In this review, we will be comparing Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by PSB.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of PSB Imagine X1T and PSB Imagine X2T first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | PSB Imagine X1T | PSB Imagine X2T |
|---|
| Brand | PSB
Canada · founded 1972 | PSB
Canada · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Dome | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.25" Clay/Ceramic/Poly | 2 x 6.2" Clay/Ceramic/Poly |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-23k Hz | 30-23k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-200 watts | 20-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 17.30kg / 38.1lbs | 23.60kg / 51.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 34-1/2" x 8-1/4" x 14-7/8"
877.0 x 210.0 x 378.0mm | 40-1/8" x 9" x 16-3/4"
1020.0 x 229.0 x 426.0mm |
|---|
Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T are members of PSB's Imagine series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
PSB Imagine Series
History
What size room are the PSB Imagine X1T and PSB Imagine X2T 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 Imagine X1T |
PSB Imagine X2T |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Imagine X1T is a 2-way design whereas the Imagine X2T is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
PSB Imagine X1TPSB Imagine X2T
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
PSB Imagine X1T |
PSB Imagine X2T |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 6.2-inch
|
Imagine X1T features a 1" titanium with neodymium magnets Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Clay/Ceramic/Poly Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1800Hz. On the other hand, the Imagine X2T features a 1" titanium with neodymium magnets Dome Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 6.2" Clay/Ceramic/Poly Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500Hz and 2200Hz.
Frequency Response
Imagine X1T has a frequency range of 35-23k Hz whereas Imagine X2T has a frequency range of 30-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Imagine X2T can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Imagine X1T's min frequency of 35Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
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
Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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.
Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T have the same power range of 20-200 watts.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
PSB Imagine X1T's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
PSB Imagine X2T's 5-Way post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.
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 Imagine X1T's and PSB Imagine X2T's external dimensions. PSB Imagine X1T has external dimensions of 877.0 x 210.0 x 378.0mm (34-1/2 x 8-1/4 x 14-7/8inch) whereas PSB Imagine X2T has external dimensions of 1020.0 x 229.0 x 426.0mm (40-1/8 x 9 x 16-3/4inch).
PSB Imagine X2T is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 19mm wider, 143mm taller and 48mm deeper than PSB Imagine X1T.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of PSB Imagine X1T and PSB Imagine X2T in scale.
Comparison image of PSB Imagine X1T and PSB Imagine X2T 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 Imagine X1T is approximately 793.8cm2 / 123.0inch2 and base area of the PSB Imagine X2T is approximately 975.5cm2 / 151.2inch2. The Imagine X1T requires 19% less surface area than the Imagine X2T which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The PSB Imagine X1T weighs 17.30kg / 38.1lbs and the PSB Imagine X2T weighs 23.60kg / 51.9lbs. This makes the Imagine X2T 36% heavier than the Imagine X1T.
Here is a comparison of how Imagine X1T and Imagine X2T's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of PSB Imagine X1T?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Imagine X1T:
- Floor-standing speaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spiked Feet
- Wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Card
What's in the Box of PSB Imagine X2T?
Here are the items that come with the Imagine X2T:
- Floor-standing speaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spiked Feet
- Wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Card
 Height |
877mm
vs
1020mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
793cm2
vs
975cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1200USD
vs
1500USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
6.2 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
PSB Imagine X1T |
PSB Imagine X2T |
| Brand |
PSB |
PSB |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-200 watts |
20-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
35-23k Hz |
30-23k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
6.2" |
| Woofer Composition |
Clay/Ceramic/Poly |
Clay/Ceramic/Poly |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
1800Hz |
500Hz and 2200Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
877.0mm (34.5") |
1020.0mm (40.2") |
| Width |
210.0mm (8.3") |
229.0mm (9") |
| Depth |
378.0mm (14.9") |
426.0mm (16.8") |
| Weight |
17.30kg (38.1lbs) |
23.60kg (51.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain |
MDF/Wood-grain |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Siblings in PSB's Imagine series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | PSB Imagine X2T digs deeper - 30Hz against 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size | depends | PSB Imagine X1T is easier to place; PSB Imagine X2T is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | PSB Imagine X1T: bi-amping; PSB Imagine X2T: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | PSB Imagine X1T is cheaper - $1,200 against $1,500, about 20% less. |
A PSB Imagine X1T B PSB Imagine X2T
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 Imagine X2T measures better, PSB Imagine X1T costs about about 25% 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 35Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper PSB Imagine X1T much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, PSB Imagine X2T has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, PSB Imagine X1T is the easier speaker to get right.
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.