PSB Passif 50 Standmount Loudspeaker - Walnut - Each

PSB's 50th Anniversary Speaker, Built the Old Way

The Passif 50 marks fifty years of PSB. It borrows the look of the Passif I and II that Paul Barton built in the 1970s: a wide walnut cabinet, a cloth grille and a matching stand. Inside is a new 6.5-inch woofer, a passive radiator instead of a port, and a 1-inch dome tweeter.

PSB builds the Passif 50 as a mirror-imaged pair, with the tweeters on the inside edges for sharper imaging. This listing is priced per speaker, so order two for a stereo pair. The finish is open-grain walnut veneer, and the anniversary plaque on the back reads 1972 to 2022.

How a Passive Radiator Works

Instead of a port, the Passif 50 has a second cone below the woofer with no voice coil. The woofer's back pressure drives it, so it adds bass the way a port does, without port noise or the midrange leakage a tube can pass. PSB tuned the pair for a 30 Hz cutoff.

The Numbers, and What They Ask of You

PSB quotes 50 Hz to 20 kHz within 3 dB, with a minus 10 dB bass cutoff of 30 Hz. Anechoic sensitivity is 87 dB. The impedance is 6 ohms nominal with a 4 ohm minimum, and PSB recommends 30 to 200 watts per channel.

StereoNET found the Passif 50 unhurried rather than aggressive, and suggested an amplifier with real drive. Thirty watts from a solid integrated is the floor. The 87 dB sensitivity means a good tube amplifier will also work, as Wall of Sound found when it tried both.

Size and Finish

Each cabinet measures 26 inches tall, 11 wide and 10 deep, and weighs 30.3 pounds. On the stand it reaches 34 inches. The crossover is at 1,800 Hz, low for a two-way, and two pairs of binding posts allow bi-wiring or bi-amping.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Ed Selley of AVForums gave the Passif 50 a Recommended award on December 4, 2022: "This is a deeply impressive speaker that pulls the neat trick of vanishing from the performance it creates."

He added that the result "might date back to the beginning of the company but is every inch a PSB."

Yongki Go reviewed it for Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in July 2023: "The Passif 50 speakers might sport a retro style, but there is nothing retro at all about their sonic performance."

Who Is This Bookshelf Speaker Best For?

• You want a speaker that looks like the 1970s and measures like 2022 — walnut veneer and a cloth grille over a modern driver platform
• You listen to vinyl — Wall of Sound found records especially rewarding through it, and the wide baffle suits a warm, full presentation
• You want bass without a port — the passive radiator reaches 30 Hz with none of the chuffing a ported box can add
• You have a real amplifier — 87 dB and a 4 ohm minimum suit a 30-watt tube amplifier or a 100-watt integrated equally well
• You want a smaller modern PSB instead — the Synchrony B600 is the flagship bookshelf in a conventional ported cabinet

How Do They Connect to Your System?

Speaker cable runs from your amplifier to the binding posts on the back of each speaker, red to red and black to black. Jumpers link the two pairs of posts for a single cable run. These are passive speakers, so nothing plugs into the wall.

Set each speaker on its stand with the tweeter toward the inside, so the pair mirrors. StereoNET found imaging depth impressive once the speakers were properly set up. With no rear port, the cabinet can sit closer to the wall than a ported design.

Pairs Well With

What completes the system. These are the categories most Passif 50 owners shop next.

• NAD C 3050 integrated amplifier — PSB's sister brand, with retro looks to match and 100 watts per channel
• Turntables — two reviewers reached for vinyl first
• Integrated amplifiers — tube or solid state, rated for 4 ohm loads
• Speaker cables — one run per side, or two for bi-wiring

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this listing for one speaker or a pair?

This listing is priced per speaker, so order two for a stereo pair. PSB builds the Passif 50 as mirror-imaged pairs with matching stands. Call us before ordering if you want to confirm exactly what ships.

How much power do they need?

PSB recommends 30 to 200 watts per channel. The 87 dB sensitivity suits tube amplifiers, but the 4 ohm minimum means the amplifier should be rated for 4 ohm loads.

Do I need a subwoofer?

Not for music. PSB quotes 50 Hz within 3 dB and a 30 Hz cutoff at minus 10 dB, deeper than most bookshelf speakers. For film, a subwoofer is optional rather than necessary.

What is a passive radiator?

A second cone with no motor, driven by air pressure inside the cabinet. It extends the bass the way a port does, but without port noise or the midrange leakage a tube can pass.

Are the stands included?

PSB designed the Passif 50 to sit on its dedicated stand, which brings the cabinet to 34 inches. Ask us to confirm what is included with this per-speaker listing before you order.

Where are they designed?

PSB designs and measures its speakers at Canada's National Research Council acoustics lab, where founder Paul Barton has worked since the 1970s.

See It in Action

Steve Guttenberg, the Audiophiliac, on the Passif 50:

AVForums reviews the Passif 50:

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