Very natural Looks great

none

I sold my PSB Image 9c, to match my PSB Silveri speakers. The sound is so natural. Just like the silveri. For me it's the perfect match. PSB speakers is the best value out there.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Image 9c

Great with vocals, explosive with action no fatigue.

none.

Wonderful laid back sound. Great bass and a seamless match with my Silveri. I initially noticed the treble but after a couple of days I realized that I was noticing detail I may be biased toward British sound kit but I am very quickly realizing that us North Americans kick ass. Just listen to a pair of Wilson Sophias driven by a Cary Audio front end WOW! The PSB's have a forgiving informative sound with no hint of the brightness many HT speakers exhibit.

Similar Products Used:

Monitor audio, Proac, M&K and Sony

Clarity, natural sound. Looks nice too.

My five cents here. This speaker is clearly not for everyone. Not for those looking for boom and sissle. But it is for people who want clear, natural sound from their center channel, a requirement for rendering dialogue accurately. It matches with my Bronze nicely. Now, if I can figure out what to do for the rear channel speakers. In the meantime, friends with booming systems are awe at what sound really sounds like with the PSBs.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Bronze, Denon avr4800 (nice too)

Size, Cabinet build,??

sound!!

First of all, I did not buy the C5; I have gotten those as house warming gift. The initial impression (visual only) on this speaker was very good (the looks, solid cabinet, etc). The real disappointment came as soon as I plug the speaker in. The highs were never there, and the bass response was very poor as well. I cannot believe this speaker was even recommended by some stereo magazine. Overall, if you are looking for a center speaker, look elsewhere because this speaker sucks. After this, I will not even try to buy any PSB speakers.

Ken

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602, AR.com speakers

Good timbre match with the PSB Stratus series, despite having a different tweeter and smaller woofers; clear, defined mids and highs; good power handling for a relatively small footprint.

Lacking bass punch, due to 5.25" woofers; uses different tweeters from the Stratus mains; relatively expensive.

Well, here I am again already, amending my earlier review from just days ago. I apologize for failing to reseach this speaker a bit more before posting a review; it would be more properly called a preview or a "first look," I suppose.

I must retract some of my negative comments regarding this PSB Stratus C5 center channel. With proper source material, there *is* a night-and-day difference between this fine product and my previous Cerwin-Vega center channel. Thus, the price seems to be justifiable after all. Although I found it somewhat difficult to discern these differences watching clips from The Matrix (on DVD, with Dolby Digital 5.1) or The Lion King (on VHS, in Dolby Pro Logic), I noticed a huge difference when I tried Sarah McLachlan's MirrorBall DVD. Hi-hats and drums, e.g., were much more natural than the sloppy reproduction on my Cerwin-Vega, and female vocals were also much improved. On The Matrix, I did notice that the background strings blended much better, but I didn't notice a huge difference in dialog quality, for the most part. In the Lion King, vocals were better on the PSB but the Cerwin-Vega's larger 6.5" woofers seemed to be covering a much wider response range. I'm sure that PSB's Status C6, with its 6.5" woofers, is superb, if you're willing to spend the extra money for it, though.

With respect to my recommendation to try one of PSB's Image Series center channels, such as the Image 9C (with its larger 6.5" woofers and smaller price tag), I no longer feel that this would be a good choice if you've got Stratus (Bronze, Silver, or Gold) series mains. I listened to a few tracks from Sarah McLachlan's MirrorBall DVD on a PSB Image 9C (center), 5T (front towers, a step down from the Stratus Bronze both in price and in quality), and 2B's (rear monitors with 6.5" woofers, which are much cheaper than the Stratus Mini's, though also somewhat lower quality). The Image sound is just not as nice as that of the Stratus series, and this goes for the center channel as well. The tone of the Image Series is somehow flatter, dryer, cooler, less natural, or however you like to describe it. (Of course, this series is considerably less money, so it's still a good choice if budget is a priority. But then, you might as well get *all* Image Series, rather than mixing in any Stratus components, however superior.)
Anyway, I'm now happier with my C5; if anything, I might upgrade to the C6 in a year, which I think provides the best possible center channel to match with Stratus mains, though at a cost (of about $699 retail).

As for surround speakers, I did just pick up the PSB Image 1B's. I wanted something pretty small, and none of the Stratus speakers are this small. The 1B's have 5.25" woofers, like the C5, which I find sufficient for rear speakers for now; moreover, they are 1/4 the price of Stratus Minis! And given that most movies still make only limited use of the rear channels, I think there is no reason to spend over $1K (for Stratus Minis) on a pair of surrounds at this time.

For me, my relatively new Klipsch KSW-12 subwoofer completes the speaker picture, though I have not compared this to PSB's offerings (which are probably both better and more expensive).

In order to counter my previous review, where I rated this center channel too low, I'll give it 5 stars here, so my average is 4 stars. It probably really deserves 5 stars, in fact, if you restrict attention only to centers with 5.25" or smaller woofers; knocking off a star because the C5 is not the C6 is not really fair. As for the value rating, it seems you have to pay about this much money to get this quality, so I'll give it 5 stars there as well; although I still feel these are relatively expensive speakers, I know many of you would consider them "a steal," considering the quality.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Image 9C, Cerwin-Vega E-D6C.

Clear dialogue, good power handling

Price

I have used this speaker for about 3 years now, and I am very satisfied with it's performance. I use Status Golds as the mains, and they match up very well.
Like all PSB speakers, the C5 is very neutral sounding, not overly bright like some brands. At first it took some getting used to, but after you listen to enough different source material, you appreciate that you are listening to what the films creators intended for you to hear.
In my setup, the C5's job is dialogue and it does that well. Voices are very natural sounding, with nothing added and nothing taked away.
The price of this speaker has gone up considerably since I got mine, so the value for the dollar is not as good as it once was. That's why I'm only giving it a four on value. Otherwise, I highly recommend this speaker, and the PSB Stratus series in general.

Similar Products Used:

Alpha C

Well Built
Gloss Finish is Beautiful
Decent Timbre Match With Stratus Series
Solid Frequency Response

Since the drivers used in the C5/6 have not one driver in common with any of the stratus series, they are not truly matched.

All in all, I have got to say this is a great speaker. The dual 1/2" dome tweeters realy do keep lobing to a minimum. I currently run mine full range and find the bass response good. Granted, 6" drivers would be good but these speakers go below 80HZ easily. I do question some of the reviewers misgivings when they are placed with any of the usual suspects(B&W, Tannoy,etc...) because if your fronts diverge greatly in sensitivity, tonal character, etc it could make things sound off, Especially if using fronts more efficient the speaker might sound underwhelming. I used to own a complete image suite but found them a bit bright. However, the speakers did match a bit better because the share common drivers and tweeters. I reckon if HT is your be all and end all, go IMAGE. If like me, you enjoy a little music in your coffee, the Stratuses provide a good compromise B/W HT and music.

Similar Products Used:

Image 9C, B&WCC6S2,

Good timbre match with the PSB Stratus series, despite having a different tweeter and smaller woofers; clear, defined mids and highs; good power handling for a relatively small footprint.

Lacking bass punch, due to 5.25" woofers; uses different tweeters from the Stratus mains; relatively expensive.

This center channel has received some great magazine reviews, and I agree that it's pretty good. Still, it's not *great*, IMO, though the PSB Stratus C6 probably has the bass impact I was expecting (but at yet another $200, making that center a whopping $700). You (and I) might consider trying the PSB Image 9C, for it uses a nice, aluminum tweeter and 6.5" woofers, while costing half the price of the Stratus series; I'll bet it matches Stratus mains pretty well, given that they use a similar tweeter... However, the Image 9C has a huge (27" wide) footprint (due to its dual front port design), which is wider than my 27" TV!

I was somewhat surprised that my old Cerwin-Vega E-D6C sounded nearly as good, and in some cases better, as the PSB Stratus C5. With the CV's 6.5" woofers, and its higher efficiency, it packs more of a wallop in the bass register, making baritone vocals meater and music a little richer. Unfortunately for me, though, the CV doesn't blend as well with my new PSB Stratus Bronze mains; moreover, it has somewhat of an echoey tone and a mildly inferior high frequency response (making female vocals sound a little covered).

For me, the choice of my main 2 stereo speakers drove my decision to purchase this center unit, but I think it's overpriced, considering it is not all that different from my old Cerwin-Vega center, while costing 2-3 times the price!

Similar Products Used:

PSB Image 9C, Cerwin-Vega E-D6C.

Size, sound

price

I read the prior reviews and I do not have the same issue with the base response. I find the clarity to be crisp and offers the correct amount of midrange and highs for my movies. Coupled with a set of Stratus Bronze and subsonic 7 subwoofer, I do not require pounding bass from the center channel.

My amplification is an Acurus 125 watt amplifier, it drives this entire system with ease.

I recommend this speaker over its bigger more expensive brother.

Similar Products Used:

paradigm CC