B&W PM1 - Which Amp

[admin_exported]

Hi Guys,

Seen a few similar threads but it made me even more confused, hope you can help out with my requirement.

Got a pair of PM1s in Dec, been using it with a Onkyo TX SR605 amp, and it sounded no way as good as what I heard in the store.

Went back to the store and they suggested that the hifi that I got is multitasking and that I should get a stereo amp, and they recommended Arcam A28 / A38 or Elctrocompaniet PI-1 / PI-2 as well as a DAC - PS3 Audio DL3

Saw here on What HiFI that Marantz PM6004 is pretty cool, and I've been suggested that I shouldn't use a Marantz since they don't suit B&W well.

I listen to mostly Jazz / Female Soft Vocal / bit of R&B & light rock via Spotify or iPod. The room is like 5M wide and 15M Long (the speakers are on the shorter side), I don't have any soft furnishings, floor boards on concrete, the room is around 3.5m high...

What stereo amp should I buy?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[plastic penguin]

Welcome to the forum...

Given that the PM1s are a 2k speaker + stands I certainly wouldn't look at budget amps. Ideally something in the region of Roksan Caspian or Naim Nait XS... however, if you're budget won't stretch that far, then Roksan Kandy K2 or Rotel RA-1520 would be the obvious choices. That said, you'll need to take your speakers to a dealers and listen to few different combos and then decide.

Did hear the PM1s with a Cyrus 8XPD and matching CDP. Sounded pretty good.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Your PM1's will be seriously underperforming on the end of a 605 as it just won't have the quality of amplification to do them justice. From here the only way is up, but ideally you need something with a bit of guts, as the PM1's aren't the most efficient of speakers. As mentioned, your minimum is going to be something like the Nait XS or Caspian, but regardless of how good an amplifier you get, I can't help feeling that the PM1's may not have been the right choice in a room of that size. They'll work great in average sized rooms, but once you start looking at larger rooms, more bass is needed to fill them, and you may find the PM1's struggling. A better amp will help, but they may still reach their limits. I'd have said a room that sort of size would require a good pair of floorstanders like the CM9's, which will be easier to drive, and produce better bass in larger rooms. The downside here is that the CM9's don't possess the PM1's HF quality.

Of course, the closer you're sitting to the speakers, the less power you'll need to listen to them, but the speakers do need to 'fill the room', otherwise they'll just sound 'small'.

 

[WishTree]

I listen to mostly Jazz / Female Soft Vocal / bit of R&B & light rock via Spotify or iPod. The room is like 5M wide and 15M Long (the speakers are on the shorter side), I don't have any soft furnishings, floor boards on concrete, the room is around 3.5m high...

Marantz does not go so well with B&W but it is mostly with the CM series. PM1 is positively different and a 7004 onwards would be the minimum starting point, IMO. My favourite amplifier in that or a little above price range is Marantz PM-KI Pearl lite. It is a great amp with even better tri-tone controls for those odd situations.

 

[Leehallam]

I have my PM1s paired with a Caspian M2 and I am still very happy with it nearly a year later.

I also have a kandy k2 with my 685's both nice amps with the PM1 but the Caspian is in a totally different league to the Kandy and is far far better on the PM1s.

Lee

 

[matthewpiano]

I'd suggest something based around the Audiolab Monos. I heard the PM1s with these and an 8200CDQ and it was a fabulous combination.

As others have said budget amps just won't cut it with the PM1s. Buying anything like the PM6004 would be a total waste of time and money. The Roksan K2 would at least give you plenty of current and power but it still isn't going to get the best out of those speakers.

If you must keep it below £1k I'd suggest trying one of the big NADs - either the current C375BEE or a used C370 - as well as the Roksan, but I think you'll find you need something more like the Audiolab Monos to really make the PM1s sing.

 

[KiwiMoto]

I have owned PM1's IMHO they are too small for that size room.If you still want to use them i'd suggest at least one PV1D sub hooked up to them,two would be better.For amplification i'd start looking at Rotel class D first.

 

[gregvet]

Did hear the PM1s with a Cyrus 8XPD and matching CDP. Sounded pretty good.

Thats interesting. My local dealer convinced me not to bother demoing the PM1's with my Cyrus 8xpd qx because they said it didn't drive them anything like well enough. I ended up with spendor sa1's which I love, but I do still drool after the PM1's.

Just goes to show that nothing replaces demoing for yourself I guess.

 

[plastic penguin]

Did hear the PM1s with a Cyrus 8XPD and matching CDP. Sounded pretty good.

Thats interesting. My local dealer convinced me not to bother demoing the PM1's with my Cyrus 8xpd qx because they said it didn't drive them anything like well enough. I ended up with spendor sa1's which I love, but I do still drool after the PM1's.

Just goes to show that nothing replaces demoing for yourself I guess.

TBH I only went in there to talk about DACs and this system was on in the showroom. The Cyruses had the PSX-R connected to both amp and CDP. Surprised by the depth these dinky speakers produced.

It was pretty amusing: While there and getting stuck into Dacs I said: "Like the look of those..." I could only see the back of standmount speakers. "They're the GX50s," he replied absently. Asked whether he had the GX100, and he said yes. In the end I had a dem of MA GX100 with Cyrus system he had already rigged in the dem room, alongside RX6s, which a colleague manfully dragged in one by one.

Two dems in one go. Not bad considering the objective was to talk about the pros and cons of DACs.

 

[gregvet]

Sometimes unplanned demos can be the best. Out of interest, how did you feel the PM1's compared to the GX50/GX100's, on the end of the Cyrus system?

 

[plastic penguin]

Sometimes unplanned demos can be the best. Out of interest, how did you feel the PM1's compared to the GX50/GX100's, on the end of the Cyrus system?

Couldn't really say as the PM1/Cyruses were in the shop, whereas the GX100 was downstairs in the dem room. If I had to take an educated guess the GX100s had a bit more grunt to their presentation. But the PM1s were virtually up against the wall (probably 6" gap), unlike the MAs which were about 12-18" away. So in no way was it a like-for-like dem. Sorry.

The PM1s sounded nicely balanced. For their size they sounded very punchy.