PMC Speakers Owner Thread

[petrik]

Fact 8's here.

I wasn't that happy with the 200/fact combo - it always felt a bit underwhelming to be honest.
Ok my room measures horribly but even with room correction DSP it was a bit lacking in bass attack and treble finesse in particular. I put a lot of that down to the 200.

The 250Pro is significantly better (and even more so now I've got basic Room Correction back), but it's made me wonder how much better they would be with more power - say a 440 or 1000. On paper they are fairly sensitive and don't need much power (I don't need much cranking of the volume to go loud) but the 200-250pro upgrade makes me think they'd benefit from more. Certainly when PMC discuss them, they recommend getting the higher power Bryston amps.

I think the facts look beautiful but I want something with more bass slam and a more forgiving treble. I also think they are designed for the higher end source, amps and room - and do very little to help you get an enjoyable sound. No doubt this is by design - they're meant to deliver what they're given - but I'd opt for something easier going next time. They've taken a while (over a year!) to dial in position-wise too, and I don't think they're as easy to place as PMC make out.

I've only done home demos on a couple of other things, and a few more in stores, but stuck with them for the time being to save money and partly because so many speakers look damn ugly in my opinion.  The PMCs don't exactly disappear in my lounge, but they're not an eyesore either. Aesthetically what I'd really like is a Wilson Sabrina in white, but at about a third of the cost - so far that hasn't materialised. When it does I'll probably change!

Ironically I probably would have changed to Phantoms, but I couldn't stand the Spark software and my shop demo wasnt glitch free. Also at the time I was enraged with Devialet (I've since calmed as AIR at least mostly works now after a two year wait) so that helped them lose the sale. If they ever become RoonReady I'd do another demo.

Have you ever heard Fact 12? They should have at least more bass, don't know about slam 

I have heard PMC twenty-series couple times in a store and every time I have liked how they sound like. They sound very exciting in my opinion and look pretty. Perhaps the best compliment for PMC's is that it's just so easy to enjoy from music with them (and forget the fact that you are listening some hifi equipment). Therefore I have been thinking about Fact 8 or 12 but the problem is that I have never heard the Facts. Has anyone done a comparison between Facts and twenty/twenty5 series? How do the Facts sound in comparison?

I have seen and heard Wilson Sabrina in a store, too. They actually look amazing, much better in reality than what we see in the pictures. The finishing is absolutely first class, I have never seen better. I am not sure about what to think about their sound. I heard them once with ASR amp and Linn Akurate DSM front end. They sounded impressive with some easy going vocal jazz but problems started with rock music. The listening room was relatively small and there were huge room modes ruining the bass. Probably that was the main reason why I wasn't particularly impressed by Sabrinas in the end. They definitely can produce a lot of bass, so room correction is probably needed in many smaller/non-dedicated listening rooms. I am not sure was the dealer using the Linn Space Optimization.

I have to agree on your point regarding the Spark. It ruins the Phantoms a bit. I have heard Phantoms Silvers and Golds few times but always got disappointed by the Spark. Phantoms can produce massive amount of bass but without any possibility doing a digital room correction is probably a deal breaker for many (it was for me). Moreover, my wife didn't like sound of the Golds, they sounded a bit dull and dark in her opinion. Music wasn't exciting anymore with the Golds. On the other hand, I can totally understand why many like sound of the Phantom Golds. They sound very relaxed and pleasant, and if one happens to like heavy bass that can reach down to 20 hz, then that's probably a dream speaker (if you can live with Spark)

Many times it's just a matter of preferences / personal taste, so audition is always recommended before buying any new hifi stuff.