Like in all the other rooms, the Motet room was playing music when I walked in. I waited to take the seat dead center and when I did, I slipped on my critical listening hat. Right after the song that was playing ended, as luck would have it, the next two songs that played were two of my favourites: Allan Taylor’s “Wheel of Fortune” and Buika’s “Volver Volver”. My familiarity with those songs allowed me to judge the sound from the perspective of someone who knows how good they can sound.
And on this system, they sounded very good. The system included a pair of PMC Prodigy 5 speakers ($4000/pr, the smaller floorstanders in the picture), a class-AB, 180Wpc Accuphase E4000 integrated amp ($14,999), an EverSolo DMP-A8 streaming DAC ($2799), with cabling by Kimber Kable ($various). The big speakers in the back, which I didn’t hear, were the PMC MB2-SE ($49,999/pr).
The sound was rich, detailed, and substantial. It had a slightly dark flavor but in a balanced way. When the exhibitor announced it was the smaller speakers that were playing, not the big ones, visitors let out a collective expression of surprise. The system’s overall sound was so big it sounded like it came from the big speakers.
I liked this room so much I visited it again and this time they played Diana Krall’s version of The Eagles’ “Desperado” with the Prodigy 5s pulled a bit more forward. My impressions stayed the same, except this time, I noticed that the system could not only sound big, but do subtle and delicate just as well.
As an audiophile and a voracious listener of all kinds of music, Jonson believes that the experience of being immersed in music is often something spiritual. Born and raised in Korea, he cut his teeth on western music mostly through the music of the 80s and the 90s. As of today, names that make his heart beat a little faster include Vladimir Horowitz, John Coltrane, Youn-Sun Nah, Francis Poulenc, Leonard Bernstein, Tannoy, and Magnepan. Jonson also runs a podcast and a YouTube channel about language learning, called SpongeMind.
As you might know, PMA is an independent consumer audio and music magazine that prides itself on doing things differently. For the past three years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to bringing you an authentic listening experience. Our commitment? Absolute authenticity. We steer clear of commercial influences, ensuring that what you hear from us is genuine, unfiltered, and true to our values.
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