CE Pro September 2021 - 91

as well as other types of
rock and pop music, I found
the PWM2s to throw a nice,
wide soundstage. As part of
my early, informal listening
of the speakers, admittedly I
often sat off to the side and
not in the sweet spot, and I
still found the soundstage to
be wide with a stable stereo
image and also very engaging.
In a more traditional seating
position - between the
speakers - I thought the
midrange sounded accurate
and highly detailed, and
that image created a good
level of depth. In my dining
room, which is approximately
14 x 14 feet, I thought the
top end was extended, but
a bit restrained.
On the other end of
the frequency spectrum,
listening to content such as
music from Dave Matthews
Band, I could hear the kick
drums and bass lines in their
own space without stepping
on each other. The on-wall
speakers' dynamics further
validated their stereo image
capabilities.
The PWM2s' reproduction
of mid-bass is particularly
excellent; Barton must have
paid particular attention
to the speaker's mid-toupper
bass/lower midrange
capabilities. These frequencies
have solid attack; they
are not bloated and I think
integrators could get away
without using a subwoofer.
With that said, ideally the
speakers would be paired
with a sub.
It's easy to see that a lot
of care went into the engineering
of these speakers,
including considerations for
their wall-mount locations
cepro.com
PSB
SPEAKERS
PWM2
SPECS
The rear panel houses dual binding posts and keyhole
provisions for wall mounting.
and the effects of boundary
reinforcement. Furthermore,
I'd say the unique ported
design of the products
underscore the amount of
effort that went into their
development.
Perhaps an obvious
point, but one system
design consideration with
the speakers is that they
sound their best when the
cabinets are given enough
room to fully breathe. I had
listened to the speakers
before I mounted them to
the demonstration stands
and compared with when I
had them leaning against a
wall, I heard smoother, less
congested midrange.
Based on what I heard,
I would agree with the
specifications provided
by PSB that the PWM2s'
bottom-end extends to
the region of approximately
70Hz, and possibly a little
bit lower depending on the
room placement.
When speakers are deployed
in my home theater,
my latest litmus test has
become old 1970s TV shows
because the soundtracks
are matrixed to stereo via
formats such as Dolby, and I
think natively they are likely
in mono. Watching 1970s
shows streamed from Amazon
Prime and Crackle platforms,
I found the PWM2s
to create a nice phantom
center-channel image. Both
male and female voices were
intelligible and uncolored.
This ability makes them a
nice solution for a multimedia
system that omits a
center channel. Moreover,
add a sub and the system
will deliver a more dynamic
listening experience.
Based on my experience
with the PSB Speakers'
PWM2s, I view them as
more of a step-up product,
which is likely how integrators
may position them at
roughly $3K/pair. Not only
do the speakers perform at
a really high level sonically,
the PWM2s' looks match
their performance. This isn't
always a simple balancing
act for manufacturers, and as
on-wall product the PWM2s
deliver a solution integrators
can feel confident in
selling to consumers from
audio and aesthetic sides.
The PWM2 checks all of the
boxes, including the overall
build quality.
With their elegant looks,
which I think nicely complement
today's flat-panel TVs,
plus their industrial design
and superb sonic performance,
PSB has created a
versatile family of products
that can fit a range of lifestyle
needs without compromising
sound quality.
On-wall speaker with
contemporary design and
slim cabinet
PWM2 features pair of
4-inch woofers with
carbon-fiber woofers and
rubber surrounds
Speaker employs two
chambered 3-inch
carbon-fiber midrange
drivers
1-inch titanium tweeter
handles high frequencies
Mounts horizontally or
vertically
Available in satin white or
satin black
MSRP $1,499 each
psbspeakers.com
CE PRO
VERDICT
PROS: Precise imaging
and wide soundstage; high
levels of upper midrange and
lower treble detail; fabulous
industrial design and finish
quality
CONS: Ideally speakers
would be paired with a
subwoofer to augment
low-midrange/upper-bass
capabilities; binding post
space leaves enough room
for cables, but more wiggle
room would be nice
SeptemBER 2021 CE Pro | 91
http://www.psbspeakers.com http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro September 2021

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