New PS Audio speakers?

Loudspeakers
1

What has Paul been telling the industry - this was just posted on StereoNet Australia. I know discussion of a speaker design has been ongoing but I do not recall pic’s on here? Anyway, the loudspeaker project must be gaining traction.
…

Here is what we have learned so far about the FR30 (list kindly compiled by @vkennedy61 )

Very few have heard them.

They are made in China and will undergo a second QA in Boulder before they are sent out to buyers.

The speakers will be delivered into your residence, but it’s up to the buyer to install and optimize placement.

Due to COVID, we don’t know when they will be at an audio show.

There’s no dealer network to audition them. (In Europe PS Audio is sold via a dealer network and the speakers may be available for audition.)

Features:
a) The FR30’s come in Pearl White and Sable Black.
b) There are coasters under the feet making them easy to slide into position.
c) As of 12/27/2021 photos of the rear of the cabinet are not yet available.

Cost
a) Pre-orders for Round 1 and Round 2 are sold out. Pre-orders for Round 3 ship around June 30, 2022.
b) FR30’s cost $28,490.
c) To pre-order you must pay 1/10 the cost of the Speakers. That’s $2,849.
d) PSA’s great buy and try program will include the FR30.
e) Trade-in allowances for the FR30 Loudspeaker are capped at $8,550.00 (30%). (Dealer trade-in may be available in Europe by negotiating with the dealer.)

Specs:
a) Frequency response = 28Hz to beyond 20kHz
b) Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1M) = 87 dB
c) High Frequency Transducer = 2 x 2.5” planar magnetic with Teonex diaphragm
d) Mid Frequency Transducer = 10” planar magnetic with Teonex diaphragm
e) Low Frequency Transducer = 4 x 8” woofers, cast frame, aluminum cone, 12lb advanced magnet structure
f) Crossover Frequency = 400 Hz, 2500 Hz – LR4
g) Weight = 230lbs (104.5 kg) each
h) Amplification = Paul believes that they can be easily driven by 100W or more. This includes Tube and Solid State amps.
i) There’s two sets of binding posts on the lower cabinet for bi-wiring.
j) There’s a tweeter level control and a three position baffle switch that adjusts for the distance from the front wall.
k) Each speaker comes in two pieces – Sealed upper cabinet mid-tweeter module, Passive radiator lower cabinet (4 10” side-firing passive radiators).

Anything else?

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Well that’s certainly intriguing.

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frank7036 said What has Paul been telling the industry - this was just posted on StereoNet Australia. I know discussion of a speaker design has been ongoing but I do not recall pic's on here? Anyway, the loudspeaker project must be gaining traction.

Yes, it is ongoing and growing. I am as excited as I could be. What fun. And more than what you see, Arnie and I have decided to think about an even bigger model to start (these are just under 5’ tall). We both would like a new speaker to replace the IRSV in Music Room One. I’ve never owned a speaker that I love as much, and few have ever impressed and delighted folks as much as the massive IRSV system in our main room - but they’re 35 years old - who better than to design a replacement than Arnie Nudell, the man that designed them in the first place.

They’re nicknamed The Beast between us.

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Don’t forget those of us with space (and budget) limitations. Beasts (and Little Monsters) come in all sizes, don’t they?

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stevem2 said Don't forget those of us with space (and budget) limitations. Beasts (and Little Monsters) come in all sizes, don't they?
I too think a little monster would be better for my home! WAF and all that.
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I am with you. What we’re planning would not be wife friendly to any but a few. But… having said that, there will be those among us able to accommodate a set of beasts and I believe there isn’t anything in the world of this caliber available today - at any price. I know, I know. There are speakers that sell for hundreds of thousands and I’ve managed to get acquainted with many of them - and while fine and wonderful speakers, none would cause me to give up my IRSV. None, at any price. Arnie and I aim to fix that.

Imagine a pair of 7 foot tall towers, with drivers from floor to the top as a line source. Imagine the speakers deep enough to accommodate 6 12" woofers, three per side,for a total of 12 in the system. An integrated 2100 watt servo controlled amp in each tower and DSP to integrate the bass to the room.

Sure, these bad boys would weigh perhaps 350 to 400 pounds, but other than tall, they wouldn’t visually dominate the room like the massive 4 piece IRSV setup.

If we could get these built and working well enough to replace the IRSV for me, and sell them for perhaps $50K I think that’d be amazing. I know that’s a lot of money to anyone (hell, it’s more than most cars), but compared to the cost of other state of the art systems, it’s less by far than many.

I want a pair for myself and I’m sure we’ll find a handful of folks around the world interested as well. It’ll be Arnie’s final statement on the art of reproducing music in the home. Can’t wait.

1 Like
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Hopefully there will be a Arnie Nudell Junior that weights and costs less41_gif

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Yes, a few, in fact.

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Sounds fantastic! I love my Aeris very much, and lord knows where they would go, but…

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Paul, this sounds like a fittable dream speaker!

Up to which frequency do you plan to amplify it internally? And if not fully, is it for any other reason than to continue to sell power amps :wink: and serve people’s demand of flexibility using non PSA amps?

I understood it’s a one piece design. Wouldn’t it make sence to have two sub units separated from the main speakers to be able to find optimal placements for both independently?

But with the air motion tweeters, the active DSP subs, the backfire tweeter and line source it already has more of my preferences than most other speakers.

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Paul McGowan said I am with you. What we're planning would not be wife friendly to any but a few. But... having said that, there will be those among us able to accommodate a set of beasts and I believe there isn't anything in the world of this caliber available today - at any price. I know, I know. There are speakers that sell for hundreds of thousands and I've managed to get acquainted with many of them - and while fine and wonderful speakers, none would cause me to give up my IRSV. None, at any price. Arnie and I aim to fix that.

Imagine a pair of 7 foot tall towers, with drivers from floor to the top as a line source. Imagine the speakers deep enough to accommodate 6 12" woofers, three per side,for a total of 12 in the system. An integrated 2100 watt servo controlled amp in each tower and DSP to integrate the bass to the room.

Sure, these bad boys would weigh perhaps 350 to 400 pounds, but other than tall, they wouldn’t visually dominate the room like the massive 4 piece IRSV setup.

If we could get these built and working well enough to replace the IRSV for me, and sell them for perhaps $50K I think that’d be amazing. I know that’s a lot of money to anyone (hell, it’s more than most cars), but compared to the cost of other state of the art systems, it’s less by far than many.

I want a pair for myself and I’m sure we’ll find a handful of folks around the world interested as well. It’ll be Arnie’s final statement on the art of reproducing music in the home. Can’t wait.


There goes another portion of my retirement fund!

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jazznut said Paul, this sounds like a fittable dream speaker!

Up to which frequency do you plan to amplify it internally? And if not fully, is it for any other reason than to continue to sell power amps :wink: and serve people’s demand of flexibility using non PSA amps?

I understood it’s a one piece design. Wouldn’t it make sense to have two sub units separated from the main speakers to be able to find optimal placements for both independently?

But with the air motion tweeters, the active DSP subs, the backfire tweeter and line source it already has more of my preferences than most other speakers.


Probably would make sense for the bass units to be separated so it’s a 4 piece system like the IRSV but we decided against it for several reasons. First, 4 piece systems limit further the acceptability of the setup in people’s homes. Though we don’t plan on selling many of these monsters, we’d like to accommodate as many as we can in a year - and the more things we do to make them visually unacceptable the fewer make their way into homes. Secondly, the second set of columns makes setup of the midrange tweeter columns more problematic than a single pair. I have personally set up hundreds of Genesis One 4 piece systems around the world and the separate woofer towers were always a curse and a blessing. A curse because unless in the largest of rooms, they got in the way of the soundstage. Blessed because they helped get the bass right.

The only benefit to separating the woofers from the mids is placement - and we have the means to fix that by adding a powerful DSP and microphone setup. When Arnie made the IRSV and next we made the mighty Genesis Ones, DSP for the woofers wasn’t a technical possibility we could manage back then.

We’ve always done servo control of the woofers. Any subwoofer without servo is nowhere near as good. The accelerometer based servo system perfects the linear response of the woofer in a sealed box. It’s perfect. But then there’s the room. With DSP and a microphone, we can perfect bass response in any room - thus we won’t need separate woofer columns cluttering the living space.

The active amplifiers in this speaker system, whether the beast I am writing of or the smaller tower system you see pictured (probably retailing for $18K the pair), will crossover at about 100Hz. Thus, you supply the amplification from 100Hz on up, we take care of the rest with its servo controlled, DSP corrected, built in subs.

Lastly, the pair you see pictured in the model, the step down from the beast, has twin 12" cast basket woofers and a 700 watt internal power amp for the servo system. Twin 12" woofers per side, for a total of 4 12" servo controlled woofers won’t be shy on the bottom end, and even this beauty will likely achieve a true 20Hz in the average room, something few speakers at any price can really manage to do.

I gotta tell you - $18K for a pair of speakers that are efficient enough to be driven to concert levels by a 100 watt per channel amp, and capable of truly reaching depths in the room of 20Hz, designed by the master himself, Arnie Nudell, will be a revelation to many.

Stay tuned.

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palerider said Sounds fantastic! I love my Aeris very much, and lord knows where they would go, but..........
Few speakers made today float my sonic boat more than the original designs of Arnie Nudell.

There are a number of fantastically talented speaker designers trying all manner of driver and cabinet configurations - but few I’d ever consider owning and enjoying in my setup. I am delighted we’ll be able to get him to design a series with his name on them before he retires. Took a damn crowbar to get him to agree.

1 Like
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Paul McGowan said
palerider said Sounds fantastic! I love my Aeris very much, and lord knows where they would go, but..........

Few speakers made today float my sonic boat more than the original designs of Arnie Nudell.

There are a number of fantastically talented speaker designers trying all manner of driver and cabinet configurations - but few I’d ever consider owning and enjoying in my setup. I am delighted we’ll be able to get him to design a series with his name on them before he retires. Took a damn crowbar to get him to agree.


Haha, that made me laugh. I still remember first time I heard an IRS. Was amazing. Hmmm, thinking this through, will you offer “white forklift” delivery?

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palerider said Hmmm, thinking this through, will you offer "white forklift" delivery?
Sounds like that will be needed!
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Paul McGowan said
Probably would make sense for the bass units to be separated so it’s a 4 piece system like the IRSV but we decided against it for several reasons. First, 4 piece systems limit further the acceptability of the setup in people’s homes. Though we don’t plan on selling many of these monsters, we’d like to accommodate as many as we can in a year - and the more things we do to make them visually unacceptable the fewer make their way into homes. Secondly, the second set of columns makes setup of the midrange tweeter columns more problematic than a single pair. I have personally set up hundreds of Genesis One 4 piece systems around the world and the separate woofer towers were always a curse and a blessing. A curse because unless in the largest of rooms, they got in the way of the soundstage. Blessed because they helped get the bass right.

The only benefit to separating the woofers from the mids is placement - and we have the means to fix that by adding a powerful DSP and microphone setup. When Arnie made the IRSV and next we made the mighty Genesis Ones, DSP for the woofers wasn’t a technical possibility we could manage back then.

We’ve always done servo control of the woofers. Any subwoofer without servo is nowhere near as good. The accelerometer based servo system perfects the linear response of the woofer in a sealed box. It’s perfect. But then there’s the room. With DSP and a microphone, we can perfect bass response in any room - thus we won’t need separate woofer columns cluttering the living space.

The active amplifiers in this speaker system, whether the beast I am writing of or the smaller tower system you see pictured (probably retailing for $18K the pair), will crossover at about 100Hz. Thus, you supply the amplification from 100Hz on up, we take care of the rest with its servo controlled, DSP corrected, built in subs.

Lastly, the pair you see pictured in the model, the step down from the beast, has twin 12" cast basket woofers and a 700 watt internal power amp for the servo system. Twin 12" woofers per side, for a total of 4 12" servo controlled woofers won’t be shy on the bottom end, and even this beauty will likely achieve a true 20Hz in the average room, something few speakers at any price can really manage to do.

I gotta tell you - $18K for a pair of speakers that are efficient enough to be driven to concert levels by a 100 watt per channel amp, and capable of truly reaching depths in the room of 20Hz, designed by the master himself, Arnie Nudell, will be a revelation to many.

Stay tuned.

If the whole lineup of speakers can be DSP corrected up to 100Hz, this is really fantastic and makes them very unique and real dream speakers for me. Even if they are not fully activated like my current speakers and maybe not as fittable over the whole spectrum, the DSP fit up to 100Hz is worth a lot.

Although my speakers are little bigger and especially deeper than the smaller ones you pictured, the size of the 18k ones would be all I’d like to see even in a larger living room.

I’m sure these speakers will sell very good, to me together with the parts used this is the best concept I’ve heard of so far.

And you’re right, the separate tower speakers always were known for a difficult fitting to the mids if placed for best bass performance, because they usually crossover much higher than normal separate subs. So even if maybe normal “close to fullrange” speakers with single active subs are more flexible and better fittable than separate tower speakers, your new concept + add. subs for the corners might be overkill, but perfect.

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DSP correction is a big advantage. I have that with the Aeris, and it makes an impressive difference. As Paul says, you can confidently sell the speakers into almost any room and, with servo control and DSP correction, you and your customer can have high confidence for accurate deep bass, well integrated with the mids.

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Yep, I’m using 1000W sinus sub with DSP and this makes your day when fitting bass to rooms, even if just used up to 30 or 40 Hz. DSP up to 100 Hz is invaluable. I assume Paul plans an at least 3 band parametric DSP EQ, too for this large freq. range.

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jazznut said Yep, I'm using 1000W sinus sub with DSP and this makes your day when fitting bass to rooms, even if just used up to 30 or 40 Hz. DSP up to 100 Hz is invaluable. I assume Paul plans an at least 3 band parametric DSP EQ, too for this large freq. range.
Getting up to 100hz is excellent. My Aeris cross over at 80, and the Xilica processor that Duddleston incorporated into the system does a credible job.
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Hi Paul,

The project / models / implementation sound great, congratulations to everyone involved. A quick question about DSP for loudspeakers. This is a further A-D-D-A conversion to design the correct crosser-over parameters in the filter between the Bass and main speakers - how good will this last AD-DA be? PS Audio (and its customers) invest a lot of money and effort to implement the best upfront D-A conversion possible. Will the end conversion be at least as good?