PMC vs. Salk Sound Speakers. Which is better?

FWIW, I just came across this recent review of PMC IB2i by Aron Garrecht on Ultra Audio. Some conclusions:

"What the IB2i made clear is that, as always, sound is paramount, and when it came to sound, PMC’s IB2i is a beguilingly good-sounding speaker that I found difficult to stop listening to.... The integration of the drivers’ outputs was so good that they reminded me of the point-source coaxial drivers used in such speaker’s as KEF’s Blade. The quality of bass on tap from PMC’s ATL technology and robust carbon-fiber piston driver working as one is also equal to or better than that of most floorstanding bass-reflex designs I’ve heard in this price range. But the real jewel of the IB2i is its exquisite dome midrange driver -- it provided the most neutral, natural, lifelike midrange I’ve heard in a speaker south of $40,000."

He, too, questions their price but finds it justified by the sound quality. Having lived with these speakers for a couple of years, I find his analysis right on. YMMV.

Mrmitch, I can only assume that you read my rebuttal and found yourself unable to refute any of my points since you posted a response but failed to do so. Don't beat yourself up too much about it. We were all young and foolish once. If you continue in the hobby you should slowly gain some wisdom.

Jax, thanks for letting me know my refutation of your pointless screed caused you to post that last bit of idiocy, lmao!!!

I'm in the market to listen to some PMC speakers, as they've been by & far the most recommended speaker from people on various forums. This thread seems to echo a lot of my price/looks thoughts; they seem like they're extremely expensive speakers, that aren't really that sexy. But at that end of the day, if they're able to reproduce the music faithfully, then it will be worth the money. I haven't heard a single speaker or setup yet that can do Electronic music properly, so hopefully PMC can change that all.

as pointed out above, and a point with which I agree, the 'pudding' in speaker design and manufacturing lies in the crossover - any decent cabinet maker can copy a speaker enclosure design and produce a nice looking cabinet, line it with damping material and cut out holes for the drivers; anybody can get online and sort through a variety of very high quality drivers that have worked together in existing speaker designs and screw them into the box; but without a properly designed crossover, built with quality parts, all you have at that point is a nice looking box with really good drivers in it. Now what? I have recent firsthand experience which supports this opinion: based on a plethora of raving reviews, I bought a pair of highly acclaimed monitors in which the factory drivers and crossover were installed; the speakers were broken in. This well known U.S. speaker maker sold them to me directly, (he does not sell through dealers) and he assured me they'd be a great match with my pre-amp and amplifiers. I won't mention the name, but this producer sells speakers that many on this site are in love with. I was sold and I was excited! Given that the speakers were used and well broken in, my expectation was I'd be hearing a finished product immediately. Less than two evenings into the experiment, my wife and I looked at each other and said we either need to turn them down permanently and listen only at low volume, or get rid of them. They were fine at low volumes (though missing the great bass everyone raved about), but as soon as some juice was applied, the high end turned harsh and the musicality of the speaker just disappeared. Enter Mike Farnsworth previously of Talon Audio. I described my dilemma to Mike and after I told him what I had, he offered to install new crossovers in the monitors. He said the box is fine, the drivers were fine, but based on what he read about the circuit, he said a circuit change would result in a truly great speaker. He spoke in terms of 'linearity'. Increasing the power to the speaker should not change the nature of the sound; tone and character should remain constant, with everything sounding louder, but not different. By no means do I have any technical expertise, I just know what I hear. And I certainly have not heard even a fraction of the components that are out there. Once free to design the speakers he wanted to, Mike (as I understand it) is responsible for designing several truly great speakers: Firebird, Khorus X mk II, Raven C, Thunderhawk. All with the CMRC circuit. Once the CMRC circuit was installed in my monitors, with the exception of the bass response, they rivaled the clarity, musicality, effortlessness and soundstaging of my Khorus X mk II's. I don't know anything about the Salk or the PMC circuits, but my opinion is the circuit matters, and not in a small way. FWIW, my pre-amp is a First Sound and my amps are Jungson JA-50's.