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In Reply to: Also.... posted by John Ashman on April 17, 2007 at 17:02:32:
You might be right - I sold those speakers 6 years or so ago. Just thought I'd write the review to memorialize my experiences. I'd do the same for the Mini's but I only owned them for 1 year and honestly I don't remember exactly how they sound.That being said - yes the Mini's did have a creamy dark character. They played loud and threw a large soundscape - except the bottoms of drums and loud bass were MIA.
In fact own of the salesmen at a shop I frequent told me that the PSB distributor/agent considered the Mini's the best speaker in the PSB line.
I bought the Golds through a high end shop, it was reviewed in both Audio and Stereophile as and considered a serious loudspeaker. I've never seen PSB sold anywhere except mom and pop outlets and never through large chains. Surely you characterization of PSB owners makes light of them as serious audiophiles.
Give me rhythm or give me death!
Follow Ups:
> I've never seen PSB sold anywhere except mom and pop outlets <
And here???
> I've never seen PSB sold anywhere except mom and pop outlets <
How about here??????
Hopefully they aren't dumping the Stratus line or the new top of the line products in that way.I saw some of the Exposure 2010 series gear being sold that way - goes a long way towards diminishing brand loyalty. At least for me.
PSB makes good speakers for the money. I always thought the stratus line was high class... what I mean by that is, it was the speaker equivalent of Rita Hayworth.
Gotta love it though. Those who buy this distressed unsellable at retail priced equipment will always state full retail price when asked how much it's worth.Kid I know told me about his audio buying experience - he could get a $1200 speaker for $799 over there, a $1000 speaker for $499 over there, etc. Think he ended spending $299 on a pair of $999 speakers.
Can't stop talking about all the cash he saved.
Give me rhythm or give me death!
You buy from a authorized dealer to get the warrenty and to support your local dealer... some folks would rather just save the money. Nothing wrong with that.I have had several PSB speakers, and I bought them all locally. One pair I got for a lot less than cost because they were being replaced by newer model updates... you can still get good deals locally, doesn't mean it's for everyone. If I was not into audio as a hobby, but more of a means to an end, then I would have no problem saving some cash and buying online for cheap... it save's the dealer's energies for people like me. It's a win win.
You sound snobbish though, as if paying more just for the sake of paying more is "cool". The best thing you did, obviously, was sell the Golds so someone else that actually appreciated them could enjoy them.
I get your point but there's alot more to this than whether or not one wants a warranty or not.I don't mean to sound snobbish. I bought the Golds for $600 off list price from an authorized dealer, the SP100s 6 months used from an authorized dealer and the Living Voice Avatars used.
My point is saving cash needs to be secondary to getting good sound. Buying a $3000 speaker because it's discounted to $2000 instead of other $3000 speakers that aren't discounted should be an insult to any reasonable audiophile. I admit to buying the then $2200 Golds because they were available (without demo) for $1600 - yea sure I was real happy with the Minis but needed more bass. I knew the Vandersteen 2Cs would work for me but thought I could get more speaker for my dollar coming up with a few more bucks to get in on the "special" deal.Now I spent 3 years trying to get those speakers to perform for me. Just didn't happen. Makes me wonder how little it must take for many Stratus Gold owners to be happy. I'm sure like others have said it's my hearing or I don't know what I'm doing - that's bs, it's them who settle for 1/2 assed sound and they don't even know it. Because I know as a fact it's not easy to get them to sound good.
Nothing wrong with saving money - but far and away for sure good audio equipment rarely shows up in high volume retailers nor is it offered at bottom of the barrel prices.
And AFAIK the Stratus and the top line PSB loudspeakers aren't being discounted like the more affordable products.
More power to those who determine what gear is best for them and then find that gear at a liquidators. However I know, and I assume you know, that gear purchased a rock bottom prices is purchased because it is being sold at rock bottom prices. Not because the buyer determined through listening and evaluation that that gear was best for his system.
If that makes me a snob so be it. But the thought of someone buying a $5000 hifi simply/mostly because they can buy it for $1500 reflects what I see as a mistake made by many audiophiles. Having a $3000 (but only paying $1000 for it) turntable should not be more important than having a $3000 turntable that they know that know they like. Truth be it told they probably could have found a $1000 TT they really liked lots better than the $3000 TT they ended up paying a grand for - and believe me I know from experience just because something costs 5 times as much doesn't mean a listener is going to like it more. But alas who am I to judge.
Don't get me wrong. People can and do find great deals on appropriate equipment used, demo and even through the liquidators. But I bet far more often than not this equipment is bought based mostly on price and not on appropriateness. And I'd also bet lots of people have no clue to the point I'm trying to make and that's why they think my attitude is snobbish.
The best thing you did, obviously, was sell the Golds so someone else that actually appreciated them could enjoy them.
You've made an incorrect assumption. They didn't work out for him either. He sold them to someone else - hopefully that person will be able to enjoy them like neither of us were able to do.
Sure saving money is way cool - but unfortunately one needs to be very lucky or very patient if they shop discrimately and expect to get a big savings at the same time.
It did do everything well, but wasn't the best at any one thing, such as imaging, or resolution or soundstaging or these kinds of things. But it was fun and rocked. I think "serious audiophiles" have something missing in their soul, anyway.
I thought my review was fair. Those who appreciate it's strengths will appreciate the speaker. And for those who appreciate it's strengths I think it's worth pursuing it as a high value high performance loudspeaker.It did do everything well, but wasn't the best at any one thing, such as imaging, or resolution or soundstaging or these kinds of things. But it was fun and rocked. I think "serious audiophiles" have something missing in their soul, anyway.
It's perfectly ok that our opinions differ on this speaker. However I find your comments above worth discussing.
I'm not so sure you and I share the same concept of a serious audiophile. A serious audiophile can be someone who is all about their soul and musical enjoyment. An objectivist is someone who usually lack soul and is the kind of audiophile who thinks like imaging, resolution, soundstaging, bass power, treble extension and ultimate loudness take on the highest of priorities and this is, IMO, exactly the kind of audiophile the PSB Stratus Golds will appeal to.
One thing is clear to me. You seem to be defending the Status Golds as being a fun alternative to some kind of standard anal retentive gooberized audiophile product. My position is that the Stratus Golds ARE perfectly typical of the unfun standard anal retentive gooberized audiophile product.They are all about measured performance. I'm not saying they sound bad or that they are not capable of sounding good. I'm saying compared to products I consider musical and fun they just aren't that good. Comparisons made surrounding performance and measureable criteria might lead one to a more positive conclusion but given my experiences I find it real difficult to consider them a fun or a completely musical enjoyable product. However those with different priorities can and may disagree.
The Gold is in no way the typical "gooberized" high-end product. It is not bright nor does it hype imaging or anything else. It is, as Ozzy completely exaggerated, a little on the slower, warmer side of things. B&W is more typical of the "gooberized" bright, flashy, "listen to what I can do!!!" kind of speaker. Nor is it a typical "sip on wine" kind of speaker. It loves to play loud and rock the room. Now, the newer Platinums? Sure. They're very "in your face" and too intense. But Golds aren't. I wouldn't recommend them to *any* audiophile, whether you call them "serious" (as in anal retentive) or an "objectivist" (actually, what I really think you mean here is "pop audiophile") as the Golds aren't "objectively" an amazing speaker. They just sound smooth and warm and pleasant.
The Golds are an objectively amazing speaker in their ability to play loud and deliver quality deep bass - especially when they were priced at slightly over $2k for the pair.It loves to play loud and rock the room.
That's what I've been saying all along! Sure with the right recording it can rock the room and shake the windows and with enough power it can play loud. In fact, I agree, it has a polite inoffensive character. But no matter what you are trying to claim these are objective performance criteria. And however amazing or refined these abilities, which I've admitted all along, it is not enough for me to deem them a musical or fun loudspeaker.
I don't think I disagree with much about what you say about the sound of the Golds. However, admitting that I agree with most of it, I would and have come to a different conclusion about the quality and usefulness of the speaker.
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a hard core audiophile (panels, high power, etc.) who hooked them up to a tv system in his bedroom so he could hear his X-rated videos in stereo!
Let's see. It was thick sounding, slow, not very resolving and had somewhat boomy bass. Yeah, that's pretty magical fer sure......
With the set up I had here the bass was not muddy or boomy but rather fast and tight. Highly powerful and dynamic speaker that can really convey alot of emotion with exciting music such as Rock or some livley jazz. Virtually indestructible speakers that give you alot for your money.
I eventually upgraded but did enjoy them very much.
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