Smooth sounding speakers?

Lowe

Lowe

Lowe

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
6,223
Location
Newcastle Under Lyme
Not sure what Dynaudio use - but I know PMC use custom designed tweeters manufactured by SEAS. Old PMC's had metal dome tweeters, but they moved over to soft domes some time ago. One thing about PMC is that they are not fatiguing. I use them most days professionally for hours at a time without my ears bleeding. ;)
 

NirK

NirK

NirK

Soldato
OP
Joined
22 Jun 2012
Posts
3,732
Location
UK
They do look sweet but I really cannot afford that amount.. Maybe when I get a better job... :(

I like how the PMC have a crossover at 4khz as well, that probably makes them a lot less fatiguing...

So at a lower cost my current options are QUAD and Dynaudio? Any other ideas I could demo?
 

Lowe

Lowe

Lowe

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
6,223
Location
Newcastle Under Lyme
Not all PMC's cross at that point. The 3-way designs do, the 2-ways are generally 1.8 or 2kHz (depending on the range). They don't have to cost bonkers money either, at the moment the iSeries range are appearing more and more on the secondhand market as people swap to the new Twenty range.
 

Jano

Jano

Jano

Associate
Joined
31 Mar 2009
Posts
2,383
Location
Basingstoke, UK
Listen to Lowe, he's already converted me, and others to the way of PMC. I've had my DB1i's almost a year now, they always amaze me, and several members of my family are looking into PMC's for their next upgrade, and I'm looking higher up the product line for my next purchase. They really are like pringles ;)

All I can say is don't discount the DB1i's due to their size, or lack of. If you can find some at a price you can stretch too, they are absolutely stunning. I actually know of some TB2i's going ex-demo, but they are at £800 so a bit out of your range.
 

phill1978

phill1978

phill1978

Associate
Joined
5 Sep 2009
Posts
1,225
i cant say much regards to the 602's as i have CDM NT's but my B&W are dammed hard to drive and are fairly flat tonally with amazing definition in both the mid and high frequencies.

your NAD amp i noticed is 50wpc. My B&W liked to get going with outputs over a genuine 80wpc i have found and really start to feel solid with 120WPC + !

if you run any demanding speaker with less power it doesn't get muffled it actually gets brighter and thinner
 

9designs2

9designs2

9designs2

Soldato
Joined
5 Jan 2003
Posts
3,517
Location
Somewhere in the middle
Using published WPS spec is meaningless guide how well an amp will or can drive a speaker, it has no effect on quality or how they will sound. Nad have traditionally been better driving difficult loads than sum, due to there healthy power supplies and soft clipping circuits.

I'd look to get a good quality DAC/Source and speakers that suit the individuals taste.
There is always better, so sure buy new new source, amp and speakers !!!! but the OP doesn't have that budget.
 

NirK

NirK

NirK

Soldato
OP
Joined
22 Jun 2012
Posts
3,732
Location
UK
phill1978 said:
i cant say much regards to the 602's as i have CDM NT's but my B&W are dammed hard to drive and are fairly flat tonally with amazing definition in both the mid and high frequencies.

your NAD amp i noticed is 50wpc. My B&W liked to get going with outputs over a genuine 80wpc i have found and really start to feel solid with 120WPC + !

if you run any demanding speaker with less power it doesn't get muffled it actually gets brighter and thinner
Click to expand...

Hmmm not sure about that.... Anyway the NAD is published at 50WPC but NAD are very conservative and it is probably as powerfull as some other brands which publish 80WPC... They can put out up to 200w dynamic power for short bursts....

I don't see why having a huge wattage amp would make any difference to the treble when they have 90db sensitivity so they only need 1watt to play at that volume... Maybe it would effect the bass/midrange a bit a high volumes....

Anyway I am happy with the amplifier (never goes past about 35% on the volume knob, too loud) but I am definately looking to change the DAC and the speakers... I think I will move away from B&W because they are a bit bright although I do like them overall I would like a more refined treble because the sibilance spoils an otherwise good speaker quite a bit imo...

For a DAC I am not sure what to get either... Any suggestions? Again I want SMOOTH TREBLE.. that is my main priority, high quality treble with no sibilance... Sibilance really annoys me! I was thinking maybe :

DAC -
Schiit Bifrost DAC
Arcam rdac (good but bass is not very good)

Speakers -
PMC - maybe the PMC DB1S as they are only ones I could afford + a subwoofer?
Dynaudio - Audience 52se maybe
quad - 12l2

ANY OTHER IDEAS FOR SPEAKERS / DACS?
 
Last edited:

NirK

NirK

NirK

Soldato
OP
Joined
22 Jun 2012
Posts
3,732
Location
UK
Hmm well I would like as much or more bass than my current 602s3, which have 7" drivers and a big cabinet so I doubt that those OMC with 5.5" drivers and small cabinet can do as much bass unless they are magic speakers! The DM 2/7 did not have enough bass either... I don't mind though because I would just get a sub as well.
 

Jano

Jano

Jano

Associate
Joined
31 Mar 2009
Posts
2,383
Location
Basingstoke, UK
They are ATL speakers -

PMC uses "Advanced Transmission Line" technology in all of their loudspeakers. This is a means of loading a drive unit in a cabinet in such a way as to absorb the unwanted frequencies that radiate from the rear of the speaker driver. The speaker is mounted at the end of a folded line within the cabinet, which is lined with foam of varying absorbency. The lowest frequencies are allowed to pass through the line and emerge in phase from a vent on the front or rear face of the cabinet, in effect acting as a second bass driver. By absorbing the unwanted bass frequencies, the upper bass and midrange are not masked by harmonic distortion.
The ATL design enables the speakers to produce higher sound pressure levels and deeper bass extension than is possible with similar sized speakers using either ported or sealed cabinets.[citation needed] The speakers can also be played at lower volumes without any loss of frequency response.[7]
 

9designs2

9designs2

9designs2

Soldato
Joined
5 Jan 2003
Posts
3,517
Location
Somewhere in the middle
There are some larger TB2's and some floor standing FB1 on auction both for 550 quid... Both will give extra bass, plus they all use "magic" cabinets with ATL :) ....
Also pair of Dynaudio 52, 350 quid if you don't mind a little bit of damage on a cabinet corner.

Just use a sub for movies, none of them will need it for music.
 

NirK

NirK

NirK

Soldato
OP
Joined
22 Jun 2012
Posts
3,732
Location
UK
Most of the time I use headphones for music because of the neighbours, these are mainly for films and TV use and occasional music. Does the ATL really make a big difference to bass response then? A 5.5" ATL driver can go as low as a 6.5" with bass reflex?

PMC site says "Frequency Response: 50Hz-25kHk" - pretty good for a 5.5" driver actually but the DM602s3 go down to 37hz
 
Last edited:

NirK

NirK

NirK

Soldato
OP
Joined
22 Jun 2012
Posts
3,732
Location
UK
I think I might try another pair of Dynaudio such as the Audience 52SE...

Are the Dynaudio and PMC similar sounding? Which out of the two is smoother or are they similar?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom