Filling up a humongous room is always a challenge for an audio system. And Lenbrook’s was probably the largest room I’d ever seen at an audio show. The PSB Synchrony T800 Premium loudspeakers ($16,999/pr) looked tiny against the front wall even though they weren’t small. They were placed so wide apart you could have fit a few cars between them. The two PSB SubSeries BP8 subwoofers ($1999 each) also looked tiny but weren’t. I asked myself, ‘Am I even going to hear a satisfying output level here?’.
My question was answered when they played Metallica and it filled up the space with big, rich sound. The bass was impressive. The sound was like being at a rock concert both in scale and power.
Maybe that impressive sound was due to a combination of factors: the T800’s integrated IsoAcoustics isolation feet and enclosure constructed with acoustically inert MDF and aluminium-clad front baffles for rigidity and density; the class-D power of the two biamped NAD M23 amplifiers ($4899); the clean, clear sound of the NAD M66 all-in-one preamp/streamer/DAC ($7499); the AudioQuest cabling and power conditioners ($various). Whatever it was, the system Lenbrook put together more than met the challenge, power-wise and musically.
Whatever it was, the system Lenbrook put together more than met the challenge, power-wise and musically.
As an audiophile and a voracious listener of all kinds of music, Jonson believes that the experience of being immersed in music is often something spiritual. Born and raised in Korea, he cut his teeth on western music mostly through the music of the 80s and the 90s. As of today, names that make his heart beat a little faster include Vladimir Horowitz, John Coltrane, Youn-Sun Nah, Francis Poulenc, Leonard Bernstein, Tannoy, and Magnepan. Jonson also runs a podcast and a YouTube channel about language learning, called SpongeMind.
As you might know, PMA is an independent consumer audio and music magazine that prides itself on doing things differently. For the past three years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to bringing you an authentic listening experience. Our commitment? Absolute authenticity. We steer clear of commercial influences, ensuring that what you hear from us is genuine, unfiltered, and true to our values.
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