PMC AT HIGH END MUNICH 2022

British loudspeaker brand PMC, the Professional Monitor Company, are always one to visit at Munich.

HiFi Pig always makes time to see PMC at shows, they are a lovely bunch of folk who make excellent HiFi gear and champion new technology in the audio world.

PMC were sharing the space with AVM (its distributor in Germany and PMC Distribution distributes the German electronics brand in the UK) to demonstrate their flagship speaker system, the PMC fact fenestria and showcase the twenty5i and ci series speakers.

RAPID PROTOTYPING

Ollie Thomas, CTO and Commercial Director of PMC, gave us an interesting catch up on what they had been up to during the last 2 ½ years. Of course, the company faced the challenges of Covid like many others but they were still very busy. One of the most interesting developments from a design perspective is their use of 3D printing for rapid prototyping so that now they can ‘think it, print it and test it’ at their facilities in the south east of England.

Ollie Thomas of PMC, the next generation of the Professional Monitor Company

PMC CI SERIES

PMC used the High End Show to introduce its recently launched custom installation (ci) series to the world’s audiophile communitiy, bringing the company’s studio technology, responsible for the recording of thousands of albums and movies soundtracks, to the demanding HiFi market in a minimalist form factor that can be built into listening rooms walls or fit on the wall. Six models, the ci30, ci45, ci65, ci90slim, ci140 and ci140sub, make up this series of high-performance on-wall and in-wall loudspeakers.

The ci series was originally launched as a high performance, compact and slimline range for use in studios and high-end home cinema installations. The speakers are now the reference for Dolby Atmos Music mixing suites around the world. Works by some highly acclaimed artists from many different genres, including Carole King, xPropaganda, Swindle, Seal and Miles Davis, to name but a few, have been re-mixed into Dolby Atmos using the PMC ci series. Models from the range can be used in the home in either two-channel or multi-channel immersive listening rooms.

Like all PMC speakers, the ci series models feature the company’s proprietary ATL™ bass loading technology and Laminair™ air flow control. In ATL speakers, the highly braced cabinet is lined with custom-designed acoustic foam that absorbs 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.

All six models are designed with a shallow depth for wall mounting and the ci30, ci45, ci65 and ci90slim may also be used in-wall. This gives the user greater mounting flexibility, enabling them to have a highly discreet system.

During the pandemic, PMC opened a new production facility to expand to the demand for the Ci range, you can read more about that here.

TOM BARRON

PMC’s UK sales manager Tom Barron has always been a popular member of the PMC team and a regular at HiFi Shows. Tom retires later this year, and he will be missed by us and I am sure all the other press and show goers, colleagues and customers who he has looked after over the years, happy retirement Tom, we hope you enjoy it!

Lin from HiFi Pig with Tom Barron of PMC

PMC FACT FENESTRIA

PMC is well known for its “from studio to home” approach to loudspeaker design and the flagship fenestria is the pinnacle of this.

Peter Thomas, PMC’s founder and owner puts it, “fenestria is the perfect example of our holistic design approach. Our aim was to make the best passive loudspeaker we could, with a completely open mind when it came to the technologies and materials to uses. We looked at all options to achieve the purest, most transparent sound, and fenestria was the result.”

You can read our interview with Peter here, celebrating PMC’s 30^th anniversary last year.

We have been lucky enough to hear the fenestrias several times since their launch, in different configurations including Dolby Atmos set ups. At the show this year it was a more ‘simple’ stereo set up, with a full suite of AVM electronics.

They really are a fabulous loudspeaker and always a pleasure to listen to, immediately engaging and fun. Stravinsky’s Firebird suite drew you in…and then made everyone jump out of their skin, which resulted in a giggling few rows of HiFi press people at the conference.

All in all, it was really nice to catch up with Team PMC, as it always is.

“The High-End Show 2022 was outstanding. We wowed everyone with our flagship fact fenestria’s, and we can’t wait for Munich 2023 so we can do it again with more of our jaw-dropping designs!”

Jeff Willcocks, PMC CEO

Linette Smith

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