I had them for a short time, some time back, and wasn't impressed at all. I also took them over to my buddy's house and used a 12K front end, with no luck at all. He was impressed with them when he thought the speakers and stands retailed for 500 dollars for the set.
For the price, there is so much better out there. I'm not sure how much you are looking to spend, but the Paradigm Studio 20 v3 would be a much better choice for over all music. Also, Revel M20 would be an even better choice. |
S7horton,
Happy Xmas Eve,
I am hearing mixed reviews about the Mini's. I heard them once with some Paradigms (not sure which model)and I liked them. However, that was six months ago. I never considered Paradigms because I was always so PSB centered. The Revel M20's, Proac Tablettes, and some of the Dynaudios are on my short list. I am also intrigued by the Energy Veritas 2.2's. I should start another thread asking about the Energie's. Thanks for your response though. One other thing, what exactly did you find wrong with the Mini's? what were you looking for as far as sound? |
I also owned a pair for a brief period while searching for a monitor for my small listening room. They did not stay long as I found them overly bright for my taste. They were paired with a Roksan KandyIII integrated and NAD C541i cdp. A quick impression is that the Minis bass and midrange were very good but as I said the highs were overly etched.
I would recommend you listen to the Totem Model 1 or Von Schwiekert VR1. Both are very good with a nod to the Totems. Good luck with whatever you chose. |
Timrhu,
Merry Xmas to you. I checked out the Totems and by looking at them, I would think they are a Proac/Dynaudio Hybrid. I have a small listening area also and I have always preferred monitors anyway. The Paradigm Studio 20 v3's look really good and they are more in my price range right now. Its either $1000 for an Integrated amp or speakers. You are not the only one thats told me about the Stratus Mini's. Something tells me to stay away from them. PSB is all I used to buy but my loyalty is changing. I am using an old B&K amp that I'm trying to sell and it is really fleshing out the shortcomings of my current PSB B25's. |
Also check out the Totem Rainmakers. They are more in your price bracket |
Merry Xmas Upstate,
I went to the website and the Totems sure seem to get a warm reception. I will consider them. I am also looking for a good DVD/CD soundsource. That plays a huge role also. |
I have a pair and think they are excellent speakers. They have been well reviewed over the years.They image well, have great bass for their size, and have excellent highs without being bright. Same tweeter as the Stratus gold. (3/4" instead of 1"). Sensitivity is 86db so need some watts. I'm a PSB fan but think they are great speakers.
John Dean |
You never gave us a price range.....you will always find something better if you keep raising the budget higher
I own 4 pairs of monitors currently, and still keep a pair of PSB Stratus Minis around. I find them to be very nuetral sounding with very good detail and soundstaging abilities, good all around performers at the under $500 used price they can be purchased for here. You can find dozens of professional reviews from 10 years ago for the Stratus Minis all very favorable.
If your budget is $500-1,000 used my Von Schweikert VR1 is faster more detailed sound which may appeal to some tastes, but in some systems may have too much treble energy.
My GMA Europa and Tyler Taylo Reference have smoother richer sound and represent outstanding overall performance in all catagories, sound great with all types of music even avarage rock recordings, but also will cost more used than Stratus Mini especially the Taylo.......GMA Europa sometimes are seen used for @$700 I believe. |
Megasam,
Right now I am looking at two possible scenarios. First off, I may use my B&K ST 202 for several more months in a rather small listening area and I am trying to find a good sounding monitor that would match. Secondly, I am also considering either a Krell KAV 300i or Class Cap-100 in that same listening area. I live in a loft apartment with limited room. I am currently using a pair of PSB Image B25's and while they sound decent, they tend to be "boomy" with the older B&K Amp really fleshing out their weaknesses. I have another question. Several people have told me that they find the B&K Amp to be slow. It doesn't appear that way to me. My budget right now would be $1500 right now for a used Integrated and monitors. There are so many good speaakers in this range making ot hard to decide. I also like the Revel M20's. I wonder how they would sound with B&K. |
Is that BK ST202 amp a mosfet design?
That goes way back and testing my long term memory, but was very popular line of reasonably priced SS gear 10-15 years ago.
If you want speaker with extended treble energy, fast detailed with great presence the Von Schweikert VR1 should be considered. I have read that Revel M20 has similar sound but used price is still pretty high I believe.
Of course if you are getting new integrated amp no telling what synergy will be........safe choice that is easy to system match many systems and sounds very good with almost any music is the Green Mountain Audio Europa monitor.... |
Megasam
I believe the B&K ST 202+ is a mosfet design and it does sound very nice. I am using PSB Image B25's and there is plenty of headroom thats for sure. When I turn the amp up to 9 O'clock or so it lights up my apartment. Jazz and acid jazz recordings sound very crisp and transparent. I just want to move on to some new equipment. I am trying to sell the units as you can see from my other thread. There are so many speakers out there. I had the list narrowed down to 2-3 but now there is perhaps ten. I have always been a PSB Fan and the Stratus Mini still interests me. I suppose sound is subjective and alot of it also depends on acoustics, atmosphere whatever. From what I am hearing, the Krell KAV 300i would sound good with just about any speaker. It may be a good match for the Stratus Mini's. I am going through a seperation so money is more of an issue this year. If I could get a used Krell, decent monitors and a reasonable CD/DVD source I would be happy. $1700 has to get it done. |
Jndean
I have read a dozen or more reviews over the years of the Stratus Mini's. My gut tells me that they would appeal to me. I have owned all of the PSB Lines except the Stratus and I have been happy with them all. I did a demo of a pair this past July with a Newcastle Amp and I was impressed. This of course was a sound room at a dealership near Buffalo, NY. It was your typical 10-15 minute audition. I remember very vividly the speakers. They jumped out at me. Now, the more I talk about speakers, the more opinions I get. I remember having a debate with the salesman regarding PSB vs Paradigm. He was convinced that the Paradigms were just as good as PSB and cheaper. How do feel the Mini's would sound with a Krell KAV 300i? Its 150wpc of Krell. This amp of course is comparable in sound and price to alot of quality seperates. |
I have the Stratus Mini as well as two pairs of Stratus Bronzes. I have driven the Minis with my 200 w/c Marantz Reference Sm-17s that are bridged. I have also driven them with my 100 w/c 5-channel Marantz SR-7000. They sound somewhat better with more watts, but good both ways. 150 w/c should be more than enough power. A friend just bought a pair of used cherry Stratus Minis for $460 on e-bay.
John Dean |
Jndean,
I am leaning towards the Mini's. I can't wait to get a pair. I have several places in mind and I am going to try to get a good deal. I saw that auction on Ebay. Didn't the seller say they were out of service, just sitting in a closet or something? What kind of arrangement do you have with your Stratus line? I mean, different rooms and roles right? |
My system is listed. In my surround system, I use the Stratus Minis for 2-channel listening as front speakers but sometimes switch them out with the Stratus Bronzes and move them to the rear for movies.
Listen to the Minis and other speakers. That's still the best way to decide what suits you.
John |
I have heard the Mini's. At least long enough to know I like them. I am using B25's right now and the Mini's are so much better. Sounds like a nice set up you have. You like Marantz? I remember I started out with an old Marantz 1030. I had a pair of Utah Speakers. Remember Utah Speakers? |
I owned these speakers for about a year and sold them awhile back on this site for $460 . Iv'e also owned the Image 2b. The stratus minis were so much better than the image 2b's ( they had a terrible cabinet resonance that drove me crazy im guessing caused by the plastic baffle). They are however a speaker that wont appeal to everyone as they are more about the music and not so much about trying to impress the listener so they arent the most detailed or "accurate". They do slaughter my Grado Sr-60's though ( of course ). I sold them because the tweeter started to get on my nerves, but other than that I still havent found a speaker that gets me as emotionally involved as the stratus mini.
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Hi Dave,
Yes, as good as the Mini's sound, there seems to be something lacking in them. You are right, even though they present a pretty big soundstage for their size, they are certainly not the most detailed speaker. I am using them with an an Acurus A150, and there is something about the mini that I like. Most people I talk to, say that they get attached to them. I am thinking of moving up to the Silveri. As far as the 2B, B25's are concerned, yes, they start to rattle and vibrate, and I had to sell them because of the resonance. I am intrigued by the Energy Veritas 2.2i monitors. For $1000 and under, I still find the Stratus Mini hard to beat. What monitor can can be found for $1000 and under that beats the Mini? Vienna's? Von Schweikert? |
If you are looking used, you may be able to find a pair of Revel M20's. Having owned those and the paradigm studio 20 v3's and the PSB's (Not at the same time) I still say that you would be very impressed by what the Revel's can do. Personally, they were my favotite. But, if you can't find them for less than 1K, my next choice would be the Paradigms. The Von Schweikerts (VR-1) stayed with me for a couple months. Not impressed, and it would be a toss up for me between the VS's and the PSB's. |
I keep hearing about the Revel M20's, and in fact, I was in a position to purchase a pair here on the Gon back in the early winter. However, I was visiting a local audio store in January and I found a great deal on a pair of Stratus Mini's with stands instead. I have a feeling the Von Schweikert's are a little overrated anyway. As we all know, sound is subjective, and these Mini's are everything the critics have said about them. They are "moody" and some days they sound so good that I have trouble getting out the door. I am using some Acurus gear that I believe would take $2000 to replace...namely Bryston. I put together an outstanding system for $1500 that would have cost me $3500 if everything were brand new. I am happy for now. |
Are you absolutely committed to monitor speakers? I had my system in a very small room for a while and tried a few different monitors including NHT SB-3, PSB Stratus Mini, Von Schweikert VR-1, Totem Model 1s and a few others but none of them did it for me. I finally ended up with a pair of Meadowlark Audio Kestrel Hot Rods. These speakers took up no more floor space than the monitors on stands but offered so much more to my ear. There are some very nice floorstand speakers with small footprints it is worth considering.
But if you are committed to monitors you should listen to Polk Audio LSi9 model. For the money new or used the LSi9 is a fantastic bargain. Don't let the pedestrian name fool you. |
I haven't heard the VR-1, but two mini monitors under a grand id like to hear are the JMR Twins and Audio Note AX-Two. Ive also been hearing a lot about the Nola Mini's. It's really hard to say though considering i havent heard these speakers. As far as the silvers go i bet theyd sound pretty good based on the stratus minis sound, but i still have my doubts about the tweeter in the stratus series.
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Dave,
I have never even heard of those makes, but my audio interest is making me more familiar with equipment each day. I am putting my Stratus Mini's up for sale to move up the food chain, and I must say that they are quite an impressive speaker. The Bass is incredible, and they throw a good soundstage. I wish I could keep them. |
Hello out there,
Does anyone know for sure if the PSB Stratus line is going to be re-introduced? I am hearing that they are going to launch a whole new Stratus line. |
