Group test: Standmount speakers £500-£1,000 pt2 | |  | < Previous page: ADAM Audio HM1, Jamo C803 and intro 1 2
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KEF XQ20
High on designer attraction, the XQ20 was sent to us in faultless piano black and is arguably the best-looking monitor of the group. It was certainly the focus of attention for most visitors to the listening room. Its metallic-finish cone also added to the smartness of the presentation. Equally impressive are the other two finishes, Birdseye Maple and Khaya Mahogany.
KEF uses its famous Uni-Q mid/bass driver with centre-mounted tweeter. There are some notable changes here, including cone shape upgrading to match the new 19 mm elliptical tweeter and 'tangerine' wave guide. The woofer also uses a redesigned voice coil assembly with new materials. These changes to the main driver include extra cone excursion.
The enclosure features a large front-mounted reflex port which means that tonal changes are likely to be less noticeable in response to room shape and positioning. Stability is assured with three-point mounting using substantial metal feet which are height adjustable at the front. A fairly wide stance means that not all speaker stands have a large enough platform to accommodate them.
Passing from one monitor to another, the KEF demands attention during listening tests with a high gain and accurate attack. Everything about the speaker's sound suggests that it has been carefully voiced and is the recipient of a massive research and development programme to produce instant listening satisfaction. There is no doubt that this is a speaker designed to impress, particularly with its finely-drawn sound stage capabilities.
Woofer distress was evident at high volumes but this is not a serious criticism as we were up to anti-personnel levels of output - something that the KEF generally encourages.
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Plus points
Takes any music by the scruff of the neck and lays it out beautifully in front of the listener with high resolution and immaculate staging. Equally, an impressive piece of furniture
Minus points
Perhaps a little too bold in its high frequency attack. Unmistakable signs of woofer discomfort at very high levels instead of the more common feeling of compression. Check the link wires regularly for loosening, bi-wiring recommended for this model |  |
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PMC TB2i
The Professional Monitor Company has been producing studio monitors in England for nearly 20 years and has built a reputation for being used by some of the most serious people in the broadcast and recording industry.
PMC speakers have so far always been manufactured in Hertfordshire but over the years, have had to uproot to move to bigger premises as success has led to increased production. They are currently based in Luton but are already eyeing up larger spaces in the county.
They differ from the other monitors tested in being the most complicated and adventurous in acoustic design using a transmission line to obtain an extended, and hopefully unruffled, bass. PMC calls it ATL - Advanced Transmission Line - and it's a system which is rather difficult to get right. Ideally, I reckon the designer needs to be a little mad to attempt it.
The TB2i cabinet is easily the plainest design of the bunch, though perhaps less boring than pale oak sample we received, are black ash, cherry and walnut finishes.
It's worth mentioning that this speaker has the best terminal system for those not interested in bi-wiring. Gold-plated bridging strips stay clamped and provide a good contact.
Listening to the TB2i monitors for the first time didn't have major impact, but as we return to them, the tick list which included 'too much', or 'missing', remained empty. After that, there was the growing realisation that these were the monitors we were returning to as a yardstick against the others. The PMCs performed the difficult trick of conveying the music, not the speaker.
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Plus points
Naturalness and neutrality are the hallmarks of this speaker with a high energy capability. It creates an accurate sound stage and manages the difficult task of producing a good transmission line bass performance
Minus points
Well, they're not as 'in yer face' as some and they certainly lack any 'Carlos Fandango' styling | |
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| | Discuss this article, 1 of 2 messages, read more: |  Mick Cox | |
| Posted: 29/05/08 19:46:31 31 | The most sensible test comparison I have ever seen on this site,all products closely matched for price and build quality, well done. Mick. |
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An excellent bunch and, in many ways, complementary to each other. The ADAM HM1, hot on the heels of the highest scorer, is the only monitor that would sit in the speaker positions back in my own AV room - a possible option for anyone constrained by mounting space requirements. Best of all, mounting the HM1s near a wall will sort the fairly steep bass roll-off evident from this small enclosure. 
