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PMC EB1i v. Thiel CS3.7 v. Pioneer S1-EX v. ???

I'm starting to look at speakers in the $10-16K range, new. These three are high on the list, along with used Vandie 5As. Tyler D20s and the new AZ Crescendos also interest me. Anyone have the chance to compare some or all of these fine speakers?

They'll be driven by Mac MC501 amps + C2300 pre. I listen mostly to '50s &'60s jazz, with some classic rock, bluegrass, and folk. 90% of the time I listen to vinyl on this rig. The room is 28x17x8, opening into hallways at both corners along the long wall behind the speakers (so no real bass issues in those corners). It's a hard room softened with 9 acoustic panels and two bass traps.

My listening priorities for this system are macro- and micro-dynamics, nuance, tonal purity, and realistic scale. I'd like the speakers to disappear while projecting a 3D soundstage and solid low frequency pressure into the room. (The Thiels would likely need a sub.) They'll also have to serve the 60-inch plasma TV on the wall 4 feet behind them in a 2-channel, pseudo-home theater set up. Not much to ask, I know.... :)

I can get a great local price on EB1is but I don't want the deal to make the call. Of course, I'll audition all of them eventually but it's impossible to find them all in one place--or even more than one. So I'd like to draw on the experience of this knowledgeable group as I make my way.

Thanks,
Bill
wrm57
ryder
1,687 posts
 
Sashav, you have a good pair of ears and we probably share the same listening preference. I have listened to the Revel Salon2 couple of times last year. They were driven by Mark Levinson monoblocks and Wyred4Sound amps later through the year when my friend upgraded the electronics. Similarly I find the Salon2 to exhibit a hard and metallic sound especially in the high frequency region. Of course my benchmark is the Harbeth which possesses an organic, rounded and natural sound that sounded totally different from the Revels. In contrast, people may argue that the Harbeth lacks the transparency of the Revels and are rolled off in the highs. After becoming accustomed to the sound of the Harbeth, I find the presentation of the Salon2 to be artificial and unnatural.

In my mind the better PMCs and ATCs offer the most neutral sound without the artifact contributed by the *presumably* exotic materials in the tweeters and woofers.

To each his own.

I would be interested to hear your impressions on the active PMCs vs ATCs.
wrm57 OP
1,034 posts
 
Sashav: I appreciate your elaboration. While something of a vicarious information sponge, I'm also an empiricist and, in the end, will be led by my ears. As I said, I should get the EB1i in-house next week. I've also been invited to pop down to San Diego for a day to audition the Acoustic Zen Crescendo at the factory with a local dealer-friend who's thinking about carrying it. I'll see if I can make the time. It's another interesting transmission line contender that has received excellent if limited press.

Mclsound: Thanks for the well-wishes and the tip on the "non-i" PMCs. You may be right: at the SPLs I generally use, the Vifa, which is supposedly modified substantially in-house, might be okay. I'll see.

Thanks again to all. I'll post my findings as I realize them.

Best,
Bill
nescafe2008
1 posts
 
Sashav, what type of active ATC that you think comparable with PMC IB2S performance?
Thank You.
sashav
72 posts
 
I prefer ATC SCM50ASL and larger models to passive IB2S.
Some may prefer an apparent low end extension of IB2S, but that comes at price. Active ATCs give you better window into the recording, the line of hearing things never heard before is what comes to mind, but not through hyped up presence region or higher frequencies, there is a clear separation of instruments, even when they occupy space near each other, individual drivers never calling attention to themselves, I am convinced all being the product of superb integration of drivers not being possible with passive cross-over. On passive speakers you simply do not hear what you do on active ones or on headphones.
ssolman
16 posts
 
I have owned both PB1i's and EB1i's but thanks to the advice from Sashav and others on earlier Audiogon discussions I took the leap over 1 year ago to the IB2i's. It was the best decision I have made. The real test for me was an Alison Krauss track. At one point in the song she really lets it out. With every other speaker I have owned I feel like turning down the volume with that passage. The IB2i with the PMC mid made the difference. It is just so overbuilt. Absolutley magnificant. I also purchased (since sold) a pair of PMC AML1 active monitors to experience an active design. I was impressed and can only imagine that the active version of the IB2i is equally impressive. PMC is a true believer in active designs. There is an interesting write up in HIFI Critic VOL 3 NUM 4 by PMC's Peter Thomas on the benefits of active speaker designs. Sashav, could you please elaborate on the IB2S active as compared to the passive IB2i? I might be interested in selling my IB2i's if someone is interested....
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