Audition - Speakers for my Mc Gear

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Have not heard all the Proacs but the ones I've lived with or my friend had for some time were great. I don't think one can go wrong with Proac.

+1

ProAc makes really great speakers, very musical.
I did not listen to the D38 and D80 side by side with the EB1i.
But I know them rather well.
I would say the EB1i are better to my taste to the D80. They have better dynamics and their bass is more deep and powerful. ProAc may be more charming on some discs, and the medium is maybe more colourful, but all parameters considered, the EB1i are better performers to my ears. Their timing and pace is far better than the ProAc speakers.
ProAc have never been acclaimed for dynamics. They are rather tranquille speakers, "easy listening." Everything you put in them, goes out with a brilliant varnish. The sounds are magnified. It's rare to hear a bad sounding disc with ProAc.
I would say ProAc are Frank Sinatra. And PMC are Eva Cassidy.
I feel more tension with the PMC. They are a bit more alive. That's just a question of taste....

Did not hear the D100 though !

But I would not change even a D38 with a pair of BW 802 : I like ProAc speakers very much !

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by C220MC275

+1

ProAc makes really great speakers, very musical.
I did not listen to the D38 and D80 side by side with the EB1i.
But I know them rather well.
I would say the EB1i are better to my taste to the D80. They have better dynamics and their bass is more deep and powerful. ProAc may be more charming on some discs, and the medium is maybe more colourful, but all parameters considered, the EB1i are better performers to my ears. Their timing and pace is far better than the ProAc speakers.
ProAc have never been acclaimed for dynamics. They are rather tranquille speakers, "easy listening." Everything you put in them, goes out with a brilliant varnish. The sounds are magnified. It's rare to hear a bad sounding disc with ProAc.
I would say ProAc are Frank Sinatra. And PMC are Eva Cassidy.
I feel more tension with the PMC. They are a bit more alive. That's just a question of taste....

Did not hear the D100 though !

But I would not change even a D38 with a pair of BW 802 : I like ProAc speakers very much !

What gear was driving them? We've tried many amps out there with my friend and settled on a Krell KSA-200s back then as it was the only one that brought out all the vigor out of the Proac Response 3s he had. It was a very smooth and musical pairing with dynamics to spare. That amp was good to 1600w into 1 ohm even though it was only a 200w amp at 8.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by PHC1

What gear was driving them? We've tried many amps out there with my friend and settled on a Krell KSA-200s back then as it was the only one that brought out all the vigor out of the Proac Response 3s he had. It was a very smooth and musical pairing with dynamics to spare. That amp was good to 1600w into 1 ohm even though it was only a 200w amp at 8.

Serge,

Usually in France, ProAc speakers are driven by top of the line Naim Audio electronics. The kind of amps you would not qualify as "anemic"...
But don't misunderstand me. I did not say ProAc are not dynamic. I said that they are less dynamic than PMC (or other brands, like Wilson Audio, Linn, JM lab etc... )

[Pyro]

Originally Posted by Haurock

Over at the other place, I mentioned several months I was interested in looking at new speakers to go with my sound system. After having invested in the electronics portion I thought it was time to focus on the 'front' end.

Back in Feb, I was able to visit AudioClassics, and was able to do a side by side comparison between the XRT1K and PMC EB1i's. My conclusion was that the EB1i's were slightly more musical than the Mc's 1K's.

This past week I was able to do a side by side comparison of EB1's, OB1i's and ProAc's D28. The demo was done with a Mc 220 Preamp, a Bryston amp and CD player, through Crystal Cables.

For those of you who know ProAcs you shouldn't be surprised to hear that I found their imaging to be exceptional and the base very tight.

The PMC OB1i's are very nice speakers, but they are not in the same class as the D28's, not to my ears. This is not to say that the OB's are not good speakers, but it only took a few minutes for me to know that I would prefer the D28's.

The real test would come in comparing to the EB1's. Before I go further, I should state the the D28's cost about 7K MSRP and the EB1's 16K. I spent about 90 minutes listening switching back and forth between these two pair of speakers and if money was not an issue, I would lean towards the EB1i's. They were slightly more musical, slightly more engaging and seemed to work rather effortlessly. Having said, that, I can't help but wonder how the D38's would sound or the D80's, priced at 10K and 20K respectively. I would assume that it would be a question of preference, and the differences would only be nuances, and not 'substantial' differences. At this stage I am not sure how much 'better' the EB1's would be if they were tested side by side with the D38's which is the midpoint of the ProAc line.

I've not yet decided. I'm now searching for a dealer with D38's that perhaps I can bring home, likewise with the EB1i's. I'm also thinking of comparing the D28's to the new PB1i's, if I can, though again pricing may be an argument for the D28's.

Just thought I would share.

I am heading up to Audioclassics to listen to the PMC EB1i's and the XRT1K will let you know my thoughts. What amps were connected to the speakers when you demo'ed them?

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by C220MC275

Serge,

Usually in France, ProAc speakers are driven by top of the line Naim Audio electronics. The kind of amps you would not qualify as "anemic"...
But don't misunderstand me. I did not say ProAc are not dynamic. I said that they are less dynamic than PMC (or other brands, like Wilson Audio, Linn, JM lab etc... )

I agree, they are not extraverts like Wilson or JM Labs. That is why I asked and that is why we found synergy with a Krell amp back in the day. Not very familiar with top of the line Naim but from what I understand, Naim is not a laid back kind of an amp either.

[Haurock]

klypschpyro,

The MC1.2KW I believe. MCD500 for source, but I am not sure of the preamp, I'm thinking it was the 2300.

[Haurock]

Originally Posted by C220MC275

But I would not change even a D38 with a pair of BW 802 : I like ProAc speakers very much !

I have to agree with that, I have never been a big fan of B&W, but that was several years ago.. things do change.

A colleague has suggested I should also consider the Living Voice OBX-RW's. Great thing is, he's a dealer here in Kingston!!.. I'll let you know who those sound with Mc Gear.

[Haurock]

An update.


Today, I had the chance to head to Montreal and do a head to head comparson between ProAc's D38 and Sonus Faber Cremona M's. I started by listening to the ProAcs D28 which are the speakers that I had compared to the PMC EB1i's.

As I had indicated I was surprised by how favorable the ProAcs had sounded against the PMC's but, that in all due fairness the PMC's were the clear winner.

Since I had never heard the D38's I was anxious to find out if they were that much of a stronger performer than the D28's. As I explained my goal to the salesman, he told me that the D38's were far far better. After letting the audio gear warm up and listening to the D28 for about an hour, I asked him to make the switch the D38's, and immediately as Norah Jones begun to sing with her sultry voice, it was apparent that I had stepped into a whole different category. The D38's are formidable speakers, especially when you acknowledge the fact that you get a pair for about 10K Cdn. As I continued to listen and recall my audition of the PMC's, I was left with the conclusion that in terms of sound quality they were at the very least on par, and if I had to choose I would favor the ProAcs and not just because of the price. In my view the imaging these speakers offer is nothing short of spectacular. As I continued to listen to various pieces of music at different sound levels, and true to the ProAc sound, the music was very clear, concise and an excellent sound stage. In that department ProAcs have always excelled. The speakers simply disappear.

Since this audio store also carried Sonus Faber and I had read such positive comments about SF here at AA, I wanted to audition these as well. I could have listened to the Amati, but at 35K, there was no point. However, the salesman suggested the Cremona M. Boy was I in for a surprise. I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard. This speaker is radically different in approach from what I have heard so far. Talk about a smooth natural sound that doesn't jump out at you, and with pieces of music with acoustic instruments, I was literally stunned. I also very much enjoyed the fact that you enjoy all the music without being tied to the sweet spot. That in my opinion is a very strong plus in favor of this SF speaker. The second surprise was the price the Cremona is at 11K Cdn, definitely placing it in direct competition with the D38 and definitely going to make my choice that much more difficult. The ProAcs are rather big speakers and I do wonder if they will overpower the room. The SF are nowhere near as big as the D38's and would more than likely fit rather quite well in my listening room.

I still have to audition the Living Voice OBX RW, which has received raving reviews and it too has come substantially come down in price. I'll update this thread when I do, which should be soon.

[Still-One]

Rock
Thanks for the update. I agree that SF makes very musical speakers that are very easy to listen to. Look forward as your continue your search. There are so many good speakers out there, it is a difficult decision.
Jim

[80B]

Rock, thanks for the update, and keep it coming. Be patient as long as you can to listen as much as possible. Glad you got to hear the SFs. Lots of great quality there.