There in a world of hurt.
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 ????
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I don't think there is any problem. Companies lose distributors. It happened with Spendor a few years ago until they where picked up by another one. I took a look at their site and it looks like they have many new products, so I doubt they are folding. You should shoot them an Email if you are concerned about it and I am sure they will give you the low down on the situation. |
I agree that many companies change distributors, sometimes things improve afterwards, sometimes not. I would not have a problem with the Email approach. Feedback value will much depend on nature of question(s) asked. To ask if they are in trouble will not likely garnish much towards satisfying any concerns. |
A quick google search revealed to me that there's only been one Proac dealer for the last 30 years and it's Modern Audio: http://proac-usa.com/. There've been other threads elsewhere where the same question has come up through the years. All the best, Nonoise |
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. |
Modern Audio is indeed the distributor in the US. I had occasion to call there a few weeks ago, and during our brief conversation my primary sense of things was that the guy wanted to get off the phone as quickly as possible. In conversation with a well-established high-street dealer in the greater DC/Maryland area (who does not sell Proacs), he stated that he could not think of a less pro-active distributor than Modern Audio. I have no opinion on the matter, merely report this opinion. As far as I can tell they do not distribute any other brands. As far as I remember, Proac took a series misstep with the Future line, and while they have now come back to the tried and true, their current prices when translated into US$ must make them somewhat difficult to sell, given the fierce competition in the loudspeaker market. I know that I looked at them seriously recently and passed. |
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. |
I have owned a few models and still have D-15's. After visiting Axpona, the 15's give up nothing to any competitors in terms of imaging, detail or sweetness. They do give up scale and soundstage to the best of them but the best are huge and very expensive. In fact, the visit reassured me my system is fine - I was getting a little anxious but re-visited some great recordings (SACD included) and I'm satisfied but thinking of improving my amplification - most rooms had great amps and you could hear it in the husky depth of many male vocalists - at least that's my interpretation. |
Mcondo, Can you please describe the ProAc sound? What other speakers are you familiar with? I did like the Focal Aria, Tannoy, Sony, Audio Physic and Legacy at AXPONA. Really liked the KEF Reference series. But that is a bit beyond reach at this point. I have always wondered about PMC and got some great feedback from Twoleftears. Also considering ProAc D30R and Spendor D7. I know it would be foolish to purchase anything without listening. Hence I am hoping to get some feedback before I travel a few hours to audition. |
I guess the sound would be akin to a sweet mid range, with great clarity on the top end. Bass is exceptional if acoustic bass is used - otherwise a little congested with rock oriented electric bass. Not the best rock speaker, but excellent for Americana, folk, vocalists or jazz. They need some power, something I'm a little short on with my YBA Passion integrated. Highly compressed modern recordings are unlistenable - not sure if it's the speaker or me. I compared to Dynaudio which were a little too hot in the highs for my taste. I did not like the D-15's bi-wired and use Herbie's gliders under stock feet. YMMV. |
I own Proac and Harbeth now as well as B&W. I have also owned many other UK speakers including other BBC inspired models. Proac's slogan Perfectly Natural really does summarize their sound. They are more open and cleaner than the classically styled Harbeth, Spendor or Stirling models. I run older Tablettes and they are my favourite minis. They offer the natural midrange of BBC school speakers but offer a more open top end without getting bright. They do prefer a larger room to a smaller one. If you cannot find Proac, modern Spendor models are a great alternative.The Classic Spendor series sounds armer like the Harbeths. All great speakers if you love the UK sound like I do. The thing I love about Proac is that classical music sounds so natural but I can also put on some early Black Sabbath or Deep Purple and they are just as plausible. The only thing missing of course is really deep bass on the smaller models. |
Hello everybody, I am Stewart Tyler MD and Designer of ProAc Speakers. I think I had better explain what has happened in the last few years. My trainee designer left and joined Modern Audio to make an active speaker called MAD. Unfortunately my importer became sick, and has now died, making ProAc difficult to buy in the States. The company ProAc and sister company Celef has had no changes, and a new importer, The Sound Organisation (https://soundorg.com/proac/ ) has taken over ProAc, and has a professional company with guys on the road which the previous guy never had. More shops and better dem facilities. Also new models the Tablette 10, DB1, D20 were never really brought in to the States. We are now working on some new designs, designed of course by me. Bad Rumours are not good, and when somebody dies there will be confusion for a while. My Son and Daughter help me run the company, and my Son in law is fast becoming a good designer, especially cross overs. Check out our Website designed by my Son, see what's new. Good Luck to you all Stewart |
Thanks Stewart for your post. I've never been a business owner, but I can only imagine the peaks and valleys you go through. I for one love your speakers and can't wait to get a pair of your monitors for my dedicated listening room. You're one of the top designers...up there with Richard Vandersteen, Jim Thiel, Bobby of Merlin, etc. Looking forward to your future designs and Proacs longevity! Best..... |
Dear Mr. Tyler, Welcome to Audiogon. I recently purchased a pair of D-30R's at Revelation Audio in Southern California. I've been extremely pleased with them and they continue to impress me with their musical capabilities. Keep up the great work and wishing you and the folks at Proac continued success. |
Hi Guys, and thanks for the response, no pun intended, and the flattery. There are new models on our website which is being upgraded right now. As the Hi Fi world is changing we will continue to produce hand crafted speakers, designed by myself to go in systems with turntables, great tranny amps, and of course Valves which I love. I have a few good CD players and a Marantz CD recorder which I copy vinyl to cd in real time. We want to try and recreate music as you would hear it live, not super market noise ,and not for convenience ! Listening should be an occasion, not rushed and you do not Hoover with a background sound, as long as there are enthusiasts out there we will be here to satisfy their needs. all the best Stewart |
Thank you Stewart for clearing this up. After many decades of listening and despite many new entries to the speaker market over that time, ProAc speakers remain among my top 5 in terms of speakers that are nicely detailed yet still sound like music rather than stereo equipment. So it was very disconcerting to hear there was possibly trouble brewing, and I'm very glad and relieved to hear things are good and that your wonderful speakers continue to evolve and improve. I look forward to reading about and hearing your latest work. And congrats on getting a better distributor. |
Very glad to see Mr. Tyler weighing in personally in this thread. I own a pair of Response D2s. These recently supplanted a pair of Response 1SCs that I raised from a pup and that had graced my system for over 10 years, so you can count me as one of the legion of fans of the Proac sound. I would like to add a note that I had some dealings with the new US distributor, The Sound Organisation, and found their customer service to be exemplary. I'm also pleased to discover that there's now a Proac dealer within easy driving distance of my home. This is a very hopeful sign of things to come. |
Wow, thank you for the update, Mr. Tyler. I am at this very moment warming up an ARC Ref-75 to play my still baby (400-hours) ProAc D30Rs, which I love. Bought them from Audio Concepts in Dallas after listening to nearly every speaker in the city multiple times. I can testify to the transparency and emotional connection of these speakers, and the professional service (and listening space) at Audio Concepts. I'm glad ProAc is such a significant part of their inventory. I guess what I really mean to say is: thank you for these designs. They are works of art. |
Hi everyone, I’ve been loving my ProAc studio 148s which is the largest audio component dollar-wise I’ve ever purchased. I usually buy used (see my page for details about the 2 channel analog system for vinyl and AV playback I’ve put together plus a picture that usually receives high praise). After listening to some D20s at Hawthorne Stereo I decided I wanted to go with a speaker that had more control in the lower frequencies. I ordered my 148s from them without an audition as Hawthrone only has the Response Line on their demo floor. The 148s are very controlled in the lower end (25hz) plus keep the lovely mids and highs that ProAcs are known to reproduce. Also, I use the Soundocity SEV9 outriggers (also pictured) and recommended this upgrade for anyone using ProAc towers (both for sound and stability). Stewart, you should give Soundocity a call about possibly bundling these outriggers with your towers. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/1634 :) |
Great to hear from you Mr Tyler. I have been using the Proac for the last 12 years. I had the ProAc d38 for almost 8 years but had to sell it due to move to a much smaller home. So now I am using the Response 2.5 in my main system, which I previously used it in my second system. Currently trying to decide between the d20r and the d38r for my main system. I would love to get the d48r but just need a smaller foot print. |
Tyler, I'm curious why the carbon pro series was discontinued? I have CP6's and I absolutely love them until I turn my system on and they disappear! Then I just love the music. They're stellar. I've owned a steady stream of Proac's, upgraded from D1's, D18's, D30R and currently own Carbon Pro 6. Love them all. They do so many things right. I've found they sound good with all kinds of amps, easy to place in room, and good with all types of music. I'm so glad my dealer recommended them to me as they were not on my radar screen. Until I listened! For those on a budget, smaller ProAc's crossed over to a good sub make a great relatively afforable system, and in many cases sound better than larger speakers. |
Great to hear from you Mr Tyler and I wish you all the best and success in the future! I own the Proac Studio 140MKII which I think are the best 2.5 way speaker I ever heard ,at this price level you really have to struggle to find somthing better than the Proac’s. Once the funds aloud I am seriously considering the Response D48R . |
Good to hear ProAc and Stuart Tyler are doing well, if managing an importer transition in the USA and some personnel issues in house. Since the 80’s I have owned Super Tabelettes, Response 2, 3, 3.5, Anniversary Tablettes, and currently D15’s. Moving now to D30R’s, first try of the ribbon tweeter... Carry on ProAc... your products are wonderful and bring hours of musical bliss to many, including myself. |
Proacs are distributed by Deja Vu Audio in the US. http://dejavu-audio.com/index.html (McLean, VA) http://www.dejavuaudiowest.com/ (La Jolla, CA) I got to take home a pair of the Tablette Anniversarys for a trial run courtesy of Josh at Deja Vu west in La Jolla, CA |
Deja vu is a dealer not the distributor The Sound Organization is the official US distributor for ProAc Great speakers,absolutely fantastic support, carried and loved by many fine dealers. Audio Connection Verona NJ Proac dealer since 1989 Best JohnnyR http://www.audioconnect.com/ |
Hi Guys just a quick update on ProAc. We recently took orders from importers in house. We also got rid of some dead wood who were making Proac more difficult and expensive. So we have new importers in Canada, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Sweden Germany. More will come after checking people are happy in the country they live in. I am working on 3 new models, but none that makes current models defunct. I will post more info soon. |
Stewart or any others that are familiar with ProAcs. I demoed some Tablette 10s that sounded amazing a month ago. Finally made the plunge and bought some. However they sound incredibly muddy right now. Especially the vocal tracks (almost sound underwater or in a tunnel). I have read that they will take a while to break in. I have never had to break speakers in before. The PSB Image B-25s I upgraded from sounded ready out of the box. I have Ave been trying to run the speakers while at work but my Appletv keeps cutting off so I have no idea how many hours are on them yet I have played maybe 15 hours of vinyl and normal tv with center channel set up. I'm guessing 30 hours of total music time. Starting to get a bit nervous with the purchase. What is a reasonable amount of break in time in which I will finally hear a noticeable positive difference and real separation of instrumentation? |
Greetings Nholic over 150 plus hour of run in is typical.. Please share your whole system cables stands and all? How far apart are the speakers tweeter to tweeter? How far away are speakers in inches to your ears How high are the tweeters off the ground? How high are your seated ears off the ground? Can you shoot a pic and post it to virtual systems that would be great. Can you get them so you are in a triangle with the speakers and then only see just a wee bit of the inside of each speaker from your seat position. Don't sweat yet they are a really nice pair. Cheers, JohnnyR Audio Connection Pro Ac dealer 27 years |
My setup is not ideal. Speakers are in a custom built cabinet into the wall. 137 inches tweeter to tweeter. About 3 ft off the ground. Isoaccouatic stabilizers (medium size) angled upwarrds. 119 inches to prime listening position. Ears probably at 4 ft from ground. Left speaker is completely visible and right is partially blocked due to cabinet Co figuration. I will upload pics as well. |
Have you tried without the stabilizers? Also, A piece of industrial Granite under the speakers’ relativity inexpensive will add the necessary mass to support the speaker and keep it from moving and focus it. After this experiment with various levels of toe in. Aim each speaker to see just a wee bit of the inside wall of each cabinet from your listening chair. Also get rid of any stock metal jumpers and install regular copper wire jumpers instead. JohnnyR Proac Dealer Audio Connection |
Thanks for all the input. The will incorporate what I can. What is intwrest No though is the pair I demoed has all the same equipment and placing limitations I am working with now with the new speakers. The am sure they will sound better with suggestions but still concerned they do not sound as well as the demos I used for 4 says with same set up. Someone mentioned 150 hours for break in. I am at about 96 hours now so will hold off on panoc button for another 50. Sound seems to be improving but vocals still sound muffled. |
Hello, New guy here and a novice at that. I recently returned to vinyl and am a kid again, just loving it. Broke my cherry with a impulsive purchase of B&W CM5 full surround with center and a Martin Logan sub. It's truly fine for my movie watching experiences and can remain with it. It's not fine for my vinyl spinning. So I've decided to create a separate system strictly for my vinyl and perhaps future streaming ( as I understand it's improving all the time ) I recently visited Pro-Musica in Chicago and those dudes are informed ( I know coming from me that's not saying much ) Listened to a smaller pair of Proac and they were lovely but when I pointed to a tower that wasn't set up he responded that they were his favorite all time speakers ( he's big into classical ) They did blow me away in a clean beautiful way, the clarity was superb. However he was also promoting a "Naim Audio" streaming device & amp in one called "Unity Star " Any suggestions from those out there who know and may help me get it right the first time? I won't have the funds to correct any expensive errors. My music room is a space I built over my garage, it's 20x24 with a high pitched roof/ceiling ( about 13-14 feet at the top, think chalet ) Will the DR 30's be sufficient ( or should I save more money and wait to upgrade up from there? Does the Naim Audio piece I mentioned fall short in properly driving the DR30's or perhaps the next speaker up? ( I do like the streaming capabilities as well as the phono input and a USB input for an extensive enhanced digital library I intend on pulling from as well ) Plus I believe an additional input. Thank you in advance for your opinions on how best to spend my money. ( BTW, I sold my beloved Triumph TR6 ( if anyone knows what that is ) for other reasons but mainly to bring beautiful music into my new garage room. Also, should I consider used and if so how do I know it's not used and perhaps abused? Thanks a ton. |
