Open and airy high frequencies.

Very, very boxy sounding.

A huge disappointment from PSB.

Sounds very boxy, very colored. The use of plastic baffles is likely the cause.

The less expensive PSB Alpha (~$200) and PSB Alpha Mini (~$150) produce much higher quality sound, at less cost.

It's not even funny how much better the Alphas sound.

Same comments apply to the PSB Image 2B (didn't listen to the whole Image series, but with those plastic baffles, they likely all sound similarly boxy).

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Mini-monitor, PSB Alpha A/V, PSB Alpha A/V Mini

Full sound; great range; perfect surround speaker!

None

Upgraded from the PSB Alpha Mites. I loved those Mites, but wow... what a difference!

Similar Products Used:

PSB Mites; PSB 2B; Sony DD-515; Sony SS-616

Great sound, small size

None

These speakers sound great! I'm using a pair as surround speakers, and another pair as the main speakers on my downstairs stereo system. They make the 10-year old Mission bookshelf speakers I have sound pathetic in comparison (and I paid just as much for the Missions ten years ago!). Highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

Mission bookshelf speakers

Imaging, flat response, appearance

none at this price

For the price, these are excellent bookshelf speakers. I'm using them as surrounds in my home theater setup so I can't really comment on them as mains, but I did audition them solo. I settled on them because they're matched to my Image 4T fronts and 8C center, which I love (see my other reviews).

They do everything you want your surrounds to do. They provide tremendous ambience, image effects superbly, and give terrific "eveloped" sound feel.

I do think these might indeed be a cut below the PSB Alpha A/Vs if you wanted to use these as mains because the A/V's have larger bass drivers, but otherwise I really cannot agree with the review below--I don't think they sound boxy at all.

Yes, the bass response isn't great. It's a bookshelf speaker, what else would one expect?

Of the other speakers I auditioned in roughly this price range, I think I liked the Mirage's second best as surrounds and the Paradigms second best as fronts, but nothing was as good all-around as the PSB setup. Give 'em a listen!

Similar Products Used:

KEF, Klipsch, Paradigm, Mirage

nice clear highs

not enough bass

Just a nice solid speaker, great looks. Not as much bass as the monitors but I thought the PSB's were smoother. I'm using them as mains now, but I'll use them as surrounds when I save up for some 4t's. Overall great speakers for the size and price(280 canadian).

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Mini Monitors

ovarall appearance, ability to deliver clean and accurate sound, excellent imaging and tonal balance.

none

It has been a joy to listen to this nice and sexy little pair of speakers. I used them for my system in the bedroom as main speakers when matched with a sub. Of course they alone do not put out the kind of bass you get from a pair of full range speakers like Vandersteen 2Ce or 3A, nor should you expect that anyway. But these 1Bs do deliver super clean upper and exceptionally accurate midrange. The upper bass is tight and taut and extremely fast. Try one of the Chesky's test CDs for yourself and you will know what I mean.

When marrying the 1Bs with the Hsu Research's VTF-2 (about $500)and you've got a system that will blow away any system costing up to $3000. The components I have are as follows:

Denon 3300 A/V receiver
Pioneer VSX 509S
Adcom GFP-555 preamp and GFA-555 power amps
Golden Tube amp SE-40
Vandersteen 2Ce
all KimberKable 4PR
all Acoustic Research interconnects
Poineer DVD 333 and 302D

Enjoy the speakers!!!

Similar Products Used:

B&W 302D, PSB 2B

Very clear mid and highs, very good sound for the price

none when used as a sorround or with a sub woofer

I use the 1b's as my sorround speakers. Set the rear speakers to large and they sound awesome. used in conjunction with a psb 8c as center and Mirage OM10 fronts,
the sound blends in pretty well.

When used as mains, this needs a sub. Makes an ideal speaker to put into the bedroom.

Similar Products Used:

Yahmaha

small footprint, clean accurate sound

I just bought these a couple of days ago for the mains of my home cinema. They have very clear tight sound with excellent reproduction of the high and mid ranges. They do not have a lot of bass but that is the job of the subwoofer anyway. I expect they will get even better once broken in. I intend to buy 2 more the the rears in the near future. Excellent product.

Excellent highs and superb midrange which delivers a highly detailed sound.

Lower frequencies lack depth.

This is an excellent speaker for a newcomer to the hifi world. The best feature of these speakers is that they can be used with a whole host of other products in the same line, making it a perfect buy for someone looking to upgrade to home theatre. However, in my case, I have been using them as mains in a very small bedroom (10' by 12') and they continue to amaze me to this day. As far as the highs and midrange are concerned, this little speaker delivers the complete musical message.
The only thing it lacks, as others have mentioned, is the bass extension that the Paradigms had. When used with the proper equipment (a smooth amp, suitable cd player, and the right wiring -- Kimber in my case), these speakers shine. My main listening preference is hip hop and when I spin Mos Def and Kweli's Blackstar colaboration, the bass starts thumping (especially when the amp is warmed up). In addition, I feel that the excellent imaging more than makes up for any lack of bass.
In terms of construction, I have yet to find any other speaker in the same price range that can measure up. Recently I auditioned a pair of Tannoy R1s and even though it was almost double the price, I felt the quality of the construction was similar. I would recommend this speaker to anyone who has limited space because placement becomes very easy due to the front-ported design. Finally, I have tested these speakers with both 32' and 25' stands and you'd be amazed by the extra bass you get when the speaker is placed lower.
EQUIPMENT USED: Musical Fidelity A3 Amp; Technics SLPG 2000 Reference CD Player (vintage Japan); Kimber PBJ interconnects; Kimber 4PR speaker cables; Audioquest RF filters; Lovan audio rack; Plateau V25 stands.

Similar Products Used:

Pardigm Titan Special Edition (Greece only); Tannoy R1.

soft easy to listen to sound, punchy bass, front ported, inexpensive

finish is not as nice as the Paradigm's

There's no shortage of budget priced bookshelves. All the ones listed above are in the same price/performance range as PSB Image 1B's. For me it was either between the Mirage FRX-1 and the PSB, both of them had great tweeter and midrange, however the PSB has a bit more bass weight and is front ported which was important because I have them almost right up against the walls.

I'm using these speakers as an second stereo system for my computer/home office along with the PSB Alpha SubZero subwoofer. The sub matches perfectly with these. Although these bookshelves put out some very nice bass the low extension of course does not go as deep as what even a small subwoofer can provide. In this setup I can produce extremely loud clear sound, a lot more than I need for regular listening levels.

I like the sound of the aluminum dome tweeters. I generally listen to electronic, dance, and rock music and I find metal tweeters have sharper treble notes than soft dome tweeters such as the B&W 302 - I feel the 302's are woefully underperform compared to all of the Mirage, PSB and Paradigm offerings in this price range.

I'm running the speakers off of a Yamaha RX-V595 (70Watts) which is about 2 times as much power as these speakers require for loud volumes.

paid $320Cdn, and don't regret it for a second!

Similar Products Used:

Mirage FRX-One, B&W 302, Paradigm Atom, Mini-Monitor, Titan