Clear Sound

No Bass, Painful Treble

Not a bad speaker. It reproduces the midrange sounds beautifully. The bass, however, is lacking and the treble doesn't seem to balance with the rest of the sound. I would probably not buy a PSB speaker again. I didn't audition them before buying, and now I have heard some better sounding speakers (Infinity, B&W, Tannoy) and I think that I would have been happier with one of them.

Crisp good sound at low levels as well as high. Nice soundstage and used with a subwoofer gives you a full range speaker.

Somewhat bright if you can't place them correctly in the room.

It took a little while for me to decide if I liked these speakers. I had them on stands that were 30 inches and that raised them a little to high. They sounded somewhat harsh at the high frequencies until I lowered them down a little closer to the floor. I agree with the previous reviewer that they need a break in period before you can really appreciate the sound. At first I was trying them in different locations, turning them upside down, anything I could think of to get the shrillness out of the highs. Either my ears changed or I got the location right or the speakers themselves changed but I find them very pleasant to listen to now and they provide a great soundstage.
Paired up with a good subwoofer you will have an excellent sounding system.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Soundworks, ESS, Altec Lansing,

Accurate sound, price, strong company reputation, Bi-wire ability, sensitivity.

Bass responce, brassy treble , appearance (with grill and without), size

There are a few things that I like and a few things that I dislike about these speakers.

What I dont like:

The first thing you will find when you hook these speakers up is that the lack of low frequencies. Here is a quote from the PSB web page: "one of the audio/video world's smallest producers of true bottom-bass response". I dont know who wrote this but it is completly false.
I dont know how they can be so bad at producing low frequecies when the cabinet is a decent size and the speakers uses 1.5 drivers for the lower sounds. Comparing these to the Tannoy R1 ,which a friend of mine owns, make me feel completly left out.
The second thing wrong with these speakers is the tweeter. It produces an abbrasive sound which is hard on the ears and doesn't balance with the midrange. I cant understand how the designers got this so wrong. The sound from the tweeter stands alone on the stage, distinctly mis-matched with the rest of the music.
The third thing I dont like is the way the speakers look. Plastic drivers look cheap. The plastic front panel looks cheap. The cover infront of the tweeter looks ridiculous. The speakers are long and slender, they do not fit the profile of a regular loud speaker. It's hard to find a place in the room which will accept them without making them look silly.

Now for what I do like:

The price is very reasonable. You can find better deals out there but I was pretty happy about spending 350 on these speakers. I wouldn't reccomend spending any more than that, there simply not worth the retail price.

The sound is beautifully accurate in the midrange. Guitar strings sound wonderful with a true clear image that is presented in all directions.

92 db sensitivity. These speakers are very loud even with a small amp. Although when you turn them up to these volumes the tweeter will become very annoying.

Dont get me wrong, These few things that I like about the 3LR dont have any effect on my overall rating. I really am not happy with my purchase. I have had them for almost a month and I thought the tweeter would break in during that time, but it hasn't. As a result I am currently considering selling them and buying a pair of Tannoy R1's, which produce an even cleaner accurate sound and with much more punch in the low end.

Similar Products Used:

PSB century 400i, B&W 601 S2, Tannoy R1

Small

Very bright

So far the worst of all the Image series speakers I've heard. The 5T and 9C are, for the money, excellent. The tweeter on the 3LR (perhaps because of how the crossover was designed on this speaker) is frying my ears. I'm using the 3LR as the rear speakers in my HT system. The tweeter is at the top of the speaker, sitting right at ear level. Perhaps if the tweeter was between the two woofers, the brightness would not have been as annoying. The 3LR sounds like cheap, hi-fi speakers. I've decided to buy two more 9Cs and use them for my rear channel by placing them on the stands I use for the 3LRs. I was thinking of the 2Bs, but want a more full-range rear pair of speakers. Disappointing. I thought they'd grow on me over time, but as time goes on I dislike them even more, especially compared to the MUCH better 9C and 5T. The 9C and 5T overcome the brightness factor that was also apparent on the 8C and 4T. Wish I could be more complimentary of these speakers, but can't in good conscience, do so.

Similar Products Used:

PSB 4T, 5T, 8C, 9C