ProAcs : Studios now or Responses later

[Alvolake]

I have a Sugden A21Se into Totem Arros firing across a 6m x 4m room. The Arros are just a bit too small and I am thinking quite seriously of changing them. Where I live, I cannot audition and everyone seems to think ProAcs would be a very safe bet with the Sugden so my question is - do I buy Studio 140s now or should I make the effort and save up a lot more and go for broke (sick joke) and buy some Response D25s. Which of the 2 modelsis likely to be less affected by the rear wall at 30cms and a dirty great bureau thingy stuck in between my speakers. In moregraphic terms, if we take the 140s as 100%, are the D25s likely to be 200+% as their price would seem to imply or more like 120% ?

Chris

 

[PAG]

Neither, i would go for these:

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum5/10362.html

Work absolutely superbly with the Sugden, and work close to a wall. Good stands are mandatory though. Surpasses the d25 in most areas apart from bass. Save yourself a load o cash, and spend the rest on music.

 

[Gromit]

pamela andersons gusset wrote:

Neither, i would go for these:http://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum5/10362.html

Work absolutely superbly with the Sugden, and work close to a wall. Good stands are mandatory though. Surpasses the d25 in most areas apart from bass. Save yourself a load o cash, and spend the rest on music.

Ditto that - I've always been a big fan of the smaller ProAcs (had Super Tablettes then Tab 50 Sigs) and these are the king dick of the small-box range. Fabulous things - friend of mine (who I bought myCDI off)had a pair until last year, no doubt wishes he hadn't sold them.

Prefer the smaller ProAcs to the big jobs to be honest.

 

[Injector]

Well, having listened to the Studio 140, D15 and D25 my views are:

Studio 140 - fantastic weight to the bass, a little bit 'bright' if paired with the wrong equipment. Mid range good.

D15 - much more refined in every department except the bass, which drops off alarmingly for a floorstander.

D25 - much the same as the D15 but with added clarity to the bass. Still doesn't plumb the depths of the Studio 140 though.

As for the D25 being much better than the 140? Yes, it is. That price though, is it really worth the extra? Not for my wallet. It's better but not as much as Proac reckon in their pricing!

The D15 would be my pick if they added an extra bass driver. :grrr:The buggers won't though. The 140 is a great speaker but it does shout 'budget' when compared to the 'D' Series. Still, it's not really 'budget' in the real world is it? :lmao:I'd have to take the Studio 140 all things considered. A great speaker withproper bass.

 

[Alvolake]

Thanks for the replies. Now, you´ve got me wondering about standmounts versus floorstanders i.e. Response 1 or Studio 140s. I assume the 1s will be less affected by proximity to the rear wall and my bureau headache but will they be able to "fill" my 6m x 4m room - this is one of the reasons why I am changing my Arros - not that I listen at high volumes but I would like something that sounded good at low volumes too. Any thoughts ?

 

[godlau]

Response 1Sc......

But one thing to note is that 1SC is quite sensitive to speaker stand......so u will have to spend sometime to partner up with the right stand to get thedesired results. So enjoy if u decided to get a pair....

 

[Alvolake]

Ok. And now to complicate things - how would Response 1s compare to the JMLabs 1007Be. Sorry to mess you all aboutr but I can´t audition and I have the chance of some mint 1007Bes for 1200 quid.

 

[JANDL100]

Alvolake wrote:

Ok. And now to complicate things - how would Response 1s compare to the JMLabs 1007Be. Sorry to mess you all aboutr but I can´t audition and I have the chance of some mint 1007Bes for 1200 quid.

Re; JM Labs - I find the tweeter very "hot" - too much for me. But if you like your music a bit raucus .... (The Be tweeter in these is a much inferior model to the originals as used in the Utopia range (which are superb)- I've only heard it at shows where I fled the room in horror and in fear of my hearing !!)

The Proac response series is superb - I owned the original Response 2 - its speed was astonishing, vanishingly low colouration and dynamics which make you want to re-inforce your house's roof.

Needless to say, I'd go for the Pro-acs.

But they are VERY sensitive to stands. Poor stands will destroy 70% of the Proacs performance. Ideally, get a pair of Target R series - they were designed for them.

 

[Boxer]

Response 1Sc: I believe you will still find a cherry pair over in the Classified section at a very reasonable price.

Boxer

 

[Jimmy Moff]

Re the Proac Response 1 SCs

JANDL100 wrote:

But they are VERY sensitive to stands. Poor stands will destroy 70% of the Proacs performance. Ideally, get a pair of Target R series - they were designed for them.

Indeed, as I have recently learnt

.

I eventually gotexcellent results from a pair of Atacama SE6 stands with a full tub of Atabites in each. This only fills the column to just over half way but makes them quite weighty. They look neater than the Target stands too in my opinion.

Jim

 

[JANDL100]

Jimmy Moff wrote:

Re the Proac Response 1 SCsJANDL100 wrote:

But they are VERY sensitive to stands. Poor stands will destroy 70% of the Proacs performance. Ideally, get a pair of Target R series - they were designed for them.

Indeed, as I have recently learnt

.

I eventually gotexcellent results from a pair of Atacama SE6 stands with a full tub of Atabites in each. This only fills the column to just over half way but makes them quite weighty. They look neater than the Target stands too in my opinion.

Jim

I had the Target R2 stands - even on these, if the position of the Proac Response 2 was even 1/2 inch off on the top plate, the wonderful sound became very ordinary. I've never come across a speaker that was so fussy about its support.

 

[zygote23]

I have a pair of Studio 140's firing accross an 6mX4m room. They are sitting on Floor tiles, on carpet about 25cm from the wall. They are toe'd in a little and have a clunking great piece of furniture to the side of the left speaker.

I've had them a few months now hooked up to an Icon audio stereo 40i via some solid silver cable. \source is a minimax cdp and Project xperience TT.

To be honest the sound totally blew me away when I first got the whole lot settled in. My previous speakers were MA Bronze floorstanders.

I have no complaints about the ProAc's in the bass dept. They are earth shattering when listening to Nils Petter Molvaer or the Massive Attack v's Mad professor with seriously low frequencies.

I fancied seeing what a little more power did in the system so I hooked up my mates Pathos Classic one last weekend. Brilliant sound stage and plenty of grunt (he drives Totem Arros with it) but just didn't have the same smooth sound as the Icon.

I know some folks consider the ProAc's a sort of budget speaker but for me it was a considerable amount to outlay...........worth it though.

 

[Alvolake]

Are these 140s in the photo ? I was under the impression they weren´t matched pairs (position of the tweeter, left and right) - how strange ? In the Hi-fi plus review I read, Alan Sircom made a point of this. Ah well. We live and learn.

If I were to fork out for the Response 1s, I would certainly take my time to suss out the best stands. I have some lead filled Heybrook HBS1s for the meantime and some Mana Sound Bases.

Does anyone know which speaker proAc launched (or are about to launch to substitute the D25s) at the Las Vegas show - apparently they took a Sugden A21Se with them just for that ?

 

[iancity]

Another vote for the 1sc - best speaker I have ever owned and wished I had kept them......................

 

[Injector]

zygote23 wrote:

I have a pair of Studio 140's firing accross an 6mX4m room. They are sitting on Floor tiles, on carpet about 25cm from the wall. They are toe'd in a little and have a clunking great piece of furniture to the side of the left speaker.I've had them a few months now hooked up to an Icon audio stereo 40i via some solid silver cable. source is a minimax cdp and Project xperience TT.

To be honest the sound totally blew me away when I first got the whole lot settled in. My previous speakers were MA Bronze floorstanders.

I have no complaints about the ProAc's in the bass dept. They are earth shattering when listening to Nils Petter Molvaer or the Massive Attack v's Mad professor with seriously low frequencies.

I fancied seeing what a little more power did in the system so I hooked up my mates Pathos Classic one last weekend. Brilliant sound stage and plenty of grunt (he drives Totem Arros with it) but just didn't have the same smooth sound as the Icon.

I know some folks consider the ProAc's a sort of budget speaker but for me it was a considerable amount to outlay...........worth it though.

A lot of us who still occupy the real world don't consider those budget mate. I love 'em.

 

[curtis]

Alvolake wrote:

Ok. And now to complicate things - how would Response 1s compare to the JMLabs 1007Be. Sorry to mess you all aboutr but I can´t audition and I have the chance of some mint 1007Bes for 1200 quid.

The 1sc's are good but £1200 for 1007Be's you gotta be kidding me.

What looney is selling them for that???

Curt

 

[Alvolake]

I assure you I am not kidding you. The 1007Bes were bought this year, classic finish, boxes, paperwork etc. Just one problem for you mate - they are in Madrid but they are up for 2000 euros and I feel he would accept an offer for a bit less. I live in Tenerife, so it would be relatively easy for me to get them out here for say 100 quid more.so 1300 quid all in, I reckon.

Sugden really rate them with their amps but apparently they arebrighter than the ProAcs so I am a bit wary. Under equal conditions, which is nonsense really because aesthetically I would go for the ProAcs,which would you go for or more to my point which wouldfill my 6m x 4m room better and even more important in my old age - which sound better at lowish volumes ?

Or shall I plump for Studio 140s ? decisions, decisions.

 

[curtis]

Alvolake wrote:

I assure you I am not kidding you. The 1007Bes were bought this year, classic finish, boxes, paperwork etc. Just one problem for you mate - they are in Madrid but they are up for 2000 euros and I feel he would accept an offer for a bit less. I live in Tenerife, so it would be relatively easy for me to get them out here for say 100 quid more.so 1300 quid all in, I reckon.Sugden really rate them with their amps but apparently they arebrighter than the ProAcs so I am a bit wary. Under equal conditions, which is nonsense really because aesthetically I would go for the ProAcs,which would you go for or more to my point which wouldfill my 6m x 4m room better and even more important in my old age - which sound better at lowish volumes ?

Or shall I plump for Studio 140s ? decisions, decisions.

Hmmm thats a fairly large room.

Will you be firing down or across the room?

If you like a fair amount of bass a floorer may be a better choice.

Most stand mounts need the wick turned up to get the bass level desired.

I would have thought the JM would be able to move more air as it has a bigger woofer.

Out of the 2 for that cost i would probably go for the JM speaker and you should be able to move it on at very little loss if any at all if it doesn't fit the bill.

They go for a minimum of £1700 here 2nd hand.

Curt

 

[Injector]

I listen almost exclusively at low volumes, that's why I have a big amp and floorstanders - I find the sound fuller at my desired listening level. Standmounts, although 'better' in so many ways, just don't match my requirements.