Are PSB speakers any good??
Indranil Danda Roy
I am talking about the Century series 600i and 800i. The audio stores within
150 miles around my place have only the bookshelf models 400i and 500i, so I
can't audition the ones I want. I have heard good
things about the 600i and 800i. Can I buy the 600i or the 800i (mail order)
based on the merits of 400i and 500i?
I am looking for a midrange and treble smoothness, good soundstaging, imaging
and dynamism. Bass is not a big issue since I have a decent sub.
Experienced folks are encouraged to comment. Thanks.
P.S. the new PSB stratus mini is a very well reviewed speaker. However I noticed
that it has a impedance of only 4 ohms. Is it going to be difficult to drive
it? All I have is a top end Yamaha receiver with 100
watts/channel.
-Danda.
P.S Please direct replies to dand...@umr.edu
Gruvmyster
> P.S. the new PSB stratus mini is a very well reviewed speaker. However I noticed
> that it has a impedance of only 4 ohms. Is it going to be difficult to drive
> it? All I have is a top end Yamaha receiver with 100
> watts/channel.
Nominal impedance should not be confused with efficiency. Find an efficiency rating
that looks something like "91db@1 watt/meter". This will give you a better idea of
how loud they'll get. My guess is 100 watts is plenty. I'm unpacking from a move, or
I would get the numbers for you for the PSB.
I would also normally recommend listening to them in your room before purchasing,
though I see in your case it is going to be difficult. I'd make sure whatever
mail-order company you choose has a liberal return policy, or you might find
yourself paying 25% to return speakers you do not like. (With PSB I doubt that would
be the case, however.)
Doug
Gruvmyster
> The PSBmini stratus is rated at 88dB/watt /meter which means that theoretically if your yamaha can put out 100 clean watts into 4 ohms you will get a level of 108 dB at 1 meter.
Wouldn't it be 94db?
Doug
Arny Krüger
Gruvmyster wrote in message <360B36F8...@idt.net>...
100 watts = 20 dBW. 88 + 20 = 108, right? ;-)
(Just don't try this at 20 Hz!)
~EJP~
Arny Krüger wrote in message <6ufuuu$2kg$1...@excalibur.flash.net>...
>
>100 watts = 20 dBW. 88 + 20 = 108, right? ;-)
>
>(Just don't try this at 20 Hz!)
Out of curiosity, what would 50, 70 and 140 watts RMS translate to in
dbW?
It might even be usefull to give us the relationship so we can figure
it out ourselves.
Thanks
Anon E Mouse
On Fri, 25 Sep 1998, Gruvmyster wrote:
> Barry/Muriel Wilkinson/Turner-Wilkinson wrote:
>
> > The PSBmini stratus is rated at 88dB/watt /meter which means that theoretically if your yamaha can put out 100 clean watts into 4 ohms you will get a level of 108 dB at 1 meter.
>
> Wouldn't it be 94db?
In-room sensitivity ~88 dB/1 W/1 m
dBW = 10*log10(P/Pref) = 10*log10(P/1 W)
W | dBW ---> Each doubling of power means a 3-dBW increase in power
------------
1 | 0 (Ref)
2 | 3
4 | 6
8 | 9
16 | 12
32 | 15
64 | 18
128 | 21 ---> 100 W : 10*log10(100 W/1 W) = 10*2 = 20 dBW
A 10-dBW increase in power correlates with a 10-dB increase in _perceived_
level, the latter equating to a _perceived_ doubling of level ("twice as
loud"). IOW, it takes 10 times more power (10*log10(10/1) = 10 dBW) to
perceive a doubling of level. So, 100 W will get the level four times
"louder" than it is at 1 W (for a given speaker efficiency).
level attainable = 88 dB (@ 1 W) + 20 dB (+20 dBW) = 108 dB
level attainable with inaudible clipping = 111~114 dB (a 3~6 dBW power
increase, depending on the nature of listening material).
(The numbers above apply to pure tones; the numbers for broadband signals
like music, or even pure tones in the lowest and higest octaves, are much
more complex)
Gruvmyster
Barry/Muriel Wilkinson/Turner-Wilkinson wrote:
> Not according to the AUDIO bible
> Barry/Muriel Wilkinson/Turner-Wilkinson wrote:
>
> > The PSBmini stratus is rated at 88dB/watt /meter which means that
> theoretically if your yamaha can put out 100 clean watts into 4 ohms you will
> get a level of 108 dB at 1 meter.
>
> Wouldn't it be 94db?
I always thought for a 3 dB increase, you needed a 10x increase in power. Is that an incorrect
formula, or am I applying it wrong?
Geez, I hate it when concepts I've held for years are shattered...:-)
Doug
Gruvmyster
Barry/Muriel Wilkinson/Turner-Wilkinson wrote:
> Sorry doug
No need to apologize!:-)
> A 3dB increase is a doubling of power(2x) and is a noticable increase in sound level. 6 dB is 4 times the power and a significant increase in sound level.
> a 10dB increase is 10x the power and an apparent doubling of sound level.
> 20dB sounds 4 times as loud for 100 times the power.
I think I see where I made my mistake. I thought a 3dB increase was a doubling of SPL. I knew it took 10X power to get twice the SPL. Back to the books!
Don't ask me why I thought that...
Thanks for clearing that up!
Doug
Aaml1331
Danda, don't get caught up in the numbers game concerning watts. What you are
more interested in current delivery into low impedances. the PSB mini is a 4
ohm speaker but the impedance drops below 4 ohms at certain points in it's
frequency curve. You may be happy with your reciever, and I am not going to bad
mouth it, but it may not be up to the task of driving a low impedance speaker.
Be careful of what speakers you hook up to Japanese amplifiers. Good luck
aaml...@aol.com
Arny Krüger
~EJP~ wrote in message <6ug89q$e44$1...@faatcrl.faa.gov>...
50 watts = 17 dBW
70 watts = 18.5 dBW
140 watts = 21.5 dBW
In short, you should barely be able to hear the difference
between 50 & 70 watts, all other things being equal.
Kevin Deal / Upscale Audio
>
> I am talking about the Century series 600i and 800i. The audio stores within
> 150 miles around my place have only the bookshelf models 400i and 500i, so I
> can't audition the ones I want. I have heard good
> things about the 600i and 800i. Can I buy the 600i or the 800i (mail order)
> based on the merits of 400i and 500i?
> I am looking for a midrange and treble smoothness, good soundstaging, imaging
> and dynamism. Bass is not a big issue since I have a decent sub.
> Experienced folks are encouraged to comment. Thanks.
>
> that it has a impedance of only 4 ohms. Is it going to be difficult to drive
> it? All I have is a top end Yamaha receiver with 100
> watts/channel.
>
The 600i and 800i are great speakers. I would ask your local dealer to
order them in for you. Your receiver will have no problem driving
them. They are both a nominal 8 ohm impedence.
If you can't get them locally give us a call.
--
Regards,
Kevin Deal Voice: (909) 931-9686 Fax: (909) 985-6968 10-6 pst Mon-Sat
Upscale Audio 2504 Spring Terrace, Upland, California 91784
Precision Selected Rare Audio Tubes ***** Factory Authorized Dealer for:
Audible Illusions *** Balanced Audio Technology *** Sonic Frontiers ***
B&K
Golden Tube Audio *** Anthem *** Presence *** Von Schweikert Research
Meadowlark *** PSB *** Eminent Technology *** Speakercraft *** Odyssey
Nordost Flatline *** Basis *** Benz *** Nitty Gritty *** Kimber Kable &
more
Norm Strong
Quite true, and a common way to look at it. Trouble is, there's hardly
any difference between 50 and 30 watts, so why waste money on a 50 watt
amp?
But wait, you can hardly tell the difference between a 30 watt and a 20
watt amp, so get the 20 watt one---and so on and on.
At some point, you are going to have to determine how much power you need
for your application and buy that size amp. If you can settle for less,
then you didn't need the higher power after all.
--
Norm Strong (no...@scn.org)
2528 3lst S. Seattle WA 98l44
Anonymous lo14
From: Kevin Deal / Upscale Audio <Ke...@UpscaleAudio.com>
Newsgroups: rec.audio.opinion
Subject: Re: Are PSB speakers any good??
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 22:09:09 -0700
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If you can't get them locally give us a call.
[SNIPPED: SPAM]