PMC owners thread

[admin_exported]

I noticed this works well on other sites so thought it was time to get the ball rolling and get all pmc owners together to share there views on everything PMC.

we all know bryston amps are well suited to PMC speakers but are there other amps out there that quite simply blow you away, let us know.

 

[chebby]

I have heard Naim kit playing very well with the PMC DB1is and GB1is.

 

[John Duncan]

I used to own PMCs, and may very well again. Can I play?

 

[Anonymous]

the more the merrier

 

[Anonymous]

my rega gear sounds good with the pmc's but i have also heard arcam are meant to pair nicely with pmc's, anyone heard this? i have noticed alot of the fmj range are now starting to be reduced in price, is there a new amp on the horizon from arcam?

 

[caddyhound]

I run mine with a Primare A30.5 but auditioned them with the 2 channel equivalent.They sounded great with both - not surprisingly as the Primares have a monoblock for each channel.

 

[Dan Turner]

I used to have a pair of PMC TB2+s, which served me very well for about 8 years (started in life as 2s and were upgraded to 2+s after about 6 years).

Initially I had them driven off an Arcam A32 (good) then A32+P35 (better) then Creek OBH12 pre and Arcam P35+P38 powers amps (very good). I only really heard them at their best when I got my Naim SuperNait on the end of which they really rocked. However unfortunately for them that made them the limiting factor and I upgraded to my current Neats.

I still have a soft spot for PMCs though and if I'm ever after speakers in the future and PMC have something in the price range I'm looking at then they'll definitely be on the shortlist.

 

[Anonymous]

PMC DB1i with bi-amp cyrus 8vs2 and xpower sounds good to my ears.

 

[Dan Turner]

Brisk:PMC DB1i with bi-amp cyrus 8vs2 and xpower sounds good to my ears.

I think that PMCs are well engineered, very good speakers, but in terms of character they are a little laid back in the midrange and although they are unlikley to sound bad whatever kit you stick them on the end of, this balance can stray in to the recessed when partnered with similarly laid-back electronics.

It makes sense that they would work particularly well on the end of something with a slightly more forward balance like the Cyrus.

 

[drummerman]

I think AE/moderator/contributor here uses PMC and Naim. He can be a little shy talking about his system though so you may have to coax him out of his shell ...

 

[MattSPL]

PMC & Krell are a match made in Heaven.I used to own a pair of PMC IB1's and a Krell FPB200 power amp.

This combination had seemingly limitless volume and bass potential.I like to listen very loud sometimes, like a live event or night club. And i NEVER reached the limits of the either the Krell power amp or the hugely capable bass driver of the IB1's.

No matter what music i played, even punishing drum & Bass, the Krell never lost control of the IB1's bass driver.

I had a Krell Kav300iL integrated amp driving the PMC's first. This combination was very good but the integrated is only rated down to 4ohm(400w) and weighed 15kg.

The FPB200 is an entirely different beast rated also at 400w @ 4ohm's, but stable at 2ohm's producing 800watts and weighed a back breaking 45kg. The 4ohm nominal PMC's needed this grunt to shine.

 

[Singslinger]

I use a pair of PMC DB1i speakers with my Naim Uniti (as per What Hifi's recommendation) and am extremely satisfied with the results.

Cables are Naim NAC A5 and the system is in my study, so listening is close range and volume levels rarely exceed 38-42 on the Uniti (max is 100).

My only reservation is that PMC's cabinet finish isn't quite as good as others in the same league, like Spendor or ProAc.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Here is one for PMC fans:

http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/498035.aspx

 

[JohnnyV111]

The 3 grand Brystons are a bit out of my price range, so I've been using a Quad 520 with my FB1s and it sounds superb - cost around £220 from eBay plus another £100 for Quad to overhaul it. I'm using an SM passive monitor controller as a pre...I've never managed to get the system to hiss or distort - not one bit despite playing abrasive gabber and industrial music at true earbleed levels for sustain periods, and cranking it much further when idling just gives more gorgeously black silence. It isn't pretty, though, so probably not one for the living room.

 

[chebby]

JohnnyV111:I've been using a Quad 520 with my FB1s and it sounds superb - cost around £220 from eBay plus another £100 for Quad to overhaul it

Sorry to go a bit off-topic.

I wasn't aware 'Quad' still offered this service since becoming part of the IAG group. Did you have this overhaul done a long time ago?

 

[JohnnyV111]

chebby:
JohnnyV111:I've been using a Quad 520 with my FB1s and it sounds superb - cost around £220 from eBay plus another £100 for Quad to overhaul it

Sorry to go a bit off-topic.

I wasn't aware 'Quad' still offered this service since becoming part of the IAG group. Did you have this overhaul done a long time ago?

It was getting on for two years ago, but they were part of IAG. One of the channels had a slight buzz on it which they fixed and I asked them to give the unit a going over at the same time and it came back perfect...whether this constitutes an overhaul or not I'm not really sure, come to think of it.

 

[chebby]

Good to hear that.

I thought the 'old Quad' promise - to service anything they had ever made - would have ceased to exist after the change of ownership.

 

[plastic penguin]

THESTIG08:

I noticed this works well on other sites so thought it was time to get the ball rolling and get all pmc owners together to share there views on everything PMC.

we all know bryston amps are well suited to PMC speakers but are there other amps out there that quite simply blow you away, let us know.

I'm a potential PMC owner. On the (very) few occasions I've heard them, with my old Arcam A65 and with Naim Nait 5i, they were very impressive. There not hot favourites yet, but certainly on my short list to partner the Leema.

 

[ID.]

Took delivery of my DB1i's today. Sounding good out of the box. A different kettle of fish to my B&W 685s which I still think are great speakers for the price and have fantastic scale (which was unfortunately a bit much for my living room).

Now I'm enjoying the speed imaging detail of my box-fresh dinky boxes and my setup sounds great without dominating the living room, but gee the speakers make my old stands look small.

 

[Anonymous]

ID.:
Took delivery of my DB1i's today. Sounding good out of the box. A different kettle of fish to my B&W 685s which I still think are great speakers for the price and have fantastic scale (which was unfortunately a bit much for my living room).

Now I'm enjoying the speed imaging detail of my box-fresh dinky boxes and my setup sounds great without dominating the living room, but gee the speakers make my old stands look small.

Just give them a while to sound their best. I think it took around 150h to get them sounding how they did in the demo at home. Best thing about them IMO is the midrange, so much better than speakers I've owned before.

 

[Chewy]

I know this thread is in the hi-fi forum, but given that it only titled 'PMC Owners Thread' I thought I'd ask the question . . . does anyone have any experinece with PMC as home cinema speakers (i.e. in 5.1 or 7.1 set-up)? How to they compare to other brands at the same price point? Or are they better suited to stereo set-ups only?

 

[Gusboll]

IMO Cyrus is well suited to PMC as per my set-up below.... Love 'em!

 

[Anonymous]

PMC are fantastic at surround sound!

...although for me only front left right and centre

 

[CnoEvil]

PMC are fantastic at surround sound!

...although for me only front left right and centre

Particularly when paired with an Arcam AVR600