I was impressed by the looks and sound of PMC’s new Fact 3 monitor ($9500/pair). PMC’s Ian Verdugo explained that the company gave the model the “deluxe audiophile treatment,” with a completely new design and modified transmission line. Shown in an attractive Tiger Ebony finish, the Fact 3 uses two 5.5” SEAS mid/woofers and a 0.75” Sonomex soft-dome, ferro-fluid cooled tweeter. On the speaker’s brushed anodized rear panel, users will find two switches for adjusting the high frequency and bass response.

The speakers were partnered with electronics from Bryston: the 4B SST2 amplifier, BCD-1 CD player, BDA-1 DAC, and BP26 preamplifier. A Synergistic Research Tesla Power Cell was also being used, and speaker cables were Synergistic’s Galileo Basic.

We listened to Cleveland, Ohio’s Cobra Verde doing a cool cover of the Rolling Stone’s “Play With Fire,” and I heard great percussion, sweet strings, lovely background vocals blooming from deep in the stage, and a big, solid center image.