PSB Stratus Gold
sucks2beme
Posts: 5,693
I am thinking about a used pair of Gold's. The dealer that took them in on trade doesn't seem eager to demo them(moving them is a ****).
I worry they may be a bit boomy in my room area. I can't really give them the
wall clearance they need to sound good. Anyone here with some ears on
time on these?
I worry they may be a bit boomy in my room area. I can't really give them the
wall clearance they need to sound good. Anyone here with some ears on
time on these?
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
Comments
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They will sound VERY boomy if you have them close to walls. A great speaker if you have the space. Very dynamic but I'd say neutral to perhaps warm presentation. There big bears of speakers that require alot of current. I wouldn't recommend them at all if space is a consideration.
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Necro post...sorry...
This is a speaker that I've been wanting to hear for more than 20 years. Before I had my Sony SS-M9, or Mirage M3, or SDA-1C...I saw one pair listed around Atlanta and I didn't jump on it and have sorta regretted ever since.
I haven't been looking super hard, but I really hadn't seen any come up for sale near me...until now. It's a bit of a drive, but should be less than 4hrs round trip.
Am I crazy for getting a pair of these really just to "try" out? I already have two pairs of full range of speakers awkwardly next to each other in the living room. I don't really have room for 3 pairs, so something will have to go to another part of the house...or get sold. I understand this probably won't even come close to the refinement of my Revels, but most people that have lived with them all seem to say, its just a fun speaker to listen to. A sort of Mustang GT of speakers vs a refined Porsche type speaker that the Revel is. I know a few old timers here had the Gold or the Gold-i at one point. Not sure if any of them are still around. I figure, I can resell if I don't like them. Hoping it isn't a wasted trip to find something wrong with them. I don't think the seller really knows much about them. Perhaps they were inherited or something? Anyway, this is what makes the hobby interesting.
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I'm a sucker for real wood. I've grown kinda bored with my plethora of all black speakers...Revels in piano black, SDA2B studio black, RTiA7 black, R200 black...you get the picture.
These look pretty nice in the wood department. She sent me photos of all sides and they are clean looking. Someone clearly never put a potted plant on top of them.
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As long as the metal tweeter isn't trying to stick an ice pick in your ear, go for if the price is right.
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As long as the metal tweeter isn't trying to stick an ice pick in your ear, go for if the price is right.
Most reviews say the tweeter is somewhat subdued in this speaker until you push it too hard, then it gets harsh. Good news is, there is a drop in fabric dome from Vifa/Peerless that is only $25 each. Some say the newer tweeter needs a 1-2dB L-pad to bring it in line. Could be a fun tweak. -
I ended up getting these today. Needed an hour of cleaning before I brought them into the house, but they sound great and the wood looks great, if a bit dry. I'll probably hit it with Howard's tomorrow. The standard Weiman polish looked good for about 30 seconds then went back to being a bit dull/dry looking. I'm not sure if these were poly coated, or what.
I can see what the fuss was back in 1991 about these. I haven't optimized the position, or used any proper isolation feet, and they are impressive already. Drums sound so natural. Piano is very natural too. They are definitely the most power hungry speakers I've had so far. 40 on my preamp is usually screaming on the Revels or the 2B. The PSB are asking for more. Might be time for a newer HiFi Class-D just for these speakers. The modules have come a long way since the design of my previous Wyred4Sound. No rush though. The NAD is keeping up for now.
Too dark for photos tonight. I'll snalp some tomorrow during the day. The room is definitely overcrowded at the moment.
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In hindsight, it wasn't that these speakers didn't play loud enough at preamp setting 40, they were actually pushing 90+dB average, but it was so clean that it didn't seem like it was too loud. I only realized it when I went to the other side of the house and used the bathroom. Normally I hear some muffled music, but I could still hear them clearly. I came back and checked with the sound meter and was surprised. I might get in trouble with the neighbors with these, when the Revels and others have never caused a fuss even with after-midnight playing. They did have the nickname of the 10,000 watt speaker when one of the first reviews came out.
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Still a struggle to get photos, but you get the idea...
I was surprised that these are overall larger than my Revels. They are a tad bit shorter, but take up more floor space.
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Night two with the PSB, pretty much everything I play is among the best experiences ever with that music. It has made my Top 3 (owned) speaker list in a fast hurry, and that's with 30+ year old crossovers and less than ideal setup. I can't wait to see what these sound like after a modest crossover update and proper placement.
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I thought I might need to re-fabric the grills on the PSB because of pet hair, stains, and smells, but some vacuuming, careful use of Woolite in a damp sponge sponge and a clean rinse rag did well. A couple of sprays of febreze also helped. These are actually still in really good shape. Promise, these are the last pictures...
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Looks very nice!
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Those look great, billbill. Nice job with them.
They seem like they'd sound, smooth and full?
I disabled signatures. -
Those look great, billbill. Nice job with them.
They seem like they'd sound, smooth and full?
Scott, that is accurate. They sound like a good large driver bookshelf with two low power, old school subwoofers. The 10” driver really digs deep and still sounds smooth into the midbass. The midrange is very pleasant even if it might not be super accurate or revealing. The whole sound is just very relaxed, but still engaging. The tweeter is surprisingly smooth for a metal dome. I've read one owner claiming the dome looses output over time due to ferrofluid thickening, but I'm not hearing any of that. I don't feelnthe highs are lacking. They are just right.
I ordered parts today to do a crossover refresh. This design has four 100uf non-polar electrolytics in each board. I'm not even contemplating a swap to a metalized poly for those. Just new Jantzen 5% axial non polar electros. Some Mills resistors in the tweeter section, Jantzen 20w sand cast for the rest, and some clarity caps for the midrange shunt, which might not even be worth the upgrade over electros, but at least those are small value and can fit, unlike the 100uf, which would be more than 2" diameter. At the last minute, I did add a couple Clarity SA for those yellow .47uf poly caps.
The mid-range shunts caps are hiding behind the inductor to the bottom of the photo.
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When you rebuild the crossovers go to heat sink mounted resistors for the 20 watt guys and don't look back- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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When you rebuild the crossovers go to heat sink mounted resistors for the 20 watt guys and don't look back
Well, order already in. Do you have any links to what you are thinking? Maybe if I refresh them again when I'm 75 I'll consider it. If the values were available, I probably would have tried the Dayton Precision 20w this time around. -
These sound great
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/search/site?text=Power tron
Those 20 watt stock are already getting hot, the discoloration in the glue being the tell.- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
I plan to mount the 20W with an air gap, which is also how the later models were assembled. Those powertron are pricey. Not putting that kind of money in these inexpensive vintage speakers. I'm trying to keep the sound close to Paul's original intentions, which is good. It's good to know those metal foil options are there if I run into problems with the resistors again.
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I would recommend cutting the leads off the old resistors and mounting the new ones on top of the old ones- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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Ok. Good idea. More thermal mass.
