk 7Cs (old faithful). It's incredible what Barton has done for bookshelf speakers - they look good, sound incredible, and don't break the bank.
I listened to several speakers before choosing the PSB's using jazz, acoustic blues, prog rock, and even trance. You'll end up seeing these names on the market: Definitive Tech's, KEF, Klipsch, and even now-made-in-Mexico Polk's. None have the sonic range, depth, and clarity of the PSBs in ALL music genres.
The goal is to build a good sounding system that you can pass along to your children. That's what I'm doing, and I'd recommend anyone looking to upgrade does the same. Speakers make up 75% of your system, so listen and listen close. Bring your music, and don't let salespeople distract you with what's hot or what's on sale.
My setup will end up like this (after a 6 month "project" of building a system, which I'd recommend. Buying all this at once can break the average person's bank, so space it out and watch your system grow!):
A/V Amp: NAD T750 - $450-699 - Pro-Logic, but 5.1 ready. The best in the biz, you will NEVER have to replace this one. Anyone who says buy a Dolby Digital to get the best sound hasn't heard the T750 - incredible for both music (2 channel stereo) and movies (surround)
DVD: Toshiba 3109 - $400-500 - Dolby Digital decoder built in, plus a HDCD (high def cd) chip that allows "enhanced" listening to music recorded in 20 bit (v. 16 bit). Great sound, nice mechanism, cheaper and better than going the Dolby Digital route with a good amp. Holds two cd's as well. (I thought the same thing - Toshiba, why would I buy that, it's not high end? But the part and capabilities put it at the top of it's class - for now)
Speakers: front: Either PSB 300i (now $200-260 pair) or Alpha A/Vs ($200-240 pair) . Both sound great. PSB is replacing the Century (100, 200, 300i, etc) series in Oct 99, so you can get a great deal on these now)
Center channel: Century/Alpha center channel ($149-170)
Rear: Alpha Minis ($179-199 pair) or Alpha mites ($150 pair) sound great in the back - almost too good for a rear channel speaker!
Subwoofer: PSB Alpha ($419) or the Stratus sub (which you can get for $400-500, and it has a bigger driver, better amp, better bass.. almost worth the extram $60!)
Overall, PSB makes a well-match (timbre-wise) solution for home surround and music systems. They all match up, so you can mix and match. And the folks that sell them usually have the knowledge and expertise to guide you. Check out their web site at psbspeakers.com for some great guidance and info!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 240/pair
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Epinions.com ID:
robh
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Member: Rob Hirschmann
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 4 members
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