PSB's New Imagine X Loudspeaker Lineup Unveiled

A staple of the Canadian loudspeaker industry, PSB strives to deliver “real sound for real people.” In other words, they aim to provide high fidelity sound at a price regular Joe’s can afford. This can easily be seen in their entry level Alpha line, though we’d point out that even PSB’s flagship Synchrony One is affordable by mere mortals at $4,500 a pair.  Today, the folks at PSB have a new surprise: their new Imagine X lineup. Comprised of four new models, the new lineup aims to bring the performance of the Imagine line down to the price point of the Image series. How did PSB achieve such feats you ask? For starters, there’s no fancy cabinetry here. In addition, finishes are available in a simulated black ash…and…that’s it.

So what are these four new models you ask? Starting with the king of the hill, you have the Imagine X2T ($1,298/pair) a three-way, slim tower design boasting a 1” titanium dome tweeter with neodymium magnet structure and ferrofluid cooling, a self-contained poly-filled carbon fiber 5.25” midrange unit, and a pair of  clay/ceramic reinforced polypropylene 6.5” woofers. Of note, each woofer sits within its own ported sub-enclosure which is specifically designed to eliminate standing waves. One added bonus of the layout: the extra separation of the woofers is also said to reduce the effects of floor bounce, resulting in improved bass reproduction.

Moving down the line we come to the Imagine X1T ($998/pair). the “X” counterpart to the Imagine T tower. Like the original, the X1T is a two and a half way tower featuring a 1” titanium dome tweeter and a pair of clay/ceramic reinforced polypropylene 5.25” mid/woofers. The driver compliment is also shared by the Imagine XC center channel (399/each), albeit in a horizontal MTM layout. In both cases, we’d expect (as with the Imagine T itself) significant benefit from being paired with a subwoofer to help fill in the bottom octaves. Finally, to round out the new lineup we have the Imagine XB ($499/pair), a two way bookshelf sporting the 1” titanium dome tweeter and 5.25” mid/woofer seen in the X1T tower in a compact, rear ported cabinet. PSB is billing these as “ideal for multi-channel and 2.1 systems” which we’re guessing is not so subtle code that these aren’t going to offer a lot of extension below 80Hz so get a subwoofer too.

Summary

If you’ve read this far: suffice it to say, information is a bit sparse at this time. However, if you can live without the good looks of the PSB Imagine series in exchange for a fairly deep discount, the new Imagine X lineup might be worth a closer look. PSB claims they are built to offer the performance of the Imagine line (and are timbre matched with them), at a reduced cost courtesy of simpler cabinets. Sounds like a good deal in our books for audiophiles on a budget.