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Proac owners......advice please

I am runinng an all solid state Electrocompaniet system; DMB 120, 4.7 Pre & EMC MKII. I recently purchased a pair of Proac 2.5's.

I will tell you that the speakers now have about fifty hours on them. Cabling is all Nordost Red Dawn at this time. The room size is approx 17'x 24', with a 12' cathedral ceiling. The good; we have big sound stage, we have wonderful mid range with very good rhythm & pace. Please play the Dixie Chicks again!
The not so good; The bass gets dominant from time to time. I won't say that it's boomy; it's like blowing a low note through an empty paper towel holder. The highs or vocals during the playback are just not on the same level when this happens, & my ear goes straight to the bass. I might add that the vocals could be a little smoother. Maybe my room is the problem? Maybe the speakers need more break-in time?
Before I consider room treatments & the likem,has anyone experienced a similar situation or could you suggest a different cabling option? I am fairly new at high end passion...so I really need someone that is famliar with these speakers or has owned solid state with the Proac's- what have you done to get the best possible sound out of them?
I know many of many of you state that Proac's sound is the best with tubes --and ARC is also a great match. I did try an ARC LS 16 pre this week with my amp, but the match wasn't that great. I do think that I would like to stay with solid state for a while, but I am hoping that you can make suggestions about how to achieve a better sound quality with my current components or alternatives that will enhance it. Thanks!
ronkng
aniwolfe
760 posts
 
Before you go crazy figuring out what to do next...That mid woofer takes a looooooooonnnnnnnng time to break in. I would give it a least 200hrs maybe even more.
ronkng OP
12 posts
 
I have the speakers 3 ft. 4 in. from the back wall (can't go out farther due to cable length), 4 ft. from the sides & the speakers are 6 1/2 ft. apart. My problems are not at high listening levels. My volume levels are usually at 9 o'clock; cranking it up to me is between 11 and 12; everything seems to run out of steam past this point. I don't want to push it more in order to avoid clipping.

The amp is rated at 120W at 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 and 350 @ 2.

If I am going to need 200 hrs. break-in time, I think I'll borrow a friend's 5-disc player for awhile.
alcides
44 posts
 
It's probably your room. I have the same issue with my 2.5's. No matter where I moved them, I could not get rid of the bass boom without room treatment. Bass traps is what it took. I lean 2 down-sleeping bags in their stuff sacks up against the inside of each speaker. That plus some other traps in the corners finaly tamed the bass. I think it's the combination of a rear port tuned so low, plus it's hight withnin the speaker cabinet that causes so many problems. I'm starting to think that the best solution will be getting a pair of subs, and crossing over the 2.5's from 80HZ down.
ronkng OP
12 posts
 
All of you have been very helpful. I am hoping that continous playing time will change things for the better. At your suggestions, I am currently doing a 5-disc player marathon.

Interesting Alcides has had a similar experience with his 2.5's. The worst case I feel at this time is that if the bass does not get better in time, I may be able to somewhat tame it. I put in an old pair of Audio Quest Topaz rca interconnects on last night & it did bring the bass more in line with the rest of the music.

My next direction in time will be to try different interconnects if the system does not improve & stay away from silver. I did try Kimber Select balanced 1130's a couple of weeks ago. Great cables, it really brought out the individual instuments on the recording but also tightened up the base & made it even more pronounced than it already was.

I am still trying to avoid the room treatments at this point. The wife acceptance factor! I can hear her now " And where do you think those are supposed to go?"
rg
18 posts
 
interesting thread, I have the exact same issue with my 2.5's. I found that placement made a difference, but ultimately I think I'll eventually break down and get a couple of good traps to solve this. I am surprised you didnt like the ls-16. I use it with a quad of mullards, along with the 100.2, and SR resolution reference bi-wire and balanced connects. I have been thorougly pleased with this set up. The last piece to the puzzle for my system was an Audio Magic Stealth plc, and it made a huge difference, everywhere, including tighter bass. Nothing's perfect, but all things considered, these 2.5's strike the best balance of any speaker I have ever heard. Keep working on break in, allow plenty of space around them, and experiment with your listening position front to back. I find that certain bass nodes will be more/less pronounced depending upon where I sit
Rg
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