The Perfect Bookshelf Speaker!? They'd like to believe that they are PMC Prodigy 1 Review
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So PMC Prodigy 1’s, Sonus Faber Lumina II Amators, or are one of your sub $1000 picks good enough?
@@richgrao prodigy if you like more bass thump. Both great. Think the SF have them in midrange quality and top end clarity but they’re both awesome
Pmc are awesome. Transmission line is one of the best bass augmentation methods. Sealed and ported sound boxy to me. Tl sounds immediate and open... almost live sounding xx
Excellent stuff - I am a big fan of transmission line speakers! They apparently make their own drivers: LF PMC 5.25”/133mm natural fibre long-throw LT™ HF PMC 27mm /1” soft dome
Fantastic sounding 2 way speakers. Heard them at Toronto Audiofest and really love what that PMC TL design offers for bass performance. That tweeter from their higher line studio monitors makes the treble REALLY awesome for that price.
I added these to my collection recently. Unbelievable performance for the price and the size.
Would be very interested to know how they compare to the Amphion Argon 1, especially for low volume and off-axis, with which the Argons are supposed to be class-defining.
@@CinemaDemocratica Unfortunately, I don't have the Amphions. I'm also primarily a tower guy and I just got these PMCs for office use. Coming from my experience with the Fact12 Signature, PMCs have a sweet midrange in general and bass is seamlessly integrated with the rest. They also tend to be quite quick and 'honest' to the source.
This is the second YT audio review I've watched in recent weeks, in which a trusted and widely-followed reviewer reveals to us that his listening room is a *nightmare*.
I played around with chatgpt and audiophile terms and the output is astounding. Also learned a bit here and there. Not too shabby
Glad to see these getting some shine, ive been running these since summer and ive been blown away. As eveeyone else says - you must get stands for these as it completely shifts the sound profile
I had a par of the Twenty5 23. Nothing has the quality of bass like a transmission line speaker. They are on a different planet.
What are using now?
Sadly nothing. I had to sell my setup due to life. I am working on finding a used pair.
@jrome187 good luck on the search
I just got a near new pair of PMC Twenty5 22i speakers put through my Cambridge Audio CXA81 they are just amazing
Transmission line loudspeakers are really interesting. Great take Randy. Appears one would get a lot for their money.
there is so much bs in hi-fi i thought the hype around pmc was just more of it but i went to a hifi show at the start of the year and PMC sounded great. Better than more expensive stuff there.
Welcome to why we been loving PMCs over here for decades in the UK! My all time favorite speakers are PMC DB1 as they are tiny and sound awesome and used to be able to pick them p for like 300 a pair. Then PMC got famous worldwide and prices went up far too much. These are like the modern day equivalent. Man you should get some DB1 cheap so you can see that you can get 90% of the prodigy for 20% of the price! :D
Pretty sure the DB1 is back out and it’s around $500 ish , might be wrong but think I saw an ad a month or two ago.
Youre right! We have a PMC setup at Republic Records Studio for Dolby Atmos Mixing
The perfect bookshelf speaker at this time imo is the Dynaudio Evoke 10. It is the best up and well beyond its price of $US1,700. All it needs is a high current amplifier in order to get it' excellent mid-bass punch working (most models from Rotel suit the bill).
I have had a pair of PMC TB1 for a couple of weeks kindly lent to me by a sound engineer. These loudspeakers are over 20 years old and quite simply fantastic. It’s difficult to find a PMC reseller in my region. I also own another brand of transmission line floor-standers called JMR. The amount of bass is phenomenal for both other them.
I am still the "CheapAudioMan"... here are some $1700 bookshelf speakers :P
He's about "high value hifi and home cinema". Value not cheap. To misquote Oscar Wild cynics know the price of every thing and the value of nothing
PMCs are my perfered sounding speaker (nautral) with very little colouration. This is why also why i end up purchasing the Hulgich Duke which is also neutral sounding speaker.
$1700 bucks and only 10 lbs and no wood veneer.... hmmm, I expect a bit more for that price.
Listen to them and then judge
If you use a high pass filter on these speakers, you negate the speaker design, because you remove the transmission line function. You should tune the subwoofer frequency to augment the bass.
Interesting product and great review. What happened to your vintage McIntosh gear? I haven't heard you mention it as part of the amplification used when reviewing speakers.
Interesting review - I'm old enough to remember - in the UK's Hi-Fi News & Record Review - ads for various "IMF" (that's not the "International Monetary Fund") transmission line speakers back in the 1970s. If you see a pair of IMF Studio Reference Monitors for sale - and you have the room - they're well worth checking out - tremendous bass, by all accounts. Great that PMC is carrying on the "transmission line" tradition - the UK's economy has, for many years, relied on "invisible earnings" and is producing less and less goods - but "small beer", though their hi-fi manufacturing sector may be in the "overall scheme of things", the Brits still make some great hi-fi gear !
Long deep bookshelf speakers are my favorite. Good reason studio monitors are around that dimensional size ratio.
great review. Intriguing product!
Back in the 1930's Rogers made a very similar speaker enclosure they called the "Acoustic Labyrinth" and it was pretty well the transmission line concept. It use to produce a really amazing sound from a single, fairly large, driver driven from a relatively low power (by todays standards) tube amplifier
I believe the transmission line is tuned to _the resonant frequency of the driver cone._ Take the wavelength of that frequency and divide - usually - by four and that’s the length of the folded path. So if the wavelength at the resonant frequency is 6 metres, the transmission line will be 1.5 metres.
are they better? after watching your videos, I bought Elac Debute on black friday, pairing with nad C368, just added klipsch sub. sounds great so far.
Time alignment is key. Some great speakers incorporate this tech. Size is what you save both on transistor cost and box dimensions in some cases. Tuff tech to master. Could you perhaps review the Musician Night 1 speakers. Id really enjoy your thoughts on these. Thanks.
I wonder how these compare to the Klipsch The Nines? They are not priced too far apart with The Nines being a little less expensive. Transmission line verses amplified DSP.
Woo-Hoo!! "Dayton Audio" shout out!! 👏🏼👏🏼🤘🏻
I regularly use the 1B2S midfields at my workplace. They're unbelievably good. (Yes. I've surrendered to the dark side: pro audio.)
also {forget to say in my excitement) lol transmission line is used a lot and i mean mostly in single driver speakers that usually cost a fortune but usually single driver ones have no crossover so the transmission line adds bass and depth...now theres 2 drivers here im curios now of the crossover frequencies....as im sure there is one.
I'm putting together a Frankenstein system. Sony amp. Optimus receiver. Optimus CD changer. Optimus floor speakers and book shelf speakers. 2 RCA subwoofers. And 2 other satellite speakers.
I just saw and heard these recently. I won't argue that they sound very good for their size, but they had the same cutaway example as at 2:32 , and I wasn't impressed. Please chime in if I have something wrong, but what I saw was a stamped-basket on the mid/ woofer, sand-cast resistors and an iron core inductor on the crossover, and a cheap binding post cup. I realize they produce their drivers in house and there's a lot of engineering involved in the cabinet design, but PMC has been making TL for a LONG time. Just not seeing the $1800 (price I was quoted) tag, and- another $130 if you want grills. And- for the price- you can get any color you want, as long as it's matte black.
I remember the Fact.3s from a few years back. THey had switches on the back to adjust the crossover to the room and I was always amaze that would change the soundstage and imaging???
Needing a high pass filter and a sub to get some real impact? Sort of defeats the purpose of spending extra for a transmission line design. 😛
Great review. Is there an online retailer that sells this PMC model? Thanks
@cheapaudioman Hey man I was wondering if you could make a video about the setup you think would be best for a home theater something like a 5.2 setup for a living room like 20x30 that can be used for TV, record player, streaming, gaming. That's pretty easy to use (for the wife) but sounds great. total system under 3k. I've been watching your videos for a while now and love what ya do. Thanks 👍
Randy nice review, I have a pair of PMC TB1 since the 90s, they were expensive even then, it was my first big purchase. and they're the only speakers I still keep today, I keep buying other speakers, other brands, I end up selling some, but never the PMCs. I currently keep the PMCs connected to my tube mono amps. I'd sooner sell the amps than the speakers.
There is also the Castle Avon range, which is now transmission line. I believe they are cheaper than the PMC.
How do these compare to the Moukey speaker you reviewed a while back? And the last Andrew Jones speaker? And the T15… and the CSS Criton… and the Magico A1…. And Edifier… and any open baffle speaker? With a SMSL DAC, and the Decware amp? Or a Denon amp, or the V3? Or maybe the McIntosh kit you had. Ooooh can you also compare it to Buchardt? Lol
Throw in Kali LP-8/IN-8 v2 to the mix, for comparison with active studio monitors.
Hey loved your review. Do you know how much the woofer costs to buy? Its manufacturered by another company?? :-) you will not believe me but I have been researching thsi for months...
How would you compare these to the Polk L200 or 100
Randy, where in the heck can you listen or buy these things?? Link?
Are you gonna review the Closer Acoustics OGY?
Well, thank you, Sir, for this great review and introduction to this speaker. Sounds like it may be a near(ish)field game changer, but of course, you know my next question at this price range, a comparison to SVS Ultras? Maybe I should forgo Africa and get these. 😂 Take care, my friend.
Heco are on sale for $314 How do they compare also svs ultra bookshelf
You didn't mention the Q Acoustics 5020 as a reference to the PMC Prodigy 1's?
How does warfdale compare?
Great review. I hope they get the US dealer situation sorted soon.
Go Blue!!
Another great review. I recently had the opportunity to audition these PMC s against the KEF ls 50 metas instore , and much preferred the KEF s. Better in every way to my ears. Each to their own i suppose.
1/4 wave loading transmission line...very hard to design & buy the right bass/mid unit...has to have a heavy cone for a low Q but be very fast...huge or powerful magnet/motor...fantastic bass & midrange,especially in the vocal range....PMC are excellent speakers but very expensive...'Cheap Audio Man'...lol....i wish i could afford a pair of PMC's...🎸
On a serious note, is there any bookshelf speaker that still sounds its best from 85db-95/100db?
Yes, the Bowers and Wilkins 805 D4. Expensive, but, for a bookshelf, it’s amazing what they can do at levels approaching 100 dB. You get what you pay for I’m afraid..
And there is one reason more why others speaker manufacterer don't do TLs! They have no experience in that! Others will disagree with me, I know, but TLs are something mystic , because at the end after doing all from a computerprogram it's absolutly up to how it will sound. But better even no program, only caculations , the right feeling for it and you will do your own TL design (Tube, Pipe, pression chamber and so on). Sorry, I love to do this stuff!🤣🤣 In the moment I'm developing another 'waveguide', small 6.5" backloaded cornerhorn....
Yes, I agree, from everything I have learned about TL design, you have to incorporate a lot of audio-speaker science (Thiele/Small parameters?). Sounds like I know what I am talking about - I don't. I do know that TL, if done right, can be very pleasing if teamed with the right amp. I do wonder how these would pair with a decently powered Class A system. That seems to be the direction I am headed because I like mid to low volume but I want to avoid the typical Fletcher/Munson curve drop off so common at lower volumes. I do wonder how these PMCs would handle that?
Let's see the new Cerwin-Vega LA165 bookshelf's at $270 a pair with free shipping.
Catching your review early before a Las Vegas trade show!
Great review! I saw the Michigan/Iowa game on in the background. I'm excited to see Alabama take Michigan DOWN. 👍
Ain’t gonna happen 😆
I believe you that they sound good. At $1699 and weighing in at 10lbs each they are not exactly a good value. In other words...I'd go for many other tower options for the same price or even less. Not impressed.
😂Still lusting for a pair of Tekton Design Moabs.
These prices are too far from being cheap, the cheap audio man should change his name to the "expensive audio man".
Right? All this guys videos are like this. Maybe this stuff is cheap for bill gates or someone like that. But his channel is mis branded if you ask me.
@@RyanSteizHe has gone through loads of very affordable stuff over the years. With the pandemic, inflation and general instability of global supply there aren't as many affordable audio products being manufactured. Companies are dropping their cheapest products because the demand and margins aren't there. Don't blame our friend here for branching out a bit into things outside of some of our price ranges.
Transmission line speakers are very special sounding...amazing bass quality & fantastic midrange, vocals sound unbeleivable life like...i built a pair 30yrs ago...took a year to design as you need all 90+ Thiele Small Parameters of the bass/mid unit to mathematicaly design them right...very complex to design & PMC built their own bass/mid drive units as they need unusual parameters to work properly....used to be called 'quarter wave loaded' speakers...i was impressed & kept them for yrs slowly upgrading parts, tweeters, crossover components etc... sadly lost them years ago & cannot afford to build another pair as they are so complex & hard to get the right bass/mid units..try listening to them then you will understand why transmission line speakers if well designed are fantastic but as you say expensive....👍
This is a surprise and a rather pleasant one at that. I wonder how these speakers would perform at mid to mid/low volume with some beefy Class A power? Comments most welcomed!!!!!!
My question exactly. I have a Luxman L-590 AxII @30 WPC into 8 ohm, 60 into 4 ohm in pure (hot!) Class A. Much higher power when the amp moves into Class A/B. Small room. These might be perfect? But where can I hear them?
Vanatoo transparent one encore + are better @$599
PMC transmission line speakers? Oh yes, sign me up. The Twenty5 series cabinets are designed in the UK, but made in Italy. I had to wait a few weeks for my 23i’s as they were a new model and PMC were waiting for cabinets as they were tough to transport during Covid lockdown. Run them on a Burmester amp for best effect!
one of my PMC twenties 25 got toasted a couple of months ago when one of my monoblocks decided to Seppuku itself. I've been without stereo since
👍
The kef ls50 meta is my favorite bookshelf in that price range. I’d like to compare these two.
Id love to get the Metas in for a review
@@cheapaudiomanwhat's your opinion about polk signature elite es10 and t15
I compared them today, and the Sonus Faber Lumina 2. Driven by my Roksan K3. PMC were to me the best of the bunch. Neutral, wonderful tight bass. Disappointed by the Kef. Sounded thin and boring.
Actually, it would be diminutive stature ,not size lol😉
Cool, nice to see a comparison to CSS, I still wanna build those tho, thanks!!!
Trying to make our house have as many as Randy's? 😂
It is a competition and he is winning and I don’t like it 😊
$138 extra for grills?
The Arendal sound like a mid-range horn vibrating one's skull bones.
I've just received the Elac Unifi Reference pair yesterday, I will not switch now! 🤣
I owned PMC speakers once I sold them I am now a happy guy!
Nice review! Really like these. The B&W cost half the price though
And sound only half as good.
GO HAWKEYES...!!!
Enjoyed this review, but as an Iowa alum, I could have done without the triggering from the Championship Game. JK
Listen cheapo: A little logic. audiophiles are addicted i.e. equipment junkies therefore you are an enabler with all you greatest and best equipment every day. But it's a living. Good luck but I take your advice with a grain of salt. Ciao
And your comment. Ciao
1699 aint cheap audio
No it's not, it's high value which is Randy's raison detre not cheap
When looking at the lab report from HiFi News, it really should not sound good at all.
So transmission line is like older Bose?
As far as I know, the older Bose woofers were bandpass designs. Later they did have some transmission line woofers.
No, Bose used a Helmholtz resonator in their subwoofers. Demonstrate the principle yourself: Lay a cheap 4” speaker naked on the strings of an acoustic guitar directly over the tone hole. Amazing “Bose” bass. Really!
1700, I'm out.
pmc db1 second hand for 300
At age 11, in 1974, my dad let me drive my sister to Sunday school every week in his 1970 El Camino 396 with 60 Tiger Paws. We lived on a ranch outside Sioux Falls at that time.
This channel has strayed so far from it's roots. I unsubscribe awhile ago, funny this video popped up on my feed, selling a $1700 set of speakers.
The speaker is smaller than I expected.
MOFO! Starts at 17K...how is that anywhere near cheap? Love your channel but possibly a case of "mission creep"?
1700$, not 17,000$.
Oops, you're right!...still...@@MechAdv
Now wait.......where did I see all this "transmission line" stuff before a long time ago.......could it be.....BOSE?
No, Bose used the Helmholtz resonator principal in their subwoofers. The Wave radio was just a long port. Different acoustic principle.
Maybe you should change the name of the channel to just Audio Man. Most working people wouldn't consider these cheap. You have drifted away from the audience looking for good budget gear.
It's not the channel I subscribed to. There is a lot of people reviewing 2k+- Stuff. Unsubed.
He's about high value gear and these are high value
A while back, I heard you slipping real quick that Metallica was the greatest rock band, stop it, it’s Led Zeppelin you really need to apologize
I like my CSS5 Sonys better.😊
Congrats! So, in reality, you are the "cheap audio man". I salute you.
Where did you hear the Prodigy 1??
Good for you but you obviously have hearing issues
@@analogueman5364 what? Couldn't hear you.
@@daniannaci3258 sarcasm. Lol
And audio continues to shave off value by not including a stupid grill. Next - Tweeter sold separately. AFter that - woofer and tweeter sold separately. Cheesy, cheap crossover and steel binding posts - all sold searately. Screws to hold stuff together--yup, on its own. A FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON DEPARTED
$1700 bookshelf speakers??? Out!
You don’t have to justify your channel moniker for the idiots that don’t get it ..😉
Well said. It's about value not price.
gonna have to unsubscribe , you have so much expensive equipment and very little cheap stuff . good luck .
I am debating between these at $1,699 and Linton 85th Anniversary Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) $1,499.00 Can someone help me out…🤔🫠
Can you listen to them in a shop? Take music or pIck streamed music you know and just trust your ears. I have pmc mb2se and fact 3. Both sets second hand or ex demo. Expensive but great.
but one is for near-field and the other one isnt?
Yes, listen to them both and buy the ones you prefer.