PSB celebrates 50 years by releasing an intimate documentary (free to watch now)

(Image credit: PSB)

PSB is celebrating its big '5-0' this year, and to mark the occasion the celebrated Canadian hi-fi brand has produced an insightful 20-minute documentary about its five-decade history. The PSB documentary is available to watch now on YouTube.

Offering an intimate look into PSB's founding, milestones and future, including some touching stories from founder Paul Barton and perspectives from both inside and outside of the company, the documentary is a fascinating history lesson on how PSB helped has to define 'Canadian Sound' over the years.

It all started when Barton was just a boy. His father taught himself how to make his son a violin, which stimulated Barton's musical talents and admiration for woodwork. His first job working at a hi-fi store inspired him to build kids speakers to sell in that store, and then he and a couple of his high school friends started PSB in the summer of 1972 in an old shoe factory in the quaint village of St Jacobs, Ontario. The rest, as they say, is history.

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The documentary interestingly discusses what was pivotal to PSB's early success – Barton being embraced by the NRC (National Research Council), a project designed to help Canadian industry and technology compete around the world, and which gave him the resources, research opportunities, and the fellow brains within the community to allow a then-fledgling PSB to flourish. It goes back to the first PSB speakers, the Avante and Beta II, from 1973, as well as other landmark speakers in the company's pursuit of 'natural sound', such as the Passif II (which launched PSB into the high-end space) and the Project B2 (which introduced the brand's hallmark idea to place the woofer above the tweeter). And well, we'll let you watch the rest...

PSB has also now released a new hour-long interview with Paul Barton, hosted by SoundStage!'s Doug Schneider, as part of its 50th anniversary. That's not a wrap, either: PSB will culminate its celebrations with "a very special announcement" this Friday (1st July), coinciding with Canada Day. So watch this space.

MORE: Read our PSB M4U 8 MKII review

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of the brand's sister magazines Down Under – Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. During her 11+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.