Phase Technology PC-1.5, PC-3.1, PC-3.5, PC-33.1, PC-33.5 Brochure & Specs
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GEAR GUIDE
Cordero Studios
By now, you’ve
probably heard
every small-speaker
cliché there is. This is understandable.
Considering how much small speaker systems,
even inexpensive ones, have improved in recent years, it’s
difficult for reviewers (myself included) to avoid “big sound
in a small package,” “the best bang for your buck,” and any
number of other well-worn spins. This starts to be a problem when
people—reviewers, manufacturers, or anyone else—get carried away
and start likening a mediocre small speaker to a quality tower or claiming
that a small system has all of the sonic benefits of a much larger one.
Phase Technology’s
PC Series
speakers offer
the best of
both worlds.
by Chris Lewis
Electronically
from
October 2002
Home
Theater
Phase Technology PC Series Speaker System
GEAR GUIDE
proprietary technologies are at
work in this speaker. First is the
absolute phase-crossover design,
which ensures that the drivers
are acoustically and electronically
in-phase. This helps the speaker
maintain a highly consistent image
as you shift it both vertically and
horizontally. Next are Phase Tech’s
solid-piston driver design and Rigid
Polymer Foam technology, both
of which are used in the PC 1.1II’s
6.5-inch midbass driver. As its name
suggests, this is a cone-shaped
driver that’s essentially filled with
RPF to operate as a one-piece,
solid unit. The idea is to improve
phase coherency (the flat, top
surface sends all frequencies from
the same plane) and eliminate the
effects of back-wave radiation in
the cabinet. RPF is highly rigid but
low in mass, and it’s acoustically
inert. The adjustable-axis 1-inch
tweeter rests in a front-baffle surround made of Unicell acoustic
treatment, which eliminates diffraction and its variety of imagesmearing effects.
Both the PC 3.1II center channel and the PC 6.1S on-wall model
use the same 6.5-inch RPF midbass driver and 1-inch variableaxis soft-dome tweeter found on
the PC 1.1II. On the PC 3.1II, dual
6.5-inch midbass drivers surround
the 1-inch tweeter and an additional 1.5-inch tweeter. The tweeters are mounted on an adjustable
front-baffle plate that you can rotate
to allow the PC 3.1II to operate in
a vertical or horizontal placement.
At 22 inches high by 8.25 wide by
11.75 deep and around 25 pounds,
either option is viable. The PC 6.1S
is also flexible, with a compensation switch for on- or off-wall
placement. A separate swivel-wall
bracket is included. It uses a single
6.5-inch midbass driver and a 1inch tweeter and measures out at a
compact 13.75 inches high by 8.25
wide by 5.375 deep and around 15
pounds.
The PC Sub has a 300-watt
amp that powers a 10-inch hybrid
(mica, graphite, and polypropylene) woofer. Line- and speaker-
level inputs are provided, along
with auto-on circuitry and
adjustable phase, gain, and
crossover controls. The unit
measures out at 16 inches high
by 15.5 wide by 19 deep and
It isn’t that small speakers can’t
sound like big speakers or offer
top-shelf performance. Ironically,
the problem is the fact that some
of them can. Rare as they are, there
are smaller systems that have the
power output, dynamic range, sizable soundstage, and accurate,
rich tonality to convince you that
you’re listening to towers, a large
center channel, etc. These systems
drastically reduce, if not eliminate,
the sonic compromises you normally have to make in an effort to
save space. But what can one say
to give these exceptional systems
their due? When people claim that
a $300 computer speaker system
or cute little 6-inch cubes sound
like a top-quality, full-sized system,
how do we differentiate those
systems that legitimately do? I
suppose the answer is an old and
simple one: Let the speakers
speak for themselves.
When I heard Phase Tech’s
PC Series speakers at a recent
trade show, I wasn’t thinking about
whether they sounded large or
small; I was simply concentrating
on how good they sounded, even
in those sonically unfriendly confines. I realized that I wanted to
hear more. The PC 1.1II bookshelf speaker isn’t tiny by any
stretch, but it’s entirely roomfriendly at 13.25 inches high
by 8.25 wide by 10 deep and
15 pounds. Some effective
• Has the benefits of large and
small speakers
• Effective technologies
• Excellent for movies
and music
HIGHLIGHTS
A. The PC 6.1S
surround speaker’s
adjustable tweeter
helps it perform
solidly with both
movies and music.
B. The bookshelf-
sized PC 1.1II has
spot-on imaging.
C. The PC 3.1II is
quite large for a sub/
sat center channel,
which pays off in its
sound quality.
D. The 300-watt
PC Sub blends well
with the PC 1.1II.
Home Theater / October 2002
A
C
D
B
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