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Can I build a Proac Response 3

15 years ago or so, all the audiophile mags were raving about the Proac Response 3; a fairly ordinary-looking tower speaker with two 6-1/2" mid-bass drivers & a soft-dome tweeter. More important than the press reports to me, several of my friends heard them and said they really are SPECIAL. Well, I traded for a pedestrian (but absolutely mint) pair of Aperion Intimus 633t towers in natural cherry. Aperion is one of those direct-market only audio companies that designs its components here but has them built in China. The cabinets house, you guessed it, two 6-1/2" mid-bass drivers & a 1" soft dome tweeter. They sound nice, but nothing like the ambrosia attributed to the Proacs. I'm sure the Aperion drivers are of average make, and I'd guess the same is true of the crossovers.

Interestingly though, the cabinets are magnificant!! Truly the best I've seen on anything under $3,500. The cherry veneer is absolutely beautiful, and the cabinets are extensively braced. The cabinets are formed out of 1" thick MDF on all sides, and each cabinet weighs about 75lbs. The size is smaller than the Response 3; I'd say the Aperion are about 42" H x 7" W x 14" deep, but I'm wondering if I can't fashion something that will sound close. I am somewhat familiar with venders such as PartsXpress, etc., but I'm wondering if there are some DIY speaker builders out there who can tell me how to duplicate the crossover components, drivers, etc. These cabinets are just crying out for excellence!! Thanks.
klipschking
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
A good speaker system is a balance of cabinet, drivers and crossover; you can spend a lot of money trying to get a certain sound out of a cabinet designed for a different one. I suspect better drivers and crossover would improve the sound but just what it would sound like is anyones guess and I doubt it would be identical to a Response 3.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I agree with Stanwal. And as a former Response 3 owner, I think that you would be just as happy with something else. My Response 3s (MSRP, $6500) couldn't hold a candle to my Gallo Reference 3s (MSRP, $2600 at the time I bought them). But if you're doing this mostly for the fun of it, by all means have at it :-)
thesoundhouse
250 posts
 
Those Proac Response 3s are great sounding speakers. I have recently assembled a pair of the Parts Express Kits and I think they may be better. It is just hard to tell because it has been a while since I listened to the Response 3s. I remember getting them in on trade and keeping the for over a year. The Dayton Kit is pretty killer.
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