PMC Twenty 21 Standmount Speakers – Diamond Black

Here we have a pair of loudspeakers from British specialists PMC (Professional Monitor Company Limited) who were founded back in 1991. The company began by building studio monitors and very quickly established themselves in this field, being used by many recording artists all over the world. They also found similar success when they branched out to build domestic loudspeaker systems. The pair of Twenty 21 we have are in the Diamond Black finish, and are in fully working condition with one having a ding on the rear back corner. They come packaged in their original boxes with grilles, manual and our standard three month warranty.
PMC say….
Ideally suited to all styles and sizes of interior, and featuring PMC’s innovative ATL™ technology, the twenty® series offers an effortlessly natural, rich, room-filling sound, suggesting cabinets far greater in stature. It has been met with worldwide acclaim: for three years consecutively, the twenty® series was honoured with What Hi-Fi’s Best Loudspeaker award — an unprecedented accolade.
PMC operates according to a holistic design philosophy, whereby every element is considered to be a contributing factor in the loudspeaker’s sonic performance and every component used is judged for its sound quality and longevity; hence our confidence in the performance of our products, and the reason why we offer an unparalleled 20-year warranty on our passive designs.
As an established, award-winning introduction to the potential offered by PMC’s range of handcrafted British loudspeaker designs, the twenty® series has no equal.
ATL is an ingenious design and uses energy generated by the bass unit in a much more intelligent, efficient way than speaker designs based on ported or sealed boxes. In ATL loudspeakers, the highly braced cabinet is lined with a multitude of custom-designed acoustic materials that absorb all but the very lowest frequencies. These exit from a front-panel vent, extending the low-frequency response, and creating the impression of a far larger speaker with an extra, ultra-high quality bass unit. ATL improves more than just the bass response: because the low end is clean and clear, it doesn’t mask the rest of the music. Vocals, in particular, are beautifully projected and ultra-vivid.
ATL loudspeakers offer another benefit. The ATL bass extension does not change with volume level — so even when listening quietly, the bass sounds balanced and well defined.
An ideal loudspeaker cabinet provides a stable platform for its drive units to operate perfectly without adding any sonic signature of its own. Naturally, an optimum design should also integrate into and enhance the aesthetics of its chosen environment.
ATL™ attempts to defy the laws of physics by providing bass extension that would normally be associated with reflex or sealed box cabinets of a much larger size. To accomplish this, PMC’s cabinets must withstand considerably greater
pressure levels, and this in turn demands a more complex, better engineered design. The twenty® series cabinets achieve a delicate balance, combining the structurally rigid and stable housing required for the handmade components to perform at their best in a stylishly neutral, matte-black finish that complements both traditional and contemporary homes.
Due to its complex ATL™ the twenty.21 has significantly more dynamic grip and depth of bass than any other speaker of this size.
It is a very effective musical communicator, with fine warmth through the mid-range and a sweet and extended treble. It all adds up to a dynamite design, capable of dominating the compact loudspeaker market by reproducing all genres of music with ease.
Specifications:
Frequency Response: 50 Hz – 25 kHz
Sensitivity: 87 dB 1 W 1 m
Recommended Amp Power: 30 – 150 W
Effective ATL™: 1.72 m
Impedance: 8 Ohm
Drive Units: LF PMC twenty® series, lightweight doped 140mm cone with cast alloy chassis; HF PMC/SEAS®, 27mm twenty® series, SONOLEX™ Soft dome, Ferrofluid cooled
Crossover Frequency: 1.8 kHz
Input Connectors: 2 pairs 4 mm sockets (Bi-amp or Bi-wire)
Dimensions: 325 (H) x 152 (W) x 277 (D) mm
Weight: 5.0 kg each

For a review from Hi-Fi News magazine please click here

For a second opinion this time from Hi-Fi World please click here