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Minimonitor Choice: Proac 1sc vs. Totem Model 1s

Has anyone directly compared these two speakers? I've heard the Totems, and they image so well, though may be a little congested in the midrange. How do the Proac's compare? I've got Proac 2.5's, I think they are great, but currently find the tweeters a tad bit aggressive (but am working on that with cable selection). I've heard still better things about the tweeters in the 1sc's. I'm using great amps in my systems right now (Pass Aleph, ARC VT100 mk2, Berning ZH270).

Anyhow - I love good imaging, but not at the expense of tonal balance. Considerations that I'm aware of between these two speakers are:

1) Which has better/more natural bass response? (I want to avoid the subwoofer approach if possible - but I do like to listen to all sorts of music, including rock, orchestral, jazz, female vocals, etc.).

2) Is either more sensitive/dependent on positioning? This includes speaker positioning in the room and listener positioning (e.g. size of sweet spot)?

3) Do either have characteristic tonal biases that I should be aware of? (I've already described some impressions of the Totem Model 1s).

Thanks for your input everyone. Also, are there other minimonitors I should be considering or auditioning (when traveling outside of my small town of Flagstaff, AZ).
peter_s
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Cellorover, I've considered changing the stand fill to sand. I'm a bit lazy though. You can see my system at virtual systems next to my name. The components seem a good match fo rmy 1SCs, but I've always been suspect about my rooms acoustics. I'll be trying out some Sonex acoustic squares this weekend and see if the cabinets which seem to be in the vicinity of first reflection can be helped. Thanks for the suggestions.
rg
18 posts
 
I am reluctant to offer another opinion because the choice between these two speakers just boils down to a simple matter of personal taste. But being a minimonitor freak, and having owned both pairs of these at the same time, I’ll put in my $.02 FWIW. I absolutely agree w/ comments from Jla “I have not heard another monitor that presents the music in such a natural involving way w/out coloration.” Insofar as the points mentioned regarding bass, if you want it right, you need a sub, simple as that. There’re minis that go deeper, but what the 1SC does, it does magically. And I personally don’t see the point in compromising this for the sake of a few extra bucks for bass. Regarding your 2.5.s, if they sound aggressive they’re not set up right. And if you have ears sensitive to aggressive tweeters, I believe you most definitely would prefer the ProAc over the Totem.
rockcore
3 posts
 
I have not compared these two, but I have compared (at length) ProAc Response Two's to the Totem Ones. Really the Totems are very good; for a lot more money, the ProAc's are in a different class. More of everything, and a bit easier to drive.
If you can swing the price, I would suggest Silversmith Audio cables with your ProAc's. The sound stage will suddenly appear; to the degree, that it was non-existant before.
voog
1 posts
 
Hi there,

I have ProAc Response 1sc's with Cardas Golden Cross Biwire speaker cable and think they work great together. I recently retubed my VTL ST 150 and everything has improved. I also use a Modulus 3 with Seimens gold pin tubes throughout, two Vandersteen 2w's, Michel Gyrodec, Morch arm and Benz 2H Wood cartridge. The system sounds a bit dark due to my current interconnect between pre and amp. I want to replace a 2 metre run of MIT Shotgun with Cardas Golden Reference. Is this a good choice? If not what would work best?

Thanks
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