The PSB Stratus Gold was once the flagship floor-stander of the reputable PSB Speakers brand. Even though the Stratus Gold is a flagship speaker model, it still has a modest price tag and packs plenty of sonic performance, making it value for money. This is a large and powerful pair of floor-standing speakers that will require an equally impressive amp to drive them.
There are so many new and modern amplifiers currently out on the market which one of them will match nicely with these classic floor-standers? To find out, we will need to learn more about the PSB Stratus Gold’s sonic strengths and limitations. By having a better understanding of their sound signatures, we can then prepare a list of the best amps that you can go for and pair with the PSB Stratus Gold loudspeakers.
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Sound Characteristics and Merits of PSB Stratus Gold
These are big and bulky floor-standing speakers suitable for large listening rooms. It has a 6″ (150mm) midrange driver located at the top of the front speaker panel with a 1″ (25mm) metal-dome tweeter right below it, followed by a huge 10″ (250mm) woofer. PSB Stratus Gold front-firing bass port is no slouch either, is probably almost as big as the 6″ midrange driver unit. With such huge drivers and cabinet size, we are certainly expecting powerful bass performance to be delivered by the Stratus Gold tower speakers. It is wise to give them ample breathing space and distance them away from walls so that the bass reproductions won’t get reinforced too much.
How far away from the walls will also depend on your preference. You might need to do trial and error until you get the most optimal speaker position and wall distance. These are really heavy speakers, we highly suggest asking for help when moving the PSB Stratus Gold around. The frequency response of these loudspeakers is certainly impressive, it is at 36Hz-20kHz (+/-1dB). The nominal impedance is 4 Ohms and the recommended amplifier power is up to 250 Watts. Based on these specs, the PSB Stratus Gold floor-standers will need high-powered amplifiers of at least around 150 Watts (4 Ohms).
The PSB Stratus Gold fills the listening room effortlessly, you can hear and feel the musical presence. This shows how well the Stratus Gold speakers handle their subsonic bass reproduction. Surprisingly, the bass performance is not an overwhelming assault of low-frequency delivery but rather musical and controlled which is awesome. It can still land an impact that will shake the room when it needs to. The deep low-ends have weight and are prominent which complements the large-scale sound it could project. The sound field is airy and open, not to mention, it is enveloping as well which gave us a rather immersive listening experience.
Midbass response is not as impactful when compared to their deeper bass reproduction and the mids are not as expressive or excited as the highs. The treble can sound a little bright but never reaches anywhere near overly bright which makes it easy to listen to the PSB Stratus Gold floor-standers. The music delivery is clean and smooth with a wide dynamic range. PSB Stratus Gold full-range sound reproduction is really impressive especially for a floor-stander at this price point and could reach really deep into the subterranean level where it starts to lose prominence. If we were to nitpick it will be the Stratus Gold overall clarity, as we find it needs to be kicked up a notch.
The overall sound reproduction is neutral and leans towards the warm side, it is not as fast as stand-mounters and can sound quite laid-back but the scale of the sound and deep bass impact makes the PSB Stratus Gold sound entertaining and engaging to listen to. They are not as warm as the Goldi version though. All in all, the PSB Stratus Gold is really amazing loudspeaker and well worth every single penny invested in them. If you are planning to add an active subwoofer, we will suggest going for a midbass module. We have gathered enough information and the best amps to match with the PSB Stratus Gold floor-standing speakers as follows.
PSB Stratus Gold Specifications
- Speaker Type: 3-Way (Front-firing port)
- Drive Units: 1″ (25mm) Metal-Dome Tweeter, 6″ (150mm) Midrange, 10″ (250mm) woofer
- Frequency Response: 36Hz-20kHz (+/-1dB)
- Impedance: 4 Ohms
- Recommended Amplifier Power: 10W to 250W
- Sensitivity (1w/1m): 88dB
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 343mm x 1130mm x 376mm | 13.5″ x 44.5″ x 14.8″
- Weight: 43.1kg (95lbs)
Best Amps to match with PSB Stratus Gold
NAD C298 will be an ideal amp choice for the PSB Stratus Gold as both brands are distributed by Lenbrook and it is more than likely they will have similar sonic traits. The C298 is a powerful stereo power amplifier that can drive the Stratus Gold floor-standers without breaking a sweat. Its rated output power into 4 Ohms is 340 Watts and could go up to 490 Watts (IHF dynamic power). This is a very neutral power amplifier and allows the PSB Stratus Gold to shine while driving enough power for the speakers to handle music peaks, not to mention, enough muscles to deliver thunderous deep bass frequencies.
More Details at Amazon – NAD C 298 Power Amplifier
Wyred 4 Sound mAMP is an amazing mono-block amplifier with more than enough power to drive each PSB Stratus Gold floor-stander. It uses ICEpower (ASX2) audio technology and drives up to 460 Watts of power (4 Ohms), enabling the PSB floor-stander to sing its heart out. With so much power at your disposal, you can start cranking up the volume and wake your neighbors. The sound quality of the Wyred 4 Sound mAMP is clean and lucid with impeccable stereo imaging which will complement the PSB Stratus Gold loudspeakers well. Furthermore, the mAMP has a modest price tag which makes it even more attractive.
More Info at Amazon – Wyred 4 Sound mAMP (BLACK) Monoblock Power Amplifier
The Emotiva XPA HC-1 is another modestly priced mono-block amp and uses a Class A/B amplifier section to drive a whopping 600 Watts of RMS power into 4 Ohms. The XPA HC-1 can effortlessly drive and unlock the full potential of PSB Stratus Gold floor-standing speakers with plenty of headroom to spare. It is a rhythmically driven monoblock amplifier and adds a faster tempo into the overall sound reproduction, giving us an even more engaging music presentation without compromising large-scale sound quality. Emotiva XPA HC-1‘s low-end performance is tightly controlled and agile as well.
Peachtree Audio Nova150 is an excellent integrated amplifier to match with the PSB Stratus Gold floor-standing speakers. This is a powerful integrated amp with a plethora of features such as a SABRE32 Reference 9018 DAC, Moving Magnet Phono input, etc., and is more than capable of driving the Stratus Gold floor-standers with its 250 WPC (4 Ohms) power output. The Peachtree Audio Nova150 will help to slightly increase the overall clarity of the music delivery and reveal a bit more subtle details without adding any brightness to the sound quality. The clean overall sound reproduction of the Nova150 is well-suited for the PSB Stratus Gold too.
More Info at Amazon – Peachtree Audio Nova150 Integrated Amplifier
The Cambridge Audio Azur 851A is one of the best amps to go with your PSB Stratus Gold speakers and is ideal for listeners who want an even bolder and more entertaining music presentation. With a rated power output of 200 Watts RMS into 4 Ohms, the Azur 851A is able to drive the Stratus Golds with ease. It has a wide dynamic range and can deliver ample deep bass reproduction which the PSB Stratus Gold is more than capable of producing. The enthusiastic music delivery of the Cambridge Audio Azur 851A is also packed with intricacies and energy. This Cambridge Audio amp may excite the treble by at least a little though.
More Information at Amazon – Cambridge Audio Azur 851A Integrated Amplifier
As mentioned earlier, the midbass punch of the PSB Stratus Gold does lack the weight and impact when compared to its subsonic low-end delivery. You might want to add a high-quality midbass module (MBM) such as the Rythmik Audio FM8. It is fast and impactful which will fit in nicely with the PSB floor-standers. This is a midbass subwoofer designed and made for audiophiles who want highly accurate upper bass delivery. If you want a bigger woofer size, the HSU Research ULS-15 MK2 will be the next better option. This is a 15″ sealed subwoofer with 600 Watts RMS and has a frequency response of 20Hz-200Hz (+/-1dB).
To Sum It Up
The mentioned midbass modules/subwoofers are modestly priced and will match well with the PSB Stratus Gold speakers. Having a more impactful midbass performance will help to enhance your home theater experience too. We will suggest auditioning the subs and the chosen amps first before finalizing your decision. Only when you have heard them in action, then you will really know if the amplifier and subwoofer sonic performance are what you are looking for when partnered with the PSB Stratus Gold floor-standing speakers.
