Yesterday I had a nice demo as I was eager to hear the Linn Selekt vs Naim Nova in combination with Focal Kanta’s 3 in this case as my current Focal 1038Be electra isn’t available anymore. Both have the Beryllium tweeter which can reach 40 kHz according the specs.
I experienced the Linn Selekt (Organik day with internal 50W power) had to do some work in order to make the Kanta work (Volume button around 65), however it sounded very nice, enough bass, very neat and clean.
Next up was the Naim Nova. The Nova had no problem driving the Kanta’s, and yes the very compelling Naim sound was there. Listened to some Tidal on 16bit-44kHz on both systems. I was convinced that I should stay with Naim
However with both systems I grew a little tired listening, so I asked for the PMC loudspeaker. A twenty5.24i was connected to the Nova. That was a big difference, I could listen to that speaker all day and night, not tiring it all. At home with my Focals I experience tiring also. Instead of looking for one box solution I might be changing from Focal to PMC.
I am thinking about the 24i, 26i or fact 8, however I understood room size is important here. In my case 4,5m wide x 5,5m long x 3m high. Some internet searches even asked ChatGPT (haha), it seems that the 26i might be the sweet spot here, but what about the fact 8? Too big. What do you guys think here?
If you are thinking of getting PMC speakers, I would also consider going active with the PMC amp packs. A few people on the forum have done this, some using the Atom HE as a preamp streamer, and I believe some with a 222 as the preamp streamer. Another brand to consider might be ATC which make passive and active versions of some of the range.
If you like the PMC sound, try the actives with an Atom HE. I previously had a Nova with the same speakers passive, and the active setup is much better. I suspect the HE with actives will better your 272/250DR. That combination is good, but the 272 really comes to life with an XPS or 555PS. The HE would actually release money and it looks great too.
I would say first job is to choose Naim or Linn - both have different sounds and as this forum shows some prefer Linn and some prefer Naim, I’m in the latter camp but it’s a purely preference thing as both are excellent.
From there speaker choice really needs a home demo, take your time and demo as much as you can and if you have a good relationship with your dealer that is worth its weight in gold so to speak.
I have owned Kanta’s and fact8’s and demoed pmc 26’s. I preferred the Kanta to the PMC’s by some margin….
When I moved house the Kanta’s didn’t work in my new room, spent a good few years faffing and experimenting with the usual suspects and now own Atc (active) but passive is available.
I would counsel you to try active be that ATC or PMC and cosy up to a good dealer and do some demos.
Finally, reading reviews is futile as in my experience it’s how the speaker interacts in your room that is the key!
If you’re thinking of going PMC and sticking with passive speakers, I’d suggest getting a listen to the new prophecy range. I’m running a pair of prophecy5s at the moment for review, and they’re a big step up from the twenty5 models.
That’s very sound advice. If one tries to choose speakers and electronics at the same time, it can get very confusing. Decide on the sound and functionality of Linn and Naim - for example the Naim streamer will multiroom with mu-sos in other rooms if you have them, a feature we use a lot - and then pick speakers to fit.
If the OP does go for the PMC 24 it’s worth remembering they they can be bought used and then upgraded to active at home. There are lots of great options out there, which will give great sound from a minimal looking setup.
As others have mentioned, demo is very important. I love PMC speakers and currently have Fact 12’s… but they require careful matching as they will show up shortfalls elsewhere in your system pretty ruthlessly. The Fact 8’s are apparently very similar so I suspect they would be the same.
Thank you for all the information. For now I will be staying with Naim. A new demo is already planned where the dealer will setup 272/250DR and PMC 24i and prophecy 7. After this it’s possible to to do a home demo. Yes, I will tak my time in this. Electronics update is something for a later date for now.
PMC don’t look like they’ll be providing an active option for these models. Perhaps active sales on the twenty5 models led to this decision ?
I thought the twenty5 active models (and the retrofittable active plate for the passive versions) was a great idea, so it’s a shame that they don’t seem to be pursuing this on the Prophecy range.
I spoke to PMC a while ago and asked about this. Their plan is to run the active twenty5i series alongside the Prophesy range for a good while and then introduce the active option for the latter. They said it had always been the intention to activate the 25s, and that’s why the back plate is so large. The Prophesy doesn’t have that removable back, so active would need to be done differently.
No, but it does have that curved black section at the base which appears to be separate from the main cabinet. It even has what looks a bit like a heatsink at the front, so perhaps the amp design is already in hand.
I just realized that I did not mention that I have the 555PS DR. Added it to my profile also. Active 24i might be an option indeed. I need to ask the dealer about it.
Maybe there is space to fit the electronics in the aluminium base without compromising the airflow. It seems likely they thought about the future active operation when designing the passive speaker. The TL vent would indeed act as a useful heat vent too. My 21is do get very hot.
