PMC ACTIVE twenty5.22i
Compact yet commanding, the ACTIVE twenty5.22i unleashes visceral dynamics, deep controlled bass and an enveloping three-dimensional soundstage. Its analogue active crossover, twin 100W amplification and transmission-line loading give recordings exceptional grip, speed and monitor-like insight. The Ear and hi-fi+ found this stand-mount especially thrilling at realistic levels.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
89/100
Value for Money
92/100
Pros
Delivers exceptional dynamics, speed and driver control, staying composed and forceful at high listening levels.
Produces unusually deep, muscular and well-defined bass for a compact stand-mount speaker.
Creates a spacious, cabinet-disappearing three-dimensional soundstage with strong recordings.
Reveals recording detail with transparent, coherent timing and convincing acoustic instrumental texture.
Cons
Its muscular active presentation gives up a small degree of delicacy and refinement versus a high-quality passive speaker and amplifier pairing.
Active ownership precludes amplifier upgrades and requires suitably long signal cables; these are not supplied.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviewers find the Active twenty5.22i unusually powerful and revealing for a compact stand-mount, combining deep, controlled low frequencies with precise timing and a highly involving presentation. Its strengths are scale, grip, speed and three-dimensional imaging, although one reviewer notes that outright delicacy is slightly traded for its muscular, high-level capabilities.
Bass
93/100
Both reviews praise bass extension that is exceptional for a compact 6.5-inch stand-mount. It is described as muscular, controlled and full of weight and crunch, with the ability to reproduce deep electronic bass with considerable power while retaining definition.
Mid
91/100
Acoustic recordings are said to have impressive transparency, vitality and immediacy. The presentation of steel-string guitar in particular was considered convincingly real, while the speaker's coherent, monitor-like character exposes the substance of well-recorded material.
Treble
86/100
Direct treble commentary is limited, but reviewers hear strong detail resolution, cleanly rendered acoustic textures and an appealing instrumental zing. One review notes a slight reduction in delicacy compared with the speaker's exceptional force and control, rather than persistent brightness or harshness.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
The speakers are repeatedly described as escaping the cabinets, producing a spacious and enveloping three-dimensional stage when given suitable recordings and level. One reviewer calls their disappearing act and sense of dimensionality uncanny, while another found the soundstage surrounding the speakers.
Dynamics
95/100
Dynamics are a defining attraction. Reviewers praise the active amplification's direct grip, effortless high-level capability and willingness to jump with the signal, delivering visceral impact and torque that they consider difficult for comparably priced passive speaker-and-amplifier combinations to match.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
89/100
The design uses PMC's advanced transmission-line cabinet, a substantial cast-alloy-chassis long-throw bass driver, and a purpose-developed SEAS/PMC soft-dome tweeter with ferrofluid cooling. Reviewers describe the loudspeaker as superbly executed, though they provide little direct commentary on finish quality or long-term durability.
Value for Money
92/100
At roughly £5,775 and above depending on finish and market, this is undeniably a premium-priced compact active speaker, but reviewers consider its capability unusually strong for the outlay. Hi-fi+ argues that matching its resolution and control within the same budget would be a significant challenge, while The Ear calls it hard to beat for listeners wanting a revealing, powerful sound.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
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Specifications
- Frequency Response
- 39Hz - 25kHz
- Sensitivity
- 1Vrms = 99dB SPL @ 1m (low setting) / 109dB SPL @ 1m (high setting)
- Effective ATL™ Length
- 2m (6.5ft)
- Impedance
- >14kΩ
- Drive Units
- LF PMC 6.5” / 170mm long-throw g-weave™ cone with cast alloy chassis HF PMC/SEAS®, 19mm twenty5i series, SONOMEX™ fabric soft dome, Ferrofluid cooled, with 34mm surround and dispersion grille
- Crossover Frequency
- 1.75kHz
- Input Connectors
- Balanced analogue XLR and unbalanced RCA
- Dimensions
- H 410mm (16.1”) W 192mm(7.6”) D 357mm (14”) including connectors (+ 9mm grille)
- Weight
- 10.15KG (22.37 lbs)
Manufacturer's Description — PMC
The more substantial Active twenty5.22i is a true performer, able to fill larger spaces with compelling sound, and is equally at home on its dedicated stands, console, or other furniture.
Want to fill a larger space with sound while using neat, standmount speakers? The Active twenty5.22i, while a little larger than Active 21i model, will fit into any room with still trim dimensions belying the 200W of active amplification and lengthy ATL™ within: the amps combine with the powerful 6.5-inch g-weave bass driver and Laminair™ vent to deliver a clean, uncluttered, and powerful low-end, perfectly matched with the detailed high frequencies from the precision soft-dome treble unit, via the optimised active crossover. Its performance is agile and dynamic; whether on its dedicated stands or shelf, the active amplification elevates the performance to new levels.
With 2x100W of amplification in each speaker, the Active twenty5i series just needs a preamplifier or streamer with volume control for a world-class music system.
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Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
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Authorized dealers for PMC ACTIVE twenty5.22i
- Holt Hill — online and in-store — Andover, Massachusetts, United States (website)
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Adventures in HiFi — in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Ajasom — online and in-store — Amadora, Lisboa, Portugal (website)
- ALAIN CHOUKROUN — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Altitudo Audio — online and in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)
- Ambiance Concert — in-store — Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 96 more verified dealers