Spendor A6 or PMC OB1i ?

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I currently have:

CD8X (PSX-R)
PreVs2 (PSX-R)
X - Power
Spendor S5E

I like the Spendors but would prefer a little more attack as well as a punchier, deeper bass.
I do intend long term to upgrade to XTSE/DACXP/Mono X level so would like a speaker that won't be overwhelmed by this sort of set up.

Now, before you start shouting at your screen, I do plan to demo each speaker but would like your initial thoughts, particularly those of you who have heard either/both these speakers.
So.....Spendor A6 or PMC OB1i ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

With those amps I'd be thinking FB1i rather than the Obi Wan Kenobe i

 

[Anonymous]

Hi stewartc last friday I demo'd cyrus 8cdse prevs2 and 8 power with both S5e and Pmc's Gb1i's and the pmc's wiped the floor with the spendors.Better base,more controlled and much more musical. I played Eric Bibb,Eva Cassidy Santana and Queen all were better with the Gb1i's.Enjoy your demo Nick.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys.

Andrew - do your comments stand even when pairing the OB1i with the DACXP/ Dual Mono X setup I mentioned ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yup. I think the FB1is will be more than adequate for that set-up.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:With those amps I'd be thinking FB1i rather than the Obi Wan Kenobe i

...but the perfect excuse to upgrade to the MonoX...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, i've heard the A6's, they were nice. Hanging off till i listen to the proac d18, heard they very nice.

 

[Anonymous]

What make or level of amp quality, apart from the obvious Bryston choice, would best suit the OB1i's?

Thanks

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well I run mine off an Onkyo TX-SR875.

(Oh, with a pair of MF 550k Superchargers inbetween)

 

[Anonymous]

Ah! I might just be a little underpowered with a 140Wpc Z7 then, even with the OB1's bi-amped

Had a quick search for the MF 550k's and they look like a great piece of kit; I didn't realise such things existed as I'm new to the game. I guess I need to look at more amplification as my first upgrade when funds allow. Many thanks for your answer

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:
Well I run mine off an Onkyo TX-SR875.

(Oh, with a pair of MF 550k Superchargers inbetween)

Andrew how well do you think the Arcam AVR600 would run the PMC OB1i speakers? Heard them at the demo last weekend and thought they were fantastic, but as you've thrown an enormous amount of watts at them, are you of the opinion that like an old Bentley, these speakers benefit from being powered by a giant engine?

Cheers.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

The AVR600 will be fine with the OB1i's. Although they can handle the power they do not actually require loads of juice to perform. They sound great on the end of the Z7 and we have matched them with 100w Exposure amplifiers as well as similarly powered Marantz amplification with superb results.

Nick

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Nick.

The other speakers I like the look of are the Dali Helicon 400 MkII. I don't suppose you've had a chance to compare and contrast with the PMC? Andrew, do you have any thoughts here? They are a bit more expensive than the OB1i so perhaps going too far with an AVR600?

Andrew, you felt the FB1i would be suitable for the AVR600 I believe. Are the OB1i or for that matter the Helicons, a step too far?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Haven't done too much listening to the AVR600 - currently running the OB1s off the end of a NaimUniti! - but I think it should be up to the job of driving the PMCs.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

We have the Helicons and the PMC here and compare them all the time.

The FB1 to OB1 jump is really obvious and a quick demonstration will show you the merits of the larger speaker. Compared to the Helicons the PMCs are very close. I would need to hear it first hand with the Arcam ( we are not a stockist) to judge if the pairing worked though - I imagine they will. In surround sound the Helicons are superb ( the centre and sub in particular are amazing ) but at this level and above it is personal taste and you room will play an important part in the overall result.

Nick

 

[Anonymous]

TheHomeCinemaCentre:
We have the Helicons and the PMC here and compare them all the time.

The FB1 to OB1 jump is really obvious and a quick demonstration will show you the merits of the larger speaker. Compared to the Helicons the PMCs are very close. I would need to hear it first hand with the Arcam ( we are not a stockist) to judge if the pairing worked though - I imagine they will. In surround sound the Helicons are superb ( the centre and sub in particular are amazing ) but at this level and above it is personal taste and you room will play an important part in the overall result.

Nick

Very helpful post, very unhelpful that I'm in London and you're in Edinburgh! Otherwise I'd pop in! Thanks nonetheless!

Please do say if you think any other makes, at that level (£3,500 - £4,500 a pair) should be on the list to consider. Cheers.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

Will Harris:TheHomeCinemaCentre:

We have the Helicons and the PMC here and compare them all the time.

The FB1 to OB1 jump is really obvious and a quick demonstration will show you the merits of the larger speaker. Compared to the Helicons the PMCs are very close. I would need to hear it first hand with the Arcam ( we are not a stockist) to judge if the pairing worked though - I imagine they will. In surround sound the Helicons are superb ( the centre and sub in particular are amazing ) but at this level and above it is personal taste and you room will play an important part in the overall result.

Nick

Very helpful post, very unhelpful that I'm in London and you're in Edinburgh! Otherwise I'd pop in! Thanks nonetheless! Please do say if you think any other makes, at that level (£3,500 - £4,500 a pair) should be on the list to consider. Cheers.

We are but a train/plane ride away if you fancy the trip. We have plenty of customers in London.

At £4k you could listen to some of the Kef Reference speakers. We have them in store at the moment and hope to do some comparisons with the PMC's and Dali's later this week.

Nick

 

[mikeinbrum]

The Helicon mk. 1s are available at big discounts- around £2.5k still with full manufacturer warranty etc. Could be worth a look with the spare cash getting lots of lovely music to play on them!

 

[Anonymous]

TheHomeCinemaCentre:Will Harris:TheHomeCinemaCentre:

We have the Helicons and the PMC here and compare them all the time.

The FB1 to OB1 jump is really obvious and a quick demonstration will show you the merits of the larger speaker. Compared to the Helicons the PMCs are very close. I would need to hear it first hand with the Arcam ( we are not a stockist) to judge if the pairing worked though - I imagine they will. In surround sound the Helicons are superb ( the centre and sub in particular are amazing ) but at this level and above it is personal taste and you room will play an important part in the overall result.

Nick

Very helpful post, very unhelpful that I'm in London and you're in Edinburgh! Otherwise I'd pop in! Thanks nonetheless! Please do say if you think any other makes, at that level (£3,500 - £4,500 a pair) should be on the list to consider. Cheers.

We are but a train/plane ride away if you fancy the trip. We have plenty of customers in London.

At £4k you could listen to some of the Kef Reference speakers. We have them in store at the moment and hope to do some comparisons with the PMC's and Dali's later this week.

Nick

Perfectly fair point, and if I'm back up in Edinburgh I'll certainly pay you a visit. But not likely in the near term.

Thanks for the suggestion of the KEFs, but I've never thought much of KEF's floorstanders, just don't like the design or the finish. I'm sure it's just psychological. But I have PMC and Dali in higher bracket in my mind.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Other than the PMC's and Dali's, there's also the KEF Reference 205/2's, the Proac Response D28/D38's, and the soon to be released MA Platinum PL200's. I'd also throw ATC into the equation, but they need a little more juice than an AVR300 can provide, and you'd be looking at the SCM20's, which may seem a little insubsantial compared to some of the models mentioned. Because of this, you'd probably be looking more to the SCM50's, but they're going to be another step up the ladder regarding price.

If you heard the KEF Reference room at the Bristol Show, you'd know just how good these spaekers can be with AV, and the Proacs I tend to prefer to the PMC's as they seem a little more evenly balanced. But all these speakers are so different, a demonstration is a must.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd consider ProAc with PMC and Dali, but not a fan of the design of the others mentioned. The ProAc are the least attractive of the three, very boxy, but in the end I guess it's the sound that matters most. Do you have demonstration examples of each? Would be worth a weekend visit one day if you do.

Be an AVR600 powering them. Should be powerful and clean enough. (I hope!)

 

[Frank Harvey]

We have the Spendor A6's, the OB1i's and the D28's. We've had the Helicons here before, so won't be a problem to get hold of them again. We've also had the D38's several times before, and again, won't be a problem to get hold of them.

We had the AVR600 running KEF Reference for our KEF/Arcam musical evening last November. It ran them pretty hard for about 5 hours quite happily without any problems. I'd say it was the only one box amp under £5k that can drive these sorts of speakers properly.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew -

How does the OB1 sound with the Uniti? I'm am thinking of getting the OB1i or Fact8 now.

James