Crystal Clear, Excellent midrange response

Initially a little bright on the high end

All I can say about this speaker is WOW!

I had heard a lot of positive things about the entire PSB line from the alpha to the stratus and decided to give them a listen. Well I listened to a lot of speakers (about a dozen) and nothing in the same price range even came close.

The one drawback is the speaker I brought home seems slightly bright on the highs. Since I didn't notice this in the store I'm assuming all this speaker needs is some break in time.

Overall I'm totally satisfied and intend to add a set of 3LR's to complete my fronts. This is a lower range of high end speaker in the moderate end price range. A good choice for those quality and budget concious HT buyers like me.

Clear sound...

I have the Image 8C 1B 4T with a Subsonic 5 base. All this is drive with a Yamaha RX-V800 amp. I Buy that in January 2001 and I'm very satisfy with my system. The system sound great with a lower (-60)volume and is very good too in -40.
And I have been suprise when I listen to CD on my DVD player the sound steel very good.

The only thing I'm not shure today it's if the image collection with the 6½" woofer would not sound better but for me it's a great buy.

I buy it for DVD use first.

TV Sony Wega KV-27FS12
DVD Sony DVP-360S
Amp. Yamaha RX-V800
Center PSB Image 8C
Front PSB Image 4T
Rear PSB Image 1B
Sub. PSB Subsonic 5
All this for 4450$CDN in montreal
I'm very satisfy with my system.

clean clear sound, great looks, price

none I could find

All of the center speakers I listened to were very good.But the combination of price and performance made the choice easy. PSB all the way!!!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm CC-170 & Studio CC

Great sound

None

Not much to say, other than the sound quality of my PSB speakers exceeded my expectations. They are very well-made, attractive speakers. Because of the configuration of my audio stand, I've placed the Image 8C centre speaker to the immediate left of my 32" TV, oriented vertically rather than the intended horizontal orientation. The sound is fine in this orientation -- it still appears to come from the TV screen.

Similar Products Used:

None -- this is the first dedicated centre speaker I've owned

Appearance. Very clean sound. Price.

None so far. Some may say it's a but big (wide) but it's fine if you're using a big screen TV.

Being my first decent center channel (my other one was an old Yamaha model) I wasn't sure what to expect. After auditioning the various brands listed above I decided on the Image 8C because of price/performance ratio was the best. The one's I tried comparable in price range to the Image8C didn't sound as good as it. It produced a clean full range of sound. Some other centers I tried in this price range were lacking midbass. Without a speaker grill it looks good as well. I've seen the ones with the cherry finish and IMHO it looks too fake, the black one looks good though. I would rate this a 5/5 for performance/price. In the $200 (usually sells for $300) range I would say the Image8C cannot be beat!

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned center speakers from Energy, Klipsch, Cambridge Soundworks, Athena, Paradigm, and others.

Outstanding reproduction of voices, appearance.

none

I bought this to go with the rest of my system which includes Image 4T's up front and 1B's in the back. In my review of the 4T's (which I've had a little longer), I noted they were particuarly good at mid-range, especially vocals.

Well, the 8C is even better, which is what you want your center channel to be. This speaker does an outstanding job of reproducing voices in a home theater setup. Different voices are clear and distinct at all volumes, and any effects played through the center sound great as well. For this price, this is a steal. A truly outstanding speaker.

No, they don't reproduce really low bass very well. And if you're trying to reproduce really low bass with your center channel, why? This is why you have fronts and a sub...

Similar Products Used:

Listened to similarly-priced Klipsch, KEF, Paradigm, and Mirage

Clarity is second to none. High sensitivity.

None, does exactly what it is intended for.

Recently I traded in my paradigm monitor series setup for PSB. I did this becasue all PSB speakers allow for more flexibilty in their placement. This was important to me since I have an odd shaped room.

Anyhow, I have just broken in the 8C, and I am delighted more and more every day with its performance. Dialogue is perfectly clear and the unit imaging is great. I tested the 9C, but actually favored this unit. I thought the 9C was boxier. Bass is not the stong part of this center channel, but it definately reproduces all aspects of human voice perfectly. Effects that are directed to this speaker are clear, with all but the lowest effects routed to my sub. Bass, I don't think should be a factor with a center channel as that is what the mains and sub are for. I also just got a DVD-audio player and a few discs and the 8C is a champ in this format.

This center channel is definately a worth while buy and an excellent performer in music and movies. Compared to other centers in the same price range, this is definately a 5 and performance wise I like it better than the Paradigm, so a 5 there as well.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm CC-350

Great range with exceptional voice reproduction; price!

NONE

I was in awe with the range these speakers are capable of rendering, especially with the crystal clear voices.

I sat down in the sound room at the Audiocentre and listened to the PSBs' and Mirage. Both sounded good but there was some definite clarity to the PSBs'.

I couldn't honestly find an big audible difference between the 8c's and the 9c's so the choice was clear. If you want to save yourself the $100 pick the 8c!

Fantastic quality!!!

Delivers fabulous room filling sound. One can only imagine how much more the 9c could deliver. Vocals are crisp and clear.

none

The last surround system I owned my wife could not syand because she could never enjoy the vocals of everything. Wiht this that has changed. Now everytime we entertain my wife feels the need to show it off.

Similar Products Used:

Bose

Terrific movie sound and full bodied voice reproduction, interesting possibilities for music if you enjoy forcing stereo sound through surround mode.

May not sound as good at home once you install it, but that's probably because your other components suck, as in my case.

After settling on the PSB Image line for my new home theater setup, I noticed my old KLH 941 center channel just sounded awful between my 4T fronts. At 79 bux the 941 was great for its next-to-nothing price, but just couldn't hang with my new towers, and I also finally came to grips with the concept of voice matching. The Millenium Falcon was having hyperdrive engine troubles in the FIRST Star Wars, if you know what I mean. I even bothered to compare the 941 head to head with the 8C, and it was the easiest 160 dollar upgrade decision I've ever made.

Now that this was fixed, the Falcon sounded robust and rumbled smoothly across my apartment, and I had no doubt our heroes would make it to Yavin in time to deliver the secret plans. If you are planning to buy the PSB 4T's or 3LR's do yourself a favor and get this matching center channel. If someone tells you that you can get a better one for more money, be aware that the increase in bass and whatever else will be wasted without the perfect matching you will enjoy with the 8C. For the money, this can't be beat.

(For local interest, the 4T's were purchased at Chelsea in Beaverton, OR, and the 8C was bought at Home Theater Experts in Wilsonville, OR. No problems at either store. Just friendly guys who know their $&%#)

Similar Products Used:

Bose, KLH, B&W, Acoustic Energy, JBL