ProAc Owners Thread

[Rapide]

Response 2.5 Questions:
1. Approx how many factory made 2.5's ? Range of serial numbers ? Sequential during entire run... or code indicating year or date of mfg ?

2. What are differences between early and late series ? Example... Late 2.5's had woofers embossed "Proac". Serial # of transition ? Did either of the Scanspeak drivers change in any way over the 2.5 run ?

3. The 2.5 tweeter attachment screws Seem to fit CR-V T15 driver bits. I was told early series use 3mm Allen wrench. Correct ?

4. Is Lemon oil appropriate to maintain the health and appearance of Yew veneer ? If not.. what is ..besides touch of Murphy's oil soap in warm water on micro fibre cloth gently rubbing with the grain to clean.

5. Are the 2s tweeters and crossovers Identical to the 2.5's ?
I just saw an ad wanting crossovers... either 2s or 2.5.

Random thoughts:
$4500 in 1996 = $ 7542 in 2020. Do Not place your tweeters face down like I did in a rush to unsolder one lead and check 8513 resistance. Leaves black sticky goo on cbnt. When inspecting Proacs for purchase...Always disconnent the woofer/ tweeter jumpers and listen to each driver seperately... in addition to normal 0-10 bass, 0-10 treble, L-R balance, clarity of imaging and all the rest.

 

[mikeybc]

The 2.5 is supposed to use a different ferrofluid which increases power handling and gives it a lower sensitivity than the 2 according to the stereophile review. Putting the 2 tweeter in a 2.5 may result in brightness or siblance that the clones seem to have had.

For anyone needing foam for their ProAc tweeters they are available at Madisound cheap. https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...eeters/scanspeak-d2010-replacement-foam-each/


My fasteners are defiantly hex/Allen bolts and not torx.



Early 2.5's didn't put serial numbers on the name plate above the terminals and left them blank. These had a sticker under the terminals with a number starting with the letter P These also didn't have the ProAc embossed woofer baskets.



I've seen a pair with serial on the name plate in the low 100's that didn't have the wider ProAc basket. but seen a pair in the 400's with the wide ProAc basket. So somewhere in between those they made the basket switch.

 

[Rapide]

Thanks, Mike. All good info. I wondered about 2.5's with no serial number on the name plate and just a little white tag.

 

[Pairustwo]

Thanks to Mike and everyone else here. I'm a new owner of a pair of ProAc Response 2.5's - apparently from an early run. Hope to get guidance on a few questions.

IMG_20200718_101054

• Pairustwo
• Jul 18, 2020

1. The foam on the tweeters is pretty ugly. I see Mike posted a link to replacement foam. How to replace it without damaging the tweeter? The adhesive is pretty strong. Is there anywhere to get the foam with the ProAc logo printed on it?
   

   IMG_20200718_100706

   • Pairustwo
   • Jul 18, 2020
2. I was told at purchase that the speakers should be positioned with the tweeters leaning in - towards each other. Is that correct?
3. I've never owned speakers this old. Is there any sort of maintenance or upgrade that should be done? Replace the tweeters? Replace capacitors in crossovers?

Thanks you all. Glad this forum is here.

 

[alejandro44]

Lovely speakers, Rapide, when they get best amplification. I had a pair in Cherry for 10 years, 8 in the States and Two here in NZ where I live. I used a light oil called Tung oil every second month. They glistened. (keep away from spkrs or surrounds.)To the issue of tweeters in or out? I was told at a Shop in Portland to put them away and not toward each other. It made sense and a better image.
These puppies need a good solid state amp with high current. I tried VTL tube amp generating 45wps in Tetrode and 15 in Triode. Excellent mids and high freq response, lacking strong bass, just ok. Then I got a Plinius SA100mk3 and they sang like not before! Then I heard Dynaudio C1 Signatures and few years after arriving in NZ sold the 2.5's and got the Sigs. WOW what a difference. Have upgraded the amp on a trip back to States with Ralph Abramo in Riverside area. Double wow! The 2.5's are making a local kiwi audiofool plenty happy. He has not done any repairs to speaker surrounds and uses a Plinius 9200 integrated on them. These are definitely worth restoring. Some kind of magic, especially on Classical and acoustic jazz. Enjoy Alejandro

 

[Rapide]

Most important.. check the drivers individually for correct ohms.. and do frequency sweep to compare with each other. Sticking your ear against each working driver... not good enough. 2.5 woofers (modified Scanspeak 18W 8535) have very few issues other than surrounds. Tweeters ( modified Scanspeak 2010/8513) ... well.. good luck. The cooling ferrofluid tends to dry out and thicken over 20+ years of use and exposure... thus numbing and rolling off the high freq response. Some 2.5 tweeters just die even without abuse.... actually same with various older Tablettes. Personally.. I would not replace with Madisound or Falcon sourced Scanspeak subs. Supposedly Proac, working with Scanspeak, had the basic drivers modified to their spec. (Subject of heated discussion) Proac 2.5 tweeters are currently about $360 a matched pair in the US. If you buy cheaper generic subs, you will be endlessly wondering and making excuses.

Madisound $8 tweeter foams do not have Proac logo.

I have heard many at Proac UK are working from home due to virus... so no one answering phone and delays in providing tech support. In US, best to work through local dealer or distributor Soundorg in Texas (Cole & Rick - cust support). Canada also has an Excellant Proac distributor.. (Alex Tiefenboeck) Crown Mt Imports. I am 6+ hours from any dealer or would support my local first.

You can roughly measure ohms of woofer directly at rear terminals. (circa 7.8) You cannot ohm test the tweeters as capicitors in their crossover branch.... must remove tweeter from cbnt and unsolder one lead. (circa 7.3 - 7.5)

Just play with toe in & out and tweeters inside and outside. A Lot depends on characteristics of room and seating position. If no option but near a back wall or corner... a sock temp stuffed in rear port will bring less boomy bass.

Yes.. P 12850 from early series. Later run mostly a woofer basket change. I have P 14031 (early series) and R 25/001491 (late).

 

[Pairustwo]

Proac Mini Tower speaker ports with straws right now on us ebay for $47.
No affiliation.

Response 2.5 Questions:
1. Approx how many factory made 2.5's ? Range of serial numbers ? Sequential during entire run... or code indicating year or date of mfg ?

2. What are differences between early and late series ? Example... Late 2.5's had woofers embossed "Proac". Serial # of transition ? Did either of the Scanspeak drivers change in any way over the 2.5 run ?

3. The 2.5 tweeter attachment screws Seem to fit CR-V T15 driver bits. I was told early series use 3mm Allen wrench. Correct ?

So for research sake... My Response 2.5 has the sticker serial number (P12850). / Does not have the embossed woofer. / and the tweeter attachments are a type of hex head screw / bolt (?) and won't take any sort of bit. Although the foam is chewed up on the tweeter it appears to never have had the ProAc logo.

Tweeters ... well.. good luck. The ferrofluid in the Scanspeak 2010/8513 tends to dry out and thicken over 20+ years of use and exposure... thus numbing and rolling off the high freq response. Many 2.5 tweeters just die even without abuse. Actually same with various older Tablettes. Personally.. I would not replace with Falcon sourced Scanspeak subs. Supposedly Proac, working with Scanspeak, had the basic drivers modified to their spec. (Subject of heated discussion) 2.5 tweeters are currently about $360 a matched pair in the US. If you buy cheaper generic subs, you will be endlessly making excuses.

Hmmm. Sounds like they may be in need of a tune up. There is actually a dealer (listed on ProAc website at least). in my city. It sounds like that is the only way to get the original replacement part. I'd hate to pay a 400% markup for aftermarket ScanSpeak Classic D2010/8513 - if someone sent me a fake from madisound.com I wouldn't know the difference.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Rapide]

'Authentic Proac drivers will have Proac and part # on tag on side of magnet or case. Always check as many ebay sellers list scanspeak drivers for various Proac models... and they are just generic Scanspeak... not the correct factory modded version for Proac. Of course... a factory Matched pair is best.

 

[Rapide]

 

[Pairustwo]

Is there a ProAc part number to search for?

 

[Rapide]

I have asked.. but never given a direct answer... other than "Proac keeps such information tightly controlled "

Unfortunately...the tweeter examples in photo have varying numbers and codes.

 

[mikeybc]

Bit late to the party here

Foams can be bought through your country’s distributor but apparently they're stupid expensive. Just get the generic foam if you don't care about re-sale.
You may need scrape off the old foam and use goo-gone and some elbow grease to remove the old foam’s glue.

Don’t worry about the crossovers, the 2.5 crossover uses decent quality polypropylene capacitors and no electrolytics to be found. The caps are Ansar Supersounds with a ProAc label and the ferrite core inductors work just fine. Changing to air core coils may change their sound signature but not necessarily for the better.

A pic of the 2.5 crossover.

 

[Pairustwo]

Bit late to the party here

Foams can be bought through your country’s distributor but apparently they're stupid expensive. Just get the generic foam if you don't care about re-sale.
You may need scrape off the old foam and use goo-gone and some elbow grease to remove the old foam’s glue.

Don’t worry about the crossovers, the 2.5 crossover uses decent quality polypropylene capacitors and no electrolytics to be found. The caps are Ansar Supersounds with a ProAc label and the ferrite core inductors work just fine. Changing to air core coils may change their sound signature but not necessarily for the better.

Very good news. Yes, the foams were nearly $100 US to have two shipped here - that was a quote directly from ProAc - not through a distributer.

How do you access the crossovers? In case I want to take a peek at my own, behind the wiring terminals?

 

[mikeybc]

Very good news. Yes, the foams were nearly $100 US to have two shipped here - that was a quote directly from ProAc - not through a distributer.

How do you access the crossovers? In case I want to take a peek at my own, behind the wiring terminals?

Yikes, that's even more than I thought !

Crossover is directly behind the woofer under a bat of insulalation, Wires are factory soldered to woofer terminals so be careful not to scratch baffle with the magnet.

 

[Pairustwo]

Hi all.

For the good of the community:

I've been in contact with ProAc directly (https://www.proac-loudspeakers.com/html_files/PnS.php) and the US distributor (https://soundorg.com/) inquiring about replacement tweeters, expressing concern about degraded ferrofluid. On both counts, however, they thought it was unnecessary to replace the tweeters. Given that I'm a recent owner - any degradation of the sound isn't a quantifiable problem for me, just worry, I feel like they could have made an easy sale. I think Sound.org was just relating the info they got from ProAc, but still.

For what it is worth- Throw that into the debate over degrading ferrofluid.

I also learned that Sound.org has branded replacement foams for $45 - significantly less than ordering them from ProAc.

 

[frankhertz]

Hello,

I would really like to try to settle, once and for all, the debate whether the ProAc tweeter under discussion is the same as the generic Scan-Speak D2010/8513. My experience is: Last year I bought a pair of Response 1SCs which were originally purchased new in 2002. Unfortunately, one of the tweeter died soon after. My choice was to replace both with the ProAc version at a cost of 550 $CN + shipping or the Scan-Speak version at 250 $CN including shipping.

I contacted Scan-Speak to ask about whether the two versions were the same. They referred me to Solen in Montreal. Solen assured me that they were. I ordered the Scan-Speak ones. The only difference I can see (apart from the labels and the foam surround) is that the ProAc version has more robust terminals. The generic ones have pretty flimsy ones that you have to be careful bending. Also the holes in the terminals are just large enough accept the connecting wires if you gently squeeze the wires into a flatter shape.

The only electrical measurement I can make with my multimeter is DC resistance and both measure the same (around 5.8 ohms). I realize this is not hard evidence one way or the other. So, if someone has that kind of evidence, please post.

Thanks,
Harry

 

[slowpat]

Hello,

I would really like to try to settle, once and for all, the debate whether the ProAc tweeter under discussion is the same as the generic Scan-Speak D2010/8513. My experience is: Last year I bought a pair of Response 1SCs which were originally purchased new in 2002. Unfortunately, one of the tweeter died soon after. My choice was to replace both with the ProAc version at a cost of 550 $CN + shipping or the Scan-Speak version at 250 $CN including shipping.

I contacted Scan-Speak to ask about whether the two versions were the same. They referred me to Solen in Montreal. Solen assured me that they were. I ordered the Scan-Speak ones. The only difference I can see (apart from the labels and the foam surround) is that the ProAc version has more robust terminals. The generic ones have pretty flimsy ones that you have to be careful bending. Also the holes in the terminals are just large enough accept the connecting wires if you gently squeeze the wires into a flatter shape.

The only electrical measurement I can make with my multimeter is DC resistance and both measure the same (around 5.8 ohms). I realize this is not hard evidence one way or the other. So, if someone has that kind of evidence, please post.

Thanks,
Harry

What a teaser Harry. I'm dying to know. Regardless of measurements and the cheaper terminal, how do they sound compared to the one good tweeter? The sound is the most important to me. Do they sound the same? Do you still get the ProAc magic, with all the imaging and layers of details?

 

[slowpat]

'Authentic Proac drivers will have Proac and part # on tag on side of magnet or case. Always check as many ebay sellers list scanspeak drivers for various Proac models... and they are just generic Scanspeak... not the correct factory modded version for Proac. Of course... a factory Matched pair is best.

I have seen past sales where the seller advertised the drivers as "ScanSpeak" when the pictures showed "ProAc 8". Someone got an amazing deal !!

 

[lissenup]

I'm planning on giving my 20 yr old Dynaudio Focus 110 to my son and need a new pair of stand mounted speakers. I'm in a smaller room (12'x14'x8') so another pair of stand mounted speakers will replace them. On my short list are the Proac Tablette 10 Sig , the D1 and the Harbeth P3ESR Anniv. I'd appreciate some input from Proac users who don't seem as rabid about their kit. How might one contrast the 2 sounds? My listening is mostly small ensemble classical, jazz, vocal, piano and some rock and orchestral. Front end is Rega Saturn-R, Elicit-R, and Pro-ject t-t, Nordost cabling. THanks.

I would seriously consider the Tablette 50 Signatures. They are older but that model really found the sweet spot imo. British speakers I currently have are the ProAc Tablette 50 Sig, Harbeth SHL 5, B&W Matrix 800. I have had ProAc 2.5, ProAc 2. I have listened to various later versions of Tablettes. All good, but the 50’s are the only speaker of the bunch I have not sold or will never sell. In a small room on good stands they do most everything just right.

 

[frankhertz]

To answer slowpat's question, I cannot really tell you anything about the difference in the sound signature between the two versions of the tweeters. It was very soon after I got the speakers home that I noticed that one of the tweeters was dead. That is when I ordered the Scan-Speak ones and installed both the new ones. So I have nothing to compare the new setup with.
Harry