Great Deal on PSB Speakers (Audiophiles Rejoice!)

[badauss42]

Upscale Audio in Upland, CA, have some really great deals on their website for high end stereo equipment. I found a series of PSB Speaker "Factory Blems" for extremely low prices. Just small knicks that are hardly noticeable, no damage to the speaker components at all! I bought the PSB Image 3LR Series for $325 (retail 699, usually found for around 500). This is sort of a local thing (southern cali), but im sure they would ship them out to you as well if you want to. For those of you who dont know, PSB is high end audiophile speakers. Extremely clean and strong music, 10 times better than what youll find in any chain store like circuit city or good guys. Ive had a pair of the smaller PSB Alpha A/V for the last 4 years and have been completely happy and blow away anyone I demo them for.

Here are some links:
Upscale Audio
Direct link to speakers at upscale audio
Great site to get reviews on any music equipment
Manufacturers (PSB) website for speakers

 

[chud02]

I'll second that these are great speakers. I just picked up a pair of Image 1Bs two months ago to use as surrounds (4T mains and 8C center), or I'd have jumped on this.

For reference, I paid $225 for a demo pair, compared to the $194 listed here for "blem" stock. The cheapest I found them online (including Ebay) was about $210, but most online dealers are in NY (I'm in LA), making shipping very high.

If your local to So. Cal. and looking for PSBs, I'd stop by and look, or call and have them describe the condition of the speakers you're interested in. Reputable audio stores are pretty straight with you when it comes to the condition of non-new equipment.

c02

 

[beer]

Denon AVR-1601
PSB 8C Center
PSB Image 2B fronts
PSB Alpha A/V surrounds
Sony SA-WM40 subwoofer <--- SVS replacin this soon baby

Next fall I move into a dorm. You....wouldn't want to be a pissy neighbor.

 

[huesmann]

Nice if you live in Upland. Not if you don't.

 

[beer]

Yawa Audio has B-stocks; and they ship nationwide.

 

[Goi]

That's quite a good deal, but PSB isn't exactly "high end audiophile speakers". They are audiophile speakers no doubt, but in the grand scale of things they're really more budget, price/performance speakers(like Paradigm) than high end. Of course, they beat the crap out of anything you can get in BestBuy or Circuit City. I personally own a pair of Stratus Goldi's, a Stratus C6i and a pair of Image 2B's and I don't have much to complain about them...they're great for the price.

 

[beer]

With the concept of diminishing returns in mind, a $2K PSB setup will suit virtually everyone. You are right, they are not super-duper-high-end (McIntosh anyone?) but they do the job nicely.

And I am pretty sure next year @ university, the number of students that have setups better than my PSB can be counted on a single hand

 

[Shinta]

Originally posted by: Elemental007And I am pretty sure next year @ university, the number of students that have setups better than my PSB can be counted on a single hand

Yeah, but you have to beat the snot out of everybody in your dorm with something louder. No matter how good your gear is, it's hard for it to sound good when the guy across the hall is blasting [insert the crappy music of your choice] with his crappy, but f-ing big, DJ speakers.

 

[zeroidea]

audioreviews.com - best online resource for price-conscious audioheads
soundstage's review of PSB Image 2B Speakers
Reviwer's Choice - also worth perusing

I'm not in CA, and if you are the best thing is always to actually listen to speakers, but if they've got any NHT's on sale those are probably worth considering, too. When I finally bought some real speakers I did a lot of online research, and NHT's and PSB's respective models in the same price class were recommended in an either/or fashion by most people..

PS: won't that $2K setup be wasted in the acoustic setting of your dorm room? When I was in school I had a divided double smaller than a jail cell with cement walls and a wooden partition in the middle through which I could listen to my roommate's endlessly annoying g-funk (think warren g) being played on a cheap mini-system with the bass turned up. Take advantage of the hot deals forum when they post a headphones-related thread; I don't think loud music should be allowed in dorms

 

[huesmann]

IMHO, most times this high-end stuff is wasted. If you have a listening room in your house, fine. Most of us have furniture, and other sh!t around that screws around with the sound.

 

[Pakaderm]

I've got the 3LRs as my front speakers matched with the Alpha series center and rears. When watching movies, the sound between the speakers is extremely similar. And when I want to listen to music, the 3LRs sound excellent. I am very happy with my setup. All you need to do is add a sub (I've got a 100W Energy sub but I might need a bigger sub after I move to my new house) and music and movies come alive!

-Pakaderm

 

[sat4fun]

Originally posted by: Pakaderm
All you need to do is add a sub (I've got a 100W Energy sub but I might need a bigger sub after I move to my new house) and music and movies come alive!

-Pakaderm

Get a ButKicker and make them really come alive.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: zeroidea
audioreviews.com - best online resource for price-conscious audioheads
soundstage's review of PSB Image 2B Speakers
Reviwer's Choice - also worth perusing

I'm not in CA, and if you are the best thing is always to actually listen to speakers, but if they've got any NHT's on sale those are probably worth considering, too. When I finally bought some real speakers I did a lot of online research, and NHT's and PSB's respective models in the same price class were recommended in an either/or fashion by most people..

PS: won't that $2K setup be wasted in the acoustic setting of your dorm room? When I was in school I had a divided double smaller than a jail cell with cement walls and a wooden partition in the middle through which I could listen to my roommate's endlessly annoying g-funk (think warren g) being played on a cheap mini-system with the bass turned up. Take advantage of the hot deals forum when they post a headphones-related thread; I don't think loud music should be allowed in dorms

Not really your standard dorm room....

Yeah, but you have to beat the snot out of everybody in your dorm with something louder. No matter how good your gear is, it's hard for it to sound good when the guy across the hall is blasting [insert the crappy music of your choice] with his crappy, but f-ing big, DJ speakers.

My Denon receiever cranks into these 4 ohm PSBs (nominal) VERY well.

They'd be hard pressed to outplay me, plus, my SVS sub will win any psising contest. Not that I will initiate such contests....but if need be....

 

[imn8]

Thanks, this looks like a pretty sweet deal. Actually, their website says, "This is the greatest speaker buy we have ever had!" Shipping seems pretty reasonable too. He quoted me around $30 to Chicago to ship the Image 2B's.

 

[sxr7171]

Those are some great deals! I had to travel to Canada last time to get anything close on pricing.

Elemental007: Watch your tweeters!


Also in many smaller rooms these speakers sound better without a sub (in my opinion).

 

[imn8]

For those of you not in or near Upland, CA...
I just found a website that has the Image 2B's for $5 less, plus they are unblemished. They carry lots of other PSBs, but I didn't take the time to compare all the prices.

 

[foot]

I got my first pair of PSB alphas a LONG time ago (circa 1994, when they were all still handmade by PSB himself in Canada). I have since become an evangelist for this guys work. Even the tiny little first generation ALPHA PSBs were incredible. I have since bought two more sets (PC & TV) and will probably only buy these for the rest of my life. For the money, theyre absolutely unbelievable. But even looking past the value of these speakers, they still beat the snot out of almost every other brand.

In short:
Great form factor
great price
great range

*Caveat* - in a tiny little dorm room (yes even the great univeristy towers) you will NOT be able to appreciate how good these speakers are. YOu really need to be at least 10-15 feet away to hear the true lows these things can produce.

 

[Farbio]

argh, y must you all be posting such great things about these speakers!???!
i'm so debating the image 7 pt for my system, i know they would sound sooo good in my listening area, especially since a pair of klipsch synergy 7.1s made great music there.....add better top end and some more low end, arghhh....somebody stop me!

 

[WileCoyote]

for the guy going to a dorm next year - i hope you are going to a good school, otherwise they might get stolen.

 

[dirtrat]

With the concept of diminishing returns in mind, a $2K PSB setup will suit virtually everyone

$2K wouldn't even buy the cartridge on a turntable in a high end system.

 

[shortnugly]

Originally posted by: dirtrat

With the concept of diminishing returns in mind, a $2K PSB setup will suit virtually everyone

$2K wouldn't even buy the cartridge on a turntable in a high end system.

I speet on you! You are, how you say? A meager peasant!!!

 

[StattlichPassat]

And I am pretty sure next year @ university, the number of students that have setups better than my PSB can be counted on a single hand

t.u.! Tea-sip! Nevertheless, I agree- I'm up the road from you at Tarleton State University and nobody has a system better than mine. It drowns out those crappy Aiwa mini systems quite nicely.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: dirtrat

With the concept of diminishing returns in mind, a $2K PSB setup will suit virtually everyone

$2K wouldn't even buy the cartridge on a turntable in a high end system.

And how many of these turntables are sold annually?

Also grasp the concept of diminishing returns. A $4K turntable setup isn't 10x as clear as the $400 turntables I have.

 

[Goi]

And a $650 Pentium 4 2.53GHz isn't 3x as fast as a $220 Athlon XP 2200+
For some people, the extra quality is worth the exponential price increase, for others, its ludricrous. Let's not force our own set of values and priorities on others. It usually ends up ugly.

 

[DeafeningSilence]

It looks like these speakers have 6 ohms resistance, while most receivers have 8 ohms. (My Pioneer receiver specifies 8 - 16 ohms). Would this be a problem???