PMC Prophecy review: I listen to stunning new PMC loudspeakers at famed London audio mastering studio

Loudspeaker specialist PMC, whose professional speakers are widely used in recording studios for music and movie mixing, has unveiled a new range of home Hi-Fi loudspeakers, dubbed Prophecy, which bring studio accurate sound home with style.

The five-strong collection embrace a contemporary design aesthetic, boast a host of audio refinements, and come in a variety of interior-friendly form factors.

“These products feature new technologies, new industrial design trends, as well as being more sustainable in manufacturing,” says Oliver Thomas, PMC’s commercial director. “Prophecy predicts how fulfilling home entertainment should be by setting new standards in speaker size-performance ratio, in scale, realism, transparency and musicality. By that, I mean we’ve (created) a range of speakers which are quite small but sound much bigger than they are!” 

The five-strong collection combines a contemporary design aesthetic with a host of audio refinements…

PMC Prophecy speakers: Audio mastered

The PMC Prophecy speaker range extends from a stand mount model to a selection of increasingly potent floorstanders.

The first models to be released will be the Prophecy1 and Prophecy5. The Prophecy 1, priced at £2,875 (€3,505) a pair, is a two-way stand mount model, easily accommodated in any living space, while the two-way Prophecy5, which sells for £4,575 (€5,585), is a slimline floorstander, with similar appeal.

Shortly afterwards, they’ll be joined by the three-way Prophecy7, £6,575 (€7,995),  and flagship Prophecy9 tower, priced at £8,975 (€10,945) per pair, which boasts dual bass drivers for a more fulsome performance.

There’s also a matching centre speaker, if you want to build a home cinema system, called the ProphecyC, available for £2,275 (€2,775)

Dressed to impress, PMC’s Prophecy loudspeakers are available in a choice of three colour finishes –  Walnut, Mediterranean Oak and Blackened Walnut. Featuring veneers obtained from sustainable sources, they look spectacular. Speaker grilles, which attach via magnets, have a bespoke open-weave, textured fabric. 

“We were aiming for a refined, contemporary design, visually sleek elegant products made from natural materials,” explains Thomas. “Our second design goal was sustainability, most notably the packaging, which is all cardboard. The veneers we’re using are from much more sustainable forestry. We have a natural Walnut finish from fast growing trees, Blackened Walnut and Mediterranean Oak, which is an engineered veneer made from tiny strips and offcuts. They’re all low lacquer, extremely smooth, matte designs.”

PMC Prophecy speakers: First impressions

The Prophecy collection was unveiled at Wired Masters, the acclaimed audio mastering studio in London, renowned for its work with dance and pop artists. The Luxe Review was invited down for an exclusive listen to the new series, in several of the studios famed mix rooms.

Auditioned with a variety of musical styles, the bookshelf Prophecy1 impressed with its precise stereo imaging and authentic tonality, even when compared directly with its far larger professional cousin, the BB6-XD.

It’s ability to project big audio belies the bookshelf design.

The Prophecy floorstanders level up performance, adding incrementally generous bass. The Prophecy5 and Prophecy9 were auditioned with a gamut of material, from the classical jollity of Saint-Saëns’ ‘Danse Macabre’, to Chase & Status deep bass banger, ‘Baddadan’, and they excelled regardless of genre. Whatever your taste in music, I think these speakers are going to deliver.  

I’m told that enhancements to the company’s internal Laminair technology, here known as LaminairX, which works in tandem with the Advanced Transmission Line (ATL), which controls air flow, have resulted in significant improvements in dynamics and deep bass performance. This certainly seems to be the case. Harmonic distortion has been reduced by up to 3dB, says PMC.  

The long-throw bass drive units, developed specifically for this range, deliver deep frequencies, without imparting any obvious colouration on the midrange, which is exceptionally clean and intelligible. 

PMC engineers have also incorporated a newly developed aerodynamic vent into the heavy extruded aluminium base of the cabinet, which aids control and grip.

The drivers are made from a light but rigid, mica-filled cone material, while the pro-studio honed 26mm soft-dome tweeter now features a specially designed dispersion grille, which contributes to their directionality.

The three-way models incorporate a 55mm soft dome mid-range, as used in PMC’s professional studio models. A distinctive ‘n-compass’ sculptured profile surrounds the high-frequency and midrange drivers.

There’s clearly a lot of audiophile technology and high design to admire here, but it all comes together, reproducing music with studio-style accuracy from very domesticated enclosures. When it comes to the Prophecy range, I predict big things.

The PMC Prophecy loudspeaker collection will go on sale February, 2025.