Сабвуферы — Psb Alpha S8

The Alpha S8 is the 8-inch powered subwoofer in the Alpha series from PSB Speakers of Canada. It was first shown at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in 2019, went on sale in October of that year and received a wider announcement in March 2020 at a US MSRP of USD 449. Final voicing was done by PSB founder and chief designer Paul Barton at the National Research Council of Canada. PSB now lists it at CAD 899.

Key specs that matter

PSB fits an 8-inch (203 mm) long-throw unit with a textured polypropylene cone and a rubber surround. A digital amplifier supplies 150 W continuous and 210 W dynamic peak power. Rated response is 35 to 150 Hz within 3 dB on axis, with the -10 dB point at 32 Hz. The bass reflex enclosure has an internal volume of 24.4 litres, input impedance is at least 22 kohm, and the low-pass crossover is variable from 50 to 150 Hz with an LFE setting for AV processors. The cabinet measures 292 x 318 x 387 mm and weighs 9.55 kg, while the finish is black woodgrain.

Engineering and use context

DSP lets the PSB engineering team shape the response for flatness and low-frequency extension from the small driver, and the amplifier is the same unit used in the larger Alpha S10. The enclosure is tuned through a rear slot port, a shape chosen to stop audible port noise and chuffing at high excursion. Because the port exits at the back, a small gap to the rear wall keeps the slot unobstructed. On the rear panel sit the volume and crossover knobs, a 180 degree phase switch, the LFE selector, gold-plated RCA low-level inputs and an Auto On/Standby switch. A USB power jack feeds PSB's RT100 wireless accessory, so no long interconnect has to run from the amplifier. Rubber bumpers are supplied for hardwood floors and spikes for carpet.

Pairing

The S8 suits compact systems built around small bookshelf or desktop speakers, including PSB's own Alpha AM3, whose mono RCA subwoofer output feeds it directly. In a home cinema, the LFE setting hands crossover duties to the receiver or processor, so a receiver's sub pre-out can feed it without two filters stacking. With stereo integrated amplifiers that offer a pre-out or sub output, the variable crossover sets the blend point across its range, and the phase switch helps when the sub is placed further from or closer to the seat than the main pair. Speaker-level inputs are absent, which means an amplifier with no line-level output would need a separate adapter.

Alternatives

The PSB Alpha S10 uses a 10-inch woofer with the same amplifier and launched at USD 549.