PMC ACTIVE twenty5.23i
PMC’s ACTIVE twenty5.23i delivers surprisingly muscular bass, effortless dynamics and a spacious soundstage from an elegantly slim floorstander. Its dedicated 100W-per-driver amplification brings greater control, sweeter high frequencies and remarkable composure to dense, high-volume music. Sound Advice and HiFi Choice find it a refined, flexible route to serious active-speaker performance.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
91/100
Value for Money
81/100
Pros
Delivers unusually weighty, hard-hitting yet cohesive bass for such a slim floorstander.
Handles fast, congested and high-volume material with exceptional control, articulation and composure.
Refined treble resists hardness or forwardness while preserving openness and detail.
Expansive, focused imaging extends well beyond the compact cabinets and is relatively unfussy about placement.
Cons
Premium pricing faces strong competition from similarly priced active speakers and separate amp-and-speaker systems.
Requires an external source with volume control; it is not a self-contained streaming or wireless active speaker.
The transmission-line bass can occasionally obscure a small amount of fine low-frequency detail.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviewers find the active configuration preserves the compact PMC’s engaging character while adding greater control, sweetness and composure. It combines unexpectedly weighty low frequencies with a cohesive midrange, refined treble, expansive staging and assured performance on demanding material.
Bass
92/100
Both reviews highlight greater low-end impact from the active model, with bass that hits harder, remains clean and carries remarkable heft for such a slim speaker. Sound Advice notes that the transmission line can occasionally mask a little fine bass detail beneath its substantial weight, but regards this as a minor quirk rather than a dominant problem.
Mid
90/100
Hi-Fi Choice finds that the slight forwardness heard with some amplifiers in the passive version has been eliminated. Sound Advice also describes a cohesive response and an ability to communicate the musical hook, from aggressive recordings to gentler material.
Treble
94/100
Sound Advice identifies the top end as a particularly meaningful improvement over the passive version. It reports that the speaker is now extremely difficult to provoke into hardness or forwardness, while retaining openness rather than becoming dull or restrained.
Soundstage Imaging
91/100
Hi-Fi Choice says soundscapes extend well beyond the cabinets without becoming vague or diffuse, and found this quality easy to repeat in two rooms. Sound Advice likewise reports a wider, more expansive stage than the narrow cabinet frontage suggests, provided placement receives some care.
Dynamics
93/100
Hi-Fi Choice reports that even forceful, shouty music can be played hard without making the listener want to back off the level. Sound Advice praises the speaker’s control and articulation on fast, congested passages, describing its delivery as effortless.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
91/100
The cabinet is consistently described as handsome, compact and well finished, with the wood and gloss-black options executed to a high standard. Reviewers also single out the damped spike bars, adjustable spikes and mounting arrangement as thoughtful details that aid positioning and everyday use.
Value for Money
81/100
At around £6,000 to £6,575, both reviewers regard the PMC as expensive, even while praising its performance and finish. Sound Advice suggests similarly priced amplifier-and-speaker combinations can offer more apparent return for the money, while Hi-Fi Choice notes that the price brings it close to formidable active-speaker competition.
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Specifications
- Frequency Response
- 28Hz – 25kHz
- Sensitivity
- 1Vrms = 96.5dB SPL @ 1m (low setting) / 106.5dB SPL @ 1m (high setting)
- Effective ATL™ Length
- 2.4m (7.8ft)
- Impedance
- >14kΩ
- Drive Units
- LF PMC 5.5” / 140mm 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 907mm (35.7”) (+20mm spikes) W 162mm (6.4”) (238mm incl. plinth bars) D 330mm (13”) (+9mm grille)
- Weight
- 15.15KG (33.40 lbs)
Manufacturer's Description — PMC
The 23 has long been the most popular model in our range – now the Active twenty5.23i builds on that success, combing a combination of weight and refinement in a still-compact floorstanding form.
Already our best-selling model in passive form, the Active 23i adds an active crossover and 2x100W amplification in each speaker to create an elegant floor-standing design even more capable of filling medium-sized rooms with transparent, authentic dynamics and effortlessly extended bass. With the choice of finishes shared across the Active twenty5i range, it blends unobtrusively into any room: reviewer Chris Kelly said of the passive 23i, ‘Pair them with a high-quality amplifier and a good source and you will never regret your purchase,’ and that’s just what we’ve done with the Active 23i, building in the amplification for a ‘just add source’ music solution.
The Active twenty5i series, combined with a preamplifier or any streamer with a volume control, will create a neat, stylish, world-class music system.
For more about the range, CLICK HERE
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for PMC ACTIVE twenty5.23i
- 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