Recommended power handling for PMC

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Klipschpyro

After listening to the EB1i's on the 501's and the 1.2Kw's. I can not justify selling my 501's.

I am pleased to know that you were able to make the comparison of the MC501's and the MC1.2kw's driving the EB1i's. I agree with you that the 501's and the EB1i's are a match made in audio heaven. I am happy for you.

[Haurock]

Hmmmmmmm.... makes me wonder if the MC352 is sufficient?

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Haurock

Hmmmmmmm.... makes me wonder if the MC352 is sufficient?

Rock.......Trust me on this. It is.

[Haurock]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Rock.......Trust me on this. It is.

I'm pretty sure it is as well, I'm not a person who cranks up the volume loud anyways... So I don't think that it should be an issue... just when you look at those suggested ratings... it makes one pause and think a bit... the amp might just work a little harder...

[jdandy]

Rock.......I am listening to a nice jazz CD right now at a comfortable volume level, perfect sound, and the MC501 meters are bouncing between .5 watts and 5 watts.

Don't let those power handling numbers worry you. A MC252 will rock the EB1i's. I originally drove my EB1i's with a MC275 MkV tube amp. They rocked, but the lower power did limit my dynamic range when I wanted to crank them. I then put a MC352 in place of the MC275 MkV, and the EB1i's rattled the windows. The main reason I have the 501's in place now is because I decided to do a second McIntosh system in my recording studio for auditioning mixes and masters, so I move the MC352 down there, and that gave me the excuse I needed to bring home a pair of MC501's. Believe me when I tell you, the MC352 will move some serious air with the PMC EB1i speakers, and sound fantastic doing it.

[jdebonth]

Ian,

I am currently running the FB1i's through a primare A32.2 power amp rated at 120W per channel into 8 Ohm; 200W per channel into 4 Ohm.

In the long term I would like to upgrade to OB1i, PB1i or EB1i with suitable McIntosh amplification, say the MC402.

I could upgrade the MC402 now and then upgrade the speaker in around 6months time however I prefer to upgrade the speaker first as I believe this will give me noticably better SQ than the amp upgrade.

Which PMC models would I be able to run with my current primare amp, I typically do not listen at high volume levels. Are the recommended power levels based on 8 Ohm or 4 Ohm?

Thanks!

[ian@pmc]

If the MC402 is your amplifier of choice I would recommend the PB1i or the EB1i, but EB1i only if you've got ample space to load... If you don't play your speakers too loud then you should be cruising comfortably with an MC402. It would be entirely up to you to find your preference between the 4 & 8 Ω taps. I've heard a PB1i driven with a SimAudio i3.3 (100@8, 200@4), it sounded glorious. So relatively modest power amps can do a terrific job of making these speakers sing... I'm not saying that the MC402 is modest, but that you will have sufficient power on tap. I just cannot stress the speaker/room interface when talking about the EB.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by ian@pmc

If the MC402 is your amplifier of choice I would recommend the PB1i or the EB1i, but EB1i only if you've got ample space to load... If you don't play your speakers too loud then you should be cruising comfortably with an MC402. It would be entirely up to you to find your preference between the 4 & 8 Ω taps. I've heard a PB1i driven with a SimAudio i3.3 (100@8, 200@4), it sounded glorious. So relatively modest power amps can do a terrific job of making these speakers sing... I'm not saying that the MC402 is modest, but that you will have sufficient power on tap. I just cannot stress the speaker/room interface when talking about the EB.

I get a better bass when I run my EB1i from the 8 ohm terminals of the 2301's. A very clear improvement compared to the 2 and 4 ohms. Don't know why.

[jdebonth]

Originally Posted by ian@pmc

I just cannot stress the speaker/room interface when talking about the EB.

Ian, thanks for the very helpful info. What is the minimum room size you would recommend for the EB1i? I am currently in around a 14 x 14foot room however will move to a somewhat larger listening space shortly.

Thanks,
Joost

[ian@pmc]

Hi Joost,

I couldn't really give you a minimum size that would work. Tiny rooms have worked really well for our largest systems so that throws out any rule of only the biggest rooms for big speakers. What is the larger room going to look like? Some dimensions and a pic would help.

Thanks,
Ian.