The Professional Monitor Company

I have two pairs of LB1s and i like them a lot. They are good but what really impressed me if you have the money is the Dynaudio Confidence 5. They are the best speaker I have ever heard. Simply unbelievable. None the less I love my PMCs. Also what do you think of the LB1 as a center? Does it work well? and would a TB2 work okay? Thanks - Ian

I use the LB-1 for a center channel because it has the single best voice reproduction I've heard. What better than a recording monitor to project accurate voice, right? I also like that they use Dynaudio drivers. I was contemplating buying the Dynaudio Contour 3.0 for my audio speakers, but then I saw the price. Bought the FB-1s instead. Brutally revealing speakers. Neutral as sin. The LB-1 as a center lacks a little bass, so you need a good sub. You should try one of your own in your home theater if its not too much trouble to move it. Make sure your source is good, though. I have not heard the TB2 for any extended period of time. I know that it is related to my FB-1, so I do recommend you try it. I do feel, though, that the LB-1 is better at voice reproduction. Have you auditioned any of their larger monitors? I power the FB-1s with a 4B-ST from Bryston. Works great. I know the 4B-ST has more juice in it, so I am contemplating upgrading my speakers.

Yes I have heard the FB1s and they were so good that I began to follow the entire PMC line. They were better than the Thiel 2.3s at half the price. I needed a bookshelf speaker so I bought the LB1s unheard because i figured that if they sounded nearly as good as the FB1's i'd be happy. If I were you I'd either keep your money and stay with the FB1s for a while or search for a pair of Confidence 5 speakers from Dynaudio, but then again these speakers make the Contour 3.0s look cheap. PMC's bigger speakers in general are not worth it and I would stay away from them. I believe their IB1s - $4500 is stereophile recommended class c whereas even the LB1 is ranked class B two years running.In general it is their lower line stuff that are the real price/performance leaders. Do you know of any other brands that sound similar to the LB1s, because I am having trouble getting a hold of a single LB1 for use as a center channel. Thanks - Ian

I don't know any other brands that are comperable. The LB-1 seems to be in a class of its own. They use the Dynaudio driver, but the LB-1 does not sound like a Dynaudio speaker. The store where I buy my gear at sells Dynaudio speakers as well. Their center channel sounds different. I'm not sure if you are looking for a used LB-1 or want to buy new. The store you go to will probably have to order you a center channel. I lucked out and the guy had one in the store. One word of caution. I use my center channel in a horizonal arrangement. For the LB-1 center the driver is moved to the middle, and the tweeter is off to one side. If you position your center channel vertically, you might do better using one of your existing LB-1s. Or you could buy a new pair, one center, one center rear. Not sure if that is over your budget. Happy shopping.

I have a pair of the TB-1s and auditioned them against PSB Stratus Minis and something from JM Lab. Those speakers created what I now know as "coloration". The TBs seem to play everything as it was recorded/maastered. A caveat though, they play bad music badly. What I like is the bass extension from such a tiny speaker. They are imported by bryston so if you own one of their amps you should check these out.

One question for you argent...
What amp do you use for your hometheater? I have a Nakamichi AV 8 that I am presently using until my B&K gets back to me. I wanted to know what sorta power your receiver/amp had because I am scared of blowing my speakers with this low quality/weak amp. Especially because the LB1s present a 4 ohm load. For music I find the Nakamichi barely adequate but for HT you have to put the volume way up and thats where trouble could brew. BTW the receiver would only have to power 3 of the 5 channels.
Thanks - Ian