[hired goon]

G'day,

I've been sent a pair of PMC OB1 speakers for an in-home evaluation. I haven't done much critical listening yet. I have mostly Rotel equipment: RSP-1068 pre/pro, RCD-1072 CD player, RB-1090 2x380w amp, and RMB-1095 5x200w amp. I've also borrowed a nOhr SE9 valve amp. Nothing truly audiophile quality, I'm afraid.

I like the smoothness of the sound when using the valve amp, but when using the Rotel gear I get a slightly more grainy, sibilant sound. I'm not sure if this is an inherent difference between valve and solid state, or just a Rotel sound. I do know that the RCD-1072 CD player gave a grainier sound when compared to an Arcam CD player when I did a demo at another place.

Now: am I giving the PMC OB1 a fair hearing with the above equipment? Or do these speakers need higher-end gear (such as Bryston or Plinius amps) to bring out their best?

--Geoff

[rleeman]

Your RSP-1068 pre/pro, RCD-1072 CD player, RB-1090 amp will drive the OB1s but I am not sure what you are trying to achieve.

In the stereo context, if you want to do better and you have the opportunity to try out some Bryston gear then go for it.  I would recommend the BP26DA pre/DAC and 4BSST amp...use your 1072 as the transport and the DAC of the BP26. I am currently using Rotel RCD991 as transport, and Bryston BP25DA and 4BSST. I am very pleased with the clean, smooth, natural delivery I get in combi with the OB1s, which btw I found sounded even better once run-in. (As an aside I was interested that the left and right channels of the 4BSST were rated at 340 and 341 Watts respectively when tested in the Bryston factory, well above the stated 300W/ch.)

Your Rotel kit indicates a surround system in which case you might prefer the SP 1.7 pre/pro instead of the 2-channel BP26. I note that the SP 2 will soon be coming out. U can use the DAC of the SP instead of the Rotel to convert to analogue. What speakers would you use for the rest of your system?

As I say it depends on what you are tying to do. U might be happy with the Rotels driving the OB1s in a surround system, but if you plan to do serious/critical 2-ch listening, and budget permitting you might want to upgrade…still no harm in trying out some Bryston equipment if you have the opportunity!

R

[jethro]

hired goon,

A better source and/or pre-amp are probably needed to make the OB-1's shine. I found that my Rotel RCD-971 in analog mode wasn't nearly as good in comparison to the RCD-971 as a transport to my SP-1.7. I have IB-1's and if I remember correctly, the frequency range and/or response of the RCD-971 wasn't as uniform/broad when used as a transport.  I have "harped" on how much I like the SP-1.7 for two-channel  before. If you haven't already, you might want to try a search on RCD or Rotel.