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Old PMC speakers sell or service them?

M

ManMan

pfm Member
Hi,

I’m looking for some advice. I have a pair of pmc fb1+, which are about 12 years old. They still sound great but not like when they were new and young. Since I bought twenty 26s, they became redundant and standing idle. I have two choices. Either sell them or service them to bring back to their old glory. I can then use them in another room. All I want to know is what need to be serviced and who will do it. Is it just replacing the drivers or any other internals? PMC website says they service the old speakers but I think it will be very expensive. Can you recommended anyone in and around Manchester? Or is selling an easier option? Thanks.
 
I would certainly call PMC and get a price. You might be shocked and amazed, but at least will you know what you are dealing with. There might even be an easy fix for the deterioration. I would be surprised if all new drive units were required, very surprised.
 
Thorn said:
Do you still enjoy what they give you?
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Not now as I have newer speakers. I wouldn’t bother to put them in another room without improving the sound quality. I still missing them as I find twenty 26s sound little differently.
 
Darren said:
I would certainly call PMC and get a price. You might be shocked and amazed, but at least will you know what you are dealing with. There might even be an easy fix for the deterioration. I would be surprised if all new drive units were required, very surprised.
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I will give them a call tomorrow but don’t they ask to post the speakers. That’s another thing I want to avoid and serviced locally.
 
ManMan said:
I will give them a call tomorrow but don’t they ask to post the speakers. That’s another thing I want to avoid and serviced locally.
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Fair play. Do you lack the original packaging then?
 
Darren said:
Fair play. Do you lack the original packaging then?
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Fortunately I have all the original package but still things can go wrong with the couriers (bad experience in the past). I am sure the courier cost and insurance will be more than £100. I can take the risk and the bill if the servicing can really do the magic.
 
I have some TB2+ that are the same age and mine look and sound (as far as I can tell) just like they did the day I bought them....
 
I have never been a fan of PMC speakers but that is just my preference. You seem to prefer the 20 26s in any event but there does not seem to be any guarantee that you can re-instate the original sound & it may be that your tastes have changed or the speakers have matured. When I have changed speakers in the past I have always sold the old ones (never been more than 6 or 7 years old) but always been happier with my new ones. I never even consider replacing them now (3 different models in different rooms) so I would just sell the fb1's.
 
Strictly Stereo beat me to it but yeah... 12 year old speakers should usually be fine.....

Or how much does the OP know about how much they've been really thrashed..... dropped.... ??

Just say'in
 
Tweeters change with age, not in an unpleasant way, but enough that if you have to replace one, you're best off replacing the same component in the other speaker to keep them sounding the same.

Bass drivers tend to be more stable, but the suspension and surround alters with age, and given the FB1s are a transmission line design, i'm wondering if the change in the mechanical properties of the driver might affect the sound in a more obvious way than with conventional IB/Ported designs?

However, if I were to guess, i'd suggest that the most likely wear and tear in the last 12 years is to your ears :)
 
What's the "other room" used for? If it is non-critical listening why not bung them in there?
On the other hand I agree with Strictly Stereo that your ears may have been spoiled by the 26's.
 
12 years seems a relatively short time for a pair of speakers, I've a pair that are 21 years old and another pair are nearly 30 years old, okay they haven't been abused but have been 'thrashed' many times. I can't really think of what would require servicing in a speaker, generally when the drive unit goes it needs replacing, perhaps there's components in the crossover that 'wear'?
Have you tried tightening the screws that hold the drivers in place? These can loosen through use and may effect the sound.
 
Darren L said:
12 years seems a relatively short time for a pair of speakers, I've a pair that are 21 years old and another pair are nearly 30 years old, okay they haven't been abused but have been 'thrashed' many times. I can't really think of what would require servicing in a speaker, generally when the drive unit goes it needs replacing, perhaps there's components in the crossover that 'wear'?
Have you tried tightening the screws that hold the drivers in place? These can loosen through use and may effect the sound.
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well one thing I had been wondering about is if they use ferro fluid in the tweeter - that can presumably deteriorate over time. I did get some for my Monitor Audio R852mds but havent done them yet
 
ManMan said:
Hi,

I’m looking for some advice. I have a pair of pmc fb1+, which are about 12 years old. They still sound great but not like when they were new and young. Since I bought twenty 26s, they became redundant and standing idle. I have two choices. Either sell them or service them to bring back to their old glory. I can then use them in another room. All I want to know is what need to be serviced and who will do it. Is it just replacing the drivers or any other internals? PMC website says they service the old speakers but I think it will be very expensive. Can you recommended anyone in and around Manchester? Or is selling an easier option? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have you had them from new? As far as I remember, they have a 20 year warranty (not sure what is covered)

I have a pair of FB1i's, they still sound fab.
 
This is an interesting post.

My speakers (Naim Arivas) are of a similar age.

I can't say I notice any obvious signs of degradation in sound, maybe 20 years is appropriate for the life span of a speaker?

:)
 
I would expect your ears to deteriorate more over that time. I had a pair of FB1+ once - I'm not sure they had ferrofluid tweeters, but if so, that could make a difference over time. They still fetch reasonable prices on the bay, but speaker-wise, things have moved on unless you're wedded to transmission lines
 
Thank you for all your responses.
I had noticed the sound quality issue long before I bought the twenty 26s so it can't be the reason. My wife and son also felt the same so it is not only my ears related :).
I will ask PMC for the options. I guess they will suggest new tweeters, which I will replace and see if it improves the sound quality.
 
Man, I watched a video a while back where Pete Thomas -the guy who runs PMC, said they have a record of the measurements for every speaker they've ever made, so i'm guessing your speakers should be on that list.
 
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