The SubSonic 1 has loads of punch in the upper-bass octave, so most of the impacts and explosions in action movies have the power and drama I crave.
For the left and right front channels, I placed two Minis on 28-inch-high stands about 16 inches from the wall behind them. For the surrounds, I placed two more of them on stands along the side walls, about 3 feet behind my listening chair.
I liked the rubbery bottom on the Minis; it kept them from sliding around on the tops of the stands. But I didn’t like the concealed speaker-cable binding posts. The posts are under the speaker, and you feed the two legs of the cable through a couple of little holes and then into the binding posts. It looks nice, but who looks behind your speakers? And few males have hands small enough to get an easy grip on the concealed posts.
The Imagine C center has a curved bottom, and PSB supplies an angled rubber foot to keep it from rocking. This does allow you to point the speaker up if it’s on a low stand. But the wedge was too big to allow the Imagine C to sit flat on my center speaker stands, so I ended up propping it up with big blobs of Blu-Tak adhesive.
No such problems with the SubSonic 1. I just put it in my room’s “subwoofer sweet spot,” the place where a single sub sounds best from my listening chair, and plugged it in.
What was more challenging was getting a good blend between the subwoofer and the other speakers. Unfortunately, PSB doesn’t list a recommended crossover point in the Imagine Mini manual, so you’re left to your best guess. I started at 100 Hz, a setting that I figured wouldn’t stress the speaker’s little woofers. This made voices sound a little too thin, though, so I settled on 80 Hz.
The PSB Imagine C comes with a port plug that can be inserted to change the bass response. I originally thought the Imagine C sounded a little better with the plug in, but this system ended up benefiting from the extra upper-bass energy produced by leaving the plug out.
Great review. How would you say these speakers compare to the Paradigm Millenia One when paired with a sub? I'm looking for some small speakers that will sound good in a fairly large room (18 x 25). I know neither are probably big enough, but I've already lost the argument about large speakers in our living room. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.
Hi, Allears. Both speakers sound great, and one could argue that they're more alike than different. That said, the MilleniaOne sounds a little brighter and doesn't have quite as much bass ouptut. For your situation, I think the Imagine Mini would be a better choice.
Mr. Butterworth -
I'm auditioning a pair of RSL's with their speedwoofer and like the sound but I'm wondering if the combination of PSB's Imagine Minis with a HSU Research VT15 subwoofer may be the magical combination I'm looking for and worth a try.
Any recommendation since you have heard all of the same products at different times?
@modesto66: That is a tough call. The PSB Imagine Mini will have greater bass output and will thus be easier to mate seamlessly with a subwoofer. I haven't compared it directly with the RSL. Based on my memory, both are great but the PSB is likely a little more refined. However, the PSB is $800/pair vs. $500/pair for the RSL.
It's not mandatory for you to spend the extra cash - you can certainly build a very satisfying system around the RSL - but upgrading to the PSBs would be worth the money IMHO. So it's totally up to you. It's like deciding between a Honda and an Acura.
I wonder how these would compare with a B&W home theater system (I think it is the MT-50 - the set with the smaller subwoofer) in a largeish room (18*20*9 with an area opening up to the adjoining kitchen). I know you reviewed the one with the larger subwoofer.