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When should you upgrade your hi-fi? How to control ‘upgradeitis’
Any PMC Twenty users?
- Thread starter bluedroog
- Start date
Sorry, posting got very weird there! anyway, what I meant to say....
The Twenty 22s are top of my short list for a speaker upgrade early next year and wondering if there are any owners or members with experience of them? I know transmission line speakers aren’t for everyone but implemented well (which I think PMC do) they do it for me.
I am fairly confident these are the speakers I’ll go for, however I refuse to audition to them until I have the funds in place, it is painful enough waiting for fiscal freedom as it is without going for a painful demo, don’t demo till you have the cash I say! I was all set on the TB2i which I really, really enjoyed, the areas I thought could be improved (within cabinet restrictions in a 2-way) are pretty much how the Twenty series have been described. Of course I may hear things differently in which case I’d still be happy with the i series or something else altogether I’ve not considered yet.
So any happy owners out there or experiences you wish to share?
The Twenty 22s are top of my short list for a speaker upgrade early next year and wondering if there are any owners or members with experience of them? I know transmission line speakers aren’t for everyone but implemented well (which I think PMC do) they do it for me.
I am fairly confident these are the speakers I’ll go for, however I refuse to audition to them until I have the funds in place, it is painful enough waiting for fiscal freedom as it is without going for a painful demo, don’t demo till you have the cash I say! I was all set on the TB2i which I really, really enjoyed, the areas I thought could be improved (within cabinet restrictions in a 2-way) are pretty much how the Twenty series have been described. Of course I may hear things differently in which case I’d still be happy with the i series or something else altogether I’ve not considered yet.
So any happy owners out there or experiences you wish to share?
Theo
Well-known member
First ask yourself the following questions regarding the TB2is which you know already.
1. Would you like the TB2i top-end to have further detail/refinement along with a slightly elevated presence-region i.e. a more forward presentation?
2. Do you like your TB2i low-end to be tighter and less prominent i.e. leaner/thinner ?
3. Do you hear boxiness/cabinet colorations on the TB2i ?
4. Would you prefer the TB2i to image better with a wider/deeper soundstage ?
5. Have you ever auditioned the Fact series, if so would you like your TB2i to sound a bit more like that ?
6. Would you like your TB2i to look better, with higher quality connectors and better overall external build finish?
To me, these are the major characteristics of the Twenty Series which differentiate the Twenty Series from the i-series so if any or all of these qualities appeal to you, I would say there is a good chance you would like the Twenty series. In my case, I was trying to decide between the i-series (which I had auditioned at a dealer) any the Twenty series (I was relying on professional reviews), and finally decided to go with the Twenty series but found it didn't work for me.
I would say go audition first before making any sort of decision, your dealer might be able to set up a session with Twenty and i-series side by side.
1. Would you like the TB2i top-end to have further detail/refinement along with a slightly elevated presence-region i.e. a more forward presentation?
2. Do you like your TB2i low-end to be tighter and less prominent i.e. leaner/thinner ?
3. Do you hear boxiness/cabinet colorations on the TB2i ?
4. Would you prefer the TB2i to image better with a wider/deeper soundstage ?
5. Have you ever auditioned the Fact series, if so would you like your TB2i to sound a bit more like that ?
6. Would you like your TB2i to look better, with higher quality connectors and better overall external build finish?
To me, these are the major characteristics of the Twenty Series which differentiate the Twenty Series from the i-series so if any or all of these qualities appeal to you, I would say there is a good chance you would like the Twenty series. In my case, I was trying to decide between the i-series (which I had auditioned at a dealer) any the Twenty series (I was relying on professional reviews), and finally decided to go with the Twenty series but found it didn't work for me.
I would say go audition first before making any sort of decision, your dealer might be able to set up a session with Twenty and i-series side by side.
Hi Theo,
Thanks for the reply. There is no way I’d buy blind, certainly not with speakers and certainly not at that price either.
As you describe the differences is pretty much as I’ve read and yes all those do appeal to me. Like the ‘I’ range but with a little more top end sparkle, tighter bass and a better sound stage. Sounds just what I’m looking for.
I remember many years ago going to demo some Acoustic Energy speakers and they had a wonderful tight bass and I’m hoping the 22s will share some of that characteristic with a little more sophistication elsewhere.
So you had a pair of Twenty at home but ended up swapping for I series then? Which model were they and what was it about them you couldn’t live with?
Thanks for the reply. There is no way I’d buy blind, certainly not with speakers and certainly not at that price either.
As you describe the differences is pretty much as I’ve read and yes all those do appeal to me. Like the ‘I’ range but with a little more top end sparkle, tighter bass and a better sound stage. Sounds just what I’m looking for.
I remember many years ago going to demo some Acoustic Energy speakers and they had a wonderful tight bass and I’m hoping the 22s will share some of that characteristic with a little more sophistication elsewhere.
So you had a pair of Twenty at home but ended up swapping for I series then? Which model were they and what was it about them you couldn’t live with?
Theo
Well-known member
It was a pair of Twenty.24s that I got after auditioning the PB1i. In all fairness, the comparision should have been made with OB1i or perhaps even a lower model but that I don't believe was the issue. What I did not like was the overall presentation; Basically, to me the Twenty.24s highlight the top end tad too much, I mean it is great when you listen to a well recorded 24/96 percussion track with the extended dynamics of hi-resolution recordings, the symbols come out with such realism and strength that you can imagine the band to be right there in the room but I also noticed it masked out some of the midrange detail. The 24s midrange itself seemed slightly recessed compared to the rest of the range. Again I have to say the 24s midrange was astonishingly airy and the wide dispersion characteristics and imaging capability meant the Twenty.24s simply dissapeared, and it seemed as if I was right in front of a tall, wide, wall of sound so it was good from a soundstage perspective. But in the midst of all that, I felt I was missing finer details of the mid, vocal range. Textures could be heard but I found myself having to concentrate harder to pick up details - difference in presentation most likely to blame. With the low-end, I felt the 24s were slightly too tight (if there is such a thing) for my taste, one thing that struck me with the PB1i was its slightly relaxed bottom end - didn't appear to have the same solidity as the 24s but when a different track was played, I could hear tight, impactfull low notes with a great amount of detail & character coming out in that region - it seemed like the PB1i let out low-notes as-is in the recording without adding its own "tightness". Dont get me wrong, the twenty.24 low-end was taut, articulate and extended but for me, it lacked the level of energy & finer detail I was looking for. At the end of the day, I was comparing the Twenty.24s with a speaker twice as expensive so that is my fault. Then there is that difference in electronics and of course floorstanders tend to be more sensitive to room characteristics but at the end of the day, the one thing that mattered was whether I could see myself enjoying the speakers long-term and I felt that would not be the case.
Hi
I have of pair of PMC twenty fours that are hooked up to a Leema tucana II amp.
The speakers produce beautiful sound and pick up the nuances of finely recorded music. I do however feel that they lack a punchy bass and that is highly dependent on the quality of the recording. It's not that the speakers are not capable of producing bass, but I think the lower frequencies need to be driven a bit harder and there is a lean towards the higher frequencies.
Having said that, these were the speakers I went for because prior to this I had listened to a Cyrus system connected to a set of Mordant Short speakers and a Niam preamp-power amp combo through Niam floorstanders (don't know the models,sorry!) and the choice was very clearly in favour of the PMC's. I did audition the PMC 22's and did not find a huge difference in terms of quality, but I wanted floorstanders and allowed myself to be persuaded for the 24's over the 23's.
I like the sound they produce through my system and ultimately that is what matters to me.
The problem with these high end systems is that they tend to differentiate between the good and the ultimate audiophile quality recordings very severely and that is where the trouble starts for me. I've got bucket loads of iTunes music which sounds fine till I compare it with the audiophile recordings and they start sounding crap. I think my standards are going up, with not enough content!
Hope this helps. BTW, new speakers from PMC have just been launched as their special editions, but the pricing and date of availability is not yet out. You may wanyt to listen to these prior to a purchase.
Deepak :cheers: :cheers:
I have of pair of PMC twenty fours that are hooked up to a Leema tucana II amp.
The speakers produce beautiful sound and pick up the nuances of finely recorded music. I do however feel that they lack a punchy bass and that is highly dependent on the quality of the recording. It's not that the speakers are not capable of producing bass, but I think the lower frequencies need to be driven a bit harder and there is a lean towards the higher frequencies.
Having said that, these were the speakers I went for because prior to this I had listened to a Cyrus system connected to a set of Mordant Short speakers and a Niam preamp-power amp combo through Niam floorstanders (don't know the models,sorry!) and the choice was very clearly in favour of the PMC's. I did audition the PMC 22's and did not find a huge difference in terms of quality, but I wanted floorstanders and allowed myself to be persuaded for the 24's over the 23's.
I like the sound they produce through my system and ultimately that is what matters to me.
The problem with these high end systems is that they tend to differentiate between the good and the ultimate audiophile quality recordings very severely and that is where the trouble starts for me. I've got bucket loads of iTunes music which sounds fine till I compare it with the audiophile recordings and they start sounding crap. I think my standards are going up, with not enough content!
Hope this helps. BTW, new speakers from PMC have just been launched as their special editions, but the pricing and date of availability is not yet out. You may wanyt to listen to these prior to a purchase.
Deepak :cheers: :cheers:
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