Hello Ben
I have been following this thread with interest as a former
owner of Proac 2.5's, I usually dont get involved, but here goes.
I bought my pair brand new in 03 from a bay area dealer, and was able to follow them thru the break-in process, they were very good right out of the cartons, and gradually
"matured" over time,and of course, the overall presentation improved as well. The only way to break them in of course is to play them, especially if you can get them up from a cantor to a gallop for a while, while staying within your amps limitations of course, dont push them hard tho.
I have listened to them in three differant sized rooms, the largest being simular to yours except 18'x18'. They
work well in a large room, except the low end of course
loses it's stature as the square footage increases.
The 2.5's also like to be out in the room, away from the
rear wall, they even sound great well away from the rear
wall. I also suggest, that you "toe up" the front end by
adjusting the spikes to where the front of the speakers
is about 1/2-3/4" higher than the back. That will improve the overall presentation,imaging, soudstaging, etc....
What I find interesting is your comment about the scale of
bass, givin the size of your room, the bass output should be more on the inadiquate side, and not the "club experiance" Haveing owned them myself and knowing how they
sound, it sounds like you prefer a lean sound to your music.
Have you tried useing the port bungs? That's one thing that
might bring you closer to the response you like. The 2.5's
are a fuller sounding speaker than the studio, and the bungs will dampen the bass output. These should have come
with the speakers.
One last thing I wanted to add, the 2.5's do have a slight
grain to them. It's more apparent with well recorded music.
I especcially noticed this when I purchased a pair of Totem
Mani II's and compared the two speakers.
For what it's worth, the Mani's embarresed my beloved Proacs. No grain, beautifully open and clear, well defined bass, the bass response from the 2.5' is anything but well defined. The Proacs sound great untill they are compared to a more refined speaker, thats why I am now a former owner.
