Your speaker reviews are the best on the net. Nobody does a better job at providing a combination of subjective and objective data. Kudos to Chris and the PS team for providing these.
Agreed Erin is top reviewer. I also highly respect Ron at NRD because he has not sold out and proves over and over again, he respects his audience and doesn’t just schill stuff, like 98-99% of other audio focus YT’s. Erin also behaves in this regard, with hubris, respect and USEFUL insights. Thank you Erin!!! 🍻
I think all Erin's reviews are for speakers loaned to him by individuals or manufacturers. Best contact the manufacturer of the speaker and request them to send him a pair if you want to see a review.
Between the fact that they're two-way passive speakers with a hefty price tag -- there are superb active monitors available from Genelec and Neumann, not to mention Kali Audio's new SM-5, for that kind of $$$$ -- and the low sensitivity, which requires gobs of amp power, these things are a hard pass here.
@@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536why would an audiophile prefer active crossovers over passive crossovers? I use an active crossover, three amps, one for open baffle bass, one for electrostatic mid and ess AMT tweeters. So that is an active system, they are not studio monitors. And in your opinion is a powered sub also not audiophile by definition? Or Martin Logan speakers with active bass? 😂😂😂😂
Happy Thanksgiving & thanks for the review telling us that PS Audio is only human after all and subject to the same physics as the rest of us. I appreciate all that you do Erin in helping stamp out BS in our lifetime! 😉
I think you're on to something with the 80s music being some of the best in terms of sound engineering. Roxy Music's Avalon is one of my favorite albums in terms of production/mixing.
@@noahbirdrevolution Erin is correct about the quality of professional music production in the 80's. He did allude to the fact in the mid 90's compression and limiters ruined the dynamic range of music all in the name of making recordings louder.
Yep ... there is a reason why my pop music collection ends in 1999. Do a search for the "Dynamic Range Database" ... it lists the DR for thousands of albums and songs ... be prepared to be disappointed when you look up your favourites from 1995 to present.
There is something about the 80s and early 90s that makes stereo separation and imaging so defined. Even the 70s. Most generic music these days sound messy in comparison.
Thank you for another detailed review. Hopefully you can do a comparison between the PS Audio FR5 and Radiant Acoustic Clarity 6.2 soon. These are on my short list.
@@kingtubbyleeperrywhile the radiant speakers appear excellent in all respects, there’s a pretty big difference in horizontal coverage (90 degrees vs 150 degrees) that will yield a pretty different presentation. As far as bass goes, I target a somewhat over damped extended bass shelf woofer alignment with the PS speakers because it makes well with room gain for a flatter in-room response and subjectively slightly tighter/drier sound in the the bass. This is partly a matter of preference. Ideally, you could audition things and see what you like.
Interesting how they are so dynamic with such a low sensitivity. Low level listening with such speakers usually suffers in my experience. I wonder why PS audio left that 600Hz bump, they must know it's there and they spent a lot of time engineering this range of speakers....
A 6th order cross over done passively is really difficult to implement without creating any artefacts. That cross-over frequency is very low too for a planar tweeter. They clearly wanted to take maximum possible advantage of the speed and detail of the planar tweeter.
Thanks Erin, great review! Question: is their any point to measuring in-room response? Pretty sure it would only apply to the individuals room in question and therefore useless for others. But for the individuals room, would it be useful in any way?
I used to. I stopped. The variability below the Schroeder frequency is so high that it's misleading. The PIR and the actual measured IRR I've shown to be highly reliable so I didn't see the point in continuing with that, either.
Just remember that their data capture is much different than mine. For those who are not familiar, Stereophile measurements are not fully ancechoic. It is a mixture of two measurement methods. "quasi-anechoic" above 300Hz. Which means the resolution of their measurements is lower above this and smoothed. Below that, their bass measurements are taken in the nearfield so it makes the bass bumped by about 6dB (when measuring in the nearfield, right at the cone/port there is no baffle step taken into account). So I wouldn't expect much matching below about 1kHz. To be clear: none of what I'm saying above is a "diss" or "shade". It's just simple fact. And explains why you will and should see differences between theirs and mine (and others).
@@ErinsAudioCorner Taking into account their lack of baffle correction, it looks very close to me. Same slightly rising treble, same 650hz hump. Directivity looks about the same too (same pinch-and-flare around the crossover).
Been waiting for this one. Very telling and informative!! I’ve been curious about designs that use planar tweeters. But am wondering about dispersion/ coherency in smaller rooms (even with treatment). Sidenote: would love to get your take on Danny Richie’s new NX Bravo with a planar magnetic tweeter if that was ever a possibility.
@ they look like a nice value if your willing to spend a little effort for assembly. $1200 delivered to the states. If I didn’t already have so many speakers…
Erin, once again you have proven yourself as a highly reliable source for us in determining the true quality and value of a speaker. In this Thanksgiving day, on behave of my fellow enthusiasts I say THANK YOU SIR!. I can see Paul at PS audio Cringing over this truly objective unbiased review. The 83 claimed sensitivity and 82 measured is the nail in the coffin or the FR5 as far as I'm concerned. For those of us who often listen above 90 dbs at 10' listening position, a high current amp that delivers at least 500W at an 4ohm load would be required. Those are class D amps or very expensive class AB amps.
I wouldn’t worry about the 1dB sensitivity difference. It’s pretty common for my results to show some difference in this regard. Manufacturers right there sensitivity in different ways. Some choose a single point, some choose the value at one kilohertz, some shoes, a broadband average. And then some, like Klipsch has done, will use “in-room sensitivity” which inflates the value by 6dB+.
You cannot beat PS Audio 30 day return policy. I own their BHK Pre and 250 power amp. (wonderful products) because of the return policy. I demoed a DAC which did not fit my system . So I sent it back to PS Audio with no hassle. Great company. Great review Erin.
I wonder to what extent the lack of efficiency or sensitivity or steep crossover is affecting the dynamic range. I don't think these speakers will do 110 dB SPL @ 1 meter without a strong possibility of damage. They don't endorse more than 150 watts per channel.
You might have to buy direct. They may offer an extended return period if you want to try them. www.psaudio.com/products/aspen-fr5-loudspeaker?variant=48443549384994&country=US¤cy=USD&gc_id=21601370126&h_ad_id=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADQihQBZTJ6oKHriWR4zofcky8qde&gclid=CjwKCAiAxqC6BhBcEiwAlXp451uM8bCLmHeU4Y7oa-8mwlwFdK-yV62w5AnxK2fdhs6WEH_7uDTU5RoCeyoQAvD_BwE
Everyone just wants to know if they’re better than xy or z. Including me! Come on Erin… howzabout a leaderboard for kickass small to medium sized soundboxes!
The problem is there is no universal best. There are characteristics such as extension, radiation, placement and positioning and others that drive what may be better for one person than another. Anyone telling you anything otherwise has a superficial understanding of speakers.
@@Douglas_Blake I don't know, the man keeps endorsing everybody and often recommends not buying stuff he even sells. Not only that, he continually talks about testing their products and hearing for yourself if they work in your house and system, and returning them if you don't like them, no money lost. Among all the high end audio makers I've heard talk about their products, he and the engineer behind the speakers are some of the few ones that come across as honest and non pretentious. So, when Paul says those are some of the best speakers he's ever heard, it honestly sounds more like any audiophile getting carried away than a salesman trying to convince you you need them.
@@ErinsAudioCorner hi erin great review 😁i am room acustic engineer and there is a way to absorb very low frequencies even without excessive thickness (up to a limit of course)I would be more than happy if you consult with me privately on a suitable solution, Your help to the community is not trivial at all!🙏♥🙏
@@ErinsAudioCorner depends how close the speaker is to the wall right? The closer it is, the higher the cancellation frequency. So if you place inches from the wall. 4 inches of absorption should be enough. ✌️
it depends on what is being radiated behind the speaker. Most speakers narrow with increasing frequency. But they do so differently depending on the speaker itself. 😊
Erin is correct there is a fixed relationship between voltage (v), current (i) and power (p). Increasing voltage across the same load will naturally increase both current and power.
It sounds like they have a "house sound" but it's not a bad house sound or inherently poor measuring. I don't mind a forward mid sound if it's not over the top.
Love your reviews! I ended up trading out my original KEF LS50’s with the Concerto Metas because of your review. You nailed it! I’ve been curious about this speaker. Very informative. Thank you!
@@ErinsAudioCorner they are nice and I think powered speakers with integrated streaming are the future of Hifi. When I heard them, I thought they were a little lacking in clarity. Still the Ref 1 is amazing for a bookshelf.
Ill categorize this as 'not bad'. Which means they arent great by any means, especially for the money. Compression data looks great though. But that sensitivity... man, you need serious wattage to push this mf, even you capped out with the Purifi. And I thought the LS50 Metas were bad in this aspect.
It sounds like it may be the gain structure of his system as you should be able to drive the speakers past their limits even with the smaller purifi et400 amplifiers (200 watt at 8 ohm) Kal at stereophile was using the same purifi module amps (from another vendor called buckeye) without issue.
@@garth56 Lots of current directly results in lots of power. Simple electric principles - you don't get one without the other. 100W into these speakers will always mean the same current, whatever amp you use - assuming it doesn't run out of juice before that.
Are those speakers worn in? Jay’s audio Lab played sound clips of the same speaker at various break-in hours. I noticed the vocals sounded weird before they wore in. After the moving parts got loose , they opened up and sounded incredible. 😊
@@hiresaudiocosta873 you really are going tu judge how a speaker sounds thru a video that is recorded on an iphone? The difference in placement of the phone, even just by a few millimeters, will make everything sound different.
That is not true, it doesn't make any sense. These speakers are 5.6R minimum and 150W continuous maximum, which gives us 5.17A, say 10A for dynamic power. That's a quarter of the maximum current output of Erins March P501 amps.
@@BL-yj2wp well they maxed out, didn't they. Somehow they aren't a good match even though they should easily be able to drive the load as they should be able to push around 375 watts through 6 ohm.
Do you think super lintons sound better than kef r3 meta? Are expensive power supply cables & speaker cables snake oil (GR research guy apparently can tell 8/10 times in a blind test)?
I don’t buy into expensive cables. For the speaker comparison you asked about, there’s really a lot of differences between them. The KEF is more linear, maybe a tad “bright” if pointed at you. The Linton is kind of “warm”. The (regular) Linton needs room off the wall where the KEF doesn’t. The KEF has more uniform dispersion than the Linton. They’re both great but different in a few ways that make the presentation noticeable.
Pure copper is pure copper. Expensive cables are snake oil. Think of your electrical wire running through your house to your electronics. It's copper and not some premium wire. It's a 50 ft run, why would changing the last 3 feet do anything?
82db sensitivity with a 6th order crossover? What a complete and laughable waste of good drivers. And at 5 grand a pair, in Canada, I certainly would expect better. Hard "pass" on this one!
How many parts would it take to implement a 6th order crossover? Joseph Audio has similar stuff they call Infinite Slope crossover which utilizes an arrangement of inductors that they turn into lossy transformer, they really have very steep filtering capabilities.
@@nabildanial00 Typically, 3 coils and 3 caps on each driver. So for a 2 way you're looking at 12 reactive parts and probably a couple of resistors to balance things out. Keep in mind that every added part also adds to losses inside the crossover network. But, you don't always want the sharpest roll off on these filters. It is often beneficial to have a short range where both drivers are active at reduced levels... as you go up in frequency you want the woofer to roll off as the tweeter rolls in. This provides a much smoother transition between drivers. In many cases I find that a simple "series crossover" (do a search) does a better job than these 12 and 15 part parallel monstrosities. The advantage here is that you reduce phase issues and are guaranteed a smooth transition region between drivers.
Low sensitivity isn’t from the crossover. There’s only one inductor in series on the woofer and it’s very low DCR. Sensitivity is a function of having woofer parameters for low extension in a small enclosure volume
I think they're a bit overpriced for what they are. I've never been impressed by any ps audio gear that I've owned. It mostly sounded dry and sterile. And then there are quite a few units that go bad.
I liked your take but Jay’s Audio Lab review of these is just more human - feeling as if we are there with him listening to the speakers. Yours is great for a classroom environment though
The human, or subjective is nice to have but we all know "feelings" change and aren't reliable. The objective data isn't swayed by what you had for dinner or if you drank a glass of wine with the meal.
Your speaker reviews are the best on the net. Nobody does a better job at providing a combination of subjective and objective data. Kudos to Chris and the PS team for providing these.
Agreed Erin is top reviewer. I also highly respect Ron at NRD because he has not sold out and proves over and over again, he respects his audience and doesn’t just schill stuff, like 98-99% of other audio focus YT’s. Erin also behaves in this regard, with hubris, respect and USEFUL insights. Thank you Erin!!! 🍻
I just want to see a PMC Transmission Line speaker review done by Erin❤
so pay him for his time
I think all Erin's reviews are for speakers loaned to him by individuals or manufacturers. Best contact the manufacturer of the speaker and request them to send him a pair if you want to see a review.
For the price of that speaker one would expect better..
Between the fact that they're two-way passive speakers with a hefty price tag -- there are superb active monitors available from Genelec and Neumann, not to mention Kali Audio's new SM-5, for that kind of $$$$ -- and the low sensitivity, which requires gobs of amp power, these things are a hard pass here.
@editorjuno why should an audiophile want active speakers? It's something completely different.
I'm sure it's very good... But is it BETTER than Sierra-1V2/Sierra-LX/Sierra-2EXV2 plus a sweet sub? Impossible!
@@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536why would an audiophile prefer active crossovers over passive crossovers? I use an active crossover, three amps, one for open baffle bass, one for electrostatic mid and ess AMT tweeters. So that is an active system, they are not studio monitors. And in your opinion is a powered sub also not audiophile by definition? Or Martin Logan speakers with active bass? 😂😂😂😂
@@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536 Because they are superb.
Happy Thanksgiving Erin!
Nice review, I love seeing the new bust decay data.
Paul from PS audio will be glad to learn that a Wiim can fix his speakers! :)))
lol. I’m sure.
@@ErinsAudioCornerHe will tell you the dpeakers are perfect without EQ.. must be your setip lol
@@ErinsAudioCorner sorry about tye typos you tube sometimes sucks
Would love to see how the Arendale 1528 bookshelf 8 compares acknowledging they’re a fair bit more money.
Happy Thanksgiving & thanks for the review telling us that PS Audio is only human after all and subject to the same physics as the rest of us.
I appreciate all that you do Erin in helping stamp out BS in our lifetime! 😉
I think you're on to something with the 80s music being some of the best in terms of sound engineering. Roxy Music's Avalon is one of my favorite albums in terms of production/mixing.
the Sade Adu albuns are also very well produced
@@noahbirdrevolution Erin is correct about the quality of professional music production in the 80's. He did allude to the fact in the mid 90's compression and limiters ruined the dynamic range of music all in the name of making recordings louder.
Yep ... there is a reason why my pop music collection ends in 1999.
Do a search for the "Dynamic Range Database" ... it lists the DR for thousands of albums and songs ... be prepared to be disappointed when you look up your favourites from 1995 to present.
Simpley Red Picture Book
There is something about the 80s and early 90s that makes stereo separation and imaging so defined. Even the 70s. Most generic music these days sound messy in comparison.
That must be some hell of a long-excursion woofer if it can reach 102dB. Respect!
And 82dB sensitivity means 128W for 102dB. Which is a bad joke.
Long excursion (xmax) = lower bass (fs) = low sensitivity
You can't beat physics law
2 inch
Thank you for the detailed objective information about so many aspects of the speaker.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for another detailed review. Hopefully you can do a comparison between the PS Audio FR5 and Radiant Acoustic Clarity 6.2 soon. These are on my short list.
No comparison, the radiant is flatter and with less distortion AND more bass.
@@kingtubbyleeperrywhile the radiant speakers appear excellent in all respects, there’s a pretty big difference in horizontal coverage (90 degrees vs 150 degrees) that will yield a pretty different presentation.
As far as bass goes, I target a somewhat over damped extended bass shelf woofer alignment with the PS speakers because it makes well with room gain for a flatter in-room response and subjectively slightly tighter/drier sound in the the bass. This is partly a matter of preference.
Ideally, you could audition things and see what you like.
Think the rise in the mid is a plus for most people. Forward female voices and acoustic instruments can make for more engaging presentation.
Time to buy 2 Behringer A800 amps, used in mono bridge mode.
Bad review! You didn’t even talk about how these speakers were blessed by a Hi-Fi priest which makes them worth their price.
Honestly, I rarely ever watch or read anyone else’s review with a few rare exceptions.
😅
@@ErinsAudioCornerBecause the only person who needs to like the sound of your review is - you.
@@ErinsAudioCorner
They may be talking about Paul or Chris the designer.
Happy Holidays!
I can't wait for companies to start selling Hifi water 😂
Very good and precise review!
Interesting how they are so dynamic with such a low sensitivity. Low level listening with such speakers usually suffers in my experience. I wonder why PS audio left that 600Hz bump, they must know it's there and they spent a lot of time engineering this range of speakers....
A 6th order cross over done passively is really difficult to implement without creating any artefacts. That cross-over frequency is very low too for a planar tweeter. They clearly wanted to take maximum possible advantage of the speed and detail of the planar tweeter.
Thanks Erin, great review! Question: is their any point to measuring in-room response? Pretty sure it would only apply to the individuals room in question and therefore useless for others. But for the individuals room, would it be useful in any way?
I used to. I stopped. The variability below the Schroeder frequency is so high that it's misleading. The PIR and the actual measured IRR I've shown to be highly reliable so I didn't see the point in continuing with that, either.
Hey Erin I am real. I cannot hear above 12 K but I still love listening to good speakers.
Most people in their 40s can’t. Maybe 14k if they are lucky
Many think they hear higher than they can.
I love PS Audio gear.... Thanks for the review!
You bet!
Interested to see how your data correlates with Stereophile.
Just remember that their data capture is much different than mine.
For those who are not familiar, Stereophile measurements are not fully ancechoic. It is a mixture of two measurement methods. "quasi-anechoic" above 300Hz. Which means the resolution of their measurements is lower above this and smoothed. Below that, their bass measurements are taken in the nearfield so it makes the bass bumped by about 6dB (when measuring in the nearfield, right at the cone/port there is no baffle step taken into account). So I wouldn't expect much matching below about 1kHz.
To be clear: none of what I'm saying above is a "diss" or "shade". It's just simple fact. And explains why you will and should see differences between theirs and mine (and others).
@@ErinsAudioCorner Taking into account their lack of baffle correction, it looks very close to me. Same slightly rising treble, same 650hz hump. Directivity looks about the same too (same pinch-and-flare around the crossover).
Been waiting for this one. Very telling and informative!! I’ve been curious about designs that use planar tweeters. But am wondering about dispersion/ coherency in smaller rooms (even with treatment). Sidenote: would love to get your take on Danny Richie’s new NX Bravo with a planar magnetic tweeter if that was ever a possibility.
My listening room is quite small as well at 13x14 ft and my Raidho's ruban twitters work very well!
Erin, great stuff as usual. Are you going to review the English DIY “reference “ speakers you showed recently. They look very nice.
Yes, soon.
@ they look like a nice value if your willing to spend a little effort for assembly. $1200 delivered to the states. If I didn’t already have so many speakers…
Erin, once again you have proven yourself as a highly reliable source for us in determining the true quality and value of a speaker. In this Thanksgiving day, on behave of my fellow enthusiasts I say THANK YOU SIR!. I can see Paul at PS audio Cringing over this truly objective unbiased review. The 83 claimed sensitivity and 82 measured is the nail in the coffin or the FR5 as far as I'm concerned. For those of us who often listen above 90 dbs at 10' listening position, a high current amp that delivers at least 500W at an 4ohm load would be required. Those are class D amps or very expensive class AB amps.
If you often listen above 90dB, you are going to cause permanent hearing damage. Any exposure longer than 2-3 hours puts you in the danger zone.
I wouldn’t worry about the 1dB sensitivity difference. It’s pretty common for my results to show some difference in this regard. Manufacturers right there sensitivity in different ways. Some choose a single point, some choose the value at one kilohertz, some shoes, a broadband average. And then some, like Klipsch has done, will use “in-room sensitivity” which inflates the value by 6dB+.
You cannot beat PS Audio 30 day return policy. I own their BHK Pre and 250 power amp. (wonderful products) because of the return policy. I demoed a DAC which did not fit my system . So I sent it back to PS Audio with no hassle. Great company. Great review Erin.
What do you mean "you can't beat"? Many manufacturers and retailers have a 30 day return policy. PS Audio's is hardly unique.
@@ropeburn6684 "you can't beat" does not mean "hardly unique". it's a slang idiom which (roughly, in his use context) means "cannot exceed".
@@grumpy9478😂
That's the minimum by law in Europe 😂
@@ropeburn6684 and you could defo beat it with a 31+ day return policy
Great review 💯
How would you compare them to the Radient acoustic you'd just reviewed ?
I plan to do a side by side comparison.
I wonder to what extent the lack of efficiency or sensitivity or steep crossover is affecting the dynamic range.
I don't think these speakers will do 110 dB SPL @ 1 meter without a strong possibility of damage. They don't endorse more than 150 watts per channel.
very curious about this line of PS audio speakers but here in Europe i don´t know where i could listen to them
You might have to buy direct. They may offer an extended return period if you want to try them.
www.psaudio.com/products/aspen-fr5-loudspeaker?variant=48443549384994&country=US¤cy=USD&gc_id=21601370126&h_ad_id=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADQihQBZTJ6oKHriWR4zofcky8qde&gclid=CjwKCAiAxqC6BhBcEiwAlXp451uM8bCLmHeU4Y7oa-8mwlwFdK-yV62w5AnxK2fdhs6WEH_7uDTU5RoCeyoQAvD_BwE
Everyone just wants to know if they’re better than xy or z.
Including me!
Come on Erin… howzabout a leaderboard for kickass small to medium sized soundboxes!
The problem is there is no universal best. There are characteristics such as extension, radiation, placement and positioning and others that drive what may be better for one person than another. Anyone telling you anything otherwise has a superficial understanding of speakers.
@ Yeah… I know! What I have now sounds incredible - but knowing something else might be lots better can be kinda frustrating at times… ✌️
but Paul McGowen said these were some of the best speakers he’s ever heard
AND ... he has an obvious financial interest in saying that.
And he is not the only one, but that's how this hobby is
@@ivanaviNiebla
Opinions are a lot more credible when you don't make money from them.
@@Douglas_Blake I don't know, the man keeps endorsing everybody and often recommends not buying stuff he even sells.
Not only that, he continually talks about testing their products and hearing for yourself if they work in your house and system, and returning them if you don't like them, no money lost.
Among all the high end audio makers I've heard talk about their products, he and the engineer behind the speakers are some of the few ones that come across as honest and non pretentious. So, when Paul says those are some of the best speakers he's ever heard, it honestly sounds more like any audiophile getting carried away than a salesman trying to convince you you need them.
Erin, why not get some front wall absorption to help with speaker boundary interference for listening?
Think about how thick it would have to be to “absorb” the frequencies that actually go back there.
@@ErinsAudioCorner hi erin great review 😁i am room acustic engineer and there is a way to absorb very low frequencies even without excessive thickness (up to a limit of course)I would be more than happy if you consult with me privately on a suitable solution, Your help to the community is not trivial at all!🙏♥🙏
@@ErinsAudioCorner depends how close the speaker is to the wall right? The closer it is, the higher the cancellation frequency. So if you place inches from the wall. 4 inches of absorption should be enough. ✌️
it depends on what is being radiated behind the speaker. Most speakers narrow with increasing frequency. But they do so differently depending on the speaker itself. 😊
12:10 You dont need much power, but you need good amount of volts, is another way of putting it :)
P=V^2/R
Erin is correct there is a fixed relationship between voltage (v), current (i) and power (p).
Increasing voltage across the same load will naturally increase both current and power.
It sounds like they have a "house sound" but it's not a bad house sound or inherently poor measuring. I don't mind a forward mid sound if it's not over the top.
Ronstadt's Nelson Riddle Orch albums should be a good test for its vocal dynamics performance (not to mention, everything else).
What do you define as low volume?
What exact purify amps are you using?
March Audio P501.
Love your reviews! I ended up trading out my original KEF LS50’s with the Concerto Metas because of your review. You nailed it!
I’ve been curious about this speaker. Very informative. Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving, Erin! 🦃 I'm thankful for your excellent reviews. Stay safe and have a fantastic day!
Development: you should offer help developing speakers. You could listen and measure before mass production.
He does a bit of that.
Eh, seems to me the KEF R3 Meta or even Q Concerto Meta are superior.
Have you heard a better bookshelf than the KEF Reference 1 Meta?
Dutch & Dutch 8c is up there, too.
@@ErinsAudioCorner they are nice and I think powered speakers with integrated streaming are the future of Hifi. When I heard them, I thought they were a little lacking in clarity. Still the Ref 1 is amazing for a bookshelf.
BTW, I think the FR20 is the pick of the litter from PS. I’ll have to ask Chris to get you a set for review.
2:30 Well done. Perfect tone. 😂
Ill categorize this as 'not bad'. Which means they arent great by any means, especially for the money. Compression data looks great though. But that sensitivity... man, you need serious wattage to push this mf, even you capped out with the Purifi. And I thought the LS50 Metas were bad in this aspect.
It sounds like it may be the gain structure of his system as you should be able to drive the speakers past their limits even with the smaller purifi et400 amplifiers (200 watt at 8 ohm)
Kal at stereophile was using the same purifi module amps (from another vendor called buckeye) without issue.
Possibly.
@@ErinsAudioCorner not trying to question your review. I thought it was well done, as always.
I didn’t take it that way at all, man. So no worries. 👍
Probably the only PS audio product I would buy.
Erin,
Have you seen the Technics SC-CX700 ? That's one I'd love to see measured.
Maybe we can nudge them to send you a pair.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Would be cool to compare this to the new Bouchard "no compromise" speaker
I haven’t heard that one.
He's probably referencing to the Buchardt E50. Yes correct spelling sometimes makes a difference.
Well not horrible but not great either. Maybe take 3000 away from the asking price.
That PR doesn’t look large enough for that woofer. Don’t they need to be 2x the area for optimal performance?
It’s 2-3X the displacement. The PR has higher excursion than the woofer and so it works well.
@ Ah, forgot about that aspect (as some speakers use identical drivers for PR use).
Thanks.
You don't need watts you need loads of current..A good 50 to 100W with loads of current will work really well aka an old Krell
@@garth56 Lots of current directly results in lots of power. Simple electric principles - you don't get one without the other.
100W into these speakers will always mean the same current, whatever amp you use - assuming it doesn't run out of juice before that.
Do they make a matching center speaker?
No. But you could use one of these standing upright if you have the space.
Are those speakers worn in?
Jay’s audio Lab played sound clips of the same speaker at various break-in hours. I noticed the vocals sounded weird before they wore in. After the moving parts got loose , they opened up and sounded incredible. 😊
@@hiresaudiocosta873 yes. I have no idea about Jay. Haven’t watched his video.
@@hiresaudiocosta873 you really are going tu judge how a speaker sounds thru a video that is recorded on an iphone? The difference in placement of the phone, even just by a few millimeters, will make everything sound different.
You can’t judge absolute (?) sound through a video, but I do think differences can be heard.
How is a 6 db xover steep, 24 db is steep.😊
You misheard. It's an LR6. That's a 6th order Linkwitz-Riley crossover.
Class AB monoblocks would likely work better. Apparently the Purifi's can't handle the current. Need a better power supply.
That is not true, it doesn't make any sense. These speakers are 5.6R minimum and 150W continuous maximum, which gives us 5.17A, say 10A for dynamic power. That's a quarter of the maximum current output of Erins March P501 amps.
@@BL-yj2wp well they maxed out, didn't they. Somehow they aren't a good match even though they should easily be able to drive the load as they should be able to push around 375 watts through 6 ohm.
My ears what is 12khz
Please make a conclusion / "Management Summary" at the end of the video. So people that don't want to spend almost 20mins know if it's worth it.
The video is less than 19 minutes. So it’s not 20. Problem solved. You’re welcome.
Solution 2: speed it up x5
Btw, who cares about people that don't appreciate the time & effort Erin put into this?
Great review as usual Erin. So rich and insightful. Well done!
Do you think super lintons sound better than kef r3 meta? Are expensive power supply cables & speaker cables snake oil (GR research guy apparently can tell 8/10 times in a blind test)?
I don’t buy into expensive cables.
For the speaker comparison you asked about, there’s really a lot of differences between them. The KEF is more linear, maybe a tad “bright” if pointed at you. The Linton is kind of “warm”. The (regular) Linton needs room off the wall where the KEF doesn’t. The KEF has more uniform dispersion than the Linton. They’re both great but different in a few ways that make the presentation noticeable.
Pure copper is pure copper. Expensive cables are snake oil. Think of your electrical wire running through your house to your electronics. It's copper and not some premium wire. It's a 50 ft run, why would changing the last 3 feet do anything?
I just look at the thumbnail and click the video to search the controversial thing about the speakers
Complete
What Makes PS Audio FR5 Bookshelf Speakers SO Special? Crappy freq. response curve!
82db sensitivity with a 6th order crossover?
What a complete and laughable waste of good drivers.
And at 5 grand a pair, in Canada, I certainly would expect better.
Hard "pass" on this one!
I expect better from Canada… in general.
How many parts would it take to implement a 6th order crossover? Joseph Audio has similar stuff they call Infinite Slope crossover which utilizes an arrangement of inductors that they turn into lossy transformer, they really have very steep filtering capabilities.
@@nabildanial00
Typically, 3 coils and 3 caps on each driver. So for a 2 way you're looking at 12 reactive parts and probably a couple of resistors to balance things out.
Keep in mind that every added part also adds to losses inside the crossover network.
But, you don't always want the sharpest roll off on these filters. It is often beneficial to have a short range where both drivers are active at reduced levels... as you go up in frequency you want the woofer to roll off as the tweeter rolls in. This provides a much smoother transition between drivers.
In many cases I find that a simple "series crossover" (do a search) does a better job than these 12 and 15 part parallel monstrosities. The advantage here is that you reduce phase issues and are guaranteed a smooth transition region between drivers.
Low sensitivity isn’t from the crossover. There’s only one inductor in series on the woofer and it’s very low DCR.
Sensitivity is a function of having woofer parameters for low extension in a small enclosure volume
@@Harrisongrey19
They're the same speakers ... but up here in Canada we get hit with import fees, tariffs, and higher shipping costs.
I think they're a bit overpriced for what they are. I've never been impressed by any ps audio gear that I've owned. It mostly sounded dry and sterile. And then there are quite a few units that go bad.
I liked your take but Jay’s Audio Lab review of these is just more human - feeling as if we are there with him listening to the speakers. Yours is great for a classroom environment though
@@Audiophile2023 cool. The consumer wins with two perspectives.
You are definitely lost. This channel is all about objective data.
The human, or subjective is nice to have but we all know "feelings" change and aren't reliable. The objective data isn't swayed by what you had for dinner or if you drank a glass of wine with the meal.
Subjectively, I prefer Erin's no-nonsense take. No disrespect, but I find Jay a long sit with basically not much factual essence..
@@34332 I like Jay and watch him, like his energy and vibe but man does he go on and on with the flowery talk.
4 grand 😂😂😂😂😂