For those of you following my ramblings over speakers and hifi I managed to purchase a set of PMC GB1's from this forum recently.
The reason for the purchase is that I have a set of Monitor Audio GR20's but their footprint is a little large and the gaffer (as much as she likes the look - more on that later) was hoping to get something more aesthetically pleasing and I didn't want to lose sound quality.
My method of testing was to take some of my favourite songs and listen to them on each set of speakers with the volume set to about 1/3 and the PMC's faced straight ahead whilst the GR20's were toed in a little.
This is all IMHO and not meant to offend anyone - so don't be offended!
Here are my conclusions:
ALBUM : Nellyville
ARTIST : Nelly
Track : 13 called "#1"
PMC GB1
This track has a lot of short sharp snappy bits to it with a deep and bass and the PMC's handled the bass really well and made it sound very tight. Each instrument/vocal had a precise cut-off (anyone familiar with Nelly will recognise the abruptness of his music). Instruments and vocals were clearly placed in the air and the sound did not feel like it was coming from the speakers.
MA GR20
The first thing to strike was the amount of bass - that extra driver really fills the room but equally disappointing is the lack of tightness to the bass. The topend (smoething I really like to shine) came across as piercing and the overall sound felt like it had more presence but less clarity than the PMC's.
ALBUM : Romanza
ARTIST : Andrea Bocelli
Track :1 called "Con te par ti ro"
PMC GB1
The opening to this track has some brushes being played across a drum and they sound comes across nice and clear. Andrea's vocals have a nice weight to them and once again the voice is not muddied by the instruments but more well placed in the soundstage. The warble in Andreas voice is more noticeable than the GR20's but disappointingly the kettle drum part way through sounds quite distand and muffled. The soundstage impresses and the strings come across very nicely.
MA GR20
The opening brushed drums have clarity and come across distinctly and Andreas voice is quite warming. The soundstage is a bit worrying as the voice is sometimes overpowered by all that is going on and it is difficult to pick out instruments in the last quarter of the song.
ALBUM : MTV Unplugged
ARTIST : Bryan Adams
Track :7 called "Summer of '69"
PMC GB1
The opeining guitar sounds quite lush as if it was being played in front of me and Bryans voice is easy to place and quite weighty. When the crowd roars it feels as if the crowd is in the room - very believable. The piano is quite easy to pick out and when all instruments kick in there is real power to the music. Not sure if this is atechnical temr but the music had height.
MA GR20
Opening guitar bit had a nice weight to it like the PMC's but the voice of Bryan lacked life/spirit. The crowd sounded quite flat and the guitar sometimes got lost in the music (piano was really hard to find). When everything kicks in the impact is did not pull at me as much as the PMC's but I did like the sound of the guitar overall.
ALBUM : One Night Only
ARTIST : Bee Gees/Celine Dione
Track :7 called "Immortality"
PMC GB1
When the introduciton of Celine is done by M Gibbs there feels like there is a lot of air around him and the crowd really take over the room. A bit boring but the soundstage is very impressive and the drum rolls have some serious weight behind them.
MA GR20
The introduction sounded flat as did the crowd. Celine's voice did not sound as full/airy but the piano did have a weight behind it. The whole experience felt louder than the PMC's and the male voices came through better.
ALBUM : Balle
ARTIST : Sukshinder Shinda
Track :8
PMC GB1
I don't expect you to know this Panjabi artist but lets just say the music is very garage indian flava
. In my car this tracks opening bass drone real hits the chest but the PMC's Kinda' lost the whole experience - very disappointing. The high end Tumbi sounded crisp and sharp and the rap was amzingly 3d and clear.
MA GR20
Same disappointment as the PMC's with the opening and the rap lacked snap. The singers voice carried more weight and topend tumbi was harsh.
In terms of quality of finish the GR20's win hands down with a beautiful grained finish that oozes quality whilst the PMC's look petite and nice but the Veneer is a bit wishy washy and looks cheap to me.
Conclusion
I can safely say I am edging towards the PMC's but it is not as clear cut as I had hoped it would be and I do like the GR20's (the gaffer loves the finish of the GR20's and is willing to overlook the footprint for a while to keep the look).
I don't think this thread is over yet, thediscovery continues . . .
The reason for the purchase is that I have a set of Monitor Audio GR20's but their footprint is a little large and the gaffer (as much as she likes the look - more on that later) was hoping to get something more aesthetically pleasing and I didn't want to lose sound quality.
My method of testing was to take some of my favourite songs and listen to them on each set of speakers with the volume set to about 1/3 and the PMC's faced straight ahead whilst the GR20's were toed in a little.
This is all IMHO and not meant to offend anyone - so don't be offended!
Here are my conclusions:
ALBUM : Nellyville
ARTIST : Nelly
Track : 13 called "#1"
PMC GB1
This track has a lot of short sharp snappy bits to it with a deep and bass and the PMC's handled the bass really well and made it sound very tight. Each instrument/vocal had a precise cut-off (anyone familiar with Nelly will recognise the abruptness of his music). Instruments and vocals were clearly placed in the air and the sound did not feel like it was coming from the speakers.
MA GR20
The first thing to strike was the amount of bass - that extra driver really fills the room but equally disappointing is the lack of tightness to the bass. The topend (smoething I really like to shine) came across as piercing and the overall sound felt like it had more presence but less clarity than the PMC's.
ALBUM : Romanza
ARTIST : Andrea Bocelli
Track :1 called "Con te par ti ro"
PMC GB1
The opening to this track has some brushes being played across a drum and they sound comes across nice and clear. Andrea's vocals have a nice weight to them and once again the voice is not muddied by the instruments but more well placed in the soundstage. The warble in Andreas voice is more noticeable than the GR20's but disappointingly the kettle drum part way through sounds quite distand and muffled. The soundstage impresses and the strings come across very nicely.
MA GR20
The opening brushed drums have clarity and come across distinctly and Andreas voice is quite warming. The soundstage is a bit worrying as the voice is sometimes overpowered by all that is going on and it is difficult to pick out instruments in the last quarter of the song.
ALBUM : MTV Unplugged
ARTIST : Bryan Adams
Track :7 called "Summer of '69"
PMC GB1
The opeining guitar sounds quite lush as if it was being played in front of me and Bryans voice is easy to place and quite weighty. When the crowd roars it feels as if the crowd is in the room - very believable. The piano is quite easy to pick out and when all instruments kick in there is real power to the music. Not sure if this is atechnical temr but the music had height.
MA GR20
Opening guitar bit had a nice weight to it like the PMC's but the voice of Bryan lacked life/spirit. The crowd sounded quite flat and the guitar sometimes got lost in the music (piano was really hard to find). When everything kicks in the impact is did not pull at me as much as the PMC's but I did like the sound of the guitar overall.
ALBUM : One Night Only
ARTIST : Bee Gees/Celine Dione
Track :7 called "Immortality"
PMC GB1
When the introduciton of Celine is done by M Gibbs there feels like there is a lot of air around him and the crowd really take over the room. A bit boring but the soundstage is very impressive and the drum rolls have some serious weight behind them.
MA GR20
The introduction sounded flat as did the crowd. Celine's voice did not sound as full/airy but the piano did have a weight behind it. The whole experience felt louder than the PMC's and the male voices came through better.
ALBUM : Balle
ARTIST : Sukshinder Shinda
Track :8
PMC GB1
I don't expect you to know this Panjabi artist but lets just say the music is very garage indian flava
MA GR20
Same disappointment as the PMC's with the opening and the rap lacked snap. The singers voice carried more weight and topend tumbi was harsh.
In terms of quality of finish the GR20's win hands down with a beautiful grained finish that oozes quality whilst the PMC's look petite and nice but the Veneer is a bit wishy washy and looks cheap to me.
Conclusion
I can safely say I am edging towards the PMC's but it is not as clear cut as I had hoped it would be and I do like the GR20's (the gaffer loves the finish of the GR20's and is willing to overlook the footprint for a while to keep the look).
I don't think this thread is over yet, thediscovery continues . . .