PSB Introduces New, Upgraded Version Stratus Silver Speakers

PSB Speakers, Canadian maker of high performance speaker systems, is introducing a new version of one of its most distinctive speaker systems. The company expects its new Stratus Silver to get a warm reception from critical audiophiles looking for top performance and elegant appearance at a price that keeps ""high-end"" well within reach. According to PSB founder and chief designer Paul Barton, the new Silver is the result of a fresh look at a popular product following the very successful introductions this past year of the Stratus Gold and Bronze. ""We began with no preconceptions about how much we might do,"" Barton says. ""From time to time, we've made small changes in production for improved consistency and performance. What we've done now to update the Silver revolves around a trio of performance and appearance changes. ""The most visible change also affects performance,"" Barton continues. ""The pedestal base we've added to the Silver, which we think makes it look more substantial and more elegant than ever, also provides a little more internal volume for the woofers. This contributes to efficiency and bass response. ""Recognizing the growth of home theatre and its demands on low frequencies,"" he adds, ""we've radiused the speaker's port tube internally as well as externally to eliminate any vestige of 'chuffing' under even the most stressful bass inputs. And we've added a textured finish to the port assembly to improve its cosmetics. Finally, we've upgraded to heavier-gauge premium wire internally, and we've switched to wood veneer cabinet tops for dressier and more consistent furniture appearance."" Like its predecessor, the new Stratus Silver is a three-driver, ""2-1/2 way"" system that uses two custom 6.5-inch woofers with heavy magnets, cast metal baskets and rubber surrounds. Its 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter is the same driver used in the Stratus Gold. Its sophisticated crossover design operates both woofers at low frequencies, for bass response equal to that of a single, substantially larger woofer-but uses only one of them through the midrange to the tweeter. The relatively small diameter of the single driver that operates through the midrange is said to provide better directivity-more consistent on-axis and off-axis response-than a single, correspondingly larger woofer. This, the company says, makes for a very smooth transition, avoiding interference between the three drivers. The Silver retains the elegant enclosure design of the original and adds to it with the handsome accent of its new pedestal base, as with the Gold. Very much in evidence is the original and still fresh combination of anodized aluminum corner extrusions and wooden veneer panels with interlocked top and interior braces. The use of double woofers rather than a single larger one helps to create a slim footprint that allows the cabinet to slip gracefully into any decor. ""We think this new speaker will definitely make its mark,"" Barton says. ""As with the Stratus Gold, the difference from the original isn't radical. It shouldn't be. But it's definitely there to see and hear."" PSB, a member of the Lenbrook Group, is now shipping the Stratus Silver to PSB dealers, with a suggested retail price of $1,799 per pair in black ash or dark cherry wood veneer, and $1,999 per pair in high-gloss black.For more information contact Robert Brown at 508 660 8300.