Product Review
PSI Audio – A23M Three-Way Active Monitors
Tape Op Magazine
May/June 2022 by Garrett Haines The A23-M is a 3-way studio monitor from Switzerland’s PSI Audio. My account of the company’s two-way A17-M monitors [Tape Op #142] provided details about the product line, so I won’t repeat it all here. In short, PSI Audio’s speakers are hand-made, individually calibrated, and response tested. The designs are purely analog – no DSP in the signal path – and the speakers extend lower than expected compared to similar-sized monitors. In addition, PSI Audio speakers exhibit a tight, focused tweeter response rather than a broad, diffused output. In short, I consider them to be some of the most honest speakers available.
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Unlike some competitors, PSI Audio’s monitors maintain consistent voicing regardless of model. When assessing the best speaker for a given space, the company advises room size and cubic volume to be the decision-maker. However, some developments in the new A23-M complicate that supposition. The A23-M joins the larger A25-M as PSI Audio’s three-way speaker design options. It’s powered by three PSI Audio analog amps, including Class G/H for bass and midrange drivers and Class A/B for the tweeter. Frequency response (tested individually in the company’s anechoic chamber) extends from 34 Hz to 23 kHz (+/-1.2 dB). The monitors arrive in a vertical array, with the tweeter over the mid, which is above the low. To maintain spec, the tweeter must align above the midrange speakers. However, the mid and tweeter are mounted on their own cabinet plate. Should a horizontal installation be required, that plate can be rotated 90 degrees.