REVIEW: PSB Imagine mini Speakers - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveGuttenberg 

ptrok,

 

Thank you. I really love the Mini Maggies, but they are extremely demanding speakers. They can't be placed near a wall, two to three feet from the rear wall is essential. They need a lot of current (amps), and the little Jolida won't cut it. Bass punch/dynamics aren't a strong suit, so hip hop won't sound great. Jazz and classical would be awesome. The PSB is a lot easier to drive and has more bottom-end oomph. No one speaker does it all, you have to decide what's most important for you.

Thanks for the quick response and you have made my choice a little easier. Space is unfortunately not a luxury in my home in Korea, man is this place cluttered. However, I think I am more inspired by jazz and classical of late but the fact the Jolida is not powerful enough, I have to nix the idea. Might have to give the PSB a shot. Which Jolida would make the PSB's sing, 301BRC or 1501P?  Thanks again for your advice.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC 

Welcome Steve. Any chance you'd consider doing a round up or something of entry studio monitors? (Alesis, KRK, Behringer, Tannoy etc). I'm currently using a pair of KRK Rokit 6 G2s, controlled with a simple passive preamp. In the past I've had pretty mixed results with passive speakers that weren't designed for near-field use on the desktop.

FYI, None of the entry level powered speakers mentioned above that I have heard are as natural as the PSB's to my ears.  My Imagine B25 are quite a bit bigger than the ones Steve reviewed and the laws of physics work and you get real bass from the B25's larger cabinet and woofer.  They also work great in the near field as long as you get them off the desk.

"Simply Scrumptious"! Great set of speakers by the tell of the commentary. I should probably look into this sometime, but the economy won't allow me to purchase anymore hi-fi items. Being jobless SUCKS!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveGuttenberg 

I love the Gallo Stradas, but I never heard them used as nearfield monitors. Nearfield speakers have to create a seamless blend between treble and woofer at a much closer distance than regular speakers. I don't know if the Stradas do that.

I think if you give them a try in the application you'd be pleasantly surprised. Something about the Strada's design, between the round woofer enclosures and absence of any crossovers, makes the coherence and resolution in the nearfield space unbelievable (or rather, believable).

what a fantastic present would these speakers make...for any music lover and audiophile alike. beautifully crafted and engineered by someone with decades of experience and a passion - you can see from photos the way Paul Barton is holding the speaker is like his holding a baby. I love it. if I was on budget looking for a system this would be it. 

they're still expensive for a lot people, but worth saving for. better than wasting money on some cheap PC speakers, imo. these are the real thing.

we need more reviews like this to make people aware of sound from better speakers. it would be great if hi-fi audio became a little more mainstream and affordable.

looking forward to the next review

even smaller and same price is m&k xenon x-26. those are pretty good computer speakers. $800 is not cheap computer speakers so i hope these are good. i couldn't say since i have not heard them. i am guessing unless maggie completely screwed up those must be awesome computer speakers. the problem is speakers this small are not really for serious listening. true, $30 speakers suck but $800 is a stretch for this application imo. my sf mementos are considered very small but ten times the size and weight of these little guys. they are also a "bit" more money but worth every penny imo. of course they do not sit on a desktop. on a dresser lol. yeah, i ruined what they are capable of on the stands but i have to live with them in my bedroom. anyways i am very interested in hearing the mini maggies. psb's low end line probably not so much so. who knows though i could be amazed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveGuttenberg 

Right, medium-size speakers have an advantage over small ones in the areas of bass and loudness capability. The PSB Mini is a serious attempt at packing the maximum performance into a smaller size. People like little speakers after all. Most affordable powered speakers don't have the greatest internal amps.

Let me put in a good word for Quads, a company that knows a bit about both amps and speakers.  Probably not considered that affordable at MSRP, but I've seen them at pretty good discounts.  BTW, I heard the mini-Maggies a few years ago at a dealer (yes the product-development process has been interminable).  The hype is real.  They sounded great.  They were being fed by a Wadia iPod dock, a Peachtree Nova, and, hidden under a blanket, a beefy Ayre power amp.

I own a pair of Stradas. These speakers image and totally disappear more than very few speakers do. These are giant killers. They are as quick as any ESL ever made. Stradas are true monitors, they reveal any weak-link in your system.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3X0 

Have you auditioned the Anthony Gallo Stradas? I think they perfect the nearfield monitor philosophy. I don't think traditional monitors can match them in the nearfield application due to cabinet design. Although to be fair the Stradas cost well over 2x the PSB Minis, I thought the difference was justified.

 

And IMHO the Mini Maggies are blasphemy to the bipole planar Magnepan tradition!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveGuttenberg 

I love the Gallo Stradas, but I never heard them used as nearfield monitors. Nearfield speakers have to create a seamless blend between treble and woofer at a much closer distance than regular speakers. I don't know if the Stradas do that.

Maoleshade records uses the Stradas as monitors. Pierre said they are the best monitor they have ever heard.
 

i think i stated elsewhere i was not a huge fan of planar/stats but at the size i'd be pretty interested. my problem is 8" from a wall though. i did not know gallo were serious monitors. shows what i know,duh! i am a pro recording engineer and we use genelec and dynaudio. i must hear these gallos. sorry if i am further derailing this from psb convo.....

How sensitive to height are the Stradas? From what I recall reading reviews of the Gallo 3.1, vertical dispersion of the tweeter is extremely limited (which on the desktop may actually be a plus - less reflection from the desk surface). Presumably the tweeter needs to be exactly at ear level with the Strada?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC 

How sensitive to height are the Stradas? From what I recall reading reviews of the Gallo 3.1, vertical dispersion of the tweeter is extremely limited (which on the desktop may actually be a plus - less reflection from the desk surface). Presumably the tweeter needs to be exactly at ear level with the Strada?

The Stradas image much better than the 3.1 or 3.5 Reference.I have them on the stock Gallo stands about 38" tall. Depending on the source material, I can get imaging

 that goes to the ceiling. I have them on a 26 foot wide wall about 7 feet apart, and the image at times goes wall to wall. If you like the quickness, detail, and musicality of the LCD2's in a speaker, plus the wild imaging, the Stradas will do it.