PSB P5 vs PSB Alpha T20 Comparison

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PSB P5

Passive Bookshelf | 55-21k Hz

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PSB Alpha T20

Passive Floor-standing | 36-21k Hz

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PSB P5

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PSB Alpha T20

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PSB P5

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PSB Alpha T20

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PSB P5 vs PSB Alpha T20 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by PSB. PSB Alpha P5 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Alpha T20 is a Floor-standing speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of PSB P5 and PSB Alpha T20 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	PSB P5	PSB Alpha T20
Brand	PSB Canada · founded 1972	PSB Canada · founded 1972
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	0.75" Hard-Dome	0.75" Dome
Woofer	5.25" Polypropylene	2 x 5.25" Polypropylene
Frequency response	55-21k Hz	36-21k Hz
Sensitivity	89 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	10-90 watts	15-120 watts
Weight	4.61kg / 10.1lbs	11.89kg / 26.2lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	11-3/8" x 6-3/4" x 10" 289.0 x 172.0 x 254.0mm	34-3/16" x 8-5/16" x 9-13/16" 869.0 x 212.0 x 250.0mm

Alpha P5 and Alpha T20 are members of PSB's Alpha series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

PSB Alpha Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
PSB P3	Bookshelf	57-21k Hz	87 dB	8Ω	1 x 4.5"
PSB Alpha T20	Floor-standing	36-21k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"
PSB P5	Bookshelf	55-21k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	1 x 5.25"
PSB Alpha C10	Center Channel	55-21k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"

What size room are the PSB P5 and PSB Alpha T20 speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	PSB P5	PSB Alpha T20
Near-field	Average	Bad
Small Room	Good	Poor
Mid-size Room	Average	Good
Large Room	Poor	Good
Very Large Room	Bad	Poor

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

Both Alpha P5 and Alpha T20 are 2-way speakers.

PSB P5

PSB Alpha T20

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	PSB P5	PSB Alpha T20
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	0.75-inch	0.75-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 5.25-inch	2 x 5.25-inch

Alpha P5 features a 0.75" anodized aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz. On the other hand, the Alpha T20 features a 0.75" anodized aluminum with front waveguide Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.

Frequency Response

Alpha P5 has a frequency range of 55-21k Hz whereas Alpha T20 has a frequency range of 36-21k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the Alpha T20 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Alpha P5's min frequency of 55Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.

Low Frequency

Bookshelf Speakers

Alpha P5

Alpha T20

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Alpha P5 and Alpha T20 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Alpha P5 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Alpha T20's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the PSB Alpha T20 a more sensitive speaker compared to PSB P5, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Bookshelf Speakers

Alpha P5

Alpha T20

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

Alpha T20 can handle a max power of 120 watts RMS, whereas Alpha P5 has a max power handling value of 90 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the Alpha T20.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

PSB P5

PSB Alpha T20

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Alpha T20 features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Alpha P5 has a 5-way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

PSB P5's 5-way post terminals

PSB Alpha T20's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both Alpha P5 and Alpha T20 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.

If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare PSB P5's and PSB Alpha T20's external dimensions. PSB P5 has external dimensions of 289.0 x 172.0 x 254.0mm (11-3/8 x 6-3/4 x 10inch) whereas PSB Alpha T20 has external dimensions of 869.0 x 212.0 x 250.0mm (34-3/16 x 8-5/16 x 9-13/16inch).

PSB P5 is 40mm narrower and 580mm shorter than PSB Alpha T20 but it is also 4mm deeper.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of PSB P5 and PSB Alpha T20 in scale.

Comparison image of PSB P5 and PSB Alpha T20 Size and External Dimensions

Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited. The base surface area of the PSB P5 is approximately 436.9cm² / 67.7inch² and base area of the PSB Alpha T20 is approximately 530.0cm² / 82.2inch². The Alpha P5 requires 18% less surface area than the Alpha T20 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of PSB P5?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Alpha P5:

2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
2 Grilles
8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
Quick Start Guide
Warranty Card

What's in the Box of PSB Alpha T20?

Here are the items that come with the Alpha T20:

2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
2 Grilles
8 Rubber feet
8 Spike feet
8 Hex-nuts
Quick Start Guide
Warranty Card

Reasons to choose PSB Alpha P5 over PSB Alpha T20

Height	289mm vs 869mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	436cm² vs 530cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	449USD vs 799USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose PSB Alpha T20 over PSB Alpha P5

Max Input Power	120 watts vs 90 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity	90 dB vs 89 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	36 Hz vs 55 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections

PSB P5 vs PSB Alpha T20 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	PSB Alpha P5	PSB Alpha T20
Brand	PSB	PSB
Speaker Type	Bookshelf speakers	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	10-90 watts	15-120 watts
Sensitivity	89 dB	90 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Impedance	4 ohms	n/a
Frequency Response	55-21k Hz	36-21k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	5.25"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	Polypropylene	Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	0.75"	0.75"
Tweeter Type	Hard-Dome	Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	2500Hz	2500Hz
Firing Direction	rear	rear
Physical Specs
Height	289.0mm (11.4")	869.0mm (34.2")
Width	172.0mm (6.8")	212.0mm (8.3")
Depth	254.0mm (10")	250.0mm (9.8")
Weight	4.61kg (10.1lbs)	11.89kg (26.2lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	MDF, Wood-grain vinyl	MDF, Wood-grain vinyl
Available Colors	Walnut,Black Ash	Black
Mounting Bracket	No	No
Recommended Stand Height	28-30"	n/a
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in PSB's Alpha series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	PSB Alpha T20 digs deeper - 36Hz against 55Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	B	PSB Alpha T20 takes more power (120W vs 90W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	PSB P5 is easier to place; PSB Alpha T20 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Bookshelf against a Passive Floor-standing - a different job rather than a better one.
Expandability	B	PSB Alpha T20: bi-amping.
Price	A	PSB P5 is cheaper - $449 against $799, about 44% less; arguably a different class.

A PSB P5 B PSB Alpha T20
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: PSB Alpha T20 measures better, PSB P5 costs about about 78% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 55Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper PSB P5 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate PSB P5 the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and PSB Alpha T20 for a mid-size room and a large room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.