The four new additions to PSB Speakers’ Imagine line were designed to “synthesize technology, performance, and price,” according to the company.
The PSB Speakers Imagine X family
Joining the current products within PSB’s Imagine line-up, the new Imagine X models consist of two tower speakers (the Imagine X2T at $649 each and the Imagine X1T at $449 each MSRP), one set of monitors (the Imagine XB at $499 per pair) and one center channel (the Imagine XC at $399 each).
“With the Imagine X, our mandate was simple: to produce the best performing speakers with the most value in the market for real people who want real sound,” stated Paul Barton who founded PSB more than 40 years ago. “To achieve performance and value together, one must begin with performance. In the Imagine X speakers, the objective is never less than doing music justice.”
Available now, all four models feature a slim design and are offered exclusively in simulated Black Ash finish. Imagine X models are matched in timbre, providing the system designer or end-user flexibility to combine any of the models to work together in a variety of applications, venues, or system setups.
Coaxing this high level of performance in high-value price points is an engineering feat, the company says. The Imagine X range benefits from trickle-down technology from PSB’s award-winning flagship models. As with all PSB Speakers, Barton performs final voicing at Canada’s National Research Council. PSB’s research has discovered how listener preferences can be integrated into a wide range of speaker designs for many different applications, yet all featuring consistent sound quality that is natural and lifelike.
The Imagine X2T tower borrows many design innovations from the Imagine T2, yet also showcases many of its own advancements. It features a three-way, dual-chamber, dual front-ported design with a one-inch titanium dome tweeter, two 6.5-inch woofers, and a discrete 5.25-inch self-contained midrange driver. Designed specifically for the Imagine X2T, the injection-molded poly-filled carbon fiber midrange driver features a novel shape and filleted surround to optimize the reproduction of voices. Each woofer, refined for stiffness and performance, sits in its own individual chamber to achieve improved control and spatial, dynamic sound quality. Dividing and individually porting the chamber eliminates standing waves inside the X2T’s tall, slim speaker cabinet, the company claims. The placement of the woofers in multiple positions also reduces the first reflection phenomenon, minimizing the negative effects of the primary “floor bounce” reflections, resulting in a much more accurate and tuneful bass performance.
As a deceptively slim and discreet floor-standing design, the Imagine X1T has wide bandwidth and high SPL output capabilities that defy its size, PSB says. This dual-woofer transitional two-and-a-half way design features identical 5.25-inch woofers and one-inch titanium dome tweeter that delivers refined sound with tonal, spatial and dynamic accuracy. Like all Imagine Series woofers, the X1T’s cone materials have been specially developed for optimal control, allowing for a simpler and more cost effective crossover design.
With its compact design, single 5.25-inch woofer, and one-inch titanium tweeter the Imagine XB is ideal for multi-channel, 2.1 subwoofer/satellite systems, or main-channel use in smaller rooms. The Imagine XB shares the injection-molded, clay/ceramic-filled polypropylene designs of the Imagine X towers and includes dual magnets, rubber surrounds and a rear-facing port.
The Imagine XC is two-way system in a dual-woofer horizontal format with a pair of 5.25-inch woofers and one-inch titanium dome tweeter. This center channel is engineered to maximize performance in multichannel systems. Its clean lines complement today’s ultra flat TVs while its compact footprint allows it to be nestled below.
