Cor!!

[plastic penguin]

What a strange looking thing. Not idea whether it's sold in decent numbers or not, but guess it would have limited appeal despite being made by PMC.

Home review

PMC’s first stand-alone domestic amplifier is a superbly musical performer.

www.whathifi.com

 

[Gray]

I remember reading that review as if it was yesterday - but it was 5 years ago!
(Where does the time go?)

My guess is that not many have been sold, on account of it being a fairly hideous-looking, five thousand quid dust trap .
(Must come with a free can of contact cleaner for those linear pots).

...though I wouldn't mind betting it sounds great.

 

[plastic penguin]

I remember reading that review as if it was yesterday - but it was 5 years ago!
(Where does the time go?)

My guess is that not many have been sold, on account of it being a fairly hideous-looking, five thousand quid dust trap .
(Must come with a free can of contact cleaner for those linear pots).

...though I wouldn't mind betting it sounds great.

Quite a rarity, tone controls (or slides more accurate) at 5k, apart from Luxman & Accuphase....

It's aesthetically challenged, a potential nightmare to keep clean so it needs to sound ruddy good to justify that price tag.

 

[12th Monkey]

What a strange looking thing.

That's putting it kindly - reminds me of the PS2, which isn't a good look for an amp of that price.

 

[Gray]

Seems to still be current, together with a powerful mono block amp - that must be even more expensive.

Couldn't see any mention of Bryston on their website (think they started as distributors for them in 2018).

 

[nopiano]

Yes, I think the looks are why it has never been taken seriously.

 

[James105]

Yep I remember the review as well, and for the same reason just how bloody ugly it looked

 

[bigfish786]

As audio equipment goes, not a great looker. But rather this than the hideous hifi rose amp! Now that is butt ugly.

 

[Amormusic]

I've heard one of these at a show. I thought it sounded great. But it should do for its cost.

Also looks quite good in the flesh, imo. Was on the end of some mega expensive PMC speakers.

 

[plastic penguin]

I've heard one of these at a show. I thought it sounded great. But it should do for its cost.

Also looks quite good in the flesh, imo. Was on the end of some mega expensive PMC speakers.

Mmm... this PMC is like an ugly relative, might have respect but it's hard to love them.

 

[Noddy]

What a strange looking thing. Not idea whether it's sold in decent numbers or not, but guess it would have limited appeal despite being made by PMC.

Home review

PMC’s first stand-alone domestic amplifier is a superbly musical performer.

www.whathifi.com

I have heard that its mother loves it. It looks to me like it was designed by a French car designer c.f. Citröen.

This in my highly subjective view is audiobling, an overpriced amp with a fancy case that aims to convince the customer that it is special, when in fact it is just an audio amp. PMC is a boutique manufacture, they won’t sell many, and you will pay through the nose for exclusivity thus value for money is low.

 

[plastic penguin]

I have heard that its mother loves it. It looks to me like it was designed by a French car designer c.f. Citröen.

This in my highly subjective view is audiobling, an overpriced amp with a fancy case that aims to convince the customer that it is special, when in fact it is just an audio amp. PMC is a boutique manufacture, they won’t sell many, and you will pay through the nose for exclusivity thus value for money is low.

In terms of sound quality, it seems to be on the money, but those looks.

PMC was never over priced on their speakers until more recent price hikes. My old TB2 were great value for money.

 

[Noddy]

In terms of sound quality, it seems to be on the money, but those looks.

PMC was never over priced on their speakers until more recent price hikes. My old TB2 were great value for money.

There is a prize that is given if anyone can recognise two amps of their own choosing, the only caveat being that one must be equalised to the other and they must not distort. Thousands of people have apparently entered, none have won. This indicates that there are no differences in sound quality, just variations in the frequency response. Of course some will never accept this conclusion.

 

[Friesiansam]

Thousands of people have apparently entered, none have won. This indicates that there are no differences in sound quality, just variations in the frequency response.

I don't think it means there is no difference in sound quality, rather, people are much less adept at detecting the difference, than they think they are.

 

[Noddy]

I don't think it means there is no difference in sound quality, rather, people are much less adept at detecting the difference, than they think they are.

Okay, I should have said "no audible differences in sound quality" since there are differences outside the audible range. As to your interpretation, there will have been a range of people with a diversity of listening skills. If noone can detect a difference, is there a difference? After all, measurements show no audible differences beyond the frequency response e.g. a slight drop towards 20 kHz. If the differences are not meaureable, what are they?

 

[plastic penguin]

There is a prize that is given if anyone can recognise two amps of their own choosing, the only caveat being that one must be equalised to the other and they must not distort. Thousands of people have apparently entered, none have won. This indicates that there are no differences in sound quality, just variations in the frequency response. Of course some will never accept this conclusion.

A prize where?

I can tell the difference between my old Arcam A65, amp I owned adored, and the Leema. People can believe what they think.

 

[Oxfordian]

I have heard that its mother loves it. It looks to me like it was designed by a French car designer c.f. Citröen.

This in my highly subjective view is audiobling, an overpriced amp with a fancy case that aims to convince the customer that it is special, when in fact it is just an audio amp. PMC is a boutique manufacture, they won’t sell many, and you will pay through the nose for exclusivity thus value for money is low.

Life is full of examples of exclusivity, our whole capitalistic society relies on exclusivity, blimey even communism is full of exclusivity and that is supposed to be a level playing field.

I have to say that Citroen made some great cars, weird but nevertheless great, the suspension on their cars where you could drive with a wheel missing has never been bettered, headlights that turned with the wheels so the lights followed the road is only now becoming a feature on mass market cars.

If we didn't have companies bringing outrageous products or ideas to market we would stifle innovation and creativity, ideas that work wouldn't get released and progress would cease.

So yes this Amp may have the looks that only a mother could love, it may have a price that only a Premier League footballer can afford but that's fine, to them it is good value for money.

Logically my love of vinyl isn't really a good way of getting value for money, they are expensive to buy difficult to keep clean and difficult to get a great sound out of, I could get a better deal out of streaming my music. But what price do you put on engagement, involvement and interaction, all of these I get from Vinyl but I get none of them from streaming.

We are all different, we all have different likes and dislikes, our finances are different, our spending power is different, so what I think is a bargain and good VFM can be the complete opposite for someone else, and of course that works the other way round as well.

 

[Gray]

This indicates that there are no differences in sound quality, just variations in the frequency response.

But the FR difference is a difference in sound Noddy.

Someone on this forum once said that "all well designed amps sound the same".

All I can say is that I wish a prize had been on offer when I had similar price, similar spec amps from Arcam, Cyrus and Roksan on home loan.

...your Mum could have easily, blindly, and consistently identified one from the other.