Recording - April 2015 - 42

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

British firm PMC is one the most
respected speaker/monitor companies
in the world. As a point of reference,
both of the mastering engineers that I
interviewed for our October 2014
issue, Marsh Mastering's Stephen
Marsh and Metropolis Mastering's
John Davis, use PMC monitors-
respectively the IB1S (about $12,000
per pair) and the BB5XBD Active (a
mere $134,000 per pair), although
Metropolis uses them in surround!

PMC twotwo.5 Active Monitors
This smallsmall monitor offers bigbig sound
In tracking and mixing studios, most
PMCs are typically full-size mains or larger
mid-sized 3-way affairs. However PMC
has also developed a line of speakers that
are both smaller in size and price, making
use of cutting-edge DSP technology on
board. The newest PMC line is the twotwo
range. It currently includes three models:
The twotwo.5, twotwo.6, and twotwo.8.
There are also a pair of recently-introduced
subs in the lineup, the twotwo.Sub1 and
the twotwo.Sub2.
Whatwhat's a twotwo?
The series gets its name
from the fact that it is a 2-way
speaker purposely designed
to be at home both vertically
and horizontally. That may not
sound like a big deal, since
people have been laying their
monitors on their sides for
years, but the twotwo is
designed to be used in either
position yet still offer the same
imaging and tonal properties.
Each model shares the
same classy "Blackblue" finish, with each corner sporting
a small rubber button/bumper
that helps decouple the unit
from the surface it is resting on, again in
either orientation. Internally, each model
makes use of dual Class D amplification
and onboard DSP.
The model numbers correspond to woofer
size, with a choice of 5.5", 6.5", and 8"
drivers respectively. These PMC-designed
drivers are exclusive to the twotwo range,
and according to the manual are made of
an "ultra light and ultra stiff doped-paper
42

RECORDING April 2015

cone." The 27mm soft dome tweeter is also
a new custom PMC design, and is housed
behind a perforated acoustic lens which
extends the frequency response and aids in
dispersion.
Unlike any monitor I've ever used that
was meant for (even optional) vertical
placement, the tweeters on the twotwo
models (as well as many other PMC units)
are offset to one side of the monitor. In a
transatlantic conversation
with PMC's own Keith Tonge,
he explained that contrary to
most folks' inclination to set
the twotwos up with the
tweeters facing out, he suggested that I set them up with
them facing inward, as that
would greatly improve the
high-end imaging. In that orientation, there is little to no
cabinet between the tweeters. I'll let you know my
impressions of that setup in a
moment, but first let's look at
two more unique elements of
the twotwo boxes.
ATL and DSP
The Advanced Transmission
Line or ATL is what makes a PMC speaker a
PMC speaker. While it visually looks like
a simple front-mounted bass port, just like
those on a host of other models, internally it's not that simple. Inside the box, ATL
is the cumulative result of internally partitioned cabinet construction, patented
absorptive materials, and how these construction choices work hand-in-glove with
the chosen drivers.

If you stop by PMC's website, there is a
great cutaway digram that illustrates this. It
shows that none of the internal amps, circuit
boards, or other components shares the
same space with the speakers. You will also
see a long S-shaped multichambered channel that the low frequencies travel through
from the woofer to the external port. This
chamber is the Advanced Transmission Line;
its main benefit is clean and clear mids and
a low frequency consistency and presence
at varying volume levels-keeping its sound
whether played softly or cranked.
Next up is the series' most cutting edge
feature-its use of digital conversion and
onboard signal processing for everything
from equalization and level tweaks to its
crossover point of 1.8 kHz. All incoming
analog signal is converted to 24-bit/96
kHz digital, and from there you can apply
detailed low and high shelving EQ, low
frequency roll off, and adjust input sensitivity and output levels.
All of this is controlled behind the speaker with set of 4 navigation buttons and a 2line alphanumeric LCD screen. Additionally
each model includes a pair of CAT5 ins
and outs and an included network cable-
when adjusting settings on one speaker
while cabled to the other, it matches settings
on both. An optional remote control unit lets
you sit in your sweet spot and make
informed adjustments without getting up,
guessing, adjusting, sitting down, listening
and repeating. Finally, there's built-in limiting/speaker protection that works well and
is surprisingly transparent, causing the
backlit white PMC logo to flash red.
All twotwos offer balanced XLR and
unbalanced RCA inputs as well as an AES

Recording - April 2015

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