Intro
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Not everyone is willing to invest thousands of Euros in a hi-fi system. And fortunately, they don’t have to. PSB is a brand that markets decent products for a few hundred Euros a pair. Consider this Alpha P5. A pair of compact bookshelfs for 399 Euros. Is this too good to be true?
We’ve tested models from PSB before. Consider the Alpha IQ active streaming speaker and most recently the Alpha AM3 active speaker. We also covered a more expensive model: the Syncrony B600.
PSB’s playback signature is clear to us by now: calm, round, rich and generous. PSB often manages to conjure a grand sound from a compact speaker. But before we say too much: let’s take a look at the PSB Alpha P5.
PSB Alpha P5
What’s in a name…? Needless to say, we are very excited about PSB’s “Alpha series”. Not just because of the name, mind you… They are just very good speakers for a nice price. The Alpha P5 is one size above the P3. The PSB Alpha P3 sells for 249 Euros per pair. The P5 will cost you – don’t be shocked- 399 Euro per pair. That does not include stands, by the way. And since we always recommend proper placement of loudspeakers, we certainly recommend stands, firstly to place the PSBs at the right height and secondly to decouple them properly. This has a direct audible, positive, effect on the tightness and detail in the bass.
In terms of color, the consumer – you – have two choices: Black Ash and Walnut. We received a version in Walnut from the importer. Without question, that looks good.
On the front we see magnetic covers that snap on neatly. We actually always play without covers, because it sounds just that little bit better. That is also the case with this PSB, although playing with the faceplates is of course also fine.
Behind the covers are the units: a 19mm tweeter with waveguide and a 133mm woofer. Crossover (4th order) is at 2500 Hz. Together they have a range of 55 – 21,000 Hz /- 3dB. Frankly, it feels like the speaker can go deeper. More on that later. With 87dB efficiency, we see average efficiency.