Which speakers did you hear the UnitiQute with that left you underwhelmed? I'm thinking of trading up to it with perhaps the n-Sats.
Chebby?
- Thread starter manicm
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chebby
Well-known member
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
David - what in particular about the DB1i's? Just curious as I have them with Cyrus CD6SE and 6XP (Hyper 2 cable). I was only able to demo against Dynaudio X12s and Spendor SA1s, but they suited my budget and sounded good, took a while for the system to sit happily together but sound fine now. (I perhaps should add that after a couple of months I stretched my budget and added a repro X-Power...now looking for similar Pre-Xpd...perhaps that says something about the DB1i's..?)
At nearly 1k RRP they seem now expensive although they are available for less. Especially when something like Usher S520 cost nearly a two thirds less.
John Duncan
Well-known member
FrankHarveyHiFi:I'm not a DB1i fan myself. There will be much better speakers to use with it.
Pssssh
Like what?
Pssssh
Like what?
John Duncan
Well-known member
drummerman:
At nearly 1k RRP they seem now expensive although they are available for less. Especially when something like Usher S520 cost nearly a two thirds less.
Agreed. I love them to bits, but they're becoming quite uncompetitive...
At nearly 1k RRP they seem now expensive although they are available for less. Especially when something like Usher S520 cost nearly a two thirds less.
Agreed. I love them to bits, but they're becoming quite uncompetitive...
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
I'm not saying there won't be plenty of people who do like them, but I just find that the DB1i and GB1i don't enbody what PMC are all about - that starts with the TB2i's and FB1i. In a big shootout of standmount speakers between £600-£1,000, the DB1i's were the liveliest of the bunch, which many people will like, but I found that many other produced a cleaner, less distorted midband, particularly the ATC SCM11's and SCM7's. I know this is a strong point of theirs, but for me it highlighted this issue with the DB1i's.
chebby
Well-known member
I should say that my thoughts about the UnitiQute were entirely speaker neutral.
The PMC DB1is are a known quantity to me. I have heard them quite a few times including with a NaimUniti and a Nait XS (even Arcam). They are pretty good.
My "underwhelmed'ness" (regarding the UnitiQute) was almost entirely due to having heard the NaimUniti quite a bit and - of course - experience of my own system. (Bear in mind also that my 'primary' source is FM radio and a new NAT05 alone costs almost as much as the UnitiQute. So my expectations were a bit unrealistic.)
If the UnitiQute is not directly compared with Naim seperates costing twice as much (when new), then I think you are going to love it.
The PMC DB1is are a known quantity to me. I have heard them quite a few times including with a NaimUniti and a Nait XS (even Arcam). They are pretty good.
My "underwhelmed'ness" (regarding the UnitiQute) was almost entirely due to having heard the NaimUniti quite a bit and - of course - experience of my own system. (Bear in mind also that my 'primary' source is FM radio and a new NAT05 alone costs almost as much as the UnitiQute. So my expectations were a bit unrealistic.)
If the UnitiQute is not directly compared with Naim seperates costing twice as much (when new), then I think you are going to love it.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to tread very carefully on this one.
There's only one Naim dealer in my entire state/province! And he will only stock it on order. So I have to order first and then he'll let me audition different speakers with it!
And that means, for auditioning, speaker choices will be severely limited.
I'll thus definitely hear the n-Sats first. They're pricey though, so I'll have to see what alternatives there are. My speakers will be close to a wall - no choice, hence the n-Sats.
I will also seriously consider the new on the wall speakers from Monitor Audio - Spaceframe, and Kef. Dealer dismissed them outright - but I think that was the sales pitch talking.
There's only one Naim dealer in my entire state/province! And he will only stock it on order. So I have to order first and then he'll let me audition different speakers with it!
And that means, for auditioning, speaker choices will be severely limited.
I'll thus definitely hear the n-Sats first. They're pricey though, so I'll have to see what alternatives there are. My speakers will be close to a wall - no choice, hence the n-Sats.
I will also seriously consider the new on the wall speakers from Monitor Audio - Spaceframe, and Kef. Dealer dismissed them outright - but I think that was the sales pitch talking.
cse
Well-known member
I auditioned the PMC's recently, with my Roksan caspian amp and was underwhelmed as well. The Neat Motive sounded better,as did the ATC SCM 7. However, in the end none were a decent upgrade on my BW CDM1 SE. In the end I bought the Neat Motive 2SE standmount, which offered a lot more, although cost £1325. I think you need to spend a bit if you want to upgrade from speakers that already sound pretty good. In fact I probably should have gone higher up the scale.
The CDM1 was a fine speaker on release (early 2000s?) and won't be too shabby now. I vaguely recall the glowing reviews and assume it punches well above its weight, so not too surprised that it's still holding up well. I have the same problem with the Missions - £500 in their day and upping on that performance means somewhere near or north of £800 or so.
In 2009's Awards issue, WHF recommended pairing the NaimUniti with the DB1i speakers. I use this pairing in my small study and find it very enjoyable.
Then again, the UnitiQute has a lower power rating (30W vs 50W) so maybe the DB1i won't suit the Qute as well. And of course, there're the non-system variables like the size of the room, supports, etc to consider.
Then again, the UnitiQute has a lower power rating (30W vs 50W) so maybe the DB1i won't suit the Qute as well. And of course, there're the non-system variables like the size of the room, supports, etc to consider.
cse
Well-known member
You're so right record spot. I now have the problem that I wish to upgrade my amp - Roksan Caspian MK1. It's 10 years old and cost £800 new. How much do I need to spent to get a significant upgrade, I wonder? Trouble is now that I have the new Motives, I'm not totally sure that they are better in all departments.
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