PMC feature – Twenty5.26 vs Fact 12 Review
We thought it would be interesting to run a shoot-out between our demonstration PMC FACT12’s and Twenty5.26 loudspeakers, to see how much extra performance the more expensive – whilst older – model provides. In reality, is the extra expenditure really worth it?
The Twenty5.26 loudspeakers are actually one of our go-to choices in their price range but, surprisingly, whilst we’d compared PMC’s FACT8s with them, we had never made a comparison with the FACT12s using the same partnering equipment.
To make sure the electronics did not create a sonic bottleneck, we chose to hook both pairs of speakers up to a Naim system comprising an NDX2 streamer, NAC 252 pre-amplifier, powered by a SuperCap DR and the NAP300 DR stereo amplifier (with 300PS power supply).
Kicking off with a bit of Carlos Santana’s ‘Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Corazon Espinado’, with Fact 12 loudspeakers it was clear that this combination delivered a stunningly live sense of the performance, with driving bass guitar and bongos, along with Carlos’ lead guitar cutting through clean and clear. Stereo image and vocals were stunning good too with a real sense of depth and acoustic.
We know that the FACT12s are capable of really deep powerful bass, but these tracks demand clarity and rhythm (something transmission line speakers have not exactly been famous for – prior to PMC’s work on the genre!), and the driving rhythms from bass guitar, bongos, etc., were really well conveyed as they propelled the music along.
In short, the FACT12s delivered everything one could want in Carlos’ music.
As a complete contrast, we played Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, which demands clarity, naturalness and spaciousness, along with rhythm, which again they delivered brilliantly. For instance: the opening bars were suitably mysterious, the solo violin floated convincingly in the wide deep acoustic and the jabbing double basses pulsed strongly. The stereo spread, sense of space and ‘life’ in the music were all conveyed very strongly and the musical event was well captured. It is all one could want in a top-end loudspeaker playing classical music.
So, how did the the Twenty5.26 loudspeakers fare? They sounded in many ways like a scaled-down version of the FACT12 and certainly not a disappointment given the price difference. Tonally they proved to be similar, though the sense of clarity, drive, rhythm and dynamics were not quite so strong. Given the vaguely superficial similarities between the mid range and tweeter domes the stereo imagery with the Twenty5.26 lacked something against the FACT12 appearing somewhat flatter, with the latter also edging it in terms of clarity, openness and sense of ‘life’, but given they’re almost half the cost of the ’12s, the Twenty5.26 really is a remarkable loudspeaker.
Also, bass delivery of the FACT12 had a greater sense of definition and power, despite not having PMC’s Laminair ports. So the benefits of the two small metal-coned woofers and longer transmission line clearly offset the high-tech port design in the Twenty5.26.
So, in answer to our original question: despite a considerable age gap, we believe the FACT12 still justifies the additional expenditure when used with components of a standard to maximise their potential, but despite being pretty much half the cost, the Twenty5.26 is a lot more than half the loudspeaker!
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