Psb Stratus Goldi

dalylaleahthor

Anybody care to chip in on what they know. Read a ton of review but wanted first hamd account from a fellow polkie. It'll be paired with a b&k preamp with a 200.2. From the picture it looks in pristine condition. Seller will demo but I need to bring my own setup to test. Anything I need to look out for from the age of these speakers? Tia

Schurkey

I have heard them, (once) but not in familiar settings.

They reviewed well. I have a suspicion that they didn't age well--I think the surrounds fell apart.

I hope I'm wrong. They were good speakers.

Cold_Forged

It's the original Vifa aluminum dome tweeters that don't age well after 20 years. The surrounds on the midrange and woofer are still perfect. My 20 year old PSB Stratus Gold i tweeters gradually became very attenuated as the ferrofluid congealed. Replacing the ferrofluid somewhat revived them, but not totally...and they always were a little harsh at high volumes.

I have since replaced the original tweeters with Peerless Silk Domes and 2db L-Pads to balance the output (the silk domes are almost 2db more efficient). The silk domes provide much smoother and more natural treble. The speakers overall currently sound great, but I'm going to experiment with 1 db and possibly 1.5 db L-Pads, as they don't have quite the shimmer that my LSiM 703s have.

The Stratus Gold i requires good clean power and high current down to 4 Ohms or lower. With a good amp providing a high dampening factor, you will get tremendous, tight bass and natural voicing. They are, however, very large and heavy (approx. 95 lbs each). They perform best in a large room and are somewhat sensitive to room placement for best response.

dalylaleahthor

Cold_Forged wrote: »

It's the original Vifa aluminum dome tweeters that don't age well after 20 years. The surrounds on the midrange and woofer are still perfect. My 20 year old PSB Stratus Gold i tweeters gradually became very attenuated as the ferrofluid congealed. Replacing the ferrofluid somewhat revived them, but not totally...and they always were a little harsh at high volumes.

I have since replaced the original tweeters with Peerless Silk Domes and 2db L-Pads to balance the output (the silk domes are almost 2db more efficient). The silk domes provide much smoother and more natural treble. The speakers overall currently sound great, but I'm going to experiment with 1 db and possibly 1.5 db L-Pads, as they don't have quite the shimmer that my LSiM 703s have.

The Stratus Gold i requires good clean power and high current down to 4 Ohms or lower. With a good amp providing a high dampening factor, you will get tremendous, tight bass and natural voicing. They are, however, very large and heavy (approx. 95 lbs each). They perform best in a large room and are somewhat sensitive to room placement for best response.

I've been on the fence with buying these. From what I've gather they are great speaker. Age was a major deterring factor. Also I didn't know if these speakers are comparable to what I currently have (deftech 8060st). I have 3 b&k(2 5 channel and a 200.2) of that im using both 5 channel for my current setup. I just wanted something for a stereo setup.

Cold_Forged

If the tweeters are in good shape, the Stratus Gold i is hard to beat for 2-channel listening. The cabinets are incredibly well made but the binding posts are not the most robust and could stand to be upgraded.
Even if you have to replace the tweeters with something like the Peerless D27TG35-06 1" Silk Dome and a 1 db or 1.5 db L-pad you would only be out a fraction of the cost of the LSiM 707s (which weigh roughly the same)...
The Peerless tweeter drops right into the existing pocket and has the same screw spacing.
Or, you could replace the Ferrofluid in the stock Vifa Aluminum Dome tweeters for under $20.