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PMC Twenty5.24i & room size

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unit

pfm Member
Hi All. I'm considering a speaker swap to some PMCs. I heard some 24is and really enjoyed them in a showroom some months back.
Now a pair has come up second hand for a very reasonable price.

My question is: are they enough for my room or should I save up for the 26s?

The room in question is about 7m x 6m with a 3.5m ceiling. I sit reasonably close to the speakers. Around 2m.
Is anyone here using them in a space of this size? How are they for volume and bass weight/extension?

I'll be driving them with a Naim UnitiQute 2 and NAP200. My current speakers are Ovator 400s. I love their bass and lower-mids, but find the high end rather lacking in detail and extension.
 
Even with your larger room, if you're just 2m from the speakers, that's essentially nearfield and you should be fine.

PMC speakers are definitely detail kings, with a real sense of immediacy.
 
F.w.i.w., I have Twenty.26 and find they sound best in free space and a fair way back from the listening position (to get that exc. imaging/soundstage). You do have the room, as I imagine the .24s are not dissimilar but your two metres away bit does perplex me in that only just rectangular room. I don't know the Ovators, though know OF them and their rep. and I'm a bit surprised you're not aiming higher (or rather, bigger). Certainly, the treble/mids on mine are superb; extensive and articulate yet not paint-stripping, but I power them with EAR valved mono's.

PMCs are studio monitors and sound it. Personally, and as you have a good synergistic system, I'd hang on and aim higher.

PS. I echo Mike Hanson's last sentence but disagree with his comment on using them as surrogate headphones !!!! :)
 
Mike Reed said:
F.w.i.w., I have Twenty.26 and find they sound best in free space and a fair way back from the listening position (to get that exc. imaging/soundstage). You do have the room, as I imagine the .24s are not dissimilar but your two metres away bit does perplex me in that only just rectangular room. I don't know the Ovators, though know OF them and their rep. and I'm a bit surprised you're not aiming higher (or rather, bigger). Certainly, the treble/mids on mine are superb; extensive and articulate yet not paint-stripping, but I power them with EAR valved mono's.

PMCs are studio monitors and sound it. Personally, and as you have a good synergistic system, I'd hang on and aim higher.

PS. I echo Mike Hanson's last sentence but disagree with his comment on using them as surrogate headphones !!!! :)
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The room is a combined living room / kitchen, hence the closeness to the speakers.
 
It is not the size of the room that matters most here, but how far away you sit from the speakers and where you sit in relation to the walls. 2 metres is no problem at all. Your 7 x 6 x 3.5 metre room will have strong modal resonances at 49, 57 and 98 Hz. Those frequencies will likely sound louder or quieter than they should, which might impact their apparent bass weight and extension, at your listening position.
 
Mike Reed said:
PMCs are studio monitors and sound it. Personally, and as you have a good synergistic system, I'd hang on and aim higher.

PS. I echo Mike Hanson's last sentence but disagree with his comment on using them as surrogate headphones !!!! :)
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As you've confirmed, PMC is often used in the studio, and many are in a nearfield setup.

This really comes down to preference. Personally, I want an in-your-face presentation, rather than something happening over-there. When I'm at the symphony, I sit as close to the conductor as possible. I love intimate venues, where I can sit right up front, preferably without any amplification. When I listen to the recording of a piano, I despise when they mic it from far away. I want to be sitting on the bench beside the pianist.

If the O.P. is sitting 2m away, I suspect he appreciates that sense of immersive intimacy.

I know there are others who purposely sit half-way back in performance venue, to get that balanced overview, but I'm definitely not in that camp. Throw me into the middle of the action! :)
 
Mike Hanson said:
If the O.P. is sitting 2m away, I suspect he appreciates that sense of immersive intimacy.
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I get plenty of immersive intimacy from having my spkrs fill the room with a bigger soundstage and superb imaging from a wider listening position. The only spkrs I've had for nearfield listening were a pair of Quad ES57s and that was because they couldn't fill the room; not enough scale, and SCALE is what it's all about for me. Getting Quad 2905s soon after changed all that.
Mike Hanson said:
PMC is often used in the studio, and many are in a nearfield setup.
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Probably as they're used for assessing accuracy rather than a complete listening experience involving room interaction
 
Mike Reed said:
I get plenty of immersive intimacy from having my spkrs fill the room with a bigger soundstage and superb imaging from a wider listening position. The only spkrs I've had for nearfield listening were a pair of Quad ES57s and that was because they couldn't fill the room; not enough scale, and SCALE is what it's all about for me. Getting Quad 2905s soon after changed all that.

Probably as they're used for assessing accuracy rather than a complete listening experience involving room interaction
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I understand what you're saying. When the speakers can truly fill the room, it's very helpful. Regardless, I think the magic distance for me is somewhere between 2 and 3m.
  • I've had studio systems with NFMs where I was just 1m away, and that's really like wearing headphones--a bit too close.
  • The stand-mounted Ergo IX in my my office system sits about 2m away, and creates a wonderful sense of soundstage and immersion. It does a good job of filling my 3x4m office with scale too--both intimate and engaging.
  • The Klipsch Cornwall IV in my main system is about 3m away, and sounds amazing. It not only fills the room, but the sense of scale is felt 15m away by my front door (up a set of stairs and around the corner). However, I've tried sitting further than 3m from them, and I start to feel disconnected.
Therefore, it's very much dependent on the listener. There is no "right distance" for everyone. :)
 
I liked the Twenty5.24 enough to arrange a home demo. Lovely speakers but they never quite crossed into magical for me. I ended up with Proac D20R's and have never looked back.

I know you weren't necessarily looking for a pile-in of try this and try that, but the detail the Proac's provide brings me closer to the music. It's like a veil has been lifted 🤣. Seriously though, the ribbons are awesome and the speakers are well worth trying to hear them if you can.
 
I had a pair of Twenty.26 in a room that is 7ft by 9 1/2 foot. Obviously each speaker was no more than 20 cm's from the rear and side walls. I used top quality amps and source and was more than happy with the sound. Having owned much bigger PMC's before my house move I knew they would play nicely in a smaller space as had experimented previously. Would they have sou ded better with more space, likely, was very happy though.
 
I have heard those exact speakers in a medium large demo room, they won’t have any problem filling your space. I’m not going to comment on their sound quality, as you already have stated you like them. Obviously always a good idea to demo as many as you can, especially at home.
 
Strictly Stereo said:
It is not the size of the room that matters most here, but how far away you sit from the speakers and where you sit in relation to the walls. 2 metres is no problem at all. Your 7 x 6 x 3.5 metre room will have strong modal resonances at 49, 57 and 98 Hz. Those frequencies will likely sound louder or quieter than they should, which might impact their apparent bass weight and extension, at your listening position.
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May I ask how you calculated those modal resonances? Sorry to go off topic!
 
A few years ago at a Signals show, there was a demo of some small PMC floorstanders (Twenty.23s maybe) in quite a large room, certainly bigger than any domestic room I’ve been in. There was a pent roof too, just to complicate matters. I can’t remember what was driving them, but everyone who entered the room as music was playing smiled. They filled the room easily.
Ok, none of the scale that many are after, but for me the enjoyment was only bettered last year with big ol ATC actives.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
A few years ago at a Signals show, there was a demo of some small PMC floorstanders (Twenty.23s maybe) in quite a large room, certainly bigger than any domestic room I’ve been in. There was a pent roof too, just to complicate matters.
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Maybe the one I went to, and I too was impressed. My friend thinks they were PMC's top model but I thought not, though as this was my first encounter with the brand, I didn't pay attention. All I know was their was unanimity of appreciation in that large auditorium. With hindsight, they may have been Facts and I'm sure they alternated their speakers over the two days. Great show, too.
 
I have a pair of Twenty25 21i’s which are the baby of the line up.

My room ain’t tiny 10x8m but they fill it perfectly. I can happily crank it up a bit and it’s not overbearing. My father has the Twenty25 22i’s in a slightly smaller room, they are just too overbearing, too much base and in your face, you certainly can’t crank them up too much.

Different speaker I know but it may help.
 
I just double checked the second hand listing. Pretty sure it's a scam. The same image came up in Kleinanzeigen (Germany), eBay (UK), and gumtree (UK)
Google Lens is an excellent tool to check for this…
 
HifiDan said:
My father has the Twenty25 22i’s in a slightly smaller room, they are just too overbearing, too much base and in your face, you certainly can’t crank them up too much.

Different speaker I know but it may help.
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I would hazard a guess that they’re not ideally located, as my Twenty.23 speakers certainly don’t overload our 6m x 4m room with bass.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
I would hazard a guess that they’re not ideally located, as my Twenty.23 speakers certainly don’t overload our 6m x 4m room with bass.
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Nor does my Twenty .26 in a room 7m x 3m (at speaker position and varying 4 to 4.5 at kit/seating end. In fact, a totally balanced presentation with bells on (esp. with he 1812 overture !!!!). T.b.h., they do go like the clappers, regardless. 😁, Such small speakers; such a big sound.
 
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