PMC Prodigy 5
PMC’s slimline floorstanders deliver a sonic masterclass
View online review whf.cm/PMCProdigy5
£1995
PMC has something of a reputation for high-end hi-fi, and while not everything the British brand produces is bank-breaking, anyone who has clapped eyes on the eye-wateringly expensive Fact Fenestria floorstanders will understand the company can certainly produce extremely premium products at similarly premium prices. The Fenestria, tested at £56,995, are undoubtedly some of the finest speakers we have ever had the pleasure of listening to, yet unless you are the heir to the McVities fortune or a very shrewd Bitcoin investor, chances are you will be saving for a long time.
That, then, is where speakers such as the Prodigy 5 come in. Despite PMC often producing high-end audio at the higher end of the cost spectrum, the Prodigy 5 floorstanding speakers, along with their smaller Prodigy 1 standmount siblings, have been explicitly designed to bring that distinctive PMC DNA to the mainstream, provided you still have a spare £1995 knocking around somewhere, that is.
The priority here, as becomes clear when you look closely at the Prodigy 5, is as much sound-per-pound punch as is humanly possible, as considerations over design and aesthetic flourishes fall by the wayside in the pursuit of the best audio you can get for the price. Want fancy metal feet? You’ll have to settle for mostly plastic. Like a sumptuous oak finish? Be happy with that plain black casing. How about ornate, polished terminals? Perish the thought.