PMC result6 Monitor Review

[AudioSceptic]

Overpriced and disappointing? Must be PMC.

Yep, I remember listening to a pair of PMCs (can't remember which but they were serious £) when they were new to the market and thinking, what, who are they trying to con?

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Are we sure this is intended for normal monitor duty, and not a "bad home stereo simulator" like auratones? This would be great for checking what your mix would sound like on a knock off pair of mid tier B&Ws...

I assume a facetious response.

 

[dananski]

I feel embarrassed to be British at this point. Apart from KEF every other British brand seems to have just gone and dived into the deep end. Linn and NEAT and Naim were already swimming there. But B&W, Tannoy, PMC, ATC, what have you sold your souls for?

Besides KEF, Wharfedale at least seem to have retained some sanity. Otherwise, yeah...
New stuff coming from Spendor, who sometimes do measure up well in what few tests get done.

 

[goat76]

I mean, these won't ever usually be found in a domestic dealership selling PMC (same with Focal and Dynaudio) and I've only ever glimpsed these in an Abbey Road Mastering article or two on YouTube, the analogue mastering room using PMCs and the recording studios still using big B&W 800s I believe.

And yet many great-sounding records have been engineered at Abbey Road, but I would guess the particular PMC monitor reviewed here isn't that commonly used as a mastering monitor and probably more often used for mixing.

 

[VintageFlanker]

The Batman Curve, but without pointed ears...

 

[DSJR]

And yet many great-sounding records have been engineered at Abbey Road, but I would guess the particular PMC monitor reviewed here isn't that commonly used as a mastering monitor and probably more often used for mixing.

I believe that prior to the B&W product placement there (as they did at Decca and other then-Polygram studios), a set of Soffitt mounted Questeds were the order of the day. I believe ATC 150s were used too for a short while.

Staff Engineers I understand, seem to get used to their monitors very quickly and learn to hear through them. Speaking more from this side of the pond, look at what would today be regarded as highly flawed large monitors that were routinely used in the 60's to 90s - JBL, Tannoy (in the UK), Ureis derived from 60s Altek ancestors and so on.

The vinyl mastering room, seems to be the main or only one using PMCs, the bigger twin boxes as well as what looked to be a pair of these -

 

[MZKM]

Note: Rating not designed for near-field listening

Preference Rating
SCORE: 2.8
SCORE w/ sub: 5.3

Frequency response: +/- 6.1dB 45Hz-20kHz ; +/- 3.2dB 80Hz-20kHz

​

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

insult6

ALL PMC I heard at a local short starting pre 2000 were not good. The Bass resonance and audible air velocity was very annoying. I've run into a few people who have them and are blown away. These people are not that experienced with trying different speakers. It aligns with "Tooles" comment "its a learned thing"


From gearspace below -
"Just listened to the new PMC Result6's, and after a solid 2 hours of a/bing I can say definitively these speakers sound amazing for the price."

 

[DanielT]

Thanks for your test Amir.

PMC. I suspected before reading about the results that it would be a roller coaster ride. After reading, of course it became a ride. Crap, OR is it not crap? That IF PMC really wants this FR? Then it is a conscious designed, what I consider to be crap but not PMC, FR that is.

Let's see what PMC themselves have to say about it:

...high resolution and detail, accurate, extended bass, consistent tonal balance at all levels, and wide dispersion and sweet spot.

..consistent tonal balance at all levels,....my a**

https://pmc-speakers.com/studio/active/result6/

I don't understand why PMC insists on having a TL configuration in such a small speaker box?
Why TL at all? Discussed in this thread:

Transmission-line speakers

In a true transmission line, there's no output from the vent. It doesn't matter whether the vent is there or not. That so-called TLs are vented, indicates they're probably not true TLs. The only example I can think of, of a true TL without a vent is the B&W Nautilus, which has a line of...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[DanielT]

Only $3000 to ride this roller coaster! Yikes!

Thanks Amir!

I missed you mentioning the roller coaster, as I also did in my post above.

"Consistent tonal balance" I guess

I also saw that PCM wrote this. Why, one might wonder? Or so we know. It sells.

PCM shamelessly ignores the fact that Consistent tonal balance regarding result6 Monitor has nothing to do with reality.

 

[uwotm8]

As far as I know, these are very highly respected and oftenly preferred instead of "mass market" Neumann etc. as a "premium alternative" and "truly revealing" speakers. Praised for unmatched transparency and total absence of any coloration. Sort of top level studio monitors or even endgame. Yes, I'm a bit ironic here

That said, despite one of "kali boys" said it's equal for 10x less (maybe because of poor distortion but Kalis are still worse in that), I don't believe that LP-6 or 306P are even remotely on par with Result6 in listening "for joy".

For example, I simply hate B&W signature but they do not sound as a cheap speakers. These PMC curve reminds me classic Dynaudio "comfort tune" in upper midrange (but enhanced); unfortunately there's a dip in lower MF (not my target definitely).

@amirm Thank you for the review! Can you comment the "overall level" let alone distortion and coloration - do PMC sound premium, rich and expensive? I mean, if things work that way as with those $10k Wilsons which you rather liked despite poor FR.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

If we needed more proofs of the validity of the path chosen by Amir for ASR.
Before ASR (and similar if any) , the audiophile or studio professional would have to depend on reviews, reputation and opinions to make a choice. PMC for example has the reputation, and the price would help confirming the bias too...
We know, now , based on these reviews that the $400/pair JBL 308, among others, performs better.... The budding studio professional would be left with $2600 to do ... whatever

One more time,

Thanks ASR!

Peace.

 

[welwynnick]

A good HiFi enthusiast friend of mine always liked PMC speakers.
He went on to set-up a highly respected high-end HiFi dealership, selling many of the best brands, yet still maintained his support for PMC.
I always hated them. I thought they were truly dreadful, and couldn't understand his affinity for them.
When I saw Amir's charts, I was surprised they weren't worse than they actually are.

 

[Svensson]

I think that this is a FABULOUS example of a speaker (to demonstrate why we measure).

 

[uwotm8]

$400/pair JBL 308, among others, performs better

I'm ready for such swap! I give a pair of new 308Ps for a pair of Result6. All shipping on me. Let me save someone from that awful sounds PMC make

 

[Koeitje]

A headless panther...just as I expected based on measurements of other PMC loudspeakers. I had Twenty.22's and they were terrible.

I feel embarrassed to be British at this point. Apart from KEF every other British brand seems to have just gone and dived into the deep end. Linn and NEAT and Naim were already swimming there. But B&W, Tannoy, PMC, ATC, what have you sold your souls for?

Wharfedale is doing fine.

 

[Cogito]

Overpriced garbage.

 

[thewas]

I no longer visit dealers routinely to judge what they feel is a good sound these days, but not knowing so much at all about pro choices, how to pros choose monitors? is it word of mouth, price range, the fact they travel around studios and get to 'know' certain models well? Not sure they visit a pro audio shop for a dem.

I mean, these won't ever usually be found in a domestic dealership selling PMC (same with Focal and Dynaudio) and I've only ever glimpsed these in an Abbey Road Mastering article or two on YouTube, the analogue mastering room using PMCs and the recording studios still using big B&W 800s I believe.

That is the problem of a big part of the branch, namely basing the choice on word of mouth when nowadays excellent objective data and the understanding to interpret them is easily and freely available even to amateurs.

 

[thewas]

That said, despite one of "kali boys" said it's equal for 10x less (maybe because of poor distortion but Kalis are still worse in that), I don't believe that LP-6 or 306P are even remotely on par with Result6 in listening "for joy".

Well that's your believe or personal taste, having listened to both my choice even "for joy" mine totally differs and the research of blinded comparisons rather confirms such for a the majority of the population.

For example, I simply hate B&W signature but they do not sound as a cheap speakers. These PMC curve reminds me classic Dynaudio "comfort tune" in upper midrange (but enhanced); unfortunately there's a dip in lower MF (not my target definitely).

Thank god all Dynaudios I have heard and seen measured are quite far from such bat curve voicing.

 

[mcdn]

Wharfedale is doing fine.

Yes, but they haven’t been British for a long time. All design and manufacturing is in China. Peter Comeau moved there 10 years ago I think. And good for them, it allows them to make great speakers at sensible prices.