Полочная акустика — Psb alpha-am3

The Alpha AM3 is the smaller of two powered desktop models from PSB Speakers of Canada, carrying a name that traces back to the Alpha series launched in 1991. It was announced in October 2020 at USD 399 per pair and was engineered under the company's founder Paul Barton. PSB now lists it at CAD 849 per pair in matte black or matte white. Only the left cabinet contains electronics, while the right one is a passive satellite fed through binding posts.

Key specs that matter

Both enclosures carry a 4-inch (100 mm) polypropylene woofer with a rubber surround and a steel basket, plus a 19 mm tweeter using an aluminium dome, ferrofluid damping and a neodymium motor. A Linkwitz-Riley network with 24 dB per octave slopes hands over at 2.5 kHz. A class D amplifier rated at 35 W RMS per channel drives both sides. PSB quotes 56 Hz to 22 kHz within 3 dB on axis and a -10 dB point at 40 Hz. The inputs are moving-magnet phono with a ground post, a 3.5 mm analogue jack, TosLink optical up to 24-bit/192 kHz, micro-USB for a computer at up to 24-bit/48 kHz, and Bluetooth with aptX. There is also a mono RCA subwoofer output and a USB-A socket for charging a phone. Each box measures 130 x 220 x 174 mm, and the left unit weighs about 2.4 kg against 2.2 kg for the right one.

Engineering and use context

All analogue sources, including the phono stage, are converted to digital before processing, so a single DSP handles every input. It runs Waves algorithms - MaxxBass with a 38 Hz cutoff, MaxxDialog and Maxx3D - which are chosen from the remote. Switching on the subwoofer output applies an 80 Hz crossover and a high-pass filter to the small drivers. On the baffle the tweeter is mounted under the woofer, the MDF enclosure is wrapped in a vinyl sleeve, the bass port is at the rear, and a metal grille covers the drivers. The volume knob on the left speaker also cycles through inputs when pressed, next to a status LED, and the IR remote adds mute, Bluetooth pairing plus bass and treble adjustment. Power arrives from an external 24 V DC supply, a 2.4 m run of tinned speaker wire links the pair, and the warranty covers drivers for five years and electronics for one.

Pairing

A turntable fitted with a moving-magnet cartridge plugs straight in, a TV can use the optical port, and a laptop can stream over USB, so the pair needs no separate amplifier or phono preamp. For more low-end extension, a powered subwoofer such as PSB's Alpha S8 connects to the RCA sub output.

Alternatives

The PSB Alpha AM5 is the other powered bookshelf model announced alongside the AM3 in the Alpha range.