Recording - April 2015 - 43

XLR digital input. Since all AES cables are
stereo, you attach the cable to one monitor, choose it as left or right input on the
rear-panel setup menu, and send the signal over CAT5 to the other speaker. I tried
both analog and digital inputs and could
not tell much of a difference between the
two in extended use.
The twotwo.5, on paper and in use
Moving specifically to the 5.5" model I
had on test, it has a frequency response of
50 Hz to 25 kHz and a 111 dB maximum
SPL. Its low shelf is set to 750 Hz with a high
shelf setting of 1 kHz, and both shelves are
adjustable ± 4 dB in increments of 0.125
dB steps. Its low cut is a 6 dB/octave highpass filter. Its ATL length is 4.92' and the
cabinet itself measures 11.65" high x 6.10"
wide x 11.61" deep. It is surprisingly light,
weighing just under 12 lbs.
I found setup and initial tweaking to be a
breeze. I found that I preferred the twotwo.5
set up vertically in my room, as that lined up
the tweeters better with respect to my ears.
Your room and layout may
favor horizontal placement.
I took Keith's advice and
set the tweeters to the inside,
and I was instantly floored by
the width and imaging of
these little boxes. I had them
set up just to the inside of my
usual KRK E8b monitors, and
I kept standing up and walking over to the monitors to
make sure that it was indeed
the twotwo.5 I was hearing
and that I had not left the
KRKs on by mistake. They
really do image that well!
I was also quite impressed
by how easily the twotwo.5
could be tailored to the
sound of my room. Rather
than the preset switches and knobs found
on most smaller monitors, the settings in
the twotwo.5 are quite detailed and there
is no guesswork. I found it quick and
painless to volume-match the twotwo.5 to
other sets of monitors in my room. In fact,
I was quite surprised at how dang loud
the twotwo.5 could get, despite its
diminutive stature.
Small box, big sound
Even more surprising was how full and
punchy the low end was, and that was without any tweaking. Usually this is the part of
a small 5.5" monitor review where you read
how it could not offer the low end extension
of an 8" driver, nor should it be expected
to...? Well, while it did not have the low-end
depth of my 8" KRK, it lacked for nothing in
loud, room-filling punch. Unlike many 8"
monitors' output, it's not the illusion of a subwooferish "whooom whooom whooom to
shake the room," but it will kick you square
in the chest with no problem.

On the high side, the sound is weighted
more towards studio monitor clarity compared to some of the more "hi-fi" styled
monitors I have reviewed of late. It's a nice
balance of clarity and honesty vs. sheer
brightness masquerading as detail.
I did push both the highs and lows to
their maximum settings just to test them.
The low end is best described as more
"forceful" than "thicker and adding what's
not there." On the high end a dB of brightness can help open the sound up if your
room is on the dead side, but I did notice
a slight digital sheen when the high EQ
was pushed all the way up by 4 dB.
Final thoughts
I was already somewhat familiar with
the PMC sound, having had the chance to
spend an evening demoing some of my
own recordings with Stephen Marsh at
Marsh Mastering during last year's AES
Convention, as well as hearing many of
his excellent remasters done with Steven
Hoffman for Audio Fidelity. I would call the
PMC signature very detailed
in a "you are there" sort of
way; it's equal parts effortless
and tight, even punchy.
My biggest shock came
during a moment of panic
when one of my E8b monitors
developed a fault that took it
out of action temporarily. I
thought I might have to cancel
an upcoming mix session, not
knowing if my clients would
feel secure mixing on just a set
of 5.5" monitors in my room.
They decided to try it, and the
shocking part was how effortlessly the mixes came together, and better still, how they
translated to other environments from car system to
iPhone. In their words, "These are the best
speakers we have heard in your room!"
I'm not sure I can add much to my
clients' sentiments, but there is a sobering
side to the twotwo.5; despite their size,
they carry a street price of $4000 per
pair. Even so, I have never before heard
a 5.5" speaker compete this well with
speakers twice its size, especially in the
translation department.
The twotwo.5 would be a tad small for my
treated 12.5' x 15.5' room as my only pair
of monitors, but as a secondary pair, they
shine. I suspect that with a well-matched sub
they'd give any small to medium-sized room
all it needed. I hope to get a pair of twotwo.6
monitors with a sub for review in the future, so
we'll see... and until then, I'll dream of how
the twotwo.5 sounded.
Price: $3999/pair
More from: PMC,
www.pmc-speakers.com
RECORDING April 2015

43
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Recording - April 2015

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