Review: PSB Synchrony One Speaker System

SOLID SOUND, STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE

October 2008 By Adrienne Maxwell

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If I asked you to visualize a high-end speaker system, I’m guessing bookshelf speakers wouldn’t immediately come to mind. This 5.1-channel PSB ensemble might just change your perception. The Synchrony One B ($2,000/pair), Synchrony One C center ($2,000), and Synchrony S monopole/bipole/dipole surround ($2,000/pair) are beautifully crafted designs with outstanding build quality. The curved cabinets combine dual-layered extruded-aluminum front and rear panels with seven-layered MDF side panels finished in black ash or dark cherry. The result is a solid, inert structure that prevents unwanted vibrations and standing waves.

The Synchrony line doesn’t include a subwoofer, so PSB sent along the SubSeries HD10 ($1,499), which features a 750-watt amplifier and 10-inch woofer with dual passive radiators. This 12-inch cube looks downright puny next to the beefy Synchrony One C. The complete Synchrony line features seven speakers, including two floorstanding models with which the Synchrony One C is a more logical size match. From a sonic standpoint, though, this center is an excellent match with the Synchrony One B and Synchrony S. They all use the same 1-inch titanium dome tweeter and 6.5-inch fiber cone woofer.

Despite its bookshelf design, the Synchrony One B is rated down to 47 hertz, so I set my Pioneer receiver’s crossover at 50 Hz and began with some stereo music demos, letting the sub handle the low end. PSB has found that perfect level of accuracy and neutrality for music: The One B isn’t so warm that it lacks precision and impact, yet it isn’t so flat as to sound sterile and emotionless. These ported bookshelf speakers have outstanding dynamic ability and sound surprisingly spacious. They offer an impressively full midrange, and high frequencies are crisp and precise without turning harsh or distorted at higher volumes. Those who prefer a bit more immediacy and bite up top can achieve it by removing the cloth-covered metal grilles.

The HD10 was so subtle with music, I feared it wouldn’t have the needed gusto when I switched to movie soundtracks. That fear proved unfounded, as this little sub has impressive presence and depth with low-frequency effects. It blends nicely with the Synchrony speakers to present a balanced soundstage. I experimented with both a 50- and 80-Hz crossover point in my receiver and heard no obvious hole in the midrange either way. Interestingly, when I used my Pioneer receiver’s auto-setup function, it set the fronts and center as large speakers; even though this flies in the face of conventional THX wisdom, it reaffirms how impressively full these speakers sound, and I was quite pleased with the results with both music and movies.