Amp for PMC Gb1i

[admin_exported]

I am looking for a new amp to replace my Arcam A70. I do not have many opportunities to audition close by so wanted to start off by hearing what you guys' experiences are...

Am considering Roksan K2, Naim XS, Musical Fidelity A5, Primare I30, Leema Pulse, Electrocompaniet.

Anyone compared some of these amps, possibly in combination with PMC?

Naim XS gets lots of heads ups but I wonder if it may sound a bit too direct with the PMC's which can be lively themselves. Leema and Primare are probably on the leaner side, possibly not having enough grip on the already leaner bass of the PMC's...?

Again, no auditions yet, I know I will have to do so, just wanted to hear any of your experiences. Cheers.

 

[chebby]

I have only heard the PMC GB1i's with a naimuniti and they were magnificent. (They were the Naim demonstrator's own choice of speaker for the day.)

I shudder to think how good they would sound with the Nait XS.

 

[John Duncan]

And I've only heard them with an i30, and they were magnificent too. Maybe they're just magnificent

 

[Anonymous]

I currently have the K2 with the GB1i's and they are a very good match.

I have the also owned the A5 which didn't impress at all, and found it fatiguing to listen too.

The Cyrus 8vs2 should also be considered, I find this amp a little tighter in the bass with a more pronounced midrange. I think it organises the music a little better than the K2 and am considering putting my K2 on ebay.

The 8vs2 has a bit more punch and detail than the K2, althought the K2 has a slightly sweeter treble.

My only concern is longer listening sessions with the 8vs2, something the K2 excels at. I have been listening to the Cyrus all week and will switch back to the K2 before I make my decision on which one to sell.

Hope this helps.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

We normaly run our GB1i's on the Exposure 3010. It has a good amount of bottom end as well as lots of pace that seems to work wonders with the PMC range. The exposure line up had just changed to the new S2 variants.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Musicbox:

I am looking for a new amp to replace my Arcam A70. I do not have many opportunities to audition close by so wanted to start off by hearing what you guys' experiences are...

Am considering Roksan K2, Naim XS, Musical Fidelity A5, Primare I30, Leema Pulse, Electrocompaniet.

Anyone compared some of these amps, possibly in combination with PMC?

Naim XS gets lots of heads ups but I wonder if it may sound a bit too direct with the PMC's which can be lively themselves. Leema and Primare are probably on the leaner side, possibly not having enough grip on the already leaner bass of the PMC's...?

Again, no auditions yet, I know I will have to do so, just wanted to hear any of your experiences. Cheers.

Hi musicbox

Naim's Nait XS works superbly with the GB1i's.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your replies so far. I am very happy with the PMC's but think they could do a bit better than on the Arcam A70.

 

[Anonymous]

Bert Puttocks:
I currently have the K2 with the GB1i's and they are a very good match.

I have the also owned the A5 which didn't impress at all, and found it fatiguing to listen too.

The Cyrus 8vs2 should also be considered, I find this amp a little tighter in the bass with a more pronounced midrange. I think it organises the music a little better than the K2 and am considering putting my K2 on ebay.

The 8vs2 has a bit more punch and detail than the K2, althought the K2 has a slightly sweeter treble.

My only concern is longer listening sessions with the 8vs2, something the K2 excels at. I have been listening to the Cyrus all week and will switch back to the K2 before I make my decision on which one to sell.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the interesting comparison Bert, the Cyrus 8vs2 has been on my list as well, but I have similar concerns regarding brightness. Let us know how the evaluation turns out for you. Do you think the 8vs2 has better grip on the bass than the K2? I don't mind a bit less bass as long as it is controlled.

 

[Anonymous]

I've heard the GB1'is on the end of a Cyrus 8cde, pre vs2/8power. It sounded superb together,good bass well controlled and a sweet mid and treble.

 

[Anonymous]

TheHomeCinemaCentre:We normaly run our GB1i's on the Exposure 3010. It has a good amount of bottom end as well as lots of pace that seems to work wonders with the PMC range. The exposure line up had just changed to the new S2 variants.

Cheers Nick. Haven't thought about Exposure. Have you compared the 3010 against the Naim XS or Leema Pulse? They are considered strong rhythmical amps as well.

 

[john dolan]

Bryston amps are the best match for PMC speakers imo.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

Musicbox:

TheHomeCinemaCentre:We normaly run our GB1i's on the Exposure 3010. It has a good amount of bottom end as well as lots of pace that seems to work wonders with the PMC range. The exposure line up had just changed to the new S2 variants.

Cheers Nick. Haven't thought about Exposure. Have you compared the 3010 against the Naim XS or Leema Pulse? They are considered strong rhythmical amps as well.

Just the 3010 at this stage. We dont stock Naim but are considering Leema. I agree with your comments though, a great deal of our customers are listening to the same amps with the PMCs.

 

[jaxwired]

 

[Anonymous]

Musicbox:Bert Puttocks:
I currently have the K2 with the GB1i's and they are a very good match.

I have the also owned the A5 which didn't impress at all, and found it fatiguing to listen too.

The Cyrus 8vs2 should also be considered, I find this amp a little tighter in the bass with a more pronounced midrange. I think it organises the music a little better than the K2 and am considering putting my K2 on ebay.

The 8vs2 has a bit more punch and detail than the K2, althought the K2 has a slightly sweeter treble.

My only concern is longer listening sessions with the 8vs2, something the K2 excels at. I have been listening to the Cyrus all week and will switch back to the K2 before I make my decision on which one to sell.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the interesting comparison Bert, the Cyrus 8vs2 has been on my list as well, but I have similar concerns regarding brightness. Let us know how the evaluation turns out for you. Do you think the 8vs2 has better grip on the bass than the K2? I don't mind a bit less bass as long as it is controlled.

The Cyrus does have better control on the bass than the K2, although there is still plenty of bass on the Cyrus. It is very close at the moment betweeen the two amps, inevitably it will come down to the one that is most pleasurable to list to rather than detail/bass etc.

The Cyrus can be had for about £350 off ebay, so it is certainly cheaper and offers an upgrade path as well, I am certainly pretty impressed during this weeks listening.

 

[indietronic]

how large is the room you're listening ? i mean mine is almost 12m2 and i'm thinking of upgrading from epos m12 to some floorstanders but dont want the sound to go boomy thats why i'm asking...other option is proac d2 speakers (quite expensive for bookself ones, though) . what do you think i should do ?

bear in mind that i'm moving to a new house (where listening room will be almost 20m2) but i also DO know that some floorstanders need special treatment and positioning to not go boomy etc, while others dont...

anyway, i dont know what to say about my k2.. sometimes i think the bass is not properly controlled... and i am not sure whether it's epos 12 mid-bass or roksan k2 behaviour or even my rubbish speaker cables...

 

[Anonymous]

I think the Gb1's are fairly easy to place since they have the transmission line port at the front, still they will sound better when they have a bit of clearance from the wall. Mine are positioned in a smaller part of the living room as well at the moment (close to 12m2), but behind the listening position the room continues into a bigger space, so no reflection from that side. With a clearance of half a meter from either wall and toe in, it works fine.