PSB Imagine T3 Flagship Tower Speakers

The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest saw the launch of the new PSB Imagine T3 tower speaker and the C3 center channel. These represent the new flagship products from PSB Speakers. The PSB Imagine T3 is a 5-way tower speaker with three 7″ woofers in a transitional array. The Imagine C3, as you’d imagine, is a timbre-matched 3-way center channel. The new PSB Imagine T3 and the PSB Imagine C3 speakers will come to market in December and will be priced at $3749 each and $1999 each respectively. They will come in either a premium High Gloss Black or a High Gloss Cherry finish.

PSB Imagine T3 Flagship Tower Speaker

If you’re wondering what makes the PSB Imagine T3 so special, we’d have to say that it’s a combination of many factors. What caught our eye the quickest was the design. As a true 5-way system, PSB isn’t messing around, and the build quality matches the complexity of the crossover system. For starters, the MDF front face is a full 2″ thick. Most drivers wouldn’t even be able to fasten to a baffle that thick with enough clearance to fire correctly, but PSB used gently curved, extra-wide baffle around each speaker to make the transition work. Check out this cut-away which shows each driver in an individually tuned bass and midrange chamber. The extra separation renders the cabinet nearly inert and reduces most vibrations and resonances:

Each of the two bass chambers has a discrete rear-firing tuning port, and PSB supplies port plugs to allow you to opt for more output, or tighter bass output. You can even disconnect the lower woofer from the amp by shorting it with the included link, effectively turning it into a mini “bass trap” to reduce room resonances.

The PSB Imagine T3 promises to be able to support a ton of power (300W) and features a 91 dB SPL in-room sensitivity rating (89 dB SPL anechoic). PSB claims a frequency response down to 24Hz (WOW!) and a fairly uniform off-axis response (down to 30Hz). Aesthetically, the PSB Imagine T3 Floor-Standing Speakers are beautiful, and the Cherry and Black finishes both look well-polished. The towers come with a one-piece aluminum plinth that has adjustable spikes for use on carpeted floors. Since they also include isolation pucks, you can also place these on hardwood without damaging the surface. The rubber dampers on the pucks even help with isolation.

PSB Imagine T3 Speakers

• Speaker type: Transitional 5-way Triple Port Bass Reflex
• 1″ Titanium dome tweeter with ferrofluid and neodymium magnet structure
• 5-1/4″ midrange (compressed felt/fiberglass mastic compound coating rubber surround)
• 3 x 7-1/4″ woofers, in individual bass chambers configured in a transitional array
• Impedance: 8-ohms (nominal)
• Crossover: 450Hz, B3, 1,800Hz LR4
• Frequency response (on-axis): 24-23,000Hz
• Frequency response (30º): 30-10,000Hz
• Recommended power: 20-300W
• Gold-plated, five-way, binding posts (bi/tri-wireable and bi/tri-ampable)
• Final voicing performed by Paul Barton at Canada’s famed NRC
• Premium furniture grade finishes in either High Gloss Black or High Gloss Cherry
• Dimensions: 11 1/2″W x 47 5/8″H x 15 1/8″D
• Weight: 71lbs (32.3kg)

PSB Imagine C3 Center Speaker

• Speaker type: Bass Reflex
• 1″ Titanium dome tweeter with ferrofluid and neodymium magnet structure
• 3-1/4″ midrange (compressed felt/fiberglass mastic compound coating rubber surround)
• 2 x 7-1/4″ woofers (compressed felt/fiberglass mastic compound coating rubber surround)
• Impedance: 8-ohms (nominal)
• Crossover: 500Hz, B3, 1,800Hz LR4
• Frequency response (on-axis): 48-23,000Hz
• Frequency response (30º): 50-10,000Hz
• Recommended power: 20-200W
• Gold-plated, five-way, binding posts
• Final voicing performed by Paul Barton at Canada’s famed NRC
• Premium furniture grade finishes in either High Gloss Black or High Gloss Cherry
• Dimensions: 24 1/2″W x 9 1/4″H x 13 5/8″D
• Weight: 33.5lbs (15.2kg)

These PSB speakers look like a real winner for PSB, and we can’t wait to get our hands on them some more to do some intensive listening tests of our own. For the price, these are going to compete well with other higher-end models in the industry and are particularly enticing for those looking to create a high-quality 5.1 room for music listening. The deep range of these speakers combined with the accompanying timbre-matched center channel lends itself well to this being a premier music system that can also do double duty for home theater applications.

These new speakers should ship in December 2014 and are priced as follows:

• PSB Imagine T3: $3749 each
• PSB Imagine C3: $1999 each

Company Info
PSB Speakers
(905)831-6555
www.psbspeakers.com