Since experiencing high-quality HiFi speakers, my ears have slowly become more difficult, whether it is watching videos or playing games, I have higher requirements for sound quality. As a peripheral placed on the desktop, the appearance of the speaker is also a point I value more, after all, we all want to buy a device that is both good-looking and easy to use, so recently I paid attention to the Paul Barton PSB AM3, a 2.0 active speaker that I think looks very good.
Paul Barton PSB is a Canadian speaker brand founded in 1972 with more than 50 years of history. When I was not born, my parents bought a set of PSB speakers + Onkyo amplifiers, they liked to listen to music when they were young, and they tossed a lot of equipment one after another, and then I moved when I was young, and these devices didn't know where to go. Unexpectedly, more than 20 years later, I actually paid attention to this brand again, which can be described as a magical fate.
There are many reasons to choose it, in addition to the excellent acoustic genes from Paul Barton PSB and the white cabinet that I really like, this AM3 has many advantages. For example, the machine has a built-in power amplifier, no need to toss yourself, very suitable for light audiophiles like me, and AM3 can be connected via Bluetooth, which is also a function that many professional audios do not have.
Paul Barton PSB's product line ranges from entry-level to high-end, covering different price points. Among them, the Alpha series is a product line for the home audio market, including AM3, AM5, P3, P5 and other models. These models have certain differences in size, power, sound quality, etc.
- AM3/AM5 is an active speaker with built-in amplifier and decoder, which is more suitable for direct cable use as a computer speaker. The AM3 is characterized by its compact size, which is suitable for situations with limited space such as a table, while the AM5 speaker is larger and more powerful, which can bring more powerful acoustics and is suitable for use in larger spaces.
- P3/P5 is a passive speaker that needs to be combined with a power amplifier, so it is suitable for use as a bookshelf speaker or to build a home theater. Among them, the P5 is a high-end product in the Alpha series, which has won the double awards of "Stereo Audiophile Magazine Product of the Year" and "Sound Stage Magazine Product of the Year", and the sound quality performance is very good, suitable for high-end users.
Of these models, the AM3, as an active speaker, clearly meets my requirements. Compared to passive speakers, active speakers have many advantages. The first is that the power amplifier is directly built-in, no additional purchase is required, which reduces the threshold of use and learning costs, and because of the high level of integration, the overall volume is relatively small, and it is easier to install and place.
In terms of sound, due to the professional tuning of the manufacturer before leaving the factory, the match between the amplifier and the speaker is better, and the active speaker can often provide better sound quality performance. So I personally also recommend active speakers, which save trouble and place, and are just as easy to use.
My desktop styling style is mainly based on white accessories, and there are not many options for white professional desktop speakers on the market, and the AM3 is one of the best value for money. The pure white appearance, without unnecessary decoration, gives people a clean and bright visual feeling, which not only meets my aesthetic requirements, but also fits well with the style of my desktop.
The AM3 puts the woofer on top, which differs from the common "treble, low" layout. The upper part is a 4-inch polypropylene woofer, the outer ring is reinforced with a steel basket frame, and the lower part is a 19mm neodymium magnet tweeter. Neodymium magnets have about 10 times the magnetism of ordinary magnets, which can bring clearer and more transparent treble, while improving resolution, which is a configuration only available in professional HIFI speakers.
The AM3 supports multiple input methods, with an adjustment knob on the front of the main speaker, which can be pressed to switch input sources and rotate to adjust the volume. I don't have a professional player, I directly use the AUX port of the computer to output, and I feel that the sound quality is very good, in addition to relying on the high-quality sound unit, the high-performance DSP chip and crossover used inside it also contribute.
The AM3 loudspeaker features an advanced fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover, an electronic filter primarily used in multi-unit speaker systems. This crossover divides the input signal of the speaker, sending sound of different frequencies to the speaker unit suitable for handling these frequencies, such as the woofer, midrange and tweeter. The main benefits of using a fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover are as follows:
- Higher order: The fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley divider has a steeper slope and is reduced by 24 dB per order. This means that it can more accurately divide the signal into different frequency bands, helping to improve the overall sound quality of the speaker.
- Phase response: At the crossover point, the phase response of the fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover is perfect, achieving zero phase difference between speaker units, allowing the speaker to exhibit better frequency response and sound field localization over the entire frequency range.
- Reduced interference: The fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover effectively reduces frequency overlap between speaker units, thereby reducing interference and distortion near the crossover point and improving sound reproduction.
Simply put, the fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover used in the AM3 can improve the performance and sound quality of the sound to a certain extent, resulting in clearer and more accurate sound reproduction. It can be said that AM3 is very good in terms of hardware configuration.
The AM3 is also notable in terms of design. It has a rear phase reversal hole, through which the low-frequency energy generated inside the speaker is released, reducing the resonance in the speaker cabinet, thereby reducing the impact on sound quality. Compared with the front inverted phase, the rear inverted phase has obvious advantages in sound quality, and the low frequency emitted from the back can effectively reduce the interference to the front sound source and improve the purity of the sound quality. The use of wall reflections to enhance the bass effect also allows low-frequency sound waves to be more naturally distributed throughout the space, enhancing the low-frequency performance of the speaker.
Having said that, let's be lazy to talk about the actual hearing, but before talking about the hearing, it is necessary to introduce the four playback modes pre-made by AM3: stereo, WideSound, dialogue, and WideSound Plus.
From the literal meaning of Chinese and English, you can see what the characteristics of these modes are, stereo is the default base mode, WideSound expands the sound stage, dialogue mode can enhance the human dialogue sound, and WideSound Plus is approximately understood as a combination of the previous several comprehensive modes.
The four modes work by relying on three audio plug-ins from WAVES: MaxxBass, MaxxDialog, and Maxx3D, which algorithmically identify bass accents, character dialogue, stereo effects, and then specifically enhance the part. And the three plug-ins can work at the same time to combine different modes. In actual experience, the addition of preset mode is indeed improved, but I don't know why, brands like Huiwei have not done similar functions, I think AM3 such a pre-built speaker with several modes for selection is more suitable for white users.
Usually you can use the WideSound Plus mode without brains, especially for movies, where people's line dialogue and BGM status are equally important, then WideSound Plus mode will be more suitable.
Here take "Your Name" as an example, as Makoto Shinkai's masterpiece, the exquisite picture, the interpretation of the voice actor, and the soundtrack of RADWIMPS are all essential components of this film, and the outstanding effect of AM3 on the vocals also adds a lot of points. Here is the scene that impressed me the most, in the movie, the male protagonist Taki stood on the rooftop and watched the comet split and fall towards Itomori Town, while the TV reporter said "I am very lucky to see this spectacular sight", and with the youthful atmosphere rendered by RADWIMPS' "スパークル", an indescribable emotion came out.
Then I watched "Batman: The Dark Knight", a film with a soundtrack by the great god Hans Zimmer, and the magnificent and tense soundtrack perfectly portrays the negative confrontation between Batman and the Joker. The Dark Knight's soundtrack combines electronic music, symphony, and some experimental sound effects to create a modern and tense atmosphere for the film, with a strong sense of substitution. There are a lot of percussion and blasting sound effects in the film, such as the classic picture of the clown bombing the hospital, relying on the excellent bass effect of AM3, even watching movies at home can have a good experience.
When playing games, I personally prefer to use normal stereo or WideSound Plus mode. For shooters like CS GO or Apex, I don't need too much sound, stereo mode will do, and it's easier to listen to footsteps. If you are playing some big games, such as "American Doom 1 Reset" and "God of War 5" that I played on PS5 some time ago, it is still more suitable to use WideSound Plus.
In terms of listening to songs, I don't like the kind of booming bass, I usually like to listen to Japanese songs, basically female singers, so I will prefer to strengthen the treble part and weaken the bass, AM3 just provides this adjustment option, I can increase or decrease the treble or bass according to my own preferences.
Recently, I have been cycling the theme song "すずめ" of Makoto Shinkai's new movie "Suzuya Journey" every day, and this is definitely my favorite song in the past year. The female lead singer's voice is very ethereal, the background is the harmony of dozens of people, and then the symphony gradually rises, gradually turning from gentle to magnificent, AM3's excellent resolution and sound field put the grand scene of the symphony in front of me, and every time I listen to it, I get goosebumps, and then sigh that Yojiro Noda of RADWINPS is really a musical genius.
WideSound Plus is a more comprehensive mode, I basically stayed in this mode, and then because I wanted to try what the effect of "dialogue mode" was, I chose Faye Wong's "Love Letter to Myself" to compare the two modes, after all, Faye Wong's song focuses on a "vocal ethereal". But I feel that there is really not much difference between the two modes, and the WideSound Plus mode may be stronger in terms of sound field, so it is also recommended that if it is for entertainment purposes, choose the WideSound Plus mode.
AM3 has more functions, equipped with an independent remote control control, such as mode selection, audio source switching, volume up or down, high/bass adjustment, etc. can be operated on the remote control.
There is a special Bluetooth button in the upper right corner of the remote control, and you can turn on Bluetooth to enter the matching state with one button. The AM3 speaker supports Bluetooth 5.0, which matches the speed and connection stability of the mobile phone are good.
Many people think that Bluetooth sound quality is poor, but in fact, I feel quite good. Because now the streaming media audio led by NetEase Cloud Music already has Hi-Res sound quality, and the bitrate is not low. On the other hand, because AM3 supports the atpX protocol, bandwidth and latency are guaranteed, so the sound quality is not bad. Latency is also acceptable, whether watching movies or playing games, the sound and picture are completely synchronized, and the existence of delay is not felt at all.
In terms of interface, the AM3 is equipped with USB Type-C, 3.5mm AUX IN, optical input interface, etc. on the back. As a 2.0 system, AM3 also reserves a subwoofer interface, if you are ready to add equipment in the later stage, buy an additional subwoofer, and it is not bad to form a 2.1 system.
I use the computer as the audio source, using a 3.5mm to lotus head cable, plugged into the computer's 3.5mm audio interface, and the main and auxiliary speakers on the other side are connected by the American brand oxygen-free copper carbon fiber speaker cable given by Tmall order.
Audio cable is also very important when purchasing speakers, which directly affects the transmission quality of audio signals. Many people will ignore the importance of the cable when buying audio, thinking that as long as the box is good, the line is ordinary, it doesn't matter, in fact, this is a misunderstanding. High-quality audio lines reduce signal loss, reduce noise, and improve the purity of the audio signal, thereby improving the overall sound quality of the sound system.
As an audio line material, oxygen-free copper has many advantages: low impedance, oxidation resistance, low attenuation, and anti-interference. It has obvious advantages in sound quality, signal transmission, anti-interference and durability, and is an ideal high-fidelity audio cable material. Part of the reason I chose AM3 is also because of this oxygen-free copper wire sent by the flagship store, after all, it is not cheap to buy alone.
Overall, I really like this Paul Patton PSB Alpha AM3.
Outside, its shape and color poke me very well, making it perfect as part of a light-colored INS style tableset; Internally, excellent hardware, plug-ins, DIY high/low gives me a certain degree of freedom to find my own sound preferences. Compared with traditional old brands such as Huiwei, AM3 has richer and better functions, and I think it is not too expensive in terms of price, which is very cost-effective.
Recently learned that "Titanic" will be re-screened in the mainland on April 3, 2023, and suddenly I wanted to listen to "My Heart is Eternal" on a whim, so I turned on the WideSound Plus mode and started playing, the sound of the first ear directly immersed me in the atmosphere, and also took me back to my small bungalow more than twenty years ago, recalling the scene when my parents played the "Titanic" VCD disc at home when I was a child, using Paul Barton PSB speakers. It's a wonderful feeling.