PMC speaker comparison

Nice write up!. Did you listen to the 1812 canons?  

Dozey posted:

Nice write up!. Did you listen to the 1812 canons?  

Q:  Who won the Franco-Russian war of 1812?

A:  Чайко́вский   (Tchaikovsky)

Dozey posted:

Nice write up!. Did you listen to the 1812 canons?  

Yes ( and of course a range of other music of varying types) - that piece, the 2001 Telarc 24bit version gives a good test of dynamics, and has a great bass drum as well as the cannons. Predictably MB2 did best.  IMF did worst - the old 'racetrack' B139s are  too easily overloaded, and though I can play all other music at realistic levels without problem, that piece I always have to play unrealistically quiet. It was a pleasure to let rip!

Innocent Bystander,

Thanks for coming back round and letting everyone know the outcome. The MB2 SE are a bit special, aren't they? Revealing too.

Hope you don't have to save for too long!

best regards, FT

Great to hear the comparison.  May be the IB2i is an option, too.  

Perhaps not as relevant, but interesting nonetheless, is what PMC will unveil at the Bristol Hofi show that adds to the Fact range.....

Decided to buy the EB1i. Huge cost difference between those secondhand and the MB2 SE best available ex-demo, while I haven't heard the EB direct against the MB, so i can't tell the degree of difference, therefore hard to justify the difference in cost - especially considering what else I can do with the money.

So EBs up and running yesterday, sounding divine and a step up from the IMFs which themselves were truly great. Maybe in a few years a secondhand MB2SE will appear at a modest upgrade cost and I'll do just that... Or maybe I'll rest content with the enjoyability of what I have.

Great to hear about your decision.  Would be good to hear more about your experience of the EB1i as you settle with them.

Jude

congrats on your purchase, may you have many years of enjoyment 

Thanks for the good wishes.

My only problem (though a nice one to have) is, as I have spent less than the inheritance, whether 1) even now go hell for leather and get the MB2s at the best deal I can get, hoping to sell the EBs at cost, while knowing I'll never look at another speaker again ( but also aware of the practicalities if/when ever I move house to somewhere smaller),  or 2) do i upgrade my Hugo to TT, and gain a remote volume control (a luxury I've never had), at still relatively modest cost, or 3) do I try to get a good enough deal and spend the remaining on a Chord Dave, sticking forever with the EBs... Head says 2), heart torn between 1) and 3)......

If the EBs are divine, I'd stop there.  There are always itches to be scratched.  You could go on forever. I know that's not on your list of answers.  Make it No 4.

Hi Innocent Bystander,

It was interesting to listen to both a Chord DAVE and its predecessor, the QBD76 on a very revealing, full range system recently.

There was a unanimous preference for the older design, which can still be bought ex-demo from Chord dealers for less than half the price of a new DAVE.  DAVE was fabulously detailed but somewhat wearing and relentless to listen to.

As always, a careful demo before taking the plunge would seem prudent.

If you really want to dance with the devil, try a 7BSST in lieu of your 4BSST...

Or keep the money and invest it in more music, especially live concerts.

Best regards, FT

In your shoes I would be tempted by the new Bryston cubed series amps. 

have a word with paul from hifi lounge, he has an ex dem pair of mb2's

I did tell him about the ex dem MB2s in my post on 4 February....

Thanks all for the suggestions re my dilemma, and for noting the availability of ex-dem MB2s. My auditioning of the MB2 was on the basis of ex-D or s/h, and even then only if I could negotiate a better deal than advertised - and it is just that possibility that keeps them presently sufficiently close to being in the frame to create one of my options. And I hadnt thought about any other DAC than HugoTT or Dave, so thanks for Your interesting observation FT, although QBD 76 appears not to include a volume control so would require a pre-amp, which would probably dictate something better than either the TAG Mclaren PA10 or MF Preamp 2A that i have available,, possibly a Bryston BP25 or 26. Also I hadnt thought about changing the amp - 7Bssts or sst2s are commonly available SH at reasonable prices, so possible a more realistic option than newer sst3s. Of course there always an option of tri-amping...  

And yes of course there is the optionof doing nothing - and i like the idea of more live music, as the ultimate music experience, so given my difficult location perhaps that option 4 might translate to submitting to until now I've considered to be the extortionate cost of maior expeditions to gigs/concerts, though inevitably limited by available time.

So in summary my choices, from which I must choose just a single one that will give me greatest pleasure, and with no intent of further upgrades or tinkering, distils down to:

1) change PMC EB1i speakers for MB2 SE (if i can get the deal right). Remaining system unchanged (Hugo-Bryston 4Bsst)

2) change Hugo to HugoTT, QBD76 + a preamp eg Bryston BP26, or DAVE (last would only be a possibility if I can manage to get a good deal, which might have to wait until first flush of sales has diminished). All can be used with balanced output into Bryston 4Bsst-PMC EB1i

3) change my Bryston 4Bsst for a pair of 7Bssts between the Hugo and EB1i

4) sit back and enjoy pesent system without further thought.

Some enjoyable time later, another option is formulating itself: room treatment. Bearing in mind that the best hifi I ever heard was outdoors, quelling reflections and resonances might get me closer to that perfection than any amount of electronics, so I have been playing around with REW (the free and excellent Room Equalisation Wizard software), and assessing all sorts of absorbant panels. Far from cheap, but possible a better investment ... Watch this space!

Yes, the room is a very significant part of the acoustic system and shouldn't be ignored.