PMC DB1i - First Impressions

[jaxwired]

Man I love this hobby. There's just so many flavors of great sound out there. These DB1is are my very first experience with PMC speakers. They don't sound like anything I've owned before. If I had to compare them to something, they are closest to the Spendors I owned. But they have a smoothness to the treble that the spendors did not have and they are more balanced sounding top to bottom. They have a live music sound to them that is thoroughly engaging. The spatial cues that these little speakers produce are first rate. There's something special about these speakers. They are detailed and dynamic sounding. They are so different from my Dynaudio contours that it's not even worth discussing. The contours sound huge with massive weight to the bass. These sound nothing like that, but if you can forgive the lack of weight to the bass, the live musical sound of these will reward you handsomely. I'm driving them with the entry level NAD C316bee amp and they sound magical. In fact, I sit here astounded at the sound quality that can be achieved with a system consisting of this little NAD amp, chord crimson and odyssey cables, and a $100 apple TV as the source. I kid you not, this is more than a taste of the high end sound. This is only day 2 and I definately tend to get carried away with new kit at first, but I definately can tell these are keepers...

 

[Anonymous]

hi jax

how is the sound of benchmark dac+apple tv compared to the cd player

 

[drummerman]

That reminds me about an equally enthusiastic editorial by Ken Kessler about the little Nad. Great little amplifier as you said and probably all most people would need at home with some decent speakers. (Search back in my postings and you find my comments about it (nad amp) and matching player next to a Musical Fidelity system costing thousands).

My recent experiences with NAD are limited to just this entry level model but having heard numerous comments about (mainly) to much and sometimes badly controlled bass makes me wonder if this cheapest model is, even though less powerful etc., actually the better for it.

I thought the DB1i's were a fine but to expensive speaker but perhaps the match you found, unlikely to have been tried by many, is interesting and perhaps convinces a few people that for just little over a thousand pounds, a good system that does'nt include a Yamaha amplifier and Monitor Audio Speakers can be built.

 

[Singslinger]

Yes the DB1is are keepers - very easy to drive and they sound great. I use mine with a Musical Fidelity A1 amp fed with an old but still serviceable Rotel RCD-991 CD player and the sound is astonishingly good but previously, I used a NAD C326BEE amp with very satisfying results. There does seem to be a synergy between NAD and PMC....

 

[jaxwired]

rajdeep: hi jax. how is the sound of benchmark dac+apple tv compared to the cd player

Sound is fantastic. At first I thought it was very slightly inferior, but after I upgraded to a wireworld all glass toslink cable, the sound is every bit the equal of the CDP to my ears. I'm very happy and won't be going back. In fact, I sold my CDP.

drummerman:
That reminds me about an equally enthusiastic editorial by Ken Kessler about the little Nad. Great little amplifier as you said and probably all most people would need at home with some decent speakers. (Search back in my postings and you find my comments about it (nad amp) and matching player next to a Musical Fidelity system costing thousands).

I thought the DB1i's were a fine but to expensive speaker but perhaps the match you found, unlikely to have been tried by many, is interesting and perhaps convinces a few people that for just little over a thousand pounds, a good system that does'nt include a Yamaha amplifier and Monitor Audio Speakers can be built.

Love NAD and I agree with your findings. I think NAD is better than they get credit for.

I also agree the PMCs are over priced, especially here in the states. DB1is sell for $2000 new. That's some serious money. I only ended up with them because someone was willing to part with a (barely) used pair for less than half that. I've never seen them sell that cheap on the used market. That's the kind of deal I like. Can't go wrong, as I can sell them quickly if necessary (and probably make a profit).

 

[Frank Harvey]

They're a nicely detailed, lively performer, especially at lower volumes, but I have a few reservations when compared with equivalent competition. With other manufacturers upping their game at the moment, almost £1k is a little steep for what you get. I find the TB2i much better value, although not quite as easy to place in smaller rooms.

 

[jaxwired]

FrankHarveyHiFi:They're a nicely detailed, lively performer, especially at lower volumes, but I have a few reservations when compared with equivalent competition. With other manufacturers upping their game at the moment, almost £1k is a little steep for what you get. I find the TB2i much better value, although not quite as easy to place in smaller rooms.

Cheers David. Needed something as small as possible as I will be moving them in for listening and back out again each time. It's a pain, but the only workable plan right now.

 

[plastic penguin]

For my tastes, the DB1is are the best sub-£1,000 stand mounted I've heard. I auditioned them for 4 days last year with my old Arcam, and sure, they deserve better than a £350.00 40 watt amp, even so they were immensely impressive.

I think now, because of the price hike, they're pricing themselves out of the market, nevertheless, I'd rather have them than some other competitors.