Speaker change advice

[amro200]

Hi all:

This is my first post here, am looking to replace my SCM11s with some floorstanding speakers, am after more bass and hopefully more exciting sound on high end also, i listen to almost all types of music (Rock, RnB, Reggae, Pop, Electronics, funk) except classical and jazz which currently sounds great with my ATCs, my room is 5X4 m, and the gear is cyrus:

CDP: 6SE

Amp: Prexpd+xpower

Speaker cable: Chord Carnival silver

Interconnects: Audioquest

Speakers: ATC SCM11

My final candidates are the below two speakers, as per what i heard/read they are a good match with cyrus and their sound characteristics suits me:

1- PMC FB1i: ATL should give a good bass but worried the xpower might not have enough grunt to drive them, as those are always partnered with Bryston amps

2- Dynaudio X32: A lot of people thinks Dynaudio makes good match with cyrus.

I know auditioning will be the best way to choose speakers by I don't have this option now, hifi support is very limited in here, and those might be ordered blindly to be delivered here or i might flight abroad to audition the x32 but no possibility for PMCs.

what do you guys think? any ideas/thoughts or experience will be very much appreciated.

 

[Electro]

Your Prexpd+xpower will drive a pair of PMC FB1i 's easily because they are very efficient at 90dB 1w 1m and according to the PMC website they are a very easy 8 ohm load too so you will have no problem at all .

This combination should sound very good and fill your room quite easily with a large scale sound from top to bottom .

Another advantage of the PMC ATL is that the frequency response remains the same at all listening levels so even when listening at quiet late night listening levels you still get proportionate amounts of bass , it does not disappear like it does with most speakers .

The FB1i is a fantastic speaker I love them and at the price there is very little that comes close in my opinion .

I can't really comment on the Dynaudio X32 because I have not heard them but looking at the spec they are less efficient at 87 db 1W 1M and a more difficult load to drive at 4 ohms and don't go as low in the bass , they have a frequency response of 37hz to 23khz , as compared to the FB1i frequency response of 28hz to 25khz .

And in my opinion there is nothing as good as transmission line speaker for bass for depth , power and lack of distortion !

Hope this helps .

 

[stephennic]

Hi amro200,

I would go with electro advice he knows about the PMC speakers.

Hi electro great to see you on the forum.

Cheers

Steve.

 

[gregvet]

You won't go wrong with the pmc's. They go great with Cyrus too and the x power will drive them beautifully.

They are great speakers, I love mine. They only get demoed with bryston because the two companies are affiliated (IIUC).

Nothing against the dynaudios, as I haven't heard that model, but whenever I have demoed dynaudios they haven't grabbed me. I get the impression that they may be fussy with regard to positioning and partnering equipment. PMC are very flexible in this regard.

 

[Electro]

Hi amro200,

I would go with electro advice he knows about the PMC speakers.

Hi electro great to see you on the forum.

Cheers

Steve.

:wave:

 

[Frank Harvey]

The only issue you may have is that after getting used to the SCM11's, you might find your two choices a little too bassy. The Dynaudios generally tend to be a little bassy and like some space, while you should find the bass of the PMC's a little more even and reach a little deeper thanks to their transmission line design.

If you do find them a little too bassy, try PMC's Twenty.23. This will outperform the FB1i's as far as treble and midrange is concerned. The bass won't be as in your face, but it's all there.

Whilst at this price point, I can't help thinking that you should also try the KEF R700's. Their bass performance is pretty stunning, and along with the Twenty.23's, seem to be the cream of the crop at around the £2k mark as far as I'm concerned.

I know you're limited with auditioning, but a demo of those mentioned is highly recommended.

 

[amro200]

Thanks for the advice guys, @ Electro: that was scientific, very well organized thoughts and helpful information.

@gregvet: what equipment do you pair the FB1i with and how do you find the sound?

@David: i auditioned all the available speakers here: B&W, Sonus Faber, Focal (only profile series) but all didn't suite my ears or my equipment,

Dynaudio is very popular among Cyrus users and i really have no issues with positioning speaker wherever they sound better,

Am only used to ATCs in terms of tight agile and controlled bass though they are a little bass shy being closed boxes, so am ok with more bass as long as its controlled,

Am also planning to upgrade the system by adding a second xpower in some point after sorting the speakers issue and getting used to the sound, hence expecting further improvement for whatever set i go for.

In some point I was also considering the OB1i, are they overkill for my room size (4X5m) and equipment?

 

[gregvet]

@gregvet: what equipment do you pair the FB1i with and how do you find the sound?

My source is sonos or bluray, then an arcam av9/p7 combo biamping the FB1i's (they are in my five channel setup, not purely stereo). I biamp them because I had two spare channels of amplification, not because they need it to sound good. There is a real synergy in the system IMO. What I really like about the pmc's is the integration all the way from the lowest frequencies to the top end. They can be laid back or hard hitting depending on what you are playing on them, and the amp of course. They are never tiring or bright, but still detailed.

My second system includes a Cyrus 8xpdqx tho, and I have tried this amp with the pmc's too. It drives them really well and sounds great. If the PMC system was purely two channel I would probably be using Cyrus instead of arcam.

In some point I was also considering the OB1i, are they overkill for my room size (4X5m) and equipment?

If you have room to have them 30cm from the back wall, and 60cm from the side walls, then you might get away with the ob1's. I doubt you need them tho! I believe they are no more demanding than the fb1i's so you could give them a go.

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

my room size (4X5m)

for such a small room and at that price point I'd be looking at Focus 160, if I were considering Dynaudios. trust me. they'll deliver more than enough low end. I used to have Focus 110 in a similar room and never thought they were bass shy. BTW; Dyns like space so you'll need to place them into the room.

Am only used to ATCs in terms of tight agile and controlled bass though they are a little bass shy being closed boxes, so am ok with more bass as long as its controlled,

if you're after more bass weight then you'll be OK with both brands, I guess (never heard PMCs). but if you also want more bass definition you might be disappointed. I'm using planar speakers now for a few months and they still surprise me in terms of bass resolution. bass supporting "holes" of any kind are simply too slow.

 

[amro200]

my room size (4X5m)

for such a small room and at that price point I'd be looking at Focus 160, if I were considering Dynaudios. trust me. they'll deliver more than enough low end. I used to have Focus 110 in a similar room and never thought they were bass shy. BTW; Dyns like space so you'll need to place them into the room.

to be honest the Focus 160 is very appealing option to me speacialy after hearing so many people happy with the synergy with cyrus, do you guys see/hear big difference between Excite and Focus series?

 

[poldo]

You don't big speakers in 20m2 room, try a good standmount speaker or small floorstander. Audiovector Ki3 / Si3 serie is very good. The new PMC serie too.

 

[amro200]

You don't big speakers in 20m2 room, try a good standmount speaker or small floorstander. Audiovector Ki3 / Si3 serie is very good. The new PMC serie too.

am interested in PMCs. are you refering to the new Twenty series?

 

[NHL]

I actually listened to transmission line speakers at a party! Very involving bass! Only problem was that the bass sounded kind of alike on all the various music (compared to ordinary speakers)!