ProAC 2.5 users please share experience on amp

Contrary to what some have tried to say here, the Proac tweeters are not "glarey" (sic). They only sound harsh with crappy equipment upstream. (CD, pre, amp or cables) I have heard them sound great with the proper electronics, including transistors.

However, as others have said, Proacs are power hungry, so if you want to use a tube amp, it should have some good power, especially if you want to listen to them loud.

I did not comment on the tweeters, just two particular models which I had in my house for audition - Tablette Sig. and 1SC. Both had an inner hardness, glare, that I could not ameliorate with positioning, different amp, etc. The Tablettes drove my wife (who is no audiophile but has superb ears for good music making) from the room. She said the 1SCs were least bad with nice transparency but many instruments sounded hard. I auditioned the 1SCs long after buying the 2.5s which never ever once sounded hard or "glarey".

I don't think the tweeters are the problem, I think it's something in the crossover btw woofer and tweeter, or the woofer itself, or something in the cabinet. But I first, way back in 1996, auditioned the Response 2S at home which was anything but hard or lean. One night my wife and I came home from the ballet and I told her I had to listen to the speakers because they were going back in a couple days. She sat down with me and we listened to two full ballets. Next thing we knew it was 2:00am. The 2Ss seemed to put a golden glow in music that was addictive but I couldn't get them to rock so back they went.

I ended up with the 2.5s after hearing them with everything from 300Bs and 20wt SS (Accuphase) to 150wt tubes. They were superb and played all types of music, at least to my ears, wonderfully. My wife also loved them and they never, not once, glared or honked at me. I didn't find them power hungry at all but then I use a small room.

Not surprised about detecting a lack of life with ARC gear as that has been my experience with their stuff for 20 years. Back then I was a C-J person as most of us were one or the other, sort of like 40 years ago being either a Beatles or Stones fan.

That's really interesting Tomryan.

Your system must be much more revealing than mine because I perceive smaller differences between the three speakers.

In my rig, the Tab 50 Sigs were definitely the "wild" guys of the three. The 1SCs more mature. And the 2.5s add the bottom end both monitors lack. When I first hooked up the 2.5s I felt they were like the 1SCs, but with more bottom end. I didn't perceive any of them to be offensive, but it could be because my system is biased towards the darker side of neutral. And strangely, I felt the floorstanders disappeared better than the 1SCs.

It must be all the loose clothes lying around. The Acoustic Slop Factor.

Hi,Gunbei

Currently, SLI-80 is doing well with small scale music: like solo cello, violine, string quartet. The sound is charm and muscial~~ (which is much better than my old CAV50
at this point)

however, for the large scale music, symphonie, opera, the thing is totally changed. The sound is no any layer and
the soundstage is a bit flat. even the sound of violins now become very bad~, seems totally messed up. Overall , i can not keep listening to these type of music for 5 minutes and want to leave~~.

By the way, when I hook the Cary SLP80 to spendor, the sound is warmer, darker than what my CAV50 did.

Tom and Golden ear, there is no glare at all when I listened to solo violin and string quarte. however, the sound of violins in the symphonie is not so pleasure and i am not sure if it is what "glare" you are talking about~~...it would not hurt your ear anyway

Thanks for the inputs and welcome for more discussions

Derick, it sounds like you're experiencing the bad sounding violins when the music becomes louder and more complex. Solo instruments or chamber music settings are more forgiving, but when you get 10 or more violins going full bore, things can get strident.

This is something I exprienced a few years ago when I first started the hobby. I don't have a real explanation for how I was able to overcome much of this. Better equipment? Adding tubes to the system? But I know I've seen this mentioned in the forums before, so maybe a more experienced person can comment on this.