Are the PSA 210C and 210T and upgrade from SVS Prime Towers and Center?

[Asere]

I love my Prime Towers and Center but I recently started looking at the PSA speakers and they seem to have a much higher sensitivity like 98.
If I do not listen to movies close to reference will it make a difference?
At the same time with the PSA needing less power it may sound louder/full soundstage even when I am not close to reference levels.

 

[Sonnie]

Unless you are struggling to get more volume, sensitivity is not likely to do much for you. You may like the sound of the PSA better, but the only way to know that is to have them in your room for a demo. I don't think anyone can tell you one is better than another since they don't have your ears... if you know what I mean. We can all say we like this or that, or one better than another, but ultimately, you have to listen and decide. Perhaps PSA has a trial period like SVS, then you can compare them.

Speaker placement will affect the soundstage more than anything on similar-sized dynamic speakers. Increasing the size of the speakers, or changing to a different style of speaker, such as going from a dynamic speaker to a planar speaker, can change the soundstage.

 

[Asere]

Auditioning would be great but I was going to buy them from someone local on an add with warranty for another 3 years. The 210 are horn style. Horn gets love and hate but to my ears they sound more clear and dynamic. I may have no choice but to forget about it or purchase, try them and sell my SVS or the PSA after listening at home but that is a hassle lol.

 

[Todd Anderson]

One thing that will be different is the compression driver on the PSA. If implemented correctly (and, Sonnie, correct me if I'm wrong) you'll have higher efficiency and lower distortion. If implemented incorrectly, the speaker might sound a bit bright.

I've heard well implemented compression drivers and they sound incredible!

I had some PSAs in my room maaaaany years ago, and to be honest, I can't remember enough about the experience to relay anything useful!

 

[Sonnie]

True... you'll probably have to experiment with toe-in and placement. If you do get them, don't give up on them at first listen; keep moving them an inch or so, and listen again. You also have the Denon with Audyssey to help.

Maybe the seller would let you listen to them at his home? They will sound different in your room, but chances are good that if you like them in his room, you should be able to get them set up to like them in your room.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great point on the toe-in. They're going to be much more directionally inclined than the SVS speakers...

 

[Asere]

I ended up getting the PSA's from the PSA outlet vs the local add. I got a great deal on the price and warranty with a 60 day trial. I am almost sure they are a keeper. Will report back once they arrive and have them running.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Awesome!!! Congrats! Look forward to hearing more

 

[Sonnie]

Yep... sounds like a good deal you got. Please do let us know your thoughts after you get them in hand.

 

[Asere]

I had the opportunity to get the 210t/c going this weekend. When I got them out of the box and stood them up I was impressed with how big they were compared to my SVS Primes. Even the center is huge.
Seeing the size I knew I was in for a treat but I was concerned about the WAF but surprisingly when she got home she was like wow these are really huge. I was like yeah but they look nice. She's like yeah they do.
Wow, I knew then I had her approval although she is pretty good at accepting my hobby despite her opinion.
Sound, what I noticed is they come to life the closer you get to reference unlike my Primes the closer I got to reference I had to lower the volume because it got too loud.
I even noticed with the 210's I didn't have to use Audyssey dynamic volume nor dynamic eq. With everything off I was able to listen at -10 even -5 without my ears bleeding. I am not saying the 210's don't get loud they do but since they are so clean my ears agree with the loudness instead of running for the remote.
John Wick Parabellum is great example. I was at 0 to -10 and was a delight listening to all the scenes. Metallica Through the Never was also great. I could hear James guitar riff clearly while they played Master of Puppets.
Great design Tom and excellent customer service.

 

[Sonnie]

Sounds like they will be keepers.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

They're fantastic speakers, in my personal opinion they should be a huge improvement over the primes. The dynamics should be one of the biggest things you'll notice and come to appreciate - and you'll never be able to go back. Having efficient cinema-style speakers like the PSAs allows your amp to operate on a much easier load at baseline, so there's more power in reserve for those moments when more power is needed.

Detail and imaging should be noticeably more precise as well.

Enjoy!

 

[Asere]

They're fantastic speakers, in my personal opinion they should be a huge improvement over the primes. The dynamics should be one of the biggest things you'll notice and come to appreciate - and you'll never be able to go back. Having efficient cinema-style speakers like the PSAs allows your amp to operate on a much easier load at baseline, so there's more power in reserve for those moments when more power is needed.

Detail and imaging should be noticeably more precise as well.

Enjoy!

Definitely! More separation and clarity. There are times I think it is a surround that I am hearing but instead it is coming from the 210's if this makes sense.