Anyone heard PSB Imagine T3?

Milpai - I find them to be an exceptional value, but selecting speakers is a very subjective endeavor. Any further description that I provide would still require you to hear and compare them for yourself with the rest of your planned system. Component interaction can also be a determining factor that can make or break a given speaker selection in any given application. So I would strongly suggest that you arrange to audition the speakers you are interested in which include some very fine choices, along with the rest of your system if at all possible. Only you can determine what will please you the most, and I wouldn't want to steer you the wrong way towards reaching your desired goals. I haven't heard the other speakers that you listed but am familiar with the brands and have heard other models from those companies. Spendors generally have a more laid back presentation, while the PMCs are more forward and present. The Quads that I've heard are older models which I wouldn't compare to the newer S series you mentioned.

I find the T3s to offer tremendous dynamics with full bass extension, a smooth and uncolored midrange, and nicely extended and clear highs. They image very well with the cabinets doing a very nice disappearing act into a convincing soundstage that they recreate. In order to sound their best they require quality electronics. If you drive them with a subpar amp the highs can be too dry and analytical. Again this is why you would need to audition them with the rest of your system choices.

Not being a professional reviewer I don't feel like I'm conveying just how good the Imagine T3s are. I find them to perform well beyond any previous speakers from PSB, many of which have been award winning models. Since they are such a new model they have not been formally reviewed yet, but as I mentioned a full review is supposed to appear in the soon to be released issue of The Absolute Sound. I would suggest checking that out when it becomes available, as it should be much better in describing the overall performance that the speakers offer, and probably make some comparisons to other competitive models.

Bill_k,
Thank you for your impression on these speakers and the Spendors. You say Spendors are laid back compared to PMCs. Another member on this forum mentioned to me that these were slightly laid back compared to some others like ProAcs. From your and the PMC owner's impression, it makes sense that on another Naim forum a person called the Spendors "pipes and slippers". But to me, I like laid back speakers better, as they would not definitely not give you listening fatigue. At the same time I like my sound stage to start 4-3 feet behind the speaker face.

Another speaker that I would look forward to is the JM Orfeo Supreme V2.

I forgot to mention that I briefly heard this speaker at AXPONA 2015, as I was leaving the show. It was in the Saturday exchange room. I was impressed with the starting notes. But I REALLY had to leave at that point. I regret not having auditioned them long enough. I completely agree with you that speakers should be auditioned before you purchase. I will be traveling to Maryland in the next couple of weeks and will seek out the Imagine T3.

I want lots of bang for my investment this time, because this is a speaker that I [most likely] will not change for the next 10 years or so, and the new speaker would be a major upgrade $wise compared to my current ones.

I would not describe the PSB Imagine T3 speakers as having a soundstage that starts 3 to 4 feet behind the speaker's front and goes back from there, if I understand your desire correctly. While it's not overly forward or aggressive sounding, its soundstage is more up front than that while extending to well behind the plane of the speakers. Good luck in your search and please let us know what you decide. I never heard the JM you mentioned, but there are certainly lots of good speakers to choose from these days!

Recently back from a trip to DC. Heard the Imagine T3 again, and also Totem Forest Signatures. The PSBs were connected to NAD amps while the Forests were connected to some expensive Macs. The PSB did not seem as open as the Totems, but I believe it was the amp pairing. Still not able to decide on these. Will not go with Forests, since they are not as efficient as I would like my next speakers to be.