Alpha P3 Compact Bookshelf Speaker - Black Ash (Pair)

sound like speakers way bigger than they are! I haven't done too much in this space for a long time, I did the buy once cry once years ago and recently needed some smaller speakers for a new home library we put together. These are perfect for the occasion, I'm amazed the sound these produce as I didn't want a sub to take up space and my wife didn't want big speakers. The reviews all said these were standouts for big sound in a little package, I agree.To get the best out off them positioning against a wall with air behind it is important. I tucked them into the cabinet and lost a noticeable amount of low end reach.The aluminum tweeter surprised me the most, I historically found metallic tweeters harsh, but these sound amazingly smooth.The upside-down appearance takes some getting used to, and the magnetic grills are super cool, but are not self centering.smaller room and off-axis listening is surprising given the size as well. they are centered in the room 40" apart and fill the room nicely and sound even through most of it.Powering using SMSL A300 and it is more than enough.

Excellent small speaker for my desktop system. Compared to previous speakers the difference in sound is astonishing .Highly recommended.

I've been using a set of Micca MB42x on my desk for the past few years for near-field listening, and decided I'd like an upgrade. It turns out finding a set of higher-end speakers in the same size class is pretty difficult - the vast majority of passive speakers are far larger, this is an area that's largely dominated by powered speakers. I didn't want to just throw out my desktop speaker amplifier though (The SMSL SA-50), so I went digging. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I appreciate clean sound.Eventually, I landed on the PSB Alpha P3 and the Micca RB42. Size-wise, the RB42 is substantially bigger than either of the others - they're a bit taller, and substantially deeper. The PSB Alpha P3, by comparison, is actually a bit shorter and narrower than the MB42x, by around three quarters of an inch, and is only half an inch deeper in exchange. Space is at a premium on my desk, so I appreciate the even-more-compact form factor.Sound-wise, the PSB Alpha P3 sound to me like a direct upgrade from the Micca MB42x. The sound profile is pretty similar, but to me it sounds as if the highs have more clarity and detail, and the bass is a little more extended/pronounced. The RB42, on the other hand, sounded very 'boomy' and muddy to me - possibly because my desk is up against a wall, with the speakers only able to sit away from it by a few inches. Either way, for my use case, the PSB Alpha P3 are a clear winner.I think you'd be hard-pressed to fill a large room with these. In a large living room, these feel like they'd probably end up sounding pretty thin, and serve better as surround speakers. In a smaller area, like a bedroom or apartment living room, they're pretty spectacular. I attached them to my TV briefly (via an SMSL AD18), and in my smaller apartment, they sounded fine - but I would definitely want to pick up a small subwoofer eventually if I intended to keep them for that use case.The build quality is good, but not stand-out. The quality of the materials themselves are quite nice, but the vinyl wrapping has more of a gap on the underside of the speaker than I've encountered from other speakers in the price range, and the speaker posts have a very tight fit compared to any other speaker I've used. The plastic knobs used to retain the wire if you're not going the banana plug route feel a bit cheaper than others I've used in the $100+ price range, but not enough so to be problematic. These are all nitpicks - nothing that will get in the way of the speakers performing and looking quite nice once in place.I'm really happy with the grilles in particular. They're a very high-quality-feeling metal mesh, and magnetically attach very firmly to the speakers, while still being easy to remove. I don't notice a substantial difference in sound with them on, unlike most cloth grilles I've used. As a nice bonus, the psb logo looks as though it could be removed pretty easily from the mesh with a hair dryer or a plastic spudger, as they're just held on by some glue.Ultimately, these are the best small-form-factor speakers I've ever personally listened to. I would very happily recommend them to anyone looking for an upgrade from lower-end 4" speakers - the market isn't wide, but these are definitely the best of the bunch. I couldn't ask for better desktop speakers.

I'm using these all wrong. They're obviously meant to be part of a desktop system, or back speakers in a surround array, and would probably be great at those. For complicated reasons, I wanted the smallest, cheapest speakers that could fill a fairly large space with good sound. My Audioengine A2s are wonderful and perfectly sized, but just weren't quite enough to keep me engaged. The PSB Alpha P3s obviously don't violate physics laws in terms of bass response, but what they can do is wonderfully musical, detailed, and engaging. They play plenty loud enough (with a 40 watt Emotiva amp) to fill a good-sized room. Only slightly negative comment is that this is not a system I use every day, and the speakers seem to need some warm-up time to sound their best each time I turn them on. But it's well worth it because they start out sounding good, and get better and better. Buy them!

This is the second pair I purchased of these speakers. I previously used them as my surround speakers and purchased this second set to use them as height speakers for the atmos effect. They have added a whole new audio experience to my surround setup. Aside from that, they work very nicely in small to medium-sized rooms or on desktops.

Super happy with these as computer speakers using a little 2.0 amp. Build quality and sound are excellent at this price point. They feel and sound more expensive than they are.

Bought based on thoughtful reviews. I am amazed at the sound of these speakers, considering the very small size. I needed a high quality very small non-powered speaker and these ended up being perfect. I also have magnaplaner speakers with a sub, so I can appreciate a larger ,more complete sound , but these speakers produce nearly full range, very clear and natural sound.Nothing but positive impressions so far. Very modest amplifier, 20 watts per side, drives as loud as I care to listen in the room they are in.

I heard a pair of PSB's many, many years back and was blown away. For my small bedroom, the Alpha P3 are perfect. They produce a jaw dropping, richly detailed image. I purchased a Cambridge Audio AXA35 integrated amp and their AXC35 CD player about the same time and now every time I put on something for some background noise I find myself sitting in the sweet spot completely enwrapped in the music till the last note. Many lyrics that I've mistaken over the years are suddenly completely intelligible. For serious bass you will want to add a subwoofer, but the PS3's produce surprisingly deep, tight bass.