A pulse width modulation-voltage source inverter (PWM-VSI) is used for variable speed permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives. The PWM-VSI fed PMSM has two major disadvantages. Firstly, the PWM-VSI DC-link voltage limits the magnitude of the PMSM terminal voltage. As a result, the motor speed is restricted. Secondly, in a low speed range, the PWM-VSI modulation index declines. This is caused by a high DC-link voltage and a low terminal voltage ratio. As a result, the distortion of the voltage command and the stator current are increased. This paper proposes an optimal pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) control which can adjust the inverter DC-link voltage by using a buck-boost DC-DC converter. At a low speed range, the proposed system can reduce the distortion of the voltage command, which improves the stator current waveform. Also, the allowable speed range is extended. In order to verify the proposed method, experimental results are provided to confirm the simulation results.