Proac or Sonus Faber Monitor Speakers

Ryder,

I agree with you about SF warmth. I did not like to say so but I think Proacs have a different design goal - the "precise" approach - whilst SF are more in the gorgeous luscious sound approach camp. Horses for courses but certainly different breeds IMHO.

Thanks for the opinions everyone. Great info. from people who have compared both brands.

I recently sold a pair of 8 Sig's and will go with something a little larger. I want to try a pair of Proac 2's or I could sell my Krell 400xi and purchase a pair of D two's. I REALLY want a pair of D Two's.

First and foremost my experience is that not all SF sound the same. Especially the newer models (which I personally dislike, regardless of price) compared to the older ones.

I own the Grand Piano Home and compared to the Proac Response 2.5.
Rest of the system consists of
Joule-Electra LAP-150 Mk II pre-amp
Bryston 4B Pro Amp
Meridian 596 Player
Various cables by Bis-Audio.

The Proac 2.5 sounded warmer and had sweeter/smoother mids and highs. The Sonus Faber sound clearer, faster, livlier and have tighter more impact-full and tunefull bass in the above set-up.
SF are slightly more efficient.

Both are very good speakers and I could probably live with both but I am leaning towards the Grand Piano for their shear clarity, speed and brilliantly rendered bass which has non of the ported box maladies (boominess).

It is a bit of comparing apples with oranges. All depends on your taste both in music and sound reproduction.

Another very solid performer are ATC 35. Pure mid range magic (the dome mid range driver is maybe the best mid range driver in the world) but slightly rolled-off highs.

Sometimes it is like comparing wines.
What is better? a Good Amarone Della valoplicella or a good Pinot Noir?
These are probably at the extreme opposite of the wine spectrum but can both be lovely.

I suggest you try both (the speakers and the wines...:-)) and see what you like better.

Only my opinion.

Enjoy the music,

Doron

I might sound overly harsh but frm my own experience with Sonus Faber Concertos and Concertinos I have to say that these are not really speakers.
They are exercise in cabinet making. Were they remain just a cabinets they would have been wonderful, but they usually ruined by expensive drivers and crossover designed by imbecile.
If you plug Concertinos into your amplifier and able to hear anything other than boomy midrange and sloppy bass then you might have bigger problems...Concertinos as well as Concertos have pretty names but they really just Home Theater speakers and very bad ones at that.

Too bad this was you experience.
I am assuming you tested the Concertos and not Concerto Domus.
I compared my SF Grand Piano Homes to my friend's Acoustat 3 which with the proper match are probably the best speakers in the world (put to shame any quads, 57 or otherwise but also put to shame Wilson Audio Alexandria at $160K, sorry but this is my harsh opinion) and no, my SF GPH are not Acoustat 3: the physics of a box and a relatively heavy drivers, compared to Mylar in electrostatic speakers will never get the sheer clarity and speed, but they are still enjoyable with the proper electronics matching, in normal acoustics and far away from the back walls (2-3 feet if possible).

To call them Home Theater speakers could be derived from one of two options:
1. The associated gear was a complete mismatch or the room was terrible acoustically or they were placed too close to the back walls.
2. You suffer from some form of audio prejudice.
I saw in other threads you put B&W and SF in the same boomy/bassy spot.
B&W from my experience (and I tried their 805, 302, 603 and 800D) and all, with the exception of he 800D hooked to VTL450 mono-blocks, sounded un-dynamic, flat, dry and un-involving.
To put SF and B&W in the same audio spot is missing the point in my mind, even if both of them are at the bottom of the food chain in your mind.

I seriously think that you ought to check the matching and your room acoustics (or the the room you audition these speakers at). The GPH have other flaws (tweeter could be splashy at times and requires proper matching of electronics to tame it - doable and rewarding), but poor boomy bass was not one of them (especially not with my iron fist Bryston 4B). Check the following review. Living with mine for the last 5 years I think it is the most accurate review I have read about these speakers:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1001/sonusfaber.htm

I have not had a chance to listen to the Domus to compare so if you were referring to the Domus, I cannot comment.

Best regards,

Doron