PMC Twenty.21 vs B&W CM5 S2 with Naim UnitiLite

[plastic penguin]

Back on topic , other opinions on the B&W CM5 S2 vs PMC Twenty.21 ?

Nope. PMC and Naim is a sweet combo IMHO, but in your situation I would stick with speakers I'm familiar with... B&W, in your case.

 

[tonky]

I don't know the prices of any of these speakers. - Are the PMC and/or the CM5 s2 appreciably better sound per pound than the 685 s2?.

I use pre owned epos es14 speakers (100£ only including stands) with the unitilite and the music sounds lovely. I had the unitilite demoed through kef R300 - sounded great and that sold me on the unitilite. Had the unitilite on home demo and the epos es14 sounded very nice on the end of it.

Keep the 685 s2 ?

tonky

 

[ErwinC]

I don't know the prices of any of these speakers. - Are the PMC and/or the CM5 s2 appreciably better sound per pound than the 685 s2?.

Both the B&W CM5 S2 and the PMC Twenty.21 are much better than the B&W 685 S2 imo.

Sound per pound i don' know.

 

[ErwinC]

After much listening i bought a pair of PMC Twenty.21. *yahoo*

 

[Electro]

After much listening i bought a pair of PMC Twenty.21. *yahoo*

They would have been my choice too, enjoy all that wonderful music ! *i-m_so_happy*

 

[bluedroog]

I think you made the right choice, the 20 range are excellent and a class above the B&W CM series without doubt IMO. I demoed the 22’s, there was something about the cohesion between the frequencies which didn’t work in the room I heard them but the things they did well they did really well: detail, airy, fast and such an open sound, I hope you get years of enjoyment from them, I am sure you will.

 

[gowiththeflow]

You have the assurance that your new PMC's will be a matched pair and have been individually tested before despatch from the factory.

A few of the "big producers" don't go through this process and it is known that different pairs can sound different from other identical pairs of the same speaker model.

There's also the 20 year PMC warranty to consider.

.

 

[ErwinC]

There's also the 20 year PMC warranty to consider.

Indeed, i just finished the registration.

 

[nopiano]

Congratulations! A great choice. Happy listening!

 

[Reijer]

Congrats on your new speakers. Have fun with them.

 

[ErwinC]

Thanks everybody!

The combination Naim - PMC is indeed a good combination.

 

[tonky]

I never realised the price of the PMC twenty21 speakers (1500£) earlier on. Undoubtedly high quality (and high price) with excellent reviews. It is indeed impressive that the unitilite copes well and seems a good match for these speakers. I had the Unitilite demoed with kef r300 - sounded very nice - but I have kept my Epos es14 after demoing the Unitilite at home. They seem a very good match - after the financial hit of the Unitilite it's just as well I don't have any urge to upgrade the speakers.

The unitilite (I find) is good for lower volume listening as well as its other musical strengths. Just one question though - Does the Unitilite cope well with the PMC's relatively low inefficiency?

Cheers tonky

 

[ErwinC]

Just one question though - Does the Unitilite cope well with the PMC's relatively low inefficiency?

Cheers tonky

I have not yet tested it, but i don't have any problem playing loud enough.

I have the impression that it copes quite well with the PMC Twenty.21. The B&W 685 S2 played louder at the same volume setting.

 

[tonky]

Great stuff - it's nice to know. Plenty to enjoy

tonky

 

[Dommer]

Hi EewinC, I have a unitQute and Nap100 and am thinking of getting the PMC 21s as in upgrade to my KEF R100s. I really like the KEFs but find that I mostly listen to music in the evenings and at low levels. Just wanted to hear how you're getting on with your new setup and if the 21s sound great at low as well as mid level volumes. Not sure if it's the same for the unitiLite, but I tend to have my Qute's volume set between 26-32 occasionally go as loud as 42.

thanks.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi EewinC, I have a unitQute and Nap100 and am thinking of getting the PMC 21s as in upgrade to my KEF R100s. I really like the KEFs but find that I mostly listen to music in the evenings and at low levels. Just wanted to hear how you're getting on with your new setup and if the 21s sound great at low as well as mid level volumes. Not sure if it's the same for the unitiLite, but I tend to have my Qute's volume set between 26-32 occasionally go as loud as 42.

thanks.

hey - try to also audition KEF LS50 and Martin Logan Motion 35XT (or Motion 15)

 

[ErwinC]

Hi EewinC, I have a unitQute and Nap100 and am thinking of getting the PMC 21s as in upgrade to my KEF R100s. I really like the KEFs but find that I mostly listen to music in the evenings and at low levels. Just wanted to hear how you're getting on with your new setup and if the 21s sound great at low as well as mid level volumes. Not sure if it's the same for the unitiLite, but I tend to have my Qute's volume set between 26-32 occasionally go as loud as 42.

thanks.

I also listen most of the time at low to mid levels. My UnitLite's volume is mostly set between 20 and 30 and max at 40.

The sound at these levels is still very good, better than most other speakers i owned before (KEF LS50, B&W CM5 S1, Proac Tablette REf 8 Sig, Dynaudio Focus 110, ...).

I think the combination of my Naim UnitiLite with the PMC Twenty.21 is really great and the PMC speakers are by far the best speakers i ever owned imo.

 

[Dommer]

Thanks for your post ErwinC. I've now got the PMC.21s on home demo. Only problem is they were brand new and will take some time to burn in. I've been playing them for a few days now, but still can't make up my mind if i should buy the PCMs or stay with the KEFs. The 21s are more detailed and have a wider soundstage which I do like, but the KEF R100s have deeper bass and better timing making the music just more enjoyable.

 

[tonky]

I heard the unitilite demoed with Kef R300 - sounded very good.

tonky

 

[Dommer]

So after a week of running in the PMC Twenty21s I finally returned them. They were just a tad too bright for my taste and with not enough in the low end. But while returning the PMCs I picked up a pair of the LS50s to see if I'd preffer them over the R100s. And sure enough, these I like much better. The LS50s have that low end fullness, even deeper than the R100s, but have much more clarity and are not too bright either. I'm not saying the 21s were bad speakers (maybe they do need a long time to run in) but as soon as I hooked up the LS50s to the NAP100 I know these would be it. Mind you they're only sitting on bookshelves at the moment, which I know is not ideal placement. But once I do find the space, I will be putting them on stands.

 

[CnoEvil]

So after a week of running in the PMC Twenty21s I finally returned them. They were just a tad too bright for my taste and with not enough in the low end. But while returning the PMCs I picked up a pair of the LS50s to see if I'd preffer them over the R100s. And sure enough, these I like much better. The LS50s have that low end fullness, even deeper than the R100s, but have much more clarity and are not too bright either. I'm not saying the 21s were bad speakers (maybe they do need a long time to run in) but as soon as I hooked up the LS50s to the NAP100 I know these would be it. Mind you they're only sitting on bookshelves at the moment, which I know is not ideal placement. But once I do find the space, I will be putting them on stands.

It bodes well if you like them in that position.....Use well built stands and 3/4 fill them with kiln dried sand, then blu-tak them onto the top plates. Try to get the tweeter near ear height when seated. This should make quite a difference.

If the floor is a suspended wooden one, you will need to isolate them from it....Granite worktop savers often help.

 

[steve_1979]

Nice looking system and room. *dirol*

 

[tonky]

I really like them. Would you mind telling me where you got them from and how much - thank you. (also brand name if poss) -

Let's be honest - Kef R100 - Kef R300 Kef LS50 - PMC21 (not heard). All great speakers I suppose it's just small differences and a matter of mucical taste allied with speaker positioning. One of the Unitilite strengths is its low level music playing abilities.

Cheers tonky

 

[Dommer]

Thanks guys, I do whish I could put these speakers on stands right now, but for the moment it's not possible, as I have two young kids running around the lounge and it would be a disaster if a speaker was to be knocked over. I'm even paranoid about the LS50s not having a speaker grill, but I guess I'll have to chance it. What I am thinking of however, is to have a pair of stands on hand to put the KEFs onto when my children are away or once asleep.

Tonky, those are just simple cheap units (from that Swedish furniture store), which I'm actually thinking of replacing for something that will give me more space to have the LS50s on stands 😉

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks guys, I do whish I could put these speakers on stands right now, but for the moment it's not possible, as I have two young kids running around the lounge and it would be a disaster if a speaker was to be knocked over. I'm even paranoid about the LS50s not having a speaker grill, but I guess I'll have to chance it. What I am thinking of however, is to have a pair of stands on hand to put the KEFs onto when my children are away or once asleep.

Tonky, those are just simple cheap units (from that Swedish furniture store), which I'm actually thinking of replacing for something that will give me more space to have the LS50s on stands 😉

If you want to make them very stable on stands - Instead of using the spikes, Blu-tak the bottom of the stand to some Granite (I use 2 Granite Worktop Savers under each stand, bought on offer for £8 each). The Blu-Tak under the speaker stops it sliding off.