THE HISTORY
Founded by loudspeaker designer Peter B. Noerbaek, PBN Audio is a high-performance audio technology company based in San Diego, California. Throughout the past decade, PBN products have won critical praise by reviewers from such prestigious publications as Stereophile, Bound for Sound, Fi, and The Audiophile Voice. PBN’s Montana loudspeakers have twice attained Stereophile’s coveted “Recommended Components” list.
Montana loudspeakers at all price points have a similarity of sound and look that is far more than a family resemblance. The shared design elements such as massively reinforced, non-parallel cabinet walls have been proven to contribute to a more realistic soundfield. Each model in the PBN speaker line contains the best parts available; with extraordinary attention devoted to making them work together as a synergistic whole. The result is a seamless transparency and effortless dynamism that few other loudspeakers are capable of achieving. But it’s the natural dynamics, in fact, that set all Montana loudspeakers apart from the competition.
Each Montana speaker is rigorously engineered and meticulously hand-assembled, followed by auditioning and testing in real world conditions. In addition to glossy piano black lacquer, all models are available in a wide variety of real wood finishes, including some exotic species. PBN will custom paint any model in almost any color for an additional fee. We also build custom loudspeakers for professional applications, such as recording and mastering studios, as well as for home theater use. That’s why the Custom Shop’s motto is: “If you can think it, we can build it.”
Praised by audio experts like Dick Olsher of Fi Magazine, Arnis Balgalvis of The Audiophile Voice and Barry Willis of Stereophile, Montana loudspeakers offer the ultimate in musical pleasure:
- “Lit up the sky,” said Olsher in a review of the original XP. (Fi, November 1996)
- “I’m leading a charmed life indeed,” wrote Willis of his experience with the original SP. (Stereophile, Jan. 1997)
- “This is one hell of a speaker,” proclaimed Balgalvis about the Montana XP. (The Audiophile Voice, November 1999)
- “A freaking bargain,” Willis later wrote of the $7995/pair EPS. (Stereophile, November 1999)
