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 ????
garebear

Showing 3 responses by larryi

It appears that proac-usa is the importer/distributor of the speakers, not a dealer, and it speaks to stability if this company has been the distributor for 30 years. In my area (Northern Va./Washington DC), Deja-Vu Audio is the local dealer. They have several models on the showroom floor and I have not heard anything about these speakers becoming no longer available.
What matters the most is how they sound to you; if you like any particular current model, it really doesn't matter that much what is in their future. I like their current lineup; their stand-mounted speakers are certainly competitive with other models from popular favorites like Harbeth. The floorstanders with the ribbon tweeters are quite good and Proac has done a better job at integrating a ribbon tweeter with dynamic drivers than most who have attempted this feat (only Raidho comes to mind as having really done this well).

It is still worth looking into their speakers if you have liked the sound of their line in the past.
For whatever reason, the company seems to keep a very low profile; I don't see them at shows, they don't seem to push their speakers on reviewers or do the other things that get notice.  But, I like how they sound.  At a local dealership, I get to hear them along with a couple of other British designs (Audio Note and Harbeth).  If you like a very warm sound, the Audio Note speakers fit the bill; for a leaner sound, I actually prefer the ProAcs over most of what Harbeth offers (Harbeths have a slightly sibilant edginess in the treble range).  Of course, all of these brands are terrific.