PMC Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[RCADees]

13 hours ago, noisuf said:

Went with a B&W 3 way centre. Delivery next week.

I am very, very interested to know what your experience/comments are in relation to how this one matches to your current PMC. Well done for finding something that hopefully will work very well! Cheers. 

[noisuf]

3 hours ago, RCADees said:

I am very, very interested to know what your experience/comments are in relation to how this one matches to your current PMC. Well done for finding something that hopefully will work very well! Cheers. 

For sure, will report back. It's a big (and heavy) centre speaker, will dwarf the dynaudio. I'm going to have to make some mods to my home made stand to make it fit under the screen and not block the short throw....haha

[noisuf]

Have posted update in the Home Cinema section.

 

B&W is a great match for our PMCs!!!

 

 

[gasman1003]

I have owned a pair of PMC Twenty5.23 speakers for the past 5 years and they have and do blow me away.

Almost certainly the last speakers I will ever purchase.

They suit my listening space, musical taste and system very well.

 

For info the rest of my setup is:

 

Quad II Classic Integrated Amp or Mission Cyrus II amp.

Quad PA One+ Headphone Amp

Thorens TD 160 B MkII Turntable/SME 3009 Series II Improved Tonearm/Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 Cartridge

Cyrus CDi-XR or Philips CD104 CD players.

 

I listen mainly to vinyl but the PMCs handle all the equipment really well.

 

I heartily recommend them.

 

And of course:

 

 

Sadly something we see all too rarely nowadays.

[Kasman]

Interesting way forward from PMC to add a new life to your existing 25 or 25i series speakers. Modular active add on to make your passives now powered. 
Will be interesting to see pricing. 
 

https://pmc-speakers.com/home-audio/upgrades/twenty5i-active-upgrade?fbclid=IwAR3Z4wskIUQY0hJ1QNZ2l0DudS8Ct4XltRGaAFvpXCkwG0BSeDOJkENnX8w_aem_AdqmGS53k2y91_Oitq-zZsBam7rNobxTLrYZNs5OsrwfeEhPDYsz0wOsXBqs3aZ0GaQ

 

 

[colinm1]

PMC studio monitors have been modular for a long time ,

my ib2 can be changed to active also

its great to see options like that in the domestic market

 

[RCADees]

2 hours ago, Kasman said:

Interesting way forward from PMC to add a new life to your existing 25 or 25i series speakers. Modular active add on to make your passives now powered. 
Will be interesting to see pricing. 
 

https://pmc-speakers.com/home-audio/upgrades/twenty5i-active-upgrade?fbclid=IwAR3Z4wskIUQY0hJ1QNZ2l0DudS8Ct4XltRGaAFvpXCkwG0BSeDOJkENnX8w_aem_AdqmGS53k2y91_Oitq-zZsBam7rNobxTLrYZNs5OsrwfeEhPDYsz0wOsXBqs3aZ0GaQ

 

 

 

Expect mad high prices if the current distributor in Australia gets a few of these.

Market price controlling has been going on since last year.

 

Sad times for PMC lovers down under at the moment.

[colinm1]

There are sometimes other reasons why the prices are out of control,external to the local wholesale ,

but I do know some who just price their product as they see fit ,

if you want it ,pay for it ! Not many but some 

margins are tight ,and sometimes pressure from the brand 

but I don’t think we get as good a deal as we could , 

may be stretching it a bit far ,

I for one don’t mind paying for that after sales service ,

some specialise in  giving ,it’s worth it and I return as a customer 

 

[RCADees]

1 hour ago, colinm1 said:

There are sometimes other reasons why the prices are out of control,external to the local wholesale ,

but I do know some who just price their product as they see fit ,

if you want it ,pay for it ! Not many but some 

margins are tight ,and sometimes pressure from the brand 

but I don’t think we get as good a deal as we could , 

may be stretching it a bit far ,

I for one don’t mind paying for that after sales service ,

some specialise in  giving ,it’s worth it and I return as a customer 

 

 

I don't mind paying what my lovely Hi-Fi shop deserves because I do appreciate their service, knowledge, experience and I treasure the relationship over the years.

 

However, this situation is currently different as the current PMC distributor is purposely price controlling the market for a few brands. Not only PMC but others too.

As you stated above, if you want it, the one distributor will enforce their desire price. There is no room for anyone else.

I noticed for instance that PMC stands for bookshelf speakers used to be around $600. Then getting closer to the end of the year the one distributor has them now at $799.

Same with the rest of speakers. PMC Twenty5.22i rrp were around $6,000, now $7,500 etc, etc.

 

It turns out the current distributor is the 5th in Australia for PMC. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the last one either. How long will it last? who knows.

 

[maximus]

1795 pound for the active module, which seems reasonable. 100 watts per each driver and  Class 'D' of course.

Higher resolution, control, transparency and a more natural sound is what they're saying. Sounds good to me.

[colinm1]

every review i have read .

where they have compared the exact same model

passive to active ,the active wins

by a fair margin on some speakers

so its up to the customer to evaluate the price,

most studios, large and small prefer the active

and i doubt price is a factor in some instances,

i know EMI in sydney when they did the refurbish,

accountants had nothing to do with speaker choice

active PMC all around

 

i love my PMC ,and hope i can get service in australia if i ever need it

 

 

[maximus]

@colinm1ATC does come to mind, their actives sound very good. The Twenty5i series is pretty resolving/transparent as is. It really is an exciting offer without breaking the bank, just add source. My only concern is if the 100watts is enough for the bottom end.

[colinm1]

Yes their direct competitor ,

if designed properly 100 w ,

may well be fine 

and they ,within reason ,should be able to be turned up to 10

without any damage , clear clean power wins the day, no crossover power sucking ,each amp working in its own frequency ,for 1 driver ,

there are lots of pluses ,as in design ,but for a small speaker it looks expensive  ,compared to passive ,with the power amp and speaker cable ,it evens out a lot 

you wouldn’t buy a smc11 and expect to fill a large theatre room at ear bleeding level ,

but in the right environment excellent  

 

[Nirvik]

Hi All,

 

I'm wondering if any of you have experience with the active versions of the 25i series. I currently own the Twenty522i paired with a Plinius Pre Power (P8 - 200 watts and M16 Pre). Do you believe upgrading to the active version using the kit would be a superior option compared to my current setup?

 

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[maximus]

The modules aren’t for sale as yet, but according to the head techo’s at PMC,  it’s the way to go.

I team my Twenty5.24i’s with a Bryston 4 B3 power amp, it’s a match made in heaven, hard to believe the actives would sound better, we just have to wait and see.

[Nirvik]

31 minutes ago, maximus said:

The modules aren’t for sale as yet, but according to the head techo’s at PMC,  it’s the way to go.

I team my Twenty5.24i’s with a Bryston 4 B3 power amp, it’s a match made in heaven, hard to believe the actives would sound better, we just have to wait and see.

Thanks for that @maximus.

 

Meanwhile, I checked with a dealer in the UK and it seems to be available for sale now - 1750GBP.

 

I have heard the Bryston 4b with these speakers and I am really eager to know how these class D modules sound, considering the prices. 

[RCADees]

12 hours ago, maximus said:

The modules aren’t for sale as yet, but according to the head techo’s at PMC,  it’s the way to go.

I team my Twenty5.24i’s with a Bryston 4 B3 power amp, it’s a match made in heaven, hard to believe the actives would sound better, we just have to wait and see.

 

I agree with Maximus. It seems to me that it would be pretty hard to match the quality of amplification many of us already have with PMC speakers. The ability to swap amps also caters to personal taste.

 

As a manufacturer PMC would only have some vague idea about what people out there are trying to match their speakers with. Therefore, it does make sense for them to produce a solution that will be as close as possible to what they would consider the ideal matching and align their home and professional products a bit more.

 

I would prefer to listen first and compare side by side before making such commitment.

We already own some of the best speakers out there to our taste and surely anything can be improved, but the question is by how much and if it is worth it?

[maximus]

PMC have always been at the forefront with their studio actives, now they've extended their position with an amazing range of speakers that are taking the studio world by storm.  If these are anything to go by, we're going to be in for some great sounding active two ways.

They have to match my Bryston 100% in all areas, I personally think they will, even though the sound signature could possibly differ.

[colinm1]

It’s fairly safe to say that a studio that is spending ,millions on monitors, like the refurb Sydney’s 301 studio got,would buy the best for their application,

all pmc were used and most were active ,

I doubt any consideration was thought of ,if pre power were better,

as virtually all world class studios use active,

you would just have to trust they know what there talking about ,

BUT 

studio speakers can be tuned different than hi fi speakers,

that need to live in a typical domestic environment,

and not an acoustically controlled ,sound room,

I have an old,ib2 studio monitor,

it can be very easy to pick the faults in a mix,

as they stick out like dogs ****,

not what hi fi people want to hear!

eg;

eagles greatest hits 

the early songs ,the bass is weird,

but much better later,along with a better mix overall,

active should give you 

The best that speaker can produce,

according to pmc,

front end ,and your tastes ,

is the variable

a pmc on steroids ,may be a good analogy  

[neutralni]

Hello PMC lovers and enthusiasts, 

 

I'm new to the PMC world, just bought myself a pair of Twenty 23's.

For now I'm pairinf them with my dad's Exposure 2010s2 and switching between Topping E70 velvet and ANK 1.1 DAC.

My goal is to pair them with Musical Fidelity M6si, and later get Denafrips Pontius II DAC. 

 

As I reed this whole topic and learn a lot from you guys, does anybody have any experience with MF and Denafrips paired with PMC to share with me? 

 

Thanks in advance!

[maximus]

I’ve heard the M/F and PMC Twenty5 series on a number of occasions. 
It worked well, but very different than the Exposure, a little more laid back, but a full bodied sound.

When compared to the Bryston or Naim I found the sound of the M/F not as dynamic or rhythmic.

I guess it still depends on taste.

The Pontus dac is received very well, no problems there. 
Very hard to audition with the older Twenty series might be an issue.

[s7e6e]

I drive my 25.23 with Naim (282, 250DR, NDX2). The sound is very clean, airy and ultra fast.

 

Compared to the Dynaudio Heritage Specials, the PMC are faster, have more authority (given the larger enclosures) and are almost omnidirectional. The Dyns are a bit more resolute and organic (analogue) sounding and have way more bass (although slower and less accurate in comparison). Also the Dyns take a bit of effort in positioning them correctly.

 

Both are power hungry speakers. Sure, they'll play music with 30W, but they wont sing.

 

Having the active modules available is a plus, especially on the .22 and .24 models which are twice as sensitive as their siblings, the .21 and .23. The only question I have is: would they sound better with class D active modules than passively driven by a high end amp?

[maximus]

PMC may also be taking a middle ground approach here where the target might quite possibly be the 2-8k market, NAD to NAIM (Supernait) and everything in-between per say. This bracket is where the major numbers are going to come from. Once we get to the 10k plus amps, there'd be only small numbers using the '2' way twenty 5 series.

Another interesting point, What about the 26i. Why are they not going active?

I'm also inquisitive how close the Active 24i's will get to the 26's. 

 

[ACAUS]

Hi all. I am considering the 5.26i. Just want to ask about the five.two series in general as I am I unable to demo in Sydney. 

(1) some of the measurements show a lively tweeter. Is this resolved by aiming the speakers directly forward rather than to the listener?

(2) for any who own it, how much space does 5.26i need behind it, particularly if placed near a corner? My room is 11mx4.3m but the hifi is at one end facing from long wall to long wall. Not ideal but it works with my harbeth shl5 plus, although those wouldn’t have as much bass punch. 5.24i is also an option although I have read that 5.26 has a bit more midrange saturation/detail

 

thanks!

[maximus]

I have the 24i, no problems at all with the tweeter, it's excellent. The older 26 tweeter was known by some sources to get a little edgy up top, but I never heard it.

The newer 'I' series is much more refined and all round better speaker, the 26i is a tremendous speaker, just feed it a top class source and you'll be heavily rewarded, just like I am with my 24i's.

 

I've purchased a superb SACD player, it gets the best out of the PMC's, I've recently spent $$$ on new disks because the sound quality produced is brilliant, it's so cohesive and dynamic, and in all honesty sounds a lot better than some very expensive systems I've heard recently.

 

So, do buy the 26i's with confidence. Make sure the source is top class, then you'll wonder why you would bother buying another speaker.

 

Frank.