New PS Audio speakers?

I thought yes but it seems not…as even if the tweeter is not angled to the listeners ear, it’s higher at most speakers.

I’d love this see those AN speakers not as tall if not necessary.

As the design matures, is it safe to say the end user/layman will have the option to remove the two piece 1/4" front grille covers and have the option of plinth/no plinth, feet/no feet? As in this earlier look? PSA-AN The elegant wood side woofer grilles are a design masterstroke. In the front view, as one who sees the exposed tweeter/mid range’s as technically beautiful, it would be nice to have the options…

I agree. I prefer to have nothing in front of the drivers (grills, baffles, etc.), plus aesthetically, I like to be able to see the drivers. The newest AN photos/mockups leave me a little cold in that aspect.

I hope it goes without saying that outriggers should be removable also.

Generally, yes. That’s an advantage of stand mount speakers, as you get the speaker stands made to the exact correct height, and why most floorstanding speakers are just over 1m high with the tweeters at the top. Mainly because most tweeters are highly directional, little dispersion.

My $0.02, definitely no plinth…it makes it look like a flat slob as opposed to a precise instrument. Also front and side (sub) grills should be removable.

Paul, do the front and side panel grid lines disturb the sound at all? I would assume you are changing the sound with those grills? You posted and did a video on how you don’t use even speaker grills of clothe, so I am concerned that the grid lines maybe harmful? I personally would be ok if the speakers were visible with round or oval cut outs. Maybe oval for the front and round for the side?

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Not the 1/4” plates on the new design as they are now integral to the performance. We’re leaning towards metal outriggers and eschewing the plinth altogether.

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The side panel cutouts in the wood have zero impact on the sound quality. The sub doesn’t go much above 80Hz and at those frequencies it really doesn’t have any impact.

The mid and tweeter slots we added are now integral in the design as they form a type of waveguide.

The slots for the two midbass couplers don’t impact the sound at all but are there just to continue the aesthetic.

They look very nice. I wouldn’t mind them in my listening room that’s for sure! Can’t wait until these start shipping! It will be nice to not have to lug around subs!!

Another unsolicited opinion/suggestion for you, Paul:

If you are going to require those “wave guide” slots, then I would suggest adding an optional, more traditional, acoustically transparent cover to the design (that would sit over the top of the face shown in the latest rendering).

Personally, I really don’t care for the way the front of these speakers look in the latest rendering with the off-black, plastic(?) cover and the drivers visible through the slots.

The rest of the speaker presents itself gorgeously, in my opinion. To me, the front is just not as great looking as the rest of the product as currently laid out.

I know you are getting a lot of feedback so I hope this is perceived as intended – constructive criticism.

Can’t wait to get a chance to see and hear the real deal…

Keep up the great work.

Cheers.

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@Paul, Just opening up the forum to design query creates such good will, one might say it borders on marketing genius :smile: The wood side panel design is a gorgeous touch reminiscent of early 1950s Aircastle and Tesla integrated designs. When i saw them i was hoping the front panel would juxtapose their elegant retro design with exposed ultra hi-tech drivers. Dutch and Dutch 8c uses a modular driver look that comes off futuristic in simple form. The way the AN’s now functional front panels sweep over the top of the speaker adds continuity of the design theme evident in the side panels. Very nice indeed.

I have to concur, my first thought when I saw this latest mockup is that it looks like a big humidifier. Big fan on the side sucks in air and is dispersed up top. I’m sure PSA will make a great speaker/line of speakers. But the aesthetics are off for me on this one. Particularly when Arnies originals looked so badass.

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After getting caught up in my forum reading (once again) I have seen the latest AN-3 design and I like it. The best design ever? Nope, but I’m ok with that. The slatted front grill is an interesting touch and that along with the lack of a plinth makes the speaker look a lot thinner. That’s a good thing for me since I have a small room. I do like the idea of having various bases optional, e.g., standard spikes/feet; outriggers; or ISO-Acoustics feet. One thing I would suggest is using the rear feet for adjusting the “aim” of the tweeter. Vandersteen uses washers to optimize the “aim” based on ear height. Also, the two box design does make a lot of sense, my room is in the basement and moving my 180 lb Vandersteen’s down the stairs was exciting! Bottom line for me is make them sound the best they can, owners can adjust to the aesthetics over time.

It is the worst thing in my opinion to put such grilles in front of the speaker units. I’m looking forward to seeing some measurements on it. In my little Danish brain it is just forbidden.

More love Denmark

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Thanks! We depend on our community for guidance and opinions on most of what we do. It’s one of the reasons I have always thought of you folks as our family. I don’t always agree with the opinions nor does everyone in the family agree with ours, but by opening
a discussion we at least get the conversation going and learn a lot from each other.

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The feet we’re planning on the outriggers will be adjustable so you can point the tweeter at you. One of the design goals is to have as broad a sweet spot as possible, something we achieved nicely even on the prototypes we showed at Axpona, but we’ll work even
more on this with the waveguide and the modified version.

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I have been watching this forum since Paul said they were going to introduce a line of speakers. My electronics are all by PS Audio and I would like to add the AN3 to my system but I’ve lost a little interest as the price has gone up and the size is a little too large and the design is somewhat awkward and bulky in my opinion. I’ve probably decided to go with the Vandersteen Quatro CT but actually that speaker is the same price as what Paul has suggested the AN3 will be. My decision really comes down to size and design. I am convinced that Paul and company will produce a great sounding speaker! I’ve gotten a little more excited since the size of the speaker getting a bit smaller but there are still issues. Most of the discussion on this forum has been about the design of the speaker including the base, the overall size and weight, the wood panels, grills etc. These issues cannot be treated individually , they must conform to the overall concept. These are all industrial design issues! To me, the design is good but still unresolved. While this speakers uses great materials it still looks like a speaker designed by engineers. Paul has a history of bringing in talented engineers to develop products, with great success. Why not take the design of the speaker to a great industrial designer to help resolve the overall visual concept. I believe this might help produce a great sounding speaker as well a a classic in terms of design that would set the standard for the whole line of speakers.

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I have followed this discussion with interest as I am intrigued with how important the appearance of the speaker is to many.

never in life with the lattice in front of the speaker devices