Upgrade from Proac Response 1SC?

Cooper52,

As an owner of many Proac speakers, past and present, I have a few thoughts to share with you.

I have owned Proac Tablettes, Studio 1, Response 2, Studio 140, Response 2.5 and currently the Proac response D-40r. So that is a lot of Proac speakers, and needless to say I also like Proac speakers.

I responded earlier and indicated that the Response D-30r would be a significant upgrade with a great sound similar to your current speakers. I mentioned that a local dealer had a pair of demos, but those are now sold.

I also think the Response 2.5 mentioned by Yashu would be an upgrade, particularly in the bass region. the response 2.5 has great low bass extension, but is not very efficient and does require some power. I used a pair of Quicksilver V-4 monoblocks (120 wpc) which was a great match.

I bought a pair of Harbeth Compact 7Es-2 and tried them, but they did not do it for me either. I have also heard the Devore Fidelity Gibbon 3XL, and I thought the bass extension was lacking.

I have not heard the Merlins so I can't comment.

If you can find a pair of of demo or used Proac Response D-30r I think you would like them a lot, and you might also consider the Response 2.5.

Best of luck in finding the right speaker for you.

Jim Perry

Further update, seven months later: I got the chance to hear two more speakers, one for an extended (week-long) in-home trial. The first of these, which I heard in the store, was a pair of Totem Element Fires, ordinarily out of price-range but because they were used, the dealer was letting them go at a (for these) real bargain price. I was very impressed with their 3-dimensional imaging and their rock-solid poise. They maintained very fine resolution across a wide range of musical genres and at pretty high volumes, far louder than I would play them here at home. What I DIDN'T like about them was their rather recessed sound and seeming lack of warmth in the midrange, not to mention that they're not exactly pretty to look at. Thus I opted not to try them at home. The other speakers were Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors (not the "M"s) which on first impression did a number of things really well. They presented a very finely resolved stereo image though more two-dimensional than the Totems. Their overall sound, warmer but a little more forward, seemed to suit my taste better, so these I brought home to live with for a week, and this is is where I began to hear the Cremona Auditor's shortcomings. The first thing I noticed (apart from how different their personality is from my Proac Response 1 SCs) was that they didn't present an effortless sound at all. They seemed to need a lot of pushing to get them to speak (even though they are nominally as efficient as my ProAcs) and my wife, who NEVER has an opinion about these things, immediately declared them "dull and muffled." "I like the other ones better," she said (meaning the ProAcs). Also, the Cremona Auditors could get a little congested with certain kinds of sounds, like choirs with strings or dense orchestral passages. Lastly, they could occasionally exhibit a slight "papery" quality with certain kinds of music. However, I should also include here the things I did like about them, namely their honesty with voices, their warm and musical midrange, good bass extension and their stylish appearance. A little more sparkle would have been welcome though. So, the search continues...

I'll still give you $500 plus shipping for them.

I am a big Proac fan. My Response 2, I bought years ago and later updated with 2s drivers, is also still sitting in my closet. One suggestion I'd make is to consider a pair of high quality subwoofers to fill in the bottom octaves of the 1SC. Once dialed in, I think you will be you will be pleased in what you have gained.

I don't like Sonus Faber - thick, slow uninvolving sound.
Vienna is so much better. However, I didn't hear top offerings of either.
Sonus Faber Extrema was thought to be great when driven by 400 wt/ch by some really good solid state amps.