Short answer: the PSB Imagine T65. Its dual 6.5” carbon fiber woofers give genuinely strong, extended low end, among the better towers Erin has measured in this price class. The Polk Reserve R500’s bump around 4-6kHz gives a shouty, mildly sibilant lower treble. The PSB’s own midrange/crossover dip hurts dialogue and vocals, but a couple bands of EQ smooths it out.
Buy the PSB Imagine T65 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Polk Reserve R500 if the price matters more than sound quality.
Still deciding? The full Passive Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| PSB Imagine T65 | Polk Reserve R500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2,699 per pair | $1,259.98 per pair |
| Ranked | #34 of 74 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #37 of 74 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Drivers | 1” titanium dome tweeter, 5.25” woven carbon fiber midrange, 2x 6.5” woven carbon fiber woofers | Two 5.25” Turbine Cone woofer, 1” Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter |
| Crossover Frequency | 600Hz & 2000Hz, 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley | - |
| Dimensions | 38.8” x 8.4” x 13.5” (986 x 213 x 343 mm) | 40.3”H x 6.8”W x 12.4”D (1023.6 x 172.7 x 315 mm) |
| Weight | 44.1 lbs (20 kg) each | 39.2 lbs (17.8 kg) each |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (3.3 ohms minimum measured by Erin’s Audio Corner; manufacturer specifies 4 ohms minimum) | 4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 8 ohms nominal per manufacturer) |
| Sensitivity | 85.1dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 86.2dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Recommended Power | 20-200W | - |
| Enclosure | Vented: dual rear slot ports, individual woofer chambers | - |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 47Hz (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 26Hz (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Frequency Response | 28Hz - 20kHz (±1.5dB, manufacturer specified) | - |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.29 | 5.86 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.51 | 7.44 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
| Woofer Cabinet | - | ported, rear |
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The Two Speakers In Full
PSB Imagine T65: $2,699 per pair PSB Speakers eBay
Pros: Three-way design with dual 6.5” woven carbon fiber woofers delivers genuinely strong, extended low end for a $2699 tower: among the better performers Erin has measured in this price class. Distortion shows a clean second-order character with clear separation from third-order all the way up to 96 dB, indicating a well-controlled motor. Compression data shows enhancement rather than compression below about 50-60 Hz, so the bass can sound louder as you turn it up rather than choking off. Wide, forgiving vertical listening window (about ±25°) thanks to the 3-way layout, giving more seating and placement flexibility than most towers. Plenty of dynamic headroom for home theater use or a two-channel system: 100W drove it comfortably in Erin’s room. Measured bass extension of 47Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 85.1dB.
Cons: Noticeable dip in the midrange/crossover region that Erin flagged as affecting dialogue and vocal clarity, though he notes a couple bands of EQ smooths it out. Some horizontal dispersion mismatch (about 10-15° of ballooning between 1-3 kHz) between the midrange and tweeter can add extra perceived attack or detail if your room’s sidewalls are reflective. Dips to 4 ohms, so it wants an amplifier comfortable driving a 4-ohm load. Distortion climbs above 3% around 60 Hz at 96 dB, though it’s benign second-order distortion.
Full PSB Imagine T65 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 26Hz (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 47Hz (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 600Hz & 2000Hz, 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 38.8” x 8.4” x 13.5” (986 x 213 x 343 mm) |
| Drivers | 1” titanium dome tweeter, 5.25” woven carbon fiber midrange, 2x 6.5” woven carbon fiber woofers |
| Enclosure | Vented: dual rear slot ports, individual woofer chambers |
| Frequency Response | 28Hz - 20kHz (±1.5dB, manufacturer specified) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (3.3 ohms minimum measured by Erin’s Audio Corner; manufacturer specifies 4 ohms minimum) |
| Recommended Power | 20-200W |
| Sensitivity | 85.1dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.29 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.51 |
| Weight | 44.1 lbs (20 kg) each |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- PSB Imagine T65 vs Polk Audio Reserve R700
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Polk Reserve R500: $1,259.98 per pair Amazon eBay
Pros: Dual 5.25” midwoofers paired with a ring radiator tweeter in a floorstanding tower design. Surprisingly neutral overall compared to Polk’s smaller bookshelf models: notably more even-handed than the brighter-sounding R200 the reviewer tested previously. Good linearity on-axis, within about -3/+2dB. Sensitivity close to 86dB, easily driven to adequate levels in a small-to-medium room with a 100W-capable amplifier. Takes very well to EQ: a single band of correction (about a 2dB cut around 4-5kHz) resolves the main tonal issue and transforms the sound. Dynamic range and compression performance is solidly “medium,” holding up fine through about 20dB of level increase before higher-frequency and bass output start to taper at extreme volumes. Measured bass extension of 51Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 86.2dB.
Cons: A bump around 4-6kHz gives a “shouty,” mildly sibilant quality in the lower treble. Counterintuitively, toeing the speaker out to reduce brightness makes this worse rather than better, since the ring-radiator tweeter’s directivity narrows rapidly above about 6-7kHz: pointed on-axis retains enough top-end air to balance the bump, but toed away that air drops off and the shoutiness stands out more. Bass is adequate for its 5.25” woofers but lacks real weight below about 40-50Hz; a subwoofer is still needed for movies and bass-heavy music. A cabinet resonance around 160-170Hz subtracts from rather than adds boom to the mid-bass region. Vertical listening window is fairly narrow: sitting more than about 10-20° above or below the tweeter axis causes a suckout in the 2-5kHz range, reducing clarity and attack. Multitone distortion ramps up noticeably around 1kHz, and crossing over to a subwoofer at 80Hz doesn’t meaningfully reduce it: likely a surround-related effect rather than excursion-related. Without applying corrective EQ, the reviewer says the 4-6kHz brightness would make it harder to live with day to day.
Full Polk Reserve R500 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 40.3”H x 6.8”W x 12.4”D (1023.6 x 172.7 x 315 mm) |
| Drivers | Two 5.25” Turbine Cone woofer, 1” Pinnacle Ring Radiator tweeter |
| Impedance | 4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 8 ohms nominal per manufacturer) |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.86 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.44 |
| Weight | 39.2 lbs (17.8 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Polk Reserve R500 vs ELAC Debut 3.0 DF63
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Linkwitz Lab LXmini
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Emotiva Airmotiv T2+
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Infinity Primus 360
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Polk Audio Reserve R700
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Q Acoustics 5040
- Polk Reserve R500 vs Klipsch Forte IV
- Polk Reserve R500 vs JBL HDI-3600
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