PSB ALPHA IQ POWERED LOUDSPEAKERS

PRICE R24 990.00

SUPPLIED BY AV Imports 010-224-0575 / sales@avimports.co.za

WEBSITE www.avimports.co.za

PSB is without doubt one of my favourite brands. Back in the day, my stereo speakers were one of the Alpha Series Tower models coupled to a NAD AV Receiver, and they were equally awesome in a home theatre set-up. One of my most reluctant, saddest sales.

When I ‘sort of’ got back into things, years had passed, but luckily AV Imports hadn’t forgotten me, so I was hugely fortunate to get the PSB Alpha T20 speakers to review (https://avnews.co.za/psb-alpha-t-20-loudspeakers/), along with the NAD C700 streaming amplifier (https://avnews.co.za/nad-c-700-bluos-streaming-amplifier/).

Now, my wife and I are huge music fans, but I never realised how much of a fan she was until I saw her listening to her favourite tracks on the T20s and later the powered AM5s. I loved watching her facial expressions, because they made it abundantly clear that the PSBs were working that kind of special musical magic that only few brands can.

For me, that’s PSB.

I owned the AM5s, previously. Teamed with Bluesound’s Node Nano first, then later with the multi award-winning Node ICON. Audio nirvana. How could such small powered loudspeakers deliver such a quality audio impact?! I was particularly impressed by the depth of their bass delivery. You can read my review here: (https://avnews.co.za/psb-am5-powered-desktop-loudspeakers/)

And yet a demo of the Alpha IQs proved what seemed impossible: smaller enclosures, but bigger sound. And more technology – the BluOS nodule is included, so no need for a separate streamer. Everything you need in two compact loudspeakers, controlled via the BluOS App on your Smartphone. But of course a lot more…

Build quality is, as is to be expected with PSB, absolutely faultless, while the available connections are impressive, adding versatility to the sound quality.

As far as the ‘wired’ stuff is concerned, both loudspeakers require a connection for mains power. And that’s it. Well, except of course for how you want to connect them to your existing system. Your choices are myriad: Ethernet socket, a USB-A slot, a pair of stereo RCA inputs for a moving magnet phono stage, a digital optical socket, a 3.5 mm analogue input and an HDMI eARC input.

On the wireless front, there’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (with aptX HD codec compatibility), Apple AirPlay and BluOS’ options for thirty plus streaming services including Spotify, TIDAL, and a plethora of internet radio stations. Your Main (right) loudspeaker is the ‘controller’ for everything, and comes with some basic touch controls on the top front for Play/Pause and Volume Up/Down. These buttons are pretty sensitive, to the point that one of our kittens has manged to turn the system on three times so far … with his tail!

But again, thanks to the BluOS App, you really don’t need anything else here – your Smartphone becomes a highly versatile ‘remote control’.

A personal boon for me, being an MQA codec fan, is the fact that the IQ’s audiophile DAC supports resolution up to 24-bit/192 kHz, with full MQA decoding and rendering capability for high-res streaming.

PSB’s somewhat different driver layout sees the mid/bass driver sitting above the tweeter, instead of the more traditional vice versa layout. PSB says this makes the IQs more comfortable in a higher position in your set-up. But in all honesty, all of my PSB bookshelves have always been placed at ear level, with no discernible fault in sound at all. And this is where my only concern is with the IQs: the tweeter is somewhat protected, but the woofer isn’t. A protective grille would have made me sleep better at night, but fortunately my daughter is now of the age where she understands that fingers and toys don’t mix well with Daddy’s Toys.

As with the AM5s, I have found the IQs to be talented across every aspect of audio that I tried them with. I have a dedicated soundbar and subwoofer for my home theatre needs, and while it excels at its task, watching the World War 2 movie, Greyhound, via the television’s Analogue Out, proved that the speakers were a more than adequate back-up option.

Sure, they couldn’t cope with the surround sound aspect of the soundtrack – they weren’t meant to! But when it came to the punch of the gunfire, the shriek of the ricochets and the grumble of the depth charges, the IQs excelled. And equally important, dialogue was crystal clear at all times.

However, the main reason for this review was of course for their stereo performance.

And in this, I simply cannot find fault. As with the AM5s, all the frequencies from high to low were presented perfectly. Highs were clear but never bright, mids were full of detail, and the bass punched where it should punch, and grumbled when necessary.

The IQs also have a Subwoofer option, and one day if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll try it out just for interest…but for stereo-only listening I honestly can’t see it being a useful addition to what the IQs can deliver. The IQs reach more than low enough to deliver that bass that you don’t hear as much as you feel it in your body.

As I have mentioned before, I’m certain, my music choice suggests that I may suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder.

A huge chunk comes from my growing up days. I’m an ‘80s Child, so it’s Depeche Mode, Human League, Go West, Madonna and more. But then you need to add music from Dua Lipa, Woodkid, Imagine Dragons. Some opera from Luciano Pavarotti and Enrico Caruso…and some Disney stuff, because, well, because I have a 6-year-old daughter.

The latter is not by choice, I assure you.

I’m referring to the Disney music, not the child. I’m actually quite fond of her.

Across the board, the music was delivered with ease, with such an incredible soundstage, instruments placed perfectly if you closed your eyes and let your ears tell you where they were. The kind of listening experience that made you surrender your intentions of work for the evening or afternoon and just sit back and enjoy what you were hearing. And it’s really hard not to give into the urge to crank the volume up a bit, because the IQs have to be pushed ridiculously hard before they start asking you to ease off the accelerator, and yet that iron-fisted control of the source music is never lost.

The PSB Alpha IQs are rewarding on so many levels – technology, build, sound quality…You really cannot go wrong here.

Andrew Rowland