Pmc Gb1i or Kef R300

[Vortex160]

Hi

Want to upgrade my speakers , i really like the kef R300s , i also have an option of used pmc gb1is for around $2000 but i cant demo them . Any owners who can compare both the speakers ?,ill be using a nad 60 watt per channel avr bi amped , i listen mostly too drum n bass , deep house , left field so need bass quality as opposed to quantity.

Appreciate the help

thanks!

ps ill be using my system for HT too, i prefer listening to music without a sub but have one for movies.

 

[dsuciato]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

 

[Vortex160]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

i know what you mean , you need bass quantity for rock n metal , but i find tight punchy bass for my kind of music, another thing i forgot to mention that i already own pmc db1 + but their a bit small for 20 by 18 feet room , how do you compare the gb1i with db1+ in terms of bass?

i owned the MA rx6 not fond of the monitor audio sound , lacks imaging and expanse of sound stage compared to pmc and kef.

which amp did you audition with the gb1is?

 

[dsuciato]

I also like tight & punchy bass & the 140 provide it. The GB1i was auditioned with Audiolab 8200Q + 8200P with output 100W at 8 ohm, more than enough power to drive the GB1i. No experience with DB1 too, GB1i should be better I guess, you should audition yourself though & compare it with the R300. Godd luck & have fun.

 

[plastic penguin]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

i know what you mean , you need bass quantity for rock n metal , but i find tight punchy bass for my kind of music, another thing i forgot to mention that i already own pmc db1 + but their a bit small for 20 by 18 feet room , how do you compare the gb1i with db1+ in terms of bass?

i owned the MA rx6 not fond of the monitor audio sound , lacks imaging and expanse of sound stage compared to pmc and kef.

which amp did you audition with the gb1is?

I'd be very surprised if the R300s had MORE bass than the GB1s. From what I've read about the R300s and personal experience with GB1s the PMCs will have a slight extended HF, thus should have improved detail.

What amp are you planning to use/have?

*EDIT* just noticed Nad amp. In that case I would suggest the PMCs would be more open, as according to many on here, the R300 have a warm character.

 

[Vortex160]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

i know what you mean , you need bass quantity for rock n metal , but i find tight punchy bass for my kind of music, another thing i forgot to mention that i already own pmc db1 + but their a bit small for 20 by 18 feet room , how do you compare the gb1i with db1+ in terms of bass?

i owned the MA rx6 not fond of the monitor audio sound , lacks imaging and expanse of sound stage compared to pmc and kef.

which amp did you audition with the gb1is?

I'd be very surprised if the R300s had MORE bass than the GB1s. From what I've read about the R300s and personal experience with GB1s the PMCs will have a slight extended HF, thus should have improved detail.

What amp are you planning to use/have?

*EDIT* just noticed Nad amp. In that case I would suggest the PMCs would be more open, as according to many on here, the R300 have a warm character.

thanks for the reply plastic penguin

from what ive heard here on the forums and couple of other places that gb1i are pretty lean , considering the R300s are 3 way and have a 6.5 driver dont you think they would go deeper ? then again how much more compared to gb1is ? dont need house shaking bass though just good detail at low and medium volumes. I already own the db1+ love the sound , i think ill demo the R300s this weekend .

cheers

ps again any gb1i owners out there i would appreciate your opinios

 

[plastic penguin]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

i know what you mean , you need bass quantity for rock n metal , but i find tight punchy bass for my kind of music, another thing i forgot to mention that i already own pmc db1 + but their a bit small for 20 by 18 feet room , how do you compare the gb1i with db1+ in terms of bass?

i owned the MA rx6 not fond of the monitor audio sound , lacks imaging and expanse of sound stage compared to pmc and kef.

which amp did you audition with the gb1is?

I'd be very surprised if the R300s had MORE bass than the GB1s. From what I've read about the R300s and personal experience with GB1s the PMCs will have a slight extended HF, thus should have improved detail.

What amp are you planning to use/have?

*EDIT* just noticed Nad amp. In that case I would suggest the PMCs would be more open, as according to many on here, the R300 have a warm character.

thanks for the reply plastic penguin

from what ive heard here on the forums and couple of other places that gb1i are pretty lean , considering the R300s are 3 way and have a 6.5 driver dont you think they would go deeper ? then again how much more compared to gb1is ? dont need house shaking bass though just good detail at low and medium volumes. I already own the db1+ love the sound , i think ill demo the R300s this weekend .

cheers

ps again any gb1i owners out there i would appreciate your opinios

No, just because GB1s has a smaller drive doesn't mean it'll have less bass. The Totem Arros are perfect examples of that: They have a dinky 4.5 main driver and they easily match the RS6s for bass depth, but due to the high quality of the driver its dispersion is far better. The same could be said about GB1is. If you like the DB1+ you'll love the GBs.

Another way of looking at it, and I know I'll get myself in trouble but... sometimes small speakers with huge drivers can sound either fabulous or over-bloated in the bass region. I've not heard the R300s yet, but it'll probably fall into one of those areas I suspect.

 

[Vortex160]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

i know what you mean , you need bass quantity for rock n metal , but i find tight punchy bass for my kind of music, another thing i forgot to mention that i already own pmc db1 + but their a bit small for 20 by 18 feet room , how do you compare the gb1i with db1+ in terms of bass?

i owned the MA rx6 not fond of the monitor audio sound , lacks imaging and expanse of sound stage compared to pmc and kef.

which amp did you audition with the gb1is?

I'd be very surprised if the R300s had MORE bass than the GB1s. From what I've read about the R300s and personal experience with GB1s the PMCs will have a slight extended HF, thus should have improved detail.

What amp are you planning to use/have?

*EDIT* just noticed Nad amp. In that case I would suggest the PMCs would be more open, as according to many on here, the R300 have a warm character.

thanks for the reply plastic penguin

from what ive heard here on the forums and couple of other places that gb1i are pretty lean , considering the R300s are 3 way and have a 6.5 driver dont you think they would go deeper ? then again how much more compared to gb1is ? dont need house shaking bass though just good detail at low and medium volumes. I already own the db1+ love the sound , i think ill demo the R300s this weekend .

cheers

ps again any gb1i owners out there i would appreciate your opinios

No, just because GB1s has a smaller drive doesn't mean it'll have less bass. The Totem Arros are perfect examples of that: They have a dinky 4.5 main driver and they easily match the RS6s for bass depth, but due to the high quality of the driver its dispersion is far better. The same could be said about GB1is. If you like the DB1+ you'll love the GBs.

Another way of looking at it, and I know I'll get myself in trouble but... sometimes small speakers with huge drivers can sound either fabulous or over-bloated in the bass region. I've not heard the R300s yet, but it'll probably fall into one of those areas I suspect.

yes the gb1i are tempting indeed for $ 2000 but are located in another province so demo is out of the question , would the 60 watt per channel NAD bi amped be sufficient for gb1is at least for a year ? or so as i also plan to get a decent dac right now , limited resources...

cheers

 

[plastic penguin]

I don't think the GB1i will give you enough bass for your musics with their 5" 2 way system, GB1i is just a small & slim floorstander at 870mm height. I auditioned it earlier before I decided to go with ProAc 140 Mk2. No idea about the R300.

IMO the 140 Mk2 will satisfy your need or maybe the Monitor Audio RX8. I'm not saying the GB1i is not a good, actually it's a very nice sounding speakers but for me it's lack of attack & dynamic for my music. I'm listening to classic rock to extreme metal & blues also I love it LOUD :rockout:

Br, Dave

i know what you mean , you need bass quantity for rock n metal , but i find tight punchy bass for my kind of music, another thing i forgot to mention that i already own pmc db1 + but their a bit small for 20 by 18 feet room , how do you compare the gb1i with db1+ in terms of bass?

i owned the MA rx6 not fond of the monitor audio sound , lacks imaging and expanse of sound stage compared to pmc and kef.

which amp did you audition with the gb1is?

I'd be very surprised if the R300s had MORE bass than the GB1s. From what I've read about the R300s and personal experience with GB1s the PMCs will have a slight extended HF, thus should have improved detail.

What amp are you planning to use/have?

*EDIT* just noticed Nad amp. In that case I would suggest the PMCs would be more open, as according to many on here, the R300 have a warm character.

thanks for the reply plastic penguin

from what ive heard here on the forums and couple of other places that gb1i are pretty lean , considering the R300s are 3 way and have a 6.5 driver dont you think they would go deeper ? then again how much more compared to gb1is ? dont need house shaking bass though just good detail at low and medium volumes. I already own the db1+ love the sound , i think ill demo the R300s this weekend .

cheers

ps again any gb1i owners out there i would appreciate your opinios

No, just because GB1s has a smaller drive doesn't mean it'll have less bass. The Totem Arros are perfect examples of that: They have a dinky 4.5 main driver and they easily match the RS6s for bass depth, but due to the high quality of the driver its dispersion is far better. The same could be said about GB1is. If you like the DB1+ you'll love the GBs.

Another way of looking at it, and I know I'll get myself in trouble but... sometimes small speakers with huge drivers can sound either fabulous or over-bloated in the bass region. I've not heard the R300s yet, but it'll probably fall into one of those areas I suspect.

Would the 60 watt per channel NAD bi amped be sufficient for gb1is at least for a year ? or so as i also plan to get a decent dac right now , limited resources...

cheers

Yes. The PMCs are around 88-89db which makes them easy to drive. I had my old 40 watt Arcam playing the GB1s without trouble, sounded terrific. The Nad won't have a problem in that area.

Basically the GB1s are DB1s scaled up - slice the cabinet just below the bass driver and you have a DB1. They'll both have a common tonal balance but the GB1s producing greater scale and and bass grunt. That is a simplification, though...

Where did you read or hear the GB1s are lean? having heard both DBs and GBs I think it boils down to PMC's transmission line internals: The DBs have the rear port whereas the GBs have it at the front. I honestly believe this gives the speaker a flatter response right across the frequency range - or makes the floorstanders a little easier to position.

Good luck.