Intro
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Who mentions the brand PSB, mentions founder and ‘driving force’ Paul Barton. In 2022, PSB celebrated its 50th anniversary and although they now operate under the wings of the Lenbrook Group, it is still primarily a family business. Today we get to test the PSB Synchrony B600 monitor from their premium range. At first glance, yet another monitor in a long line-up, but don’t be fooled. We are talking craftsmanship. Let’s check it out!
PSB has built up a lot of know-how over the years, but it is mainly Paul Barton, together with his wife Sue, who has made the company big. He does this by applying both measurements and blind listening when ‘tuning’ his speakers.
Besides passive and active speakers, PSB also makes subwoofers and headphones. A while back, colleague Jaap tested the fine Alpha IQ, what’s in a name, and was pleasantly surprised.
The PSB Synchrony B600 is the monitor from their premium series, so expectations are a little higher. At least the price is right. Now let’s get to the sound.
The PSB Synchrony B600 is a two-way bass reflex speaker. Nothing special until you dive a little deeper into the details. For example, the tweeter is below the mid-driver, just like in our Cantons, to achieve better phase behavior. The 25mm titanium tweeter is cooled with Ferrofluid and sits in a conical waveguide. The 165mm carbon mid-driver is mounted on an aluminum frame and a specially developed motor structure should minimize distortion. The crossover sits at 2.2kHz and is done with a fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley filter. The cabinet is damped and reinforced where necessary.Â
IsoAcoustics
A striking detail are the feet developed in collaboration with IsoAcoustics at the bottom of the loudspeaker. These should decouple the loudspeaker from the stand but are mainly a pain in the ass on most stands. PSB provides a suitable stand for the B600 but those who have their own should take care that the support plate is large enough.
At the back are two pairs of speaker clamps, not our thing, for bi-wiring or bi-amping. The bass port is built into the speaker at an angle via some sort of lens system.
The PSB Synchrony B600 is an out-sized monitor with dimensions (40cmx30cmx23cm) that are just right as far as we are concerned. The aluminum front provides the necessary rigidity and is a tried and true recipe for mounting various components. The finish is excellent although only two finishes are available, walnut and satin black. Still a bit sparse for a reference line-up, especially considering that other series do come in multiple colors. We would have liked to have seen a white version. Most manufacturing is done in China but the design and final tuning of the speaker takes place at the headquarters in Pickering, Ontario.