PRODUCT REVIEWS
June 23, 2019, by Marc Phillips in THE Show 2019
Peter was presenting what he termed as “the Ultimate Audio System,” which consisted of his finest products that were engineered to perform both individually and as a unified whole. This system included the $30,000/pair M2!5 loudspeakers (I wonder if the exclamation point is pronounced as a click consonant), the PBN-DN308 Vintage Direct Pro turntable ($30,000) and VibraPlane Turntable Stand ($6500), the EB-SA1monoblock amplifiers ($30,000/pair), Olympia PXi phono preamplifier ($22,000), the Olympia LXi preamplifier ($22,000) and the Olympia DX DAC ($17,500). “I feel honored — beautiful sound.”
“The M2!5 is going to be tough to beat no matter what kind of technology you throw at it. Despite the traditional components that comprise the M2!5, it is a masterpiece that stands proudly on its own merits. I wouldn’t change a thing.” 07-27-2019 | By Gregory Petan | Issue 10
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/pbn-audio-m25-loudspeakers/
The Sammy Innerchoic Loudspeakers raise the bar considerably — “amazed beyond words” Hello Peter,
I would like to express my thanks and amazement regarding your new speakers (The Sammys) and the PBN Audio EB-SA1 Super Amps (you picked the right name). Your older speaker designs and amps were already world-class at a fraction of the cost of Wilson’s. The New Sammys raise the bar considerably, I feel sorry for the other guys after the audio press hears these.
After replacing my current preamp and amps, there are not enough moons using the Six Moon scale to grade the improvements I have heard. I’m glad I started with the speakers first and then upgraded amps and preamp later so I could appreciate the synergy of your whole system. Before I considered buying the Sammys I had spoken with a major cable rep. He said there were many outstanding systems at the 2011 LV show, but that yours was “MAGICAL”. What a compliment, especially from a guy who sells cables that cost more than your amps.
I’m sure if he had been able to spend several months with the system as I have, he would be amazed beyond words. Hopefully, Srajan at Six Moons will have the right words. He has an incredible talent for putting descriptive wording on what he hears. My most recent pre-amp was the Esoteric C3 driving mono Parasounds JC1s. They were not even close to your New SUPER AMPs driven by your PBN Audio L PREAMP! I believe Sarajan’s reference pre is the C3 Esoteric, just like I previously owned. I’ve enjoyed all my old systems, which have included Pass, Threshold, Plinius, Sonic Frontiers, Parasound, Esoteric, dCS, PS Audio, and Single-Ended Triode Tube amps. How on earth were you able to marry the best sound tubes have to offer with the best solid-state provides??? It must be the best possible parts and the right topology, with lots of critical listening. These amps are so fast and dynamic, but still retain the magic of tubes in the mid. Are you using plutonium output devices?
You’re the Man. Sincerely, Dr. Jeff Ferrell
PBN Audio Olympia-L Preamplifier and Mini-Olympia Stereo Amplifier
“The moment I fired up PBN Audio’s solid-state Olympia-L preamplifier and Mini-Olympia power amplifier, I let out a “Wow!” of pure delight. The sound was astonishingly vivid, full, and gorgeous.”
Listening to the PBN Olympia-L and Mini-Olympia enlarged my appreciation for music, broadening a sonic palette I’d thought already discerning enough. The PBNs introduced me to levels of articulate power and to subtleties of sound that had been missing from my listening. I’d dwelt in smaller sonic vales and villages until the PBNs arrived to guide me to a wider world of audio awareness and a deeper pleasure in listening to music. While I felt more comfortable listening to operatic and choral voices through the liquidity and naturalness of my reference combination of tube preamp and amp, I’m going to miss the PBNs’ effortless dynamics, immense scale of sound, and superb ability to present exquisite musical detail. Never have piano and orchestral music, rock, blues, and jazz sounded better or more thrilling in my listening room. Never has one set of electronics made me sit up and question what had seemed an immutably stark line of connoisseurship dividing the aficionados of glass and sand amplification.
PBN Audio’s Olympia-L and Mini-Olympia are well-engineered and impressively built assaults on this division. They combine much of the grace and finesse of tubes with the power, precision, and effort-free maintenance of the best of solid-state. And in terms of pure clarity, I’ve heard nothing better. Garrett Hongo, ultraaudio.com
I listened to my 8 test CDs on the XPS with three different amplifiers and found that the XPS excelled with all the amps and all types of music. My wife’s organ music with its low bass registers was no problem. The speakers remained controlled and without introducing bass bloat. One of my favorite piano test CDs is from Willie Nelson’s Super Hits, track 8 titled “Always on My Mind” [Columbia CK 64184]. The XPS produced the piano notes with crystalline clarity and held onto the notes, keeping them detailed until they faded away. A piano can be quite a challenge for a speaker, especially in classical music, when the music’s volume levels can soften and the listener is trying to hear what is being played. The XPS handles soft passages with verve, letting one hear the detail of every note. While the XPS does a very good job of remaining dynamic at low levels, they also like to be pushed at high sound levels, where they do not lose their composure, clarity, or detail – something I am sure your neighbors would be able to comment on with ease. Wayne Zufall, sixmoons.com
“Lit up the sky,” said Dick Olsher in a review of the original XP. (Fi Magazine, November 1996)
“I’m leading a charmed life indeed,” wrote Willis of his experience with the original SP. (Stereophile, Jan. 1997)
“This is one hell of a speaker,” proclaimed Balgalvis about the Montana XP. (The Audiophile Voice, November 1999)
“The Montana SP3’s were a joy with almost every type of music we tried – Pop, Classical Jazz.” (Barry Willis of Stereophile)
Sammy Innerchoic Loudspeakers: “Something greater at work here… sonic substance”
The Sammy can fill a big room with big, extended sound — something that can’t be said of many speakers in its price class, amazingly enough. And a pair of Sammys can cast a magnificent sound stage that is huge when needed, and small when the occasion calls.
The Sammy doesn’t scream Ferrari or Bugatti the way some speakers do. I admit that at times I like that supercar look, but it’s the Sammy’s sound that seems born of fine craftsmanship. That sound surprised me – it was better than I’d expected it to be. Even if Sammy lacks a marketing story that will wow you and induce speaker lust, there’s something greater at work here: sonic substance. I suggest you forget the marketing altogether, listen to the Montana Sammy, and let your ears tell you the story. Jeff Fritz, soundstagenetwork.com
“Lit up the sky,” said Dick Olsher in a review of the original XP. (Fi Magazine, November 1996)
“I’m leading a charmed life indeed,” wrote Willis of his experience with the original SP. (Stereophile, Jan. 1997)
“This is one hell of a speaker,” proclaimed Balgalvis about the Montana XP. (The Audiophile Voice, November 1999)
“The Montana SP3’s were a joy with almost every type of music we tried – Pop, Classical Jazz.” (Barry Willis of Stereophile)
Montana MR-777 https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware/-reviews/pbn-mr-777/
Montana WAS2 http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0810/pbn_audio_was_2.htm
Montana EPS https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1099pbn/index.html
PBN Olympia Mini https://www.soundstageultra.com/equipment/pbn_olympia_l_mini_olympia.htm