Bryston Mini T / PMC 24 Back to Back Demos

[earlxtr]

Being in the market to spend silly amounts of money to make someone else rich, I decided to check for some new speakers today. Just for a bit of background. I have been into into somewhat decent audio equipment from my first Meridian amp back in 1982. Recently I have been on an upgrade path and with most upgrades I have been very impressed with the deference it has made. The most significant sound wise have been my Metrum Octave DAC and Bryston 3BSST2 amp. My Dynaudio x12 speakers have gotten better with every upstream upgrade and simply sound wonderful, but I still believe I can do better if I'm willing to spend some coin. Over the past two years I have been reading everything I can about every speaker I can, with the exception of the Bryston line. I pretty much had it down to a PMC 22 or ATC SCM 19. Then last night I started looking up reviews on the Bryston speakers. Surprise, surprise they got very favorable reviews and user comments. I heard the ATC SCM 11's a couple of years ago and they left a lasting impression. Super clear and revealing speakers. Then about 6 months ago i demo'd the PMC 24's and thought they sounded great and in some ways very similar to my Dyns. So this morning off I go to my Bryston dealer to hear what these babies sound like. The Model T and MID MODEL T's were too big for my little 3.5m by 4.5m listening room. The Mini T was the perfect size as long as it did not need to be too far from the wall. I started out listening to them about 50cm from the back wall. Now for the sound. If I could sum it up in one phase I would say they had absolute clarity and dynamic power. The bass made my x12 seem like kindergarten. Even with two (excellent) Rythmik subs in the room that can do wonders at the extreme low end, the mid bass power of the little Dynaudios was no match for the Mini T. The clarity throughout the entire spectrum was stunning. I would say it was definitely closer to ATC then PMC in sound character. Like the ATC speakers this speaker is going to be extremely sensitive to the downstream electronics. Paired with a Bryston amp, the source would have complete control over the sound. A very analog sounding DAC (think Metrum Octave) would make these babies shine. A very analytical sounding DAC (think Benchmark DAC2PRE) would give you exactly that on the output. BTW, I own both DACs so I have some experience with them. One thing I was a bit concerned about was how the titanium tweeter would be on my ears at high volumes but my limited high frequency 55 year old ears had no problem. Moving them about 20cm to the wall produced too much of a base hump. At 30 cm they were much better but still had a bit too much base. I'm hoping the port plugs will solve this problem. The one area I never seem to find as realistic as I would like is the percussion of the snare drum and the higher notes of piano. I wonder if this requires speakers that are very revealing, very dynamic, and have very fast transient response? This may have been one limitation of the wonderful, rich sounding, Dyns. Anyway, I though the Bryston Mini T's did as good a job in this area as anything I have heard. I can't wait to hear them with my Metrum Octave (or Hex in the future I hope). Yes, the Bryston's had a very stunning sound and I was so impressed that ordered them right then and there. So on my way home I'm starting to realize what I've done, just impulse buying these speakers after only one audition. OMG!!! Yes, they sounded fantastic but are they really the best for anywhere close to the money? I exit right and head straight to the PMC dealer. On the way there I call the Bryston dealer and ask if I can have 48 hours to change my mind. He says yes. Phew!... I tell the PMC dealer what I just did and asked for a second demo of the PMC 24's. They have a completely different sound then the Bryston. They are much softer, more rich and organic, but I felt like it was at the cost of some of the clarity and realism of the Mini T's. I thought that they definitely flavored the sound towards sweetness. They also imaged extremely well, to the point where I could not believe it was the speakers that where making the sound because it was so projected to the stage between the speakers. Very impressive!!! They also lacked the dynamic power of the Brystons, not even close. I am a West Coast Swing junkie and if I wanted a speaker for my dance room the Mini T's would win, no contest. If the only DAC I owned was the Benchmark DAC 2 PRE, I would get the PMC because of the richness they add to the sound. With the Octave already providing so much richness at the source, would the Bryston speakers be better at simply revealing the richness that is being feed to it? I've got until Tuesday to decide what I'm going to. Or maybe I should buy them both, the PMC's for the listening room and the ATC for the dance room...and then trade rooms every once in a while??? Decisions, Decisions... Earl FYI, price here in CanadaPMC 22 w PCM stands around $4500Bryston Mini T w Bryston Bolt on stands around $3500(Of course we get a better deal on local [Bryston] stuff)

 

[Macspur]

Hi and welcome,

You obviously really like both of these speakers and I've got a feeling which ever you decide on, you'll be left with doubts, so if you can afford it, buy both.

Have you tried any other Dyns? Harbeth would give you the best of both worlds though.

Mac

www.macsmusic.blogbubble.net

 

[nopiano]

Very interesting. I would have described the twenty-series PMCs I've heard much as you describe the mid and treble of the Bryston, so they are obviously very revealing as possibly possess a slightly rising response trend? I've not seen them before but might have a google now!

Were I living in Canada not the UK, I'd not hesitate to by my home brand, however. I know the pain of imports in pricing terms having bought my Krells and Sonus fabers when the pound Sterling was weakish!

PS. Have seen pics and the AS review, and they seem great. Not lookers, and not bookshelf either, but PMC are not glamourous. I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[earlxtr]

nopiano When I describe the differences in sound, I'm using relative terms between Bryston and PMC. Also remember that I heard these wired up to two different systems in different rooms so that could also account for some of the differences. Some of the sweetness of the PMC could be from the tube amp driving them. Getting them into my home with my equipment will be the real test.