PSB Shows Full Complement Of Popular New ""Image"" Series At CES

PSB Speakers, Canadian maker of high-performance speaker systems, used the 2000 CES to demonstrate the newest additions to its new Image Series, which has been drawing in-depth acclaim from dealers, reviewers and consumers alike since its recent appearance. PSB, a member of The Lenbrook Group, is adding two new four-driver tower systems, one of which is powered internally at low frequencies.According to PSB Founder and Chief Designer Paul Barton, the Image speakers are designed to meet todayís listening/viewing needs with unusual exactness and unprecedented performance-per-dollar. ""As the name implies,"" Barton says, ""the Image models are meant to be equally home with music and movie sound, and to fit gracefully - with a welcome bit of ëzipí - into todayís dÈcor. And the way weíve chosen to make that happen, with really striking modular design and elegant systems-engineering, is the key not only to beautifully matched tonal quality and convincing realism, but just startling value for the performance they achieve.""""From my perspective,"" he says, ""the most interesting thing is the way weíve used modularity and common design elements to get costs to listener-friendly levels. We integrate our basic drivers on structural baffle moldings that come in two versions for each size woofer - one with a tweeter, woofer, and port, the other with a woofer and port. These molded baffle arrays lock into MDR cabinets, and support ""floating"" grilles. Our smallest bookshelf models use a single tweeter-woofer-port array. A larger bookshelf cabinet uses the larger array, and a second baffle element with a second woofer and port.""""Tower models include both baffles, and two larger tower models - one with powered bass - add still another baffle with another woofer and port. Center channels turn the larger module to position the tweeter in the middle of the three speakers rather than at the top as in other models. Itís great systems engineering, and the listener gets real benefits. Using common components in different models helps ensure the ëfamily soundí thatís so important for matched home theatre performance. It also helps manage production for this wide-ranging series, so that value across the whole series is astounding. Even our least expensive model, for instance, uses the same high-performance aluminum-dome tweeter found in all the full-range Images.""""And people are finding,"" Barton says, ""that these speakers look as striking as they sound. We have used molding techniques to produce smooth curves that really catch the eye while they improve performance, and the floating grilles on the enclosures add elegance. The slimness of the tower models stems both from the use of multiple compact drivers and from making cabinets a bit taller and deeper. And the sonic results we get out of those choices combine deep bass, good power handling, and higher efficiency from speaker enclosures that are easy to fit into a room.""The full range of Image models - three compact monitors, four towers (including the two new tower models), two centers, and a powered subwoofer (the only model not sharing the modular elements) - carry suggested prices ranging from $269/pair to $1,349/pair.The new Image 6T tower and Image 7PT powered-bass tower ($949 and $1,349, respectively) have begin shipping as of February 2000. All other models are shipping (and catching up with heavy demand) now. A new cherry finish will be added in February.