PSB Stratus Mini's

Hi Dave,

Yes, as good as the Mini's sound, there seems to be something lacking in them. You are right, even though they present a pretty big soundstage for their size, they are certainly not the most detailed speaker. I am using them with an an Acurus A150, and there is something about the mini that I like. Most people I talk to, say that they get attached to them. I am thinking of moving up to the Silveri. As far as the 2B, B25's are concerned, yes, they start to rattle and vibrate, and I had to sell them because of the resonance. I am intrigued by the Energy Veritas 2.2i monitors. For $1000 and under, I still find the Stratus Mini hard to beat. What monitor can can be found for $1000 and under that beats the Mini? Vienna's? Von Schweikert?

If you are looking used, you may be able to find a pair of Revel M20's. Having owned those and the paradigm studio 20 v3's and the PSB's (Not at the same time) I still say that you would be very impressed by what the Revel's can do. Personally, they were my favotite. But, if you can't find them for less than 1K, my next choice would be the Paradigms. The Von Schweikerts (VR-1) stayed with me for a couple months. Not impressed, and it would be a toss up for me between the VS's and the PSB's.

I keep hearing about the Revel M20's, and in fact, I was in a position to purchase a pair here on the Gon back in the early winter. However, I was visiting a local audio store in January and I found a great deal on a pair of Stratus Mini's with stands instead. I have a feeling the Von Schweikert's are a little overrated anyway. As we all know, sound is subjective, and these Mini's are everything the critics have said about them. They are "moody" and some days they sound so good that I have trouble getting out the door. I am using some Acurus gear that I believe would take $2000 to replace...namely Bryston. I put together an outstanding system for $1500 that would have cost me $3500 if everything were brand new. I am happy for now.

Are you absolutely committed to monitor speakers? I had my system in a very small room for a while and tried a few different monitors including NHT SB-3, PSB Stratus Mini, Von Schweikert VR-1, Totem Model 1s and a few others but none of them did it for me. I finally ended up with a pair of Meadowlark Audio Kestrel Hot Rods. These speakers took up no more floor space than the monitors on stands but offered so much more to my ear. There are some very nice floorstand speakers with small footprints it is worth considering.
But if you are committed to monitors you should listen to Polk Audio LSi9 model. For the money new or used the LSi9 is a fantastic bargain. Don't let the pedestrian name fool you.

I haven't heard the VR-1, but two mini monitors under a grand id like to hear are the JMR Twins and Audio Note AX-Two. Ive also been hearing a lot about the Nola Mini's. It's really hard to say though considering i havent heard these speakers. As far as the silvers go i bet theyd sound pretty good based on the stratus minis sound, but i still have my doubts about the tweeter in the stratus series.