I have owned a few models and still have D-15's. After visiting Axpona, the 15's give up nothing to any competitors in terms of imaging, detail or sweetness. They do give up scale and soundstage to the best of them but the best are huge and very expensive. In fact, the visit reassured me my system is fine - I was getting a little anxious but re-visited some great recordings (SACD included) and I'm satisfied but thinking of improving my amplification - most rooms had great amps and you could hear it in the husky depth of many male vocalists - at least that's my interpretation.
What is the future for Proac Speakers ?
I have always enjoyed their speakers and have owned them in the past. However, from what I have heard, they are no longer being imported into the US due to distribution problems, the main engineer is no longer there and Mr. Tyler's future is in question. I also see an increase in Proac's being sold here on Audiogon. Does anybody know what's going on at Proac ????
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Mcondo, Can you please describe the ProAc sound? What other speakers are you familiar with? I did like the Focal Aria, Tannoy, Sony, Audio Physic and Legacy at AXPONA. Really liked the KEF Reference series. But that is a bit beyond reach at this point. I have always wondered about PMC and got some great feedback from Twoleftears. Also considering ProAc D30R and Spendor D7. I know it would be foolish to purchase anything without listening. Hence I am hoping to get some feedback before I travel a few hours to audition. |
I guess the sound would be akin to a sweet mid range, with great clarity on the top end. Bass is exceptional if acoustic bass is used - otherwise a little congested with rock oriented electric bass. Not the best rock speaker, but excellent for Americana, folk, vocalists or jazz. They need some power, something I'm a little short on with my YBA Passion integrated. Highly compressed modern recordings are unlistenable - not sure if it's the speaker or me. I compared to Dynaudio which were a little too hot in the highs for my taste. I did not like the D-15's bi-wired and use Herbie's gliders under stock feet. YMMV. |
I own Proac and Harbeth now as well as B&W. I have also owned many other UK speakers including other BBC inspired models. Proac's slogan Perfectly Natural really does summarize their sound. They are more open and cleaner than the classically styled Harbeth, Spendor or Stirling models. I run older Tablettes and they are my favourite minis. They offer the natural midrange of BBC school speakers but offer a more open top end without getting bright. They do prefer a larger room to a smaller one. If you cannot find Proac, modern Spendor models are a great alternative.The Classic Spendor series sounds armer like the Harbeths. All great speakers if you love the UK sound like I do. The thing I love about Proac is that classical music sounds so natural but I can also put on some early Black Sabbath or Deep Purple and they are just as plausible. The only thing missing of course is really deep bass on the smaller models. |
Hello everybody, I am Stewart Tyler MD and Designer of ProAc Speakers. I think I had better explain what has happened in the last few years. My trainee designer left and joined Modern Audio to make an active speaker called MAD. Unfortunately my importer became sick, and has now died, making ProAc difficult to buy in the States. The company ProAc and sister company Celef has had no changes, and a new importer, The Sound Organisation (https://soundorg.com/proac/ ) has taken over ProAc, and has a professional company with guys on the road which the previous guy never had. More shops and better dem facilities. Also new models the Tablette 10, DB1, D20 were never really brought in to the States. We are now working on some new designs, designed of course by me. Bad Rumours are not good, and when somebody dies there will be confusion for a while. My Son and Daughter help me run the company, and my Son in law is fast becoming a good designer, especially cross overs. Check out our Website designed by my Son, see what's new. Good Luck to you all Stewart |
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