Back in January, I finally solved an ongoing audio conundrum I had: Finding an affordable, true reference-level set of loudspeakers. I solved this problem when I received in PSB Speakers’ flagship Synchrony T800 loudspeaker (read the review). The Synchrony T800 took PSB over a decade to develop from the ground up at the Canadian National Research Council, and represents the perfect union of cutting-edge acoustic engineering and psychoacoustic loudspeaker design. When the new Imagine Series was announced by PSB, which has a driver complement that looks extremely close to that of the Synchrony series, I immediately phoned PSB’s head of project management to find out what the hubbub was about.
According to PSB, the Imagine series, as in the case with the PSB Imagine T65 loudspeakers (T65) I was sent for evaluation, benefits from the same decade-plus of research PSB put into developing their Synchrony flagship models. Trickle-down technology is a cliché in today’s loudspeaker sphere. Every company claims to trickle down technology from their flagship models to their reasonably-priced units. Yet, from my experiences over the past 20 years, this is never really the case, and the more attainable loudspeakers never truly carry the lineage for greatness that the flagship models are known for. My main goal in this evaluation is to find out if PSB Speakers could to break this cycle with the Imagine T65 towers, and deliver an affordable version of the same qualities that puts their flagship T800 both in the reference-level category and in my listening room.
What Makes the Imagine T65 Loudspeaker So Special?
- The dual 6.5-inch house-designed woven fiber woofers produce serious bass. I have a love/hate relationship with 6.5-inch woofers, because they tend to be a jack of all trades and do nothing well. Well, PSB purposefully built these woofers to be woofers, not just another do-all mid-bass. This means these 6.5-inch woofers play deep, have authority, and resolve difficult bass lines, like when a low tom-tom drum, bass drum, and walking bass guitar line are present at the same time. They play deep in-room, too. Unless you are a serious bass-head or the T65 is going in a home theater, there is little need for a subwoofer.
- The bass quality is possible thanks to another high-quality driver in the Imagine T65 that was designed from the ground up: The 5.25-inch midrange. It is rare to see true, dedicated midrange drivers in loudspeakers anymore, especially at the affordable, albeit competitive, price point where the Imagine T65 sit. Most midrange drivers these days are just reproposed mid-bass drivers. There are design differences in the motors and cones between a dedicated midrange and a mid-bass. These differences lead to a dedicated midrange driver possessing a more resolved and clear midrange. These great qualities are all present in the T65.
- The one-inch dome tweeter in the Imagine T65 benefits from much of the same technology packed into the tweeter in the PSB’s Synchrony series. The tweeter, which integrates seamlessly with the 5.25-inch midrange, was surprisingly resolute and produced fine details that I would expect from a much more expensive loudspeaker.
- The white pair of PSB T65s that I received for evaluation had fantastic-quality cabinet work. Small details like the aluminum trim rings on the drivers, clean seams, and bead around the front makes the otherwise simple cabinet fit into just about any décor.
- The outrigger feet look great, while adding stability to the PSB T65. Jerry Del Colliano discussed the importance of stable cabinets in both his articles and evaluations of loudspeakers. Jerry has a toddler at home. Toddlers plus tall, heavy loudspeakers (each T65 is over 40 pounds) is never a good formula for fun.
- The PSB T65 speakers can deliver bass below 30 Hertz, while remaining 90 decibels-efficient. Many loudspeakers with small woofers, less than 10 inches or so, often need to sacrifice the efficiency that makes a loudspeaker easy for an amplifier to drive for extended bass response. The T65 does not suffer this ill, and is a testament to PSB’s design chops.
Why Should You Care About the PSB Imagine T65 Loudspeaker?
It seems PSB was not about to tarnish their stellar reputation for bringing high-end loudspeakers to all, as affordably as possible, with the new Imagine T65 loudspeaker. When PSB made the statement that the Imagine T65 benefits from the research that went into their flagship Synchrony loudspeakers, they meant it. From my experience, here is how they back up their words with action: Every aspect of the T65 has a piece of what make PSB’s Synchrony loudspeakers great. The T65 contains a separate woofer chamber, and the complex crossover topology found in the Synchrony series. The drivers in the T65 were designed with the same advancements found in the design of drivers in the Synchrony series. This means the entirety of the T65 was designed and built in the same manner as the Synchrony series. This is important, because most times, a company will just take the tweeter from their flagship series, put it in their affordable models, and call it trickle-down. The result is typically a disjointed sonic signature, since this is akin to putting a Ferrari engine in a Honda Accord. Instead, the T65 truly benefits from a holistic design that contains all the same elements as PSB’s flagship Synchrony series.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the PSB Speakers Imagine T65 Loudspeaker
- The PSB T65 cabinet finish I received felt a little unfinished. It is very difficult to have perfection in a $2,000 loudspeaker, but the white finish looks and feels a little more like primer than high-quality paint.
- The PSB T65 sounded a little barrel-chested in my room. The T65s have tremendous quality bass, but in the upper bass range, they were a bit much from time to time. Room placement helped this a little. However, if the ports were round and tunable, as in the Synchrony series, this may have been a tremendous help. Maybe in the Imagine T65 MKII?
- The gold-plated binding posts on the T65 are nice, but the large, plastic fixture – not so much. I say this about many speakers in this price category. This is a hill (maybe more of a small mound) I am willing to die on. At $2,000 per pair, there should be no plastic anywhere that someone has to interact with the loudspeaker, nor should plastic cover any significant hole in a cabinet. So there.
Listening to the PSB Imagine T65 Speakers…
I used the PSB T65s with my system in its full flagship form. I like doing so when evaluating loudspeakers, because it becomes apparent rather quickly just how meaty the chops are on an affordable loudspeaker. The T65s most definitely possess seriously meaty musical chops. I found that, overall, the T65s have the same qualities as PSB’s flagship Synchrony T800 loudspeakers, but in the form that would be expected from a loudspeaker costing six times less. This means all of the flagship qualities are simply scaled back. The result is still a refined and sophisticated top-to-bottom sound that could only come from a veteran loudspeaker company like PSB Speakers. My comparison to the Synchrony T800 ends here, since the T65 is definitely in the same family sonically, but just doesn’t compete at the same level. During listening, I threw the T65 up against the Sonus faber Lumina V (read the review), and the Wharfedale Aura 1, which are both reasonably-priced competition. In many ways, the T65 painted a better picture than both of those others when zooming out and looking at overall performance and not just specific aspects of the sound.
I am going to use some diverse and big musical examples for the T65s because, frankly, they deserve it. Their ability to unravel complex, top-to-bottom information levels that rock a listening space (even large ones like mine) is something special. In 1994, some serious metal artists got together to pay homage to the legendary Black Sabbath on the album Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath. “Black Sabbath” was handled by Goth/Doom Metal band Type O Negative. This track IS NOT for everyone, but in terms of metal, it is well recorded and contains monstrous drums, eclectic sound effects, heavy guitar, and singer Peter Steel’s iconic contra bass vocals. It is a gigantic and complex song that many speakers fail to reproduce well. The T65, however, did an amazing job from the snap of the snare drum to resolving the abundant mid-bass information that gets outright muddy on many affordable loudspeakers. The PSB T65 really held its own here and sounded larger than a medium tower speaker with dual 6.5-inch woofers.
Pulling ourselves out of the darkness of doom metal, let’s make an extreme swing in the other direction. One often overlooked aspect of hip-hop/rap is that, like any other musical genre, the songs are full of deep metaphorical meaning. I find when this genre gets deep, its messages can be positive and tell stories with a lot of soul. In the case of “Ms. Jackson” by Outkast, Andre 3000 tells a story about a child who was born out of wedlock. He lyricizes about how he will take care of the child and be there for them, no matter how hard the mother tries to get him out of his child’s life. The song is written as a letter to the mother and grandmother of the child’s mother, telling his side of the story in respect for them. Immediately, the T65 possessed deep, well-separated bass and dynamics that got my head nodding. The spatial information was extremely large, extending well past the loudspeakers in both height and width. Andre 3000’s chesty, poignant vocals were soulful and meaningful during the verse, though they did get a little a little mixed in with the rest of the music from time to time (more of an observation than a problem). I found, once again, the T65 to paint a very capable overall picture of the music. I never felt like anything was missing from top to bottom in the context of a $2,000-per-pair loudspeaker. The T65 presented the music with beautiful timbre and delicacy, despite the driving bass line and lightning-fast lyrics.
Let’s take the music home with something with a little less extreme than doom metal and rap. I think all of us audiophiles love our well-recorded female jazz vocals. “Why Can’t You Behave” by Jane Monheit is fun and fantastically recorded, with creamy vocals, tactile piano, subtle drums, upright bass, and lovely Les Paul-esque jazz guitar. Monheit’s smokey vocals seemed to benefit a little from the big upper-bass of the PSB T65, which provided a little more seduction than I am used to. The PSB T65 preserved all of Monheit’s breathy, dynamic inflections well, while locking her dead-center in the soundstage. The cymbals ride on top of the music, with both the strike and the body of the cymbal well-resolved, while the rest of the drums remain full and wide in the soundstage. The piano was also sophisticated in its sound. Both the chords and initial strike of each note met the high expectations I have for a $2,000- per-pair loudspeaker from an established loudspeaker company like PSB. As expected, the upright bass was full of body and well-resolved, staying out of the way of the subtle bass drum work throughout the piece. Last but not least, I really enjoyed how the jazz guitar was recreated on the T65. The pluckiness and mellow tone with midrange bite was engaging and very true to the instrument. I was impressed with the T65 in all aspects of the sound, and what really drove the enjoyment home was an airy, well-executed soundstage that can only exist if both fine design details and quality parts come together in harmony.
Will the PSB Speakers Imagine T65 Hold Its Value?
PSB Speakers is a well-known brand and they have certainly established a name for themselves over the past 52 years. They have a reputation for high-value, robust loudspeakers that are built to last. I would find it difficult to imagine that the Imagine T65 would do poorly in the used market if you ever had the old upgrade itch. They aren’t too hard to ship and don’t come with a big retail price tag, thus that should additionally help resale efforts.
What is the Competition for the PSB Imagine T65?
If you have read any other review of loudspeakers on Future Audiophile, you will immediately notice that all of the staff agrees that the $2,000 price tier for loudspeakers is extremely competitive. There are many options, and many loudspeakers that try to be great but fall short, because they go for a single exceptional design aspect, instead of considering the loudspeaker as a complete system, the way PSB does with the T65. PSB’s well-grounded design philosophy, along with the lessons learned from developing their flagship Synchrony series of loudspeakers, make the T65 a very high value loudspeaker that for me, is a front-runner in its price category. That said, the T65 is not the only great loudspeaker out there for $2,000 per pair, so here are a few that have caught my eye … And ear!
Right from the go, when I had one PSB T65 unboxed and on its feet, I looked over at my pair of Sonus faber Lumina Vs and thought, “This is going to be FUN.” The Lumina sells for $1,000 more at $3,000 per pair, and are most definitely more attractive. The Lumina V also has the same size of drivers and cabinet layout as the T65. I found that the Lumina V may edge out the T65’s in mid-bass performance, but they are more different, not overall better. If you are looking for a slightly higher-end statement piece in your living room, or listen strictly to acoustic instruments, the Lumina V should be on the list of contenders.
Jerry reviewed the MartinLogan Foundation F2 loudspeaker (read the review), which also sells for the same $1,999 per pair. As the Imagine T65. You get a lot of drivers in the F2, including an AMT tweeter. Like PSB, MartinLogan is a mature loudspeaker company that knows how to engineer a lot of value into a loudspeaker. Jerry was impressed by the Foundation F2, and I am impressed with Jerry’s ability to listen, so I would also put them on your listen list.
The $1,800-per-pair Paradigm Premier 700F (read the review) is a Canadian loudspeaker, built in Canada. The T65 is built in China. The Paradigm is a remarkably refined loudspeaker that has a smaller form factor than the T65. Unlike the T65, you may need a subwoofer with the 700F, but depending on your room size, layout, and listening habits, the 700F may be a worthwhile listen while shopping competition for the T65.
Final Thoughts on the PSB Imagine T65 Loudspeaker…
The $2,000-per-pair PSB Imagine T65 is a high-value, moderately-sized floorstanding loudspeaker that delivers precision and control in every aspect of sound one could ask for in its competitive zone. The T65 truly carries on the PSB family legacy of full-range, sophisticated sound, as set forth by PSB’s Synchrony flagship line, in a more affordable package. At its selling price, there are always some sacrifices that need to be made. If those sacrifices come in the form of chintzy binding post plates and a little extra boom in the bass that can be corrected by room position, these design decisions are small ultimately small beans in comparison to the overall picture of just how much balanced, high-resolution, and full-range sound that the T65 delivers. I can picture the T65s finding their way into a high-value system and staying put for a long time, since upgrades to the source and other front-end electronics would only make them shine more and more.
