“Do we really need that much power?” Rob shouted to me as we sat listening to the PMC MB2 SEs. It was quite loud, the Slayer album that Rob had cued up on Spotify. The Burmester 232 integrated amplifier—which we’d propped up on a couple pieces of plywood and was only staying for a few days—was giving its all, with the volume pinned nearly wide open. While it sounded fantastic, it was clear to me that this amplifier wasn’t quite up to the task of driving such monstrous speakers. Not to the levels that we seemed to be aiming at.
“We don’t really need anything besides shelter, food, and a mate,” I replied. “We’re firmly in the want category, Rob. I think we want more power.”
The SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab measured the Burmester at 90Wpc into 8 ohms, and PMC gives a nearly useless recommended-power spec of 10–500W for the MB2 SE. The Kinki Studio EX‑M1+ integrated amplifier, Rob’s daily driver, cranks out double the power of the Burmester, and that seemed more in line with this speaker’s requirements. Still, I knew we could do better.
“Won’t we blow up the speakers?” Rob asked. I’d had a feeling this would be Rob’s next question.
“No. It’s too little power that smokes a driver. If you drive an amp into distortion by pushing it beyond its limits, that’s the easiest way to fry a voice coil. We need more power, not less.”
We had been discussing the incoming NAD Masters system and my request for two M23 V2 amplifiers. I’d just finished explaining why we wanted two amplifiers: one amplifier for each speaker means less crosstalk, better stereo separation, and a lower noise floor. At least in theory. While these theoretical advantages were possibly audible, it was the higher power that was the biggest draw. Strapped to mono, the M23 V2 cranks out a blast-furnace-like 700W, compared to 200Wpc in stereo mode.
And mono amps look cool. That’s important—the symmetry of one amplifier for each speaker is satisfying at a spiritual level, and it’s something I’ve always appreciated. Rob’s long, limestone fireplace mantel looked just right: the perfect size to support two M23 V2s, each close to the speaker it’s powering, with the M66 streaming preamplifier in the middle.
Beyond the simple advantages of having two extra houses for storing boxes and staging equipment, having neighbors Rob and Ron to bounce ideas off of has been extremely valuable to me. Ron is an experienced, intelligent audiophile, and I enjoy discussing the subtleties of my reviews with him. In some ways, Rob is along for the ride. He’s having huge fun with the equipment that lands in his house, but he’s all about result, not process. He clearly understands the underlying subtleties, but he’s not deeply interested in such minutiae. However, explaining to Rob how stuff works helps me work through the whys and the details, which makes writing reviews easier. And let’s not forget, Rob is strong AF, so his assistance with moving this sort of stuff around is priceless.
Anyway, in short order, Lenbrook Industries shipped the Masters components—one M66 and two M23 V2s. Rob and I schlepped them over to his place, and Ron joined us for the unboxing and installation. As I’d noted when neighbor Quentin decanted his M10 V2 last year, NAD does a bang-up job with their packaging and presentation. Each component arrives double-boxed, and the inner box opens to reveal nicely patterned cardboard standoffs that conceal the accessory boxes. The component itself is protected by a fabric snood. Thanks to its highly efficient Purifi Eigentakt architecture, the M23 V2 weighs a very manageable 21.4 pounds, a nice change from the larger, heavier components I’ve been dealing with lately.
As I’d envisioned—but had not confirmed via measurements (which is a tendency that recently got me into trouble)—the two M23 V2 amps fit perfectly on either side of the M66 preamp. We positioned the M66 atop an ancient and weathered BBC sandbox, not for resonance control so much as because it looks the business. Reaching round the back of each M23 V2, I flipped the recessed switch that puts the amp into bridge mode. Then it was one balanced cable for input, and a good stretch for the speaker cables—one spade to the left positive binding post, and another to the right negative post.
Once connected, I fired up all three components and right quick they appeared in the BluOS app, which I’d downloaded before the show began. There are plenty of configuration options, from volume limiting (which I engaged immediately after I accidentally ramped the rig up to full chat and scared myself witless) to display choices, which I left for Rob to investigate. All I had to do now was connect the M66 to Rob’s Wi‑Fi network. I did this by choosing his SSID in the BluOS app and entering the password, which I will tell you now is the cringiest imaginable data string, based on the name of a now-deceased pet that belonged to Jing, Rob’s partner. Rob has forbidden me from mentioning this password, more from embarrassment than for security.
You can read about the resultant sound of the PMCs as driven by the NAD Masters components in my May 1 review on SoundStage! Ultra. I’m not going to rehash that here, but since the review is complete and I’m now free of the requirement to listen to the naked, uncorrected MB2 SEs, I spent some time listening to the Dirac Live–filtered sound. I shared a bunch of listening sessions with Rob, and we spent a short while building a specific room profile that worked for him. As I’ve said before, Rob has very good ears, and he’s got the ability to describe what he’s hearing. He’d make a great reviewer. If he gave a damn, that is.
I based our new customized room filter on NAD’s own target curve. The NAD filter is very similar to the Dirac Live default filter that comes preinstalled on the M66. It’s just a bit more bass-heavy, which ended up being a hair too overpowering with the dinosaur-footfall PMCs. It took only a couple of adjustments in the Windows version of the Dirac app to slide the lowest frequencies down a touch. Then I saved it as a separate setting. Using the EQ button on the M66’s remote allowed us to easily swap between the unfiltered MB2 SEs and the three filters.
Switching Dirac on and off was a fascinating, disorienting experience. Going from the raw sound to any of the three available filters was instantly rewarding. A meatier midrange and a slightly more refined treble were the standout gains. The bottom end was tighter and slightly less lumpy, but not as much as I’d anticipated. The Dirac-optimized sound was clearly better.
But wait! A minute after switching off Dirac, our ears would acclimatize to the unfiltered PMCs, and we would be in business again. The unfiltered speakers had their own charm—more incisive, with increased detail and airier images that bloomed outward. And there we sat, with two different sets of speakers at our disposal at the push of a button.
I was impressed, and Rob was thrilled. Admittedly, the MB2 SEs are huge speakers that dominate their room, but Rob was having a ball with this system. On one visit while Jing was working from home, I asked her, “Will you be sad when these things leave?”
“Not really,” she responded. “I think I’m ready to see them gone.” That’s fair, I thought. The MB2s are a gigantic physical presence in Rob and Jing’s house. It’s like two refrigerators sitting there staring you down. Jing’s accommodation and patience are legendary.
My own final response to these speakers? I gave it some thought. “I would very much like to live with these.” That was the last sentence from my review of the PMC MB2 SE speakers. After I finished typing it, I remember snapping the lid closed on my laptop and reaching for the NAD Masters M66 preamp’s remote control. I jabbed at the EQ button, switched on the Dirac Live filter, and luxuriated in the enveloping world the MB2s presented.
I have no doubt that Playback Distribution, the North American distributor of PMC speakers, will soon be arranging the collection of the MB2s, but on the off chance that they wouldn’t be ready to do so, I found myself calculating whether I could fit them in my listening room. I don’t think I could, but goddammit, I might just have to try.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
