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Equinox Perigee VS Subsonic PM1 & B&W 602S2
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Paul P.
My preferred method of auditioning speakers is to contrast them using different music genres. I then go on and note the differences in each speaker I am contrasting. I never say this is the best thing I have ever heard or the worst thing I have ever heard, as I believe choosing speakers is very subjective. ie one person’s garbage is another persons treasure. In order to compare/contrast these speakers more effectively I used my Denon AV2802 receiver as it has AB speaker connections along with a remote controlled AB selection button. Therefore, I was able to hear the difference at the push of a button. I also tried a UK designed Magnum AI-170 amp, although the process was less revealing but still reinforced the findings of the Denon receiver. I should also mention that my room acoustics would be classified as bright by any standard.
Equinox Perigee's and Subsonic PM1's
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Perigee's
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PM1
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Description
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Not supplied
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4 way 4th order vented box system
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Frequency Response
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30-20,000Hz +-3dB
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29Hz to 22Khz + - 3db (-10db @ 25Hz)
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Efficiency
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93dB 1w/1m
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(2.83V Input at 1m) 91 db
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Impedance
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8 Ohms
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Switchable 4 OR 8 Ohms
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Phase response
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+- 30 Degrees
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Unknown
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Harmonic Distortion
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Not supplied
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< .05% @ 3KHz (90 db, 1m, 3rd)
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Power rating
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80-250 wrms
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25W to 150W
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Crossover
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3.2 khz
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Not supplied
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Drivers
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4 x 170mm 1 x 25mm
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3 x Gen2 6inch Woofers, 1 x Gen2 25mm soft dome, Aluminium coil HF unit
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Input
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Dual binding posts
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Dual binding posts
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Dimensions Height
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H 1350mm x W 220mm x D 550mm
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965(H)x 230(W)x 395(D)
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Weight
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70Kg
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23Kg
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Cabinet
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32mm MDF
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Triple braced, 18mm MDF, Bass Reflex loading, Real wood veneer, Acoustic Aligned baffle
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Shielding
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None
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Full Magnetic Shielding on all drivers
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Price
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$3000
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$2500
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On the first listening session I threw on Chris Spheeris, Braveheart Soundtrack, Eva Cassidy and Tommy Emmanuel. I wasn’t listening for anything in particular except for their general sound. I noticed, there seemed to be a curtain in front of the PM1’s when contrasted with the Perigees - The Perigee’s sound was clear and detailed in contrast. From this point I endeavored to understand why I was hearing such a difference. Now the strange thing was that the PM1’s provided better imaging than the Perigees. This is not to say that the Perigee’s didn’t image well, just that imaging was a very strong suit for the PM1’s. Female voices on the PM1’s were a bit nasal – Almost as if they had a slight cold. Guitar strings (when plucked) were dull on the PM1’s. Not the case with the Perigee’s, the female voices were fresh and alive and the pluck of the guitar was not dull at all. The Perigee’s seemed to separate the instruments much more than the PM1’s. They both faired well in the soundstage department, displaying good depth and height. I don’t play my music all that loud but I did turn up the gain a bit more than usual. (00 on the Denon scale). On big dramatic transients the Perigee’s shook the room (literally) and didn’t seem distorted at all in the bottom end – Neither did the PM1’s but they didn’t shake the room like the Perigee’s did. I dare say, you wouldn’t need a Sub in Home Theatre applications. If you decided to get one (a sub) after listening to the Perigee’s then I would have to say you don’t really like your neighbours all that much, and if you do, then they will soon get to dislike you. I might add that my primary use of the speakers is for music (90% or more).
Equinox Perigee's and B&W 602 S2’s
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Perigee's
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B&W 602 S2’s
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Description
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Not supplied
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2 way 4th order vented box system
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Frequency Response
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30-20,000Hz +-3dB
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52Hz – 20kHz +-3db on reference axis
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Frequency Range
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-6db at 43Hz and 30Khz
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Efficiency
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93dB 1w/1m
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90db spl (2.83V, 1m)
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Impedance
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8 Ohms
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8 Ohms (minimum 4.3 Ohms)
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Phase response
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+- 30 Degrees
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Unknown
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Harmonic Distortion
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Not supplied
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2nd & 3rd harmonics < 1% 60kHz-20kHz (90db spl, 1m,)
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Power rating
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80-250 wrms
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25W to 120W continuous into 8 Ohm on unclipped program
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Crossover
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3.2 khz
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4 khz
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Drivers
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4 x 170mm 1 x 25mm
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1 x 180mm woven kevlar cone bass/mid
1 x 26mm metal dome high-frequency
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Input
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Dual binding posts
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Dual binding posts
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Dimensions Height
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H 1350mm x W 220mm x D 550mm
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490(H)x 236(W)x 306(D)
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Weight
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70Kg
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9.8kg
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Cabinet
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32mm MDF
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Triple braced, 18mm MDF, Bass Reflex loading, Real Not supplied
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Shielding
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None
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None
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Price
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$3000
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$1000
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There is going to be obvious differences between these two without listening to them. The first difference is one is a stand-mount speaker and the other is a BIG floor-stander, and as such the frequency response is considerably ‘lower’ for the Perigee at 30Hz as opposed to the B&W at 52Hz (not to mention the 60kg weight difference). That out of the way I will carry on with the opinions I have formulated. Just remember though, they are ‘my opinions’. By the way, I did run a small Yamaha Sub at times (B&W’s only) when listening to tracks with big transients – Most of the time it was switched off. I did this because if I end up buying stand-mounts I would be running a Sub as well. Unlike the previous contrast with the PM1’s, the difference between these two speakers were subtler. There was no curtain in front of the B&W’s like there seemed to be with the PM1’s. There was a slight coloration in the B&W’s in contrast to the Perigee’s, and if you believe what you read, then this is the B&W signature. I myself didn’t mind this slight colouration as I felt it added to the experience. The Perigee’s felt more technical than the B&W’s. I noticed that at higher gains the Perigee’s displayed some chestiness in female vocals. This may have been due to the room acoustics, which I explained earlier. The B&W’s did not display this characteristic. Soundstage was bigger with the Perigee’s, but you would expect that with the floorstander. Imaging was on a par for these two. The Perigee’s probably pipped the B&W’s at the post in regards to instrument separation. SUMMARY The Perigee’s have a big presence, both in stature and music reproduction. I can see how people could get attached to these speakers, especially if you like to listen LOUD, and they perform just as well at lower volumes. For the money, they represent good value.
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