Proac or Sonus Faber Monitor Speakers

I've wanted the D2 ever since I heard it in Proac's room at CES '08. Unfortunately, I can't afford a pair of those. I could, but then it's hard for me to justify the purchase.

As for build quality, there is more to it than just a pretty cabinet. Build quality plays a huge part in the overall sound of a speaker, which is one reason why Proacs sound so good. Also I like the fact that Proacs are hand-built in England, as Sonus fabers are in Italy, and they use excellent products to build them with. I'm willing to spend more for that simple fact.

As for build quality, there is more to it than just a
pretty
cabinet.

Agreed, there is the quality of the drivers too. If you aspire to something like
the Response D100 (i.e. a driver good enough to make Proac's flagship design) then check out ATC SCM 19 or 20. The dome midrange is grafted onto a 6 inch woofer in this low cost version to make what is possibly the world's largest 6 inch driver motor of all time - see this desciption - insane as this may sound the drive motor is actually adapted from what is used on the 3" dome version in the Proacs (if this is possibly the world's largest 6 inch woofer motor then it is certainly the world's largest 3 inch motor, as used in D100). Since the SCM20 has been around for ages and ages and is still made - you can find second hand ones reasonably priced. The entire thing is British built (apart from the tweeter) - sorry to go on so much about quality but it seems that is what you cherish and I thought you would be interested. If not then sorry for wasting your time.

About five to six years ago I owned Sonus Faber Concertinos and ProAc Tablette 50 Signatures at the same time and was able to compare them at great length.

Back then, I was using a Blue Circle tube preamp and a Blue Circle solid state amp along with a Bel Canto DAC 1.1. My speaker cables were Analysis Plus Oval 9.

I thought both speakers had an organic sound, more so with the Concertinos though. They sounded fuller and more "woody" in my set up. The Tablette 50 Sigs also conveyed a slightly warm sound but had much better focus and soundstaging.

The Sonus Fabers created a wide soundfield, but I couldn't locate the instruments within it the way I could with the ProAcs. ProAc suggests setting up their speakers as an equilateral triangle with the listener as the third point, and the face of the speakers pointed directly at the listener. I always liked splitting the difference between aiming them straight forward and directly at me. It made the center focue slightly fuzzy, but created a much wider soundstage. I didn't notice any focusing of the soundstage when I aimed the Sonus Fabers at me. Everything just got narrower.

A lot will have to do with the rest of your system and your personal taste. Different equipment may yield different results. Also, the newer models of each respective manufacturer may sound different from the speakers I compared.

I preferred the ProAc sound and eventually also bought ProAc 1SCs and 2.5s.

Agree with just about all of the above posts. It will depend on your sonic tastes. The Sonus Fabers do have a beautiful sound, but it is a much smaller soundstage and a more "laid back" presentation, as the reviewers like to say. I prefer the ProAcs myself, which have much better imaging and soundstaging, resulting in a more realistic reproduction of the original recording space. The ProAcs are also usually easier to drive, very generally speaking. They are a good match for tubes.

I too agree with most that have been said here about the two speakers. They both are rather different in character, the Proacs being more accurate and truthful to the recording and the Sonus Fabers being more warm, colored and lush-sounding. It really depends on musical taste and preferences as there are fans for both these speakers.

I personally prefer speakers that are more neutral like the Proacs. The build quality on the Sonus Fabers are better though, exquisite Italian craftmanship especially on the higher models. The cabinets of the Proacs are typical British. My descriptions are based upon my previous experience with the SF Grand Pianos that I owned for nearly 3 years. A few other Sonus Fabers I've listened elsewhere are the Extrema and Electa Amator. I've listened to the Proac floorstanders at a local dealer but forgotten the model.