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the range where the transition between drivers
occurs. To this end, they design and build
their own Absolute Phase
™
crossovers, specif-
ically to the particular drivers and loudspeaker
design. The phase characteristics of one
driver and its crossover filter are designed
to match that of the other driver and its filter,
such that when combined, the net result is
phase coherence or zero net phase shifts.
Ensuring that relative phase relationships
are preserved with no extraneous temporal
delays, helps to maintain the intrinsic timing
relationships between frequencies, which con-
vey the sonic cues relevant to spatial placement
and imaging. Another benefit to phase coher-
ence is the ability to optimize dispersion in the
longitudinal axis of the speaker (axis in which
the drivers are collinear), which in and of
itself contributes to soundstaging. The inte-
gration of frequencies from two drivers that
are of different phases can lead to a "lobing"
effect, thereby resulting in limited and incon-
sistent speaker dispersion characteristics.
PC Series Review
System
PC 3.1 Series II
This a three-way satellite loudspeaker,
typically suited for home theatre left/center/
right channel applications, but can be also
used for the surrounds, as was the case for
this review. For a loudspeaker of its size, the
40-pound weight is rather considerable.
Two 6.5-inch RPF solid flat-piston woofer/
midranges flank a 1.5-inch soft-dome
midrange and a 1-inch soft-dome Variable
Axis Tweeter, both of which are surrounded
by Unicell acoustical treatment. The compa-
ny says that with a lightweight diaphragm
and large magnet, the soft-dome midrange
was designed to achieve particularly fast
response and therefore, more accurate ren-
dering of transients. The tweeter and
midrange are mounted on an anodized,
powder-coated aluminum frame, which can
be separated from the baffle and reoriented
Page 2/3
EQUIPMENT REVIEW
to allow for horizontal or vertical loudspeak-
er positioning. The crossover between the
woofer and midrange is set at 700 Hz, and
for the midrange and tweeter it is set at 3.5
kHz. The low-pass and high-pass slopes for
both crossovers is 24 dB per octave (meas-
ured acoustically). Phase Technology claims
that this loudspeaker is capable of repro-
ducing low frequencies down to 38 Hz, ±3
dB. The cabinet is a ported design, with the
opening on the rear panel. The PC 3.1
Series II has a single set of gold-plated,
five-way binding posts.
PC Sub
The PC-Sub is the subwoofer in the PC
series, featuring a 10-inch driver with a
mica/graphite/polymer cone and a large
rubber surround for large excursions. The
driver is mounted onto a ported cabinet,
with the opening on the front surface. The
low-end response limit for this driver is
claimed to be 20 Hz, ±3 dB. Controls
include continuously variable crossover set-
ting (between 40 and 110 Hz, adjusts the
corner frequency of the low-pass filter) and
a phase switch. The low-pass filter rolls off
at 24 dB per octave. The PC-Sub accepts
line- and speaker-level inputs and outputs,
and allows for bypassing the internal filter
via a switch, when the line-level input is
used. Like most other subwoofer models on
the market these days, there's an auto-sens-
ing turn-on circuit and automatic standby.
System Setup
The Phase Technology PC Series loud-
speaker system was installed in my refer-
ence home theatre setup. The PC 3.1 Series
IIs were placed at positions conforming to a
"clock" configuration, with the front left and
right at angles of 30 degrees from the axis
defined by the central listening position and
the center channel loudspeaker. They were
also situated 8 feet from the "sweet spot."
The surrounds were placed 7 feet from the
central seat, and positioned at angles of
120 degrees. All loudspeakers, with the
exception of the center channel, were
placed on stands such that the tweeter and
midrange were at about ear level. The cen-
ter channel, at 9 feet from the listening seat,
was placed horizontally atop a Sony direct-
view CRT monitor, with the tweeter and
midrange appropriately oriented. The sub-
woofers were placed at the two strategic
locations previously found to yield the best
combination of output and tonal smoothness.
The components used for this review
included the Classé Audio SSP60 surround
processor, TAG McLaren DVD32FLR DVD-
Video player, and the Proceed HPA3 and
WIDESCREEN REVIEW • ISSUE 77
Parasound A 51 power amplifiers. A sepa-
rate set of components for high-resolution
multichannel audio playback included the
Sony SCD-C555ES SACD player, Integra
DPS-8.3 DVD-Audio/Video & SACD player,
Outlaw Audio ICBM-1 for bass manage-
ment, and the McCormack Audio MAP-1
analog multichannel preamplifier. All cabling
used was from Kimber Kable; see page 8
for more details.
Bass management was applied to the
loudspeakers at 50 or 60 Hz. The "LFE"
input of the PC Subs was used, which
bypassed the internal low-pass filter. A sin-
gle output from the surround processor or
analog preamplifier was split to the two sub-
woofers.
Listening Tests And
Performance
Right off the bat, I have to say that the
aspect of the PC 3.1 Series IIs' performance
that really stood out for me was their imag-
ing capability. Whether with two-channel or
multichannel music sources, the result was
the ability to enjoy engaging, almost seam-
less soundstaging between the loudspeak-
ers, along with some detection of depth-of-
field sounds. I've heard a few fine loud-
speakers exhibit these attributes as well,
but generally these have cost considerably
more than the PC 3.1 Series IIs. The fact
that compelling spatial soundstaging is pos-
sible in a loudspeaker that is affordably
priced is very impressive to me, and also is
simply the result of some very sound loud-
speaker engineering.
With several of the PentaTone SACD reis-
sues of vintage four-channel quadraphonic
recordings, I was readily able to notice the
sonic depiction of the expanses of a sym-
phony orchestra in a grand concert hall. You
could pinpoint different instruments, or
groups of them, at almost discrete locations
along the frontal soundstage (in the absence
of any true center channel activity). You also
could notice the considerable width of the
sonic image, extending beyond the physical
locations of the left and right front loud-
speakers. Additionally, listening carefully
enough, you should be able to discern sub-
tle differences in distances of the various
instruments.
The PC 3.1 Series IIs also delivered very
respectable tonal quality, with the midrange
sounding articulate and abundantly natural.
Diana Krall's voice came through with
delightful clarity and smoothness via Verve's
impressive SACDs of The Look Of Love and
When I Look In Your Eyes. I thought that the
natural tonal quality of these loudspeakers
fared about as well as some models I have
listened to extensively, yet cost considerably
3
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