[ryder]

Hi,

I own the PMC LB1 Signatures mini-monitors. I already own a Dali SWA-12 subwoofer but it doesn't seem to blend well with the PMC's. It has now been relegated to HT duties due to its incompetence, and it's not doing very well in Home Theater either.

Will the PMC XB1-A sub bass system be a good combination to the LB1's in 2-channel listening? How about Home Theater? Can I expect huge improvements in the bass apart from just getting a slight boost in the lower octaves? Are there enough output sockets in the XB1-A for connection up to two amplifiers? I can't seem to find any technical information on the input sockets in PMC webpage, whether they are in RCA's, or both RCA's and XLR's and the number of socket inputs. This was not indicated anywhere in the specifications and pdf brochure. Any help on this matter is much appreciated.

[James Tanner]

Hi ryder,

The XB1-A is PASSSIVE so it only has SPEAKER (5-way) inputs.
The only ACTIVE sub PMC has is the TLE.

james

[ryder]

Oh bummer. Thanks for the clarification James. It is rather confusing since the drop-down menu of the XB1 shows both 'passive' and 'active', and I thought the XB1-A is active.

If that's the case, what is the difference between the XB1-A and XB1-P? Anyone own these subwoofers? How do these two compare to the active TLE? Basically which one out of the three would be the best compliment to the LB1's?

Thanks in advance.

[James Tanner]

Hi Ryder,

Yes it is a Little confusing but the P and A designation on the XB1 (XB2, XB3) was adopted long before PMC had an Active TLE sub.

The difference is the P has a passive crossover built in and rolls the mains at approximately 80Hz.

The A is "active ready" which means it needs a separate amp and crossover and does not have any crossover internally. It also has more power handling than the P version.

james

[ryder]

Hi James,

Thanks for the technical clarification. That is clear now.

Anyone has hands-on experience with the XB1-A or XBA-P sub bass systems?

[carlos3621]

I currently run 4 pmc lb-1 speakers (signature series) for my front and rears, along with a velodyne servo fsr 15 sub, i can,t say enough ,on how well these subs match up to the pmc's. this is an older sub, but has always been well reguarded for speed/musicality.
I thought about the pmc sub, but id rather have the extra punch/loudness of a larger driver, (for movie/effects).

[ryder]

Hi Carlos,

Thanks for your reply. So you have 2 pairs of identical LB1 Signatures and use a Velodyne sub with good success. Have you tried a Dali sub with your LB1's?

Reason of asking is that I've recently got some invaluable advice from Audiogoners on high-passing my speakers and have got good results now. I didn't high-pass the LB1's previously and that's the reason I didn't get a good integration between the sub and the speakers. The integration between the Lb1's and subwoofer is quite seamless now. I never expected such a huge difference in sound after getting the bass right.

I'm very satisfied with the end result now and was intrigued on the quantum of improvements if I were to consider getting a bigger and better subwoofer. That will have to wait.

Since you have 2 pairs of LB1 Signatures, may I know if they are meant for HT applications or critical 5 channel listening? Do you have the LB1 center speaker as well?

[carlos3621]

Hello Ryder,,

 definately , high pass the lb-1's when using any sub, its a clear difference in integration.I have not had the opportunity to try other subs, but i don't feel the need to, although im sure there are others that will give u good results.

 I am using a dynaudio contour center channel speaker for 2 reasons,
1. it uses 2 of the same dynaudio drivers (the pmc center uses 1 dynaudio driver)
2. the dynaudio center is slim enough to perfectly fit into my entertainment center, where as the pmc is wider and did not fit into my space.
 both of these models use the same exact dyanudio drivers, so the timbre match is not an issue for me.