To Doug Schneider,
You wrote an interesting review of the PSB Synchrony Ones back in 2008, highlighting the need for decent amplifier power. I have a PS Audio Trio C-100 integrated (100Wpc into 8 ohms). Do you think this is sufficient for listening at normal levels, or do you think a minimum of 150Wpc is required? I listen to jazz, blues, and classical music at normal to semi-loud levels -- certainly not at concert levels by any means. Thank you for the good review.
Randy S.
United States
It will partly depend on what you considerl “normal to semi-loud levels.” For example, what fellow-reviewer S. Andrea Sundaram calls normal, I consider very quiet. Others listen at levels they call normal, but I’d call very loud. It’s relative. I’ll also add that I don’t know your integrated amp at all.
With that in mind, the One has a sensitivity of 87.5dB (2.83V/m), which is about average, so it doesn’t need a lot of power to play to a level I consider pretty loud. But what it does need is an amp that can deliver current and stays stable into lower impedances. The One’s impedance stays mostly below 5 ohms between 30Hz and 2000Hz, and even dips to about 3 ohms a couple of times. That’s a pretty-tough load for some amps; in fact, I tried the Ones with a little integrated amp that couldn’t deliver enough current and the sound was distorted when I tried to turn the volume up. So, if I were in your shoes, I’d check into is whether or not your integrated amp is stable below 4 ohms. If it is, you should be fine. If not, you’ll have to decide if you want to look into another amp or other speakers. . . . Doug Schneider
