Proac nervous breakdown

[admin_exported]

Right, i have now a week to chose between the proac speakers i'm going to join to my Arcam A32. I can get hold of the studio 100' for £870 in London. Alternatively, the other option is the SC1 for which i've given a refundable deposit. These are such special speakers. Classical music freaks, i need your help Which will be truest delivery of chamber music, classical and Jazz? i need reassurance...help!

 

[Anonymous]

IMO, buy the 1SC. A cut above the Studio series giving greater insight.

 

[Mike_Schmidt]

he's right I had the studio series and tablet series and they are cut from different cloth, but this all depends on your room size. If your in a small room then its a no brainer but if your in a medium or larger room then preference comes to order

 

[Anonymous]

just back from a live performace at the brighton dome where Chopin piano concerto nr 2 sounded remarkably like my arcam a32 🙂 i have no doubt this was produced using classical as sonic reference. I thought the a32 was a bit 'subdued'...but in fact as i was listening to the orchestra from a good location, i noticed how predominant the middle range really is if that makes any sense. high range and low range are occasional expressions that by no means should realistically stand out. in this live performance, i felt that smoothness and 'wooliness' delivered by the arcam, like a wave smooth, sonic 'air'...now i know what the a32 is all about. i think the problem is that if you are looking for an all rounder, go elsewhere.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, in order to solve this resolve this riddle i called proac (an what better alternative than go straight to the source hey)- and the IMMEDIATE reply was that SC1 are the better speakers. From the tablette reference signature to the very studio 140, the Sc1 are just on a different league. The end.

 

[Anonymous]

A sound decision that you won't regret

 

[Anonymous]

I have only heard the Studio 100, not the 1SC. I'm sure the 1SC are great, and probably better than the Studio 100 in many areas.

But I think you also have to take into consideration that for classical music it is essential to have a certain scale. The instrument's "size" created by a small mid-woofer is not very big. I have had lots of mini-monitors (not of the same league as the 1SC, but I did have the PMC DB1+, which is a highly regarded speaker) and in my opinion they don't create believable instruments, not matter how musical and insightful they are. I don't believe I'm listening to a violin if it sounds like a mosquito!

I'm not saying the Studio 100s are better, just giving you another point of view.

 

[Anonymous]

That's an important point but I think mini-monitors in the >£1k region tend to work surprisingly well (gross generalisation). Both the 1SC and Spendor SA1 are amazingly unboxy and with high class amplification and source can produce a huge scale. If used as a near-field monitor then the only tweak I'd make would be to add a sub.

Nonetheless, compared to a floor stander like the PMC FB1i or even OB1i and you soon get reminded what scale really means

 

[JoelSim]

I have to say that although I love my ProAc Tablettes and they are exceptionally involving and musical, if I only had one set of speakers and had the room, I would always go for floorstanders. I just think they have a more enveloping sound and bigger sense of scale. I'm lucky that I can almost do an A/B test by walking between two rooms (I say almost as the Dalis are always much louder as they are more sensitive) so it's not exact.

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

igglebert: Both the 1SC and Spendor SA1 are amazingly unboxy and with high class amplification and source can produce a huge scale.

I know, I agree.

But I'm not only talking about the size of the soundstage. I don't know if I'm going to be able to explain this properly, but here it goes.

A small speaker with a small mid-woofer can create a wide soundstage, because its dispersion is good. So it fills the room with sound. But...if you "measure" the volume each indicidual instrument occupies in space, a bigger mid-woofer will give you a bigger individual instrument image. For instance: I used to own at the same time the B&W CDM9NT (towers, one 16.5" mid-woofer, two 16.5" woofers) and my current Tannoy System 800 (monitors, 8" mid-woofer). If you considered the soundstage as a whole, the two woofers of the B&W added up to a broader soundstage. But if you listened to Ella's voice, it was bigger and weightier with the Tannoy's.

I don't know if I make myself clear

. The point is, after having more than 30 speakers of different sizes, I've realized that, in a certain way, the size of individual images depends largely on the size of the mid-woofer cone.

 

[Anonymous]

I understand Tannoyite, small has to be a compromise in some ways. I would choose larger speakers if I had the space (and cash!). I'll still buy some PMC FB1s or OB1s one day

 

[Anonymous]

Tannoyite: i know what you mean. that stdui 100's mid-bass driver looks amasing, and it must produce a 'bigger' sound, proportional to athe actual size of th einstrument. But i also want magic...and the SC1 does miracles somehow. (i've heard them)- they're so good they haven't change dthem for about 8 years...

 

[Anonymous]

Bismarckian:Tannoyite: i know what you mean. that stdui 100's mid-bass driver looks amasing, and it must produce a 'bigger' sound, proportional to athe actual size of th einstrument. But i also want magic...and the SC1 does miracles somehow. (i've heard them)- they're so good they haven't change dthem for about 8 years...

All I can say at this point is: I envy you!

Let us know when you have the 1SC at home, and give us your first impressions!