Prodigies indeed, these newcomers have what it takes to trouble the class leaders
View online review whf.cm/PMC_Prodigy1
The Prodigy 1 standmounters, together with the Prodigy 5 floorstanders, aim to open up PMC's renowned loudspeaker quality to a wider audience by being available at a more affordable price point.
The two-way standmounts’ 27mm soft-dome tweeter and 13cm mid/bass driver have both been taken from models further up the company’s line. The mid/bass driver has been designed specifically to couple with PMC’s signature ATL (Advanced Transmission Line) bass-loading method used in all PMC speakers. This essentially guides the backward energy of the mid/bass driver through damped material inside the speaker and out of the opening. Most of the low frequencies are absorbed, save for a lowest-end portion that leaves the front port and contributes to the driver’s output for more powerful bass.
That distinct-looking, aerodynamic opening at the end of that internal line is called Laminair, first developed for the flagship QB-1 studio monitors and designed to smooth the passage of air exiting the speaker to minimise airflow noise and so improve bass definition. PMC has chosen a crossover point of 1.7kHz in a bid to ensure that the speakers’ off-axis output has the same tonality as their on-axis output.
Standing tall
It’s in the looks department where PMC seems most likely to have cut costs; the Prodigy 1 are notably less striking and stylish than a number of pairs around and below this price point – Bowers & Wilkins’ 606 S3 and Sonus Faber Lumina 1, to name just two. The ATL/Laminair implementation gives these speakers one point of visual interest at least, but minimalist is the aesthetic here.
That the focus and cost has seemingly been put into the engineering for the most part is hard to argue with when you hear just how spectacular the Prodigy 1 sound. We have heard enough PMC products over the years that certain adjectives spring to mind when we think of them: precise, articulate, insightful and even-handed. And we are pleased to report that these are all attributes of the Prodigy 1.
These PMCs showboat their stunning clarity, detail and entert
