Open airy mids and highs. Efficent and capable of fairly accurately reproducing almost any music source from the crystal method to dana krall. Excellent with less electronically orientated music. Bi-wiring is definately the way to go with these.

Limited bass response, but VERY dependent upon room placement. Find that sweet spot and don't mess with it.

New Alpha T, Hands down one of the best values in speakers going. Sure there are others that can produce room shaking bass, and still have the airy character I find so appealing in the Alpha T. But the ability to Bi-wire/amplify these beautiful floor standing speakers comes up far ahead of anything in their price range. For such relatively small speakers they are amazingly capable of filling my heavily carpeted and draped 20x30 foot L shaped living room with sound from a moderately powered (85 wpc) Marantz SR7200.

Similar Products Used:

Bose, B&W, Paradigm

Good fit and finish. The packaging is top notch.

Needs good speaker stands.

I bought the PSB alphas as a replacement for a pair of Boston acoustic A60s that were shot. I did not have proper speaker stands and so the sound was initially very unsatisfactory. The bass in most small speakers does not extend beyond 80hz and is usually “improved” with a horrid 250hz hump. This was defiantly my experience with these speakers at first. I was very disappointed as they were rated as a good buy from Stereophile. I did buy 24” stands with carpet spikes and am now quite happy with the sound. I use a Rega Planet 2000 CD player with truth link interconnects and a Cyrus 2 amp and am now quite happy with the sound. Speaker placement and speaker stands are very critical in gaining any satisfaction with small speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics A60s

Ok efficiency and moderately low bass for a speaker of this class makes it acceptable for home theater use.

Extremely poor imaging; small speaker sound; inaccurate reproduction of instruments and vocals; cheap vinyl cabinet finish.

1.5 Stars. This review is for the PSB Alpha T, PSB''s introductory level floorstanding speaker (I''m including it here until it receives a review spot for itself). The summary: avoid this speaker. It is lacking in most categories if you are interested in a speaker for music. First and foremost, it has what I call a small speaker sound - it sounds like someone placed a small tweeter and woofer in a box, and then placed that inside of a small tin shed - and is characterized by a very small but distinct echo. It does not reproduce instruments or vocals accurately, particularly male voices, which come across very thin and strained sounding. Pianos and keyboards sound metallic and thin; drums are dull and boomy rather than sharp and crisp. Imaging is unbelievable: I was shocked when I first listened to this speaker to find that precise placement of instruments on the soundstage is truly nonexistent. In fact, the Alpha T does not even have vague placement of instruments in the soundstage. All music in the left channel comes directly from the left speaker. All music in the right channel comes directly from the right speaker. This was the case with three different CD''s. This speaker is a poor value. I ordered a pair of Aurasound LST627T speakers that are similar in size and specs to these from U-bid ($38 for pair, $92 with shipping) to serve as rear surrounds. The Aurasounds are not great speakers (fairly bright highs, vague midrange) but were better across the board than these PSB''s. Paradigm Phantoms were similar to the Alpha T''s, but featured better imaging, were slightly more accurate and had a slightly less obvious small speaker echo; the Monitor 7 fixes most of those faults but isn''t brilliant in the imaging or accuracy department. Phase Tech Teatro 7 was similar to the Phantoms, but more efficient, with a bigger soundstage. If you have to have a small inexpensive floorstander, the Mirage FRX-5 is a much more accurate and all around pleasing speaker than this PSB, but is very smooth and mellow, and is not very efficient ($300 shipped from tweeter.com) Note, I listened to two different pairs of Alpha T''s at different dealers (both with NAD systems) and the poor results were identical with both pairs.

Similar Products Used:

Mirage FRX-5; Paradigm Phantom and Monitor 7; Phase Technology Teatro 7.5; AuraSound LST 627T

Excellent starter speakers for the new enthusiast. Can play very loud for their size and price. Makes music sound more exciting and lively than it really is, therefore it is not an accurate speaker. The treble tends to be a little siblent with some types of music, but if you like highs, highs and highs these are for you. Their bass is tight and solid again considering their pedigree. Will throw a tremendous soundstage if used for home theater. It is obvious by now that i like these speakers, yes they are probably the best bang for the buck out there. ENJOY!!!!!!

I'm using a pair of Alpha A/V's as my only stereo speakers now in my 13'x13' listening room and I'm very pleased with them. They must be placed at least a foot away from the wall, preferably near the corners to get any decent bass but have very nice imaging. I love the way they reproduce vocals and acoustic instruments but they lack the bass to do well on hard rock. Great speaker for the price!

Excellent when used as a rear speaker. Matched perfectly with PSB 800 mains.

Can sound bright when mated with the wrong receiver

I've been running the alpha'a as the rear speakers in my surround array for about a year and a half and they have more than held their own. I have the 800's and the 200Ci up front and the alpha's are a perfect match. During certain DTS audio tracks, when all five speakers carry a different voice, the alpha's are able to reproduce with the same accuracy and detail as the 800's. They also perform flawlessly when listening to DD or DTS DVDs...I've often been fooled by them when rain or thunder is produced in the rear channels. To my surprise, I even get a good deal of bass response out of them (especially during movies like Godzilla!).

I was initially disapointed when I first got them as they sounded a tad bright (as did all my speakers). However, when I switched from my old Yamaha receiver to a Denon, the brightness went away and now everything is smooth and detailed on every level.

I've strongly recommended PSB as an option to anyone looking for a good quality speaker at a reasonable price and will continue to do so. The alpha's are exactly what I was looking for!

Similar Products Used:

Listened to Paradigm, Energy, Monitor, Klipsch, Tannoy etc.

outstanding smooth bass on this Alpha Subzero. Nice compact size for a sub.

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I used this for a month wired through a regular stereo before getting my DENON AVR-2800. It works with and without an AV Receiver. The monstercable sub cable is a must for any sub. I also use PSB Image 4T, 1B and 8C.

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What can I say, I like them. I have bought 5 pairs now. Liked them so much I bought PSB all the way around for my ProLogic system. I use them mostly for classical, solo cello, piano, soprano, etc and they sound as close as the I can come for the money to the concert I heard tonight.

Great Value, Smooth sound and transition along a wide scale for a bookshelf

Can be a bit forward with the high end. Tend to be bright.

I've had these speakers for 5 years now and still can't get rid of them. I use 2 pairs for home theater along with the 100c center channel and an M&K v125 sub. Everytime I audition new speakers, I end up keeping the Alpha's. My new Sony DB930 receiver makes it even better with Dolby Digital for movies. Best bang for the buck I've seen. I probably won't ever get rid of these.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titans, Polk,

Excellent value and all around performer. Perfect for smaller home theatersin that they can handle the loud volumes required for movies as well as being
able to handle a wide variety of music with aplomb. Buy these and enjoy saving
your money.....;then again you could pay hundreds more and purchase
"bragging rights" for some other esoteric piece of equipment.