I've owned a pair of Golds for about 4 years. They, in my opinion, have been the most versatile and enjoyable speaker I have ever owned. Coupled with decent equipment they play classical, jazz, rock and roll and any music I throw at them with confidence and authority. My only gripe is that the factory binding posts are kind of cheesy for a speaker of this class. However, this is a very minor gripe of which I've corrected. I haven't owned a pair of speakers for more than a year and a half before I grew discontent with them. The fact that I've owned the Golds for 4 years tells me that they are the speaker for me. Give them a listen. And judge for yourself. I don't need convincing.

On PSB's Web site, they quote from a reviewer who said that the Stratus Gold was a speaker "with no significant flaws." This is a very accurate description of them. When I listened to them, I was not struck with any awe; at no point did I think I was listening to a live performance, or become thrilled with the incredibly detailed reproduction of the music. It's easy to find a speaker that's more detailed (Thiel 1.5), has a better midrange and imaging (Martin Logan), or ... well, probably in every category that you care to name, you can find a speaker that does better than the Stratus Gold.
What's a bit more difficult to find -- especially at the ~$2000 price range -- is a speaker that does everything so well. At no time when I listened to these speakers was I bothered by any brightness (as in the Thiel), boominess, lack of bass (as in the Martin Logan), tonal imbalance, or any of the other flaws that mar so many other speakers. Although they're probably not the best speaker in any particular aspect, they're never bad.

The result is a speaker that does pretty well at just about everything, which is rare in this price range. I'm sure there are better speakers out there for those who are willing to spend more money (in fact, I slightly prefer the Martin Logan SL3s myself, although I don't think they're $1400 better), but if you've got $2000 to spend, it's hard to go wrong with these.

I'm a bit dissappointed that I listend to the PSB Gold's after purchasing a pair of Classics from Legacy. Oh well, I gave the Legacies to a friend who thinks their nice and bought the Golds! I live in a loft type apartment 22x33 with old, high factory ceilings (14ft) and the Classics simply didn't fill the room with sound like the PSB's.

Just heard these today with high end equipment and was dissapointed with the sound. They look beautiful and are pretty hefty. Beautiful cherry wood veneer. But again, I just couldn't believe what I was listening to. After all the great reviews I've read judging from the sheer volume of reviews below, one would expect this speaker to be something special. To me, they were dissappointingly muddy, lacking authoritative low end, and didn't place the singer (Janis Ian) and the musicians in any kind of spectacular soundstage although it wasn't terrible in any single catagory. Maybe I'm spoiled. I own a pair of Def. Tech. BP-20's and would pit them against the PSB's any day of the week and at around a thousand bucks cheaper. Too bad, they would've looked great in my living room.

After reading these and many other reviews, I found a pair of demos for $1700 Cdn (about $1100 US). At that price there is no speaker to compare, a very wide and deep soundstage, I find the bass very smooth but can see how others might find it boomy. As previous reviewers have noted, the better the source recording the better they sound. Diana Krall is in my house at this moment, with Holly Cole on her way over !

Following is from the feedback letter I wrote to psb when I purchased my Status Golds 4 years ago.
The comments still apply, and I am pleased they they have improved the range of available colours - the newer ones do look even better.



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To: psb Speakers


We just purchased a pair of Stratus Gold speakers and wish to add a few comments to the "questionnaire".

We purchased these speakers as part of a general upgrade to the system we have had for many years.


The Stratus Gold replace a set of McIntosh ML2C's as our main speakers. We also added a new McIntosh MR7300 amp to drive them. Together they sound cleaner and crisper than we have ever heard before. To be able to make the decision to purchase, we borrowed a pair from the store for two weeks and wired them so that we could quickly switch between the psb's and the Mc's.

At first we did not like the psb's. They seemed flat compared to a "richness" of tone that the ML2C's have. After a few days we realized that we could hear many more subtleties of the music, and we were gradually won over to them. For a while we were concerned about the bass. We like the "presence" of strong bass, and the ML2C's have 2 12" drivers each, compared to the one 10" in the psb's. We finally realized that although the base is not as forceful, it is cleaner. After a while the bass in the ML2C's seemed a little "muddy" by comparison.
I do not wish to put down McIntosh; since we are comparing your new speakers to theirs that are 17 yrs old, but for an upgrade we felt there was enough value to make the trade.


.........


Regards

Jim Cash

Full range speakers with good bass. Not as dynamic as other speakers in the same price range and under.The paradigm studio 80 were more dynamic and clearer sounding, so was the b&w cdm7se. The psb advantage was in the bass area where other speakers cant reach. I believe I could live happy with these speakers considering the fact that they are full range speakers ( NO SUB REQUIRED ) and the MIDs are very good but they are not the best speakers I heard in this price range.

I've had a pair of Stratus Gold (not the newer Gold i) speakers for around 5 years, and I can say that they are without a doubt, the best speakers I've ever owned. At the time that I bought the speakers, I was upgrading from a pair of Kef C40 speakers driven by a BK ST-202 power amp. My Stratus Golds are now being driven by a pair of BK Sonata M-200 monoblock power amps. Right away, I noticed much cleaner and more aggressive bass than I had heard before. These speakers are able to create a huge sound without distorting. Quite simply, I can crank the volume way up without the sound being uncomfortable to listen to.
BTW, I recently upgraded my system to a full AC-3 surround system. My left and right front speakers (the Stratus Golds) are still being driven by the monoblock amps. My center channel speaker, a PSB C-5; my rear surrounds, PSB Alpha A/V's; and my subwoofer, a PSB SubSonic 2i are being driven and controlled by a Sherwood-Newcastle R-945 surround receiver. These speakers are incredible. I have the sub doing the low-end bass work for the C-5 and the Alphas. For speakers of their size, the Alphas move an incredible amount of air around. I've had friends come over and be amazed by the sound of these tiny speakers.

OK, it's not the be-all-and-end-all in Hi-Fi. It's not the best speaker money can buy.That said, if you are in the market for a $2,000-$3,000 speaker, PLEASE do yourself a favor and audition this speaker.
I LOVE my Stratus Goldi's. They suit me and my budget to a T. They are not harsh in the treble or boomy in the bass. They are just right.
I auditioned the Thiel CS2.3 (yech! very bland and un-involving), and the Paradigm Studio 100 (everything I HATE in sound reproduction). The moment I heard the PSB's I knew this was the speaker for me.
Realistic sound, a deep sounstage, and outstanding vocal reproduction make this an excellent choice.
A perfect speaker would have tigher and more substantial bass as well as a more "substantial" presence, but for the money, it is hard to complain. This is a STRONG 4 out 5.

Associated equipmentKrell KAV 300
Audio Research Ph 3 phono pream
CAL Icon MKII HDCD with Boss power supply
Cables MIT BIwire
Kimber Silver streak interconnect

Linn Axis table

I have had the stratus golds now for almost two year. I bought an used pair for 1400.00 in oak. I have never been that crazy about the way they look. But they sound absolutely fantastic. I listen to a wide variety of music and on other speakers one or another type of music sounded good but others wouldn't. Not so with the PSB Stratuy Golds. Everything sounds good. Vocals sound really clear to me. Harmonics and sound stageing are great. I have been listening to them set up near field and the staging is phenomenal with real palpable images of muscicians floating in space. I listen at night a lot sometimes until three and four in the morning and there have been times when I just get lost in sound. The only draww back for me is their size. They are really large speakers and I have on occasion considered trading or selling them for a smaller speaker, but I haven't been able to find anything anywhere near the price I paid for them with the sound quality. Highly and enthusiastically reccommended!!! five stars for the money. I may eventually trade them for a newer pair because the Gold I has a smaller foot print.