It’s the Prodigy 5
The Prophecy 7 is £6.5k so I’d expect it to sound pretty good whereas the Prodigy 5 is £2k
The PMC are significantly easier to drive than the SCM11
You have an XS3 and I suspect it’s really well suited to the PMC more so than the ATC if your room has no issues with the ATL and not demonstrating any boominess ?
I believe PMC say about 200 hours. Before buying my 21i I borrowed a pair from the shop and they sounded great. When mine arrived they were very shut in and restrained, but after a while they too sounded good. That’s the trouble with a shop demo pair.
I suspect the PMCs are a better match than the ATCs but who knows? If you can afford the 5s new, you can also afford some twenty5 series used. The problem here is that the 23i is too much for the XS3. The offer to hear my 21i is still there, just let Richard know if you are interested and he’ll give you my email.
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Strangely enough I’m actually finding that I need to turn the volume knob further with the PMC than with the ATC but that might be because I’m trying to get a bit of life out of the PMC’s
I’m having absolutely no issues with boominess from the ATL
At the moment I’m leaning towards the sound of the ATC as I’m missing them
Only your ears and your opinion matter in selecting your kit !
Enjoy the journey !
My guy doesn’t even think the PMC’s are as good as his old Goodmans and I tend to agree with him at the moment
If that is the outcome of PMC’s entry level speakers, they’d have done better to not have the Prodigy range at all, as once a customer has been put off they might not try anything else from the brand.
Hi @ninanina
The PMC sound may just not be your cup of tea. But …. Don’t judge them until they are completely run in. I have owned 3 different models and they all sounded very sub par until properly run in.
PMC got the 25 series nailed with the ‘i’ iteration and I echo HH’s suggestion to consider a second hand or shop demo 25.21i.
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Absolutely true
I think the ATC’s are also better made too than the Prodigy. The Prodigy is very lightweight for their size but the much smaller ATC’s weigh a ton which is probably down to the drivers they use
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Transmission line speakers are more complex to design and to build than either sealed box or reflex as used by ATC, so all else being equal I would expect PMC to be significantly more expensive, that being the cost of bass extension. With models of similar cost then the bass extension comes at the cost of quality elsewhere. This of course is normal in the speaker world, decent bass always adding significantly to cost compared to more limited range designs.
Yes I understand tansmission line is more difficult to design and build
I’m also aware the Prodigy is built down to a price and, unfortunately, I think it shows
The ATC seemed more built to sound like an ATC should do
The ATC was such fun to listen to and has an addictive sound. There’s no doubt that the PMC goes a little further in the bass department compared to the ATC but that bass just sounds awful to me and misses the forthright snap I got from the ATC and not once did I feel I missed the very low bass that the ATC can’t reach as it’s punch was fantastic, tuneful and was extremely quick to attack when called upon
I’d now describe the ATC’s as fast if that makes sense and the overall sound just gelled together beautifully allowing you to just sit back and enjoy either the music as a whole or pick out little nuances in a track if you wanted
You’re describing exactly what the ATC aims to achieve and, with right amplification, can deliver in spades…. A transparent insight into the recording.
The ATC drivers are built in house and are renowned…. I love them in my study as they are tight and give a fantastic soundstage in a small room…..
The PMC are more musical, less “clean” if you like as they reach deeper and they aren’t anywhere near as clinical…
I do think that the room plays a significant role in a speaker’s presentation (not performance) and the PMC is an absolute belter in the right environment.
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It might just be that the PMC’s don’t work well in my room
What amp are you using for your ATC’s TLR?
Currently a NAIM NAIT 50
Remember that the speakers are brand new, and will sound very different after a couple of weeks regular use. Of course the ATCs will have faster bass, as they are run in. That’s not to say that the ATCs aren’t the better speaker for you. With my 21i the bass is incredibly tight and fast, with the ability both to stop and start on a pin, yet able to go very deep, which is quite something from a speaker only about 33cm tall. The Prodigy stand mount may be a better speaker to compare with the ATC 11, or even better a used par of 21i. I’ve seen them on sale for little over £1,000. Then you’d need the stands for another £400 of course.
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There are some very good deals on passive PMC 25i speakers right now. For example my Twenty5 24i were less than £2500 brand new.
I can’t quite believe it’s just a run-in issue as the sound would have to change dramatically for me to consider them a candidate