PMC Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[Jonny]

On 28/07/2019 at 11:37 AM, Bikkitz said:

I don't suppose anyone knows of any way to get hold of PMC speakers in Oak in Australia? Seems they don't bring them in. Twenty or Twenty5 series - new or second hand.

The only way I guess is through Interdyn. I would get in contact directly to ask the question. Probably would cost extra $$$ to get them in though. I think it's the best finish, strange that they aren't in the country already in Oak.

[needlerunner]

13 hours ago, blakey72 said:

Do you stream? Give Cassandra Wilson's 'Love is blindness' a go. That might raise your eyebrows. Or for dynamics try Boris Blank 'Electrofied'.

Don't stream. Just CDs and vinyl.

Streaming is something l have never entertained in my main system. Though l do have an Audio Pro bluetooth which l use with Spotify in the bedroom.

[RCADees]

8 hours ago, needlerunner said:

Thanks Blake.

They are sounding better every day.

You're right about recordings. Not forgiving at all if it's poor.

Initially, had to put the speaker against the wall just to get some bass. As that deveoped, l moved them forward 6".  Now they are out a foot. Can't really move any more forward without getting rid of furniture.

Next thing is to source top notch vinyl.

 

Hey that is great news! good to hear that this is going well and the progression of owning new PMC speakers.

I've been following the thread close and it is a great learning curve for me so that I can be better prepared when I get my Twenty5 22 soon.

Thanks to all of those very experienced PMC owners 

[Formula409]

10 hours ago, Jonny said:

The only way I guess is through Interdyn. I would get in contact directly to ask the question. Probably would cost extra $$$ to get them in though. I think it's the best finish, strange that they aren't in the country already in Oak.

Thanks, Jonny.

 

After my post someone came forward offering me a pair of twenty5.22 in Oak second hand (they're basically new), which I've just paid for.

 

Will be posting my walnut twenty.22 for sale in the coming days.

 

Chris

[blakey72]

13 hours ago, needlerunner said:

Don't stream. Just CDs and vinyl.

Streaming is something l have never entertained in my main system. Though l do have an Audio Pro bluetooth which l use with Spotify in the bedroom.

You were saying about sourcing some good quality vinyl. I found that once I had the PMC's my music tastes changed quite a bit. I used to be into metal and grunge heavily.

 

Never entertained the idea of trying something different but I did. I looked at currently spinning/buying and picked out a few artists and albums that were said to be good recordings.

 

I've ended up liking vocal jazz like (cough cough) Dianna Krell, Cassandra Wilson or even stuff like Sade and Tracy Chapman. Bill Callahan and Eryka Badu are also good.

 

I never dreamed I'd listen to music like that. But, it does make you appreciate just how good the PMC's are. It's very entertaining.

 

This is where streaming comes in for me. I got a Cambridge Audio CNX and use Tidal and Spotify to check out new music, not for serious listening. If I like it I buy it. 

 

I also keep my eye out here for suggestions on good quality recordings, then stream to check out. 

 

Are you happy with the level of power the Plinius puts out?

[birdhouse]

On 29/07/2019 at 6:11 AM, blakey72 said:

@needlerunner sorry I haven't looked on here for a while. Yeah 30 hours isn't near enough for it all. 100 hours + and it even get's better from there. Also remember these are very accurate and the Plinius is very accurate/neutral. You wil get EXACTLY what you put in.

 

If it's a bad recording you have to take it for what it, if it's a good/great recording you will be rewarded in spades and have that 'wow' factor. 1m away from the back wall and 60cm from the side wall, just try that.  And toe in so the come to a point around 1.5m behind your head. And are you sitting against a back wall? If so, move forward 1m. Don't stress mate, they are slow starters. If you pulled out the woofers out you'd realize why. They are Stiff!  

Edited yesterday at 06:12 AM by blakey72

My PMC's are the only good speakers I have ever had so I thought maybe this accuracy is with every good/expensive speaker

 

Since I got them I'm always chasing a good source but like you say once you get it its so so good! It becomes very addictive to find that perfect song/album that sounds amazing and I find you do try different music out to really hear what they can do.

[needlerunner]

2 hours ago, blakey72 said:

You were saying about sourcing some good quality vinyl. I found that once I had the PMC's my music tastes changed quite a bit. I used to be into metal and grunge heavily.

 

Never entertained the idea of trying something different but I did. I looked at currently spinning/buying and picked out a few artists and albums that were said to be good recordings.

 

I've ended up liking vocal jazz like (cough cough) Dianna Krell, Cassandra Wilson or even stuff like Sade and Tracy Chapman. Bill Callahan and Eryka Badu are also good.

 

I never dreamed I'd listen to music like that. But, it does make you appreciate just how good the PMC's are. It's very entertaining.

 

This is where streaming comes in for me. I got a Cambridge Audio CNX and use Tidal and Spotify to check out new music, not for serious listening. If I like it I buy it. 

 

I also keep my eye out here for suggestions on good quality recordings, then stream to check out. 

 

Are you happy with the level of power the Plinius puts out?

Hi BLAKEY.

Like you, from an early age l was into metal, like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heap. Then in the 90s got hooked on Indie Alternative.

Now it's full on Prog.

 

One thing l found out very quickly, these ain't rock speakers. But the last few years l have been chasing a more melodic soundscape. Band's such as Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Elbow, Foals, The National and  Mumford & Sons have been my mainstay. In among that l still love anything by the Cure and Dephece Mode. Led Zep and Pink Floyd.

 

[audio_file]

13 minutes ago, needlerunner said:

One thing l found out very quickly, these ain't rock speakers.

I thought my old Twenty.23s were suited to Rock music.

Why do you think not, and what speaker do you consider a Rock speaker?

Perhaps they were just more suited to Rock than my other speakers were..

[needlerunner]

Just now, needlerunner said:

Hi BLAKEY.

Like you, from an early age l was into metal, like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heap. Then in the 90s got hooked on Indie Alternative.

Now it's full on Prog.

 

One thing l found out very quickly, these ain't rock speakers. But the last few years l have been chasing a more melodic soundscape. Band's such as Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Elbow, Foals, The National and  Mumford & Sons have been my mainstay. In among that l still love anything by the Cure and Dephece Mode. Led Zep and Pink Floyd.

 

Another thing, these speakers love a good vocal. Most of the Prog l listen too, such as Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Marrillion, Fish come across exceptionally well. Recently, l found newbies, such as Mostly Autumn and especially Carp Tree really good. My favourite thing to listen to at the moment is Carp Tree, especially the album, My Mymf. Which incidentally l heard on Spotify.

 

I received in the post today where their CDs Mymf, and Insekt.

Another great sound is Gazpacho. 

They are all melodic Prog, with lots of instrumentation, and great separation between the two.

 

I have noticed these speakers love female vocals. I dragged out an old copy of Shade and Kate Bush and they sounded lovely.

 

The amp sounds great. I have noticed lots of power on low volume. Which distinguishes between the Arcam. But apart from that not a great difference in sound. But as with the speakers, l expect that will improve also.

 

 

 

 

[needlerunner]

4 minutes ago, audio_file said:

I thought my old Twenty.23s were suited to Rock music.

Why do you think not, and what speaker do you consider a Rock speaker?

Perhaps they were just more suited to Rock than my other speakers were..

Hi audio_phile.

It is probably, for me, more of a case of falling out of love with rock music. My tastes have changed over the years, and with age also my ears.

 

When l was heavily into rock in the late 70s, early 80s; my high end system (what l considered) back then was a Kenwood amp and cassette deck and a Rotel tt, with a Shure cartridge. And a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers with 4 big 12" m*****f****** speakers. Now they were loud and could rock out. But in hindsight, not very good.

 

I then progressed to my Whatmough Monitor speakers with Arcam Delta amp, and Denon CD player in the 90s.

 

That is when my music changed.

I was listening to Sade, Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos, and don't laugh, Enya, Enigma and anything by Clannard and Mary Black.

 

When my marriage broke up, l packed and put my system in storage for 22 years, and survived on a Dennon Micro with Mission speakers in my bed room and fell in love with Indie music. This was a great little system for rock music. Still got it. It sits in my study now.

 

The old Whatmough's could rock out. But like the PMCs they love vocals and instrumentation.

 

And now as l have previously alluded too, now into melodic Prog, specially the Scandinavian stuff.

[RCADees]

I've always loved Sade and when I demoed the Twenty5.22 I had to play Sade.

Playing The Sweetest Taboo I just felt really emotional. I had to get those speakers!

Even after having played that song for years, for the first time I felt that Sade was right there, like magic, and every nuance in the instruments was right there it felt like I could almost touch the music. 

 

Jazz and piano as well are simply too exquisite. 

[audio_file]

20 minutes ago, needlerunner said:

Hi audio_phile.

It is probably, for me, more of a case of falling out of love with rock music. My tastes have changed over the years, and with age also my ears.

 

When l was heavily into rock in the late 70s, early 80s; my high end system (what l considered) back then was a Kenwood amp and cassette deck and a Rotel tt, with a Shure cartridge. And a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers with 4 big 12" m*****f****** speakers. Now they were loud and could rock out. But in hindsight, not very good.

 

I then progressed to my Whatmough Monitor speakers with Arcam Delta amp, and Denon CD player in the 90s.

 

That is when my music changed.

I was listening to Sade, Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos, and don't laugh, Enya, Enigma and anything by Clannard and Mary Black.

 

When my marriage broke up, l packed and put my system in storage for 22 years, and survived on a Dennon Micro with Mission speakers in my bed room and fell in love with Indie music. This was a great little system for rock music. Still got it. It sits in my study now.

 

The old Whatmough's could rock out. But like the PMCs they love vocals and instrumentation.

 

And now as l have previously alluded too, now into melodic Prog, specially the Scandinavian stuff.

I think I understand. I don't push my system past 90db spl and rarely past 85, and at this level the PMCs sound good to me with rock music. However at higher levels they aren't great and I'd then go for the 24.

[needlerunner]

1 hour ago, audio_file said:

I thought my old Twenty.23s were suited to Rock music.

Why do you think not, and what speaker do you consider a Rock speaker?

Perhaps they were just more suited to Rock than my other speakers were..

I take it you no longer have your PMCs. What have you got now? Do they sound better to you or just different?

 

Before l settled on what l arrived at.

I was interested in the pairing of Monitor Audio Silver 500 speakers. Coupled with a Musical Fidelity  M6si amp. I never got to hear the setup. But that is what was settled in my head. And aren't the 2 companies alined now?

I think that would have been an awesome setup. Funny where life takes you.

 

I chose the PMC twenty.23 speakers primarily because they were brand new, and 2k off the then retail price. Then it became a question of matching with a class amp. As everyone knows, as l bored you all long enough on this thread

 

I still wonder what that Silver 500/MF amp combo would have sounded like. More so when l wasn't particularly in love with the PMCs when l first heard them.

 

Now the sound is nothing like it was now. Amazing really. It was as people said...give them time.

 

I ended up buying the Quadraspire Q4Evo rack in bamboo. Dropped down to 3 shelves instead of 4. Going to turf the tuner, as l don't use it any more. Arrived in Perth today, so should get it, hopefully, before the weekend. 

 

[needlerunner]

1 hour ago, Andpi said:

I've always loved Sade and when I demoed the Twenty5.22 I had to play Sade.

Playing The Sweetest Taboo I just felt really emotional. I had to get those speakers!

Even after having played that song for years, for the first time I felt that Sade was right there, like magic, and every nuance in the instruments was right there it felt like I could almost touch the music. 

 

Jazz and piano as well are simply too exquisite. 

Know what you mean andpi. These speakers love intricate arrangements and sound scapes.

Speaking of Sade, the song that does it for me, is No Ordinary Love.

Goose bumps.

 

[RCADees]

53 minutes ago, needlerunner said:

Know what you mean andpi. These speakers love intricate arrangements and sound scapes.

Speaking of Sade, the song that does it for me, is No Ordinary Love.

Goose bumps.

 

Oh yeah! I know exactly what you mean. Don't go there or this thread is going to end up with a bunch of dudes crying in front of PMC speakers! 

 

This is certainly No ordinary way of playing music that is for sure. Absolutely amazing! 

[Formula409]

2 hours ago, needlerunner said:

I still wonder what that Silver 500/MF amp combo would have sounded like. More so when l wasn't particularly in love with the PMCs when l first heard them.

 

Before I made the decision to upgrade from Twenty.22 to the Twenty5.22  I auditioned at home MA speakers from a local dealer.  The upgrade was more for aesthetic reasons, rather than sound quality - I hate the walnut finish PMCs and wanted something in white or a lighter timber veneer which in the MAs look fantastic. I've tried to get used to them, but just cant.

 

Anyway on seperate weekends I auditioned the Silver 300s and Gold 100s. Having previously owned MA RX6 silvers and presently a pair of bookshelf MA silver 1s (both of which I love and I have fond memories of the RX6s) I thought they'd be marvelous. In short I think they probably are (marvelous) but they in my opinion they were comprehensively outclassed by the Twenty.22s. I realised that while it'd be an aesthetic upgrade it would also be a clear sound downgrade and I'd never really be happy with them - knowing what I'd be missing out on.

 

The silver 300 probably had more overall bass, but it was more bloated and not as present at low volumes. Detail and mids were nice, but not on the same level as the PMC. The Gold 100 was very nice and slightly better across the board but still wasn't in the same ball park (although the golds only had about 5 hours of running on the showroom floor and were 4 ohm, which I'm not sure how much my Marantz Pearl Lite liked).

 

In both cases neither gave the impression of the PMCs - which seem to have an effortless ability to retrieve and render detail in a very pleasing way (to my ears). I can't imagine the MA silver 500 bringing more to the table over the 300s except for more bass. So I'd say your choice to go the PMCs was definitely the right one.

 

Interestingly, before I started the search for new speakers I had room / acoustic issues with the PMCs (which I posted about on here) making them sound very bass lean. After a lot of stuffing around and careful placement of our couches I've now resolved this issue and the twenty.22 are sounding fantastic. Wonderful bass at all volumes. I'd keep them long term if they weren't the walnut finish. Cant wait for the twenty5.22s to arrive.

 

For context I listen to a wide range of music, and I think the PMCs do well with all, but really shine with certain genres and in particular female vocals. To give a sense of my musical taste I currently have on high rotation The National, Feist, This is the Kit, Elbow, Arcade Fire, Black Keys, Doves, Dope Lemon, Foals, Future Islands, Holy Holy, Arctic Monkeys,  Gomez... Old favourites like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Dire Straits / Knopfler solo also get a good run from time to time.

Edited July 30, 2019 by Bikkitz

[StereoSonic]

Hey guys,

I am wanting some advice on PMC speakers if anyone has got the or had them in the past

I am restricted for space in my apartment and I've heard they gave a good sharp sound

Cheers

[sjay]

I have had 4 pairs now, and still own two of those 4. 

 

What would you like to know?

[Gryffles]

Perhaps ask some questions in the ‘PMC Owners Thread’

[audio_file]

4 hours ago, needlerunner said:

I take it you no longer have your PMCs. What have you got now? Do they sound better to you or just different?

 

Before l settled on what l arrived at.

I was interested in the pairing of Monitor Audio Silver 500 speakers. Coupled with a Musical Fidelity  M6si amp. I never got to hear the setup. But that is what was settled in my head. And aren't the 2 companies alined now?

I think that would have been an awesome setup. Funny where life takes you.

 

I chose the PMC twenty.23 speakers primarily because they were brand new, and 2k off the then retail price. Then it became a question of matching with a class amp. As everyone knows, as l bored you all long enough on this thread

 

I still wonder what that Silver 500/MF amp combo would have sounded like. More so when l wasn't particularly in love with the PMCs when l first heard them.

 

Now the sound is nothing like it was now. Amazing really. It was as people said...give them time.

 

I ended up buying the Quadraspire Q4Evo rack in bamboo. Dropped down to 3 shelves instead of 4. Going to turf the tuner, as l don't use it any more. Arrived in Perth today, so should get it, hopefully, before the weekend.  

I sold them, but not because I upgraded nor because I didn't like their sound.

I like swapping between different components, but I don't have enough space to have four pairs of speakers set up, so it made sense to sell a pair.

 

My current ones are:

ATC SCM 19

Spendor SP2/3R2

Vienna Acoustics Beethoven baby grand SE

 

My other speakers all had an area they specialised in, while the PMCs were more of an all rounder.

The other reason was that they were difficult to move around and set up because of the spikes under the plinth.

My Viennas' spikes can be adjusted from the top and my other two are stand mounts, so I can swap them on the same stand, and only need to adjust the stands once.

 

Monitor Audio acquired Roksan, which might be what you're thinking about.

Monitor Audio has several really powerful amplifiers, and the one I have sounds neutral as well. It sounded alright with my PMCs.

 

I favoured female vocals like Adele and also 80s pop like Depeche mode on the 23s.

 

 

[sjay]

This thread is lacking pics of late so to keep things in the spirit of the thread........

[needlerunner]

Before I made the decision to upgrade from Twenty.22 to the Twenty5.22  I auditioned at home MA speakers from a local dealer.  The upgrade was more for aesthetic reasons, rather than sound quality - I hate the walnut finish PMCs and wanted something in white or a lighter timber veneer which in the MAs look fantastic. I've tried to get used to them, but just cant.
 
Anyway on seperate weekends I auditioned the Silver 300s and Gold 100s. Having previously owned MA RX6 silvers and presently a pair of bookshelf MA silver 1s (both of which I love and I have fond memories of the RX6s) I thought they'd be marvelous. In short I think they probably are (marvelous) but they in my opinion they were comprehensively outclassed by the Twenty.22s. I realised that while it'd be an aesthetic upgrade it would also be a clear sound downgrade and I'd never really be happy with them - knowing what I'd be missing out on.
 
The silver 300 probably had more overall bass, but it was more bloated and not as present at low volumes. Detail and mids were nice, but not on the same level as the PMC. The Gold 100 was very nice and slightly better across the board but still wasn't in the same ball park (although the golds only had about 5 hours of running on the showroom floor and were 4 ohm, which I'm not sure how much my Marantz Pearl Lite liked).
 
In both cases neither gave the impression of the PMCs - which seem to have an effortless ability to retrieve and render detail in a very pleasing way (to my ears). I can't imagine the MA silver 500 bringing more to the table over the 300s except for more bass. So I'd say your choice to go the PMCs was definitely the right one.
 
Interestingly, before I started the search for new speakers I had room / acoustic issues with the PMCs (which I posted about on here) making them sound very bass lean. After a lot of stuffing around and careful placement of our couches I've now resolved this issue and the twenty.22 are sounding fantastic. Wonderful bass at all volumes. I'd keep them long term if they weren't the walnut finish. Cant wait for the twenty5.22s to arrive.
 
For context I listen to a wide range of music, and I think the PMCs do well with all, but really shine with certain genres and in particular female vocals. To give a sense of my musical taste I currently have on high rotation The National, Feist, This is the Kit, Elbow, Arcade Fire, Black Keys, Doves, Dope Lemon, Foals, Future Islands, Holy Holy, Arctic Monkeys,  Gomez... Old favourites like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Dire Straits / Knopfler solo also get a good run from time to time.

Spot on listening list Bikkitz.

Some say that the 25s are a big step up from the 20s. Be interesting to get your feedback on that when you get them.

[needlerunner]

This thread is lacking pics of late so to keep things in the spirit of the thread........

Very niiiice!

[RCADees]

7 hours ago, needlerunner said:

8 hours ago, sjay said:

This thread is lacking pics of late so to keep things in the spirit of the thread........

Very niiiice!

Oh MY! Oh MY!

Bloody nice!!!!, cool room and obviously the system.

 

Very impressive. Thank you for sharing.

[bertdoozer]

Hey guys,
I am wanting some advice on PMC speakers if anyone has got the or had them in the past
I am restricted for space in my apartment and I've heard they gave a good sharp sound
Cheers

Hi I’m running PMC 25:23 floorstanders but they are quite small. Very easy to place and great sound.