PSB Introduces Upgraded Version Of Renowned Stratus Silver Speaker
PSB Speakers, Canadian maker of high performance speaker systems, showcased at Hi-Fi ë99, the Home Theater & Specialty Audio Show held in May in Chicago, the Stratus Silver, a new version of one of its most distinctive speaker systems. The company expects it new Silver to receive 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 a result of a fresh look at a popular product following very successful introductions in the past year of the Stratus God and Bronze Loudspeakers. ""We began with no preconceptions about how much we might do,"" Barton says, ""From time to time, we made small changes in production for improved consistency and performance. What weíve 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 weíve 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 demand on low frequencies,"" he adds, ""weíve radiuses the speakerís port tube internally as well as externally to eliminate any vestige of íchuffingí under even the most stressful bass inputs. And weíve added a textured finish to the port assembly to improve its cosmetics. Finally, weíve upgraded to heavier-gauge premium wire internally, and weíve 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"" systems 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 provides better directivity-more consistent on-axis and off-axis response-than a single, correspondingly larger woofer. This 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 single larger one helps to create a slim footprint that allows the cabinet to slip gracefully into any dÈcor. ""We think this new speaker will definitely make its mark,"" Barton says. ""As with the Gold, the difference from the original isnít radical. It shouldnít be. But itís 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 PSB 508 660 8300 or J.B. Stanton Communications 860 542 1234 Voice or Stan Pinkwas 718 788 7777 Voice and email: stanp@jbstanton.com.