Surprising bass for size, excellent midrange, very sweet sounding speaker.

Nothing big. Might be a little polite on the top end for tube amps.

I listened to these last week as part of my search for speakers to match my Krell KAV-300i. The dealer had them paired with Audio Research amps (we tried both tube and solid state setups), and the Linn CD-12 CD player (yes, that's the $20,000 one). Right off the bat I'll say that I'm no longer looking for speakers, I'm looking for funds to go back and buy these.

They feature a very clear top end without sounding hot at all. I found that the clarity was better with the solid state amps, but that's just my preference. Midrange was sweet without being exaggerated and there was plenty of bass for a speaker with a single 6.5in driver (for that matter, there was plenty of bass for any speaker. You probably won't be in the market for a subwoofer if you buy these and place them in a reasonably sized room). Imaging and soundstage was excellent. They played everything I threw at them without ever sounding strained. To me, they got more comfortable the more I listened to them; they're addictive.

Wife acceptance factor is high as well. They are compact and available with a good selection of nice wood finishes.

For comparisons with the other models listed above (my short list):

- B&W Nautilus: my close second choice, but I liked the midrange of the Pro-Ac better, and the ProAcs have better bass response than either the 805 or 804. I think the Pro-Ac is also a better value since it's $500 cheaper than the 804, and only $400 more than the 805's after you fork over $600 for the stands.

- Thiel CS 1.5: a very good little speaker, very clear and focused. I personally found them a little too detailed for my taste, but I strongly recommend you listen for yourself if this (2200) is your price range. With the right amp, they could be phenomenal.

- Magnepan MG1.6 QR: I only listened to these because my current speakers are smaller Magnepans, and I wanted to know what a step up would give me. They were not in the same league as the three above for midrange clarity and clean treble -- but they are a good bit cheaper. If you are in the market in the $1500 price range, by all means listen to them, but you can get better if you can afford a little more.

- Martin-Logan Aerius: the jury is still out. I was impressed with what they did with some material and indifferent with other material. I found the bass to be problematic, possibly integration between the cone and the panels. The dealer did not have the room or the electronics to show them in their best light, though.

Overall: 5 stars easily for their price and size range. You'll have to get out of the $3000 price range (like the Pro-Ac Response 2.5) to start getting better. The rating system here IS inflated, but I'd be doing a disservice to these to give them anything less than a max.

Finally, if you're interested in Thiels and Pro-Acs and you're near North Dallas, go by and visit with Dallas Audio Concepts. An outstanding dealer that helped me with my auditions. 5 stars for them also.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 805/804, Thiel CS 1.5, Martin-Logan Aerius, Magnepan MG1.6

Grainless midrange. Detailed without a tipped up treble. Amazing bass for speaker this size.

None at this size and price.

Superb midrange; grainless, detailed, with very a natural tonal quality. Bass is surprisingly extended for a speaker this size; reaches below 37hz in my 15'x 15' room. Treble is extended and clean, never fatiguing like some metal dome tweeters. When you listen to these speakers you focus on the music and not what the speakers "sound" like. It demolishes all cone speakers in its price range in every aspect. Only in direct comparsion with a good planer speaker, like the Maggie 1.6 (or electrostatic speaker, like the M.L. Aerius, Quad ESL 63), does it give up in speed on stringed instruments. Overall, though, the planer has a "lightweight" sound lacking in body, and cannot compete with the Proac, which has a tighter focus on the music, is more forgiving (you can even listen to thinly recorded music), has better coherence, and has a bigger sweetspot. Before you buy anything near its price range you should demo this speaker.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan 1.6QR

Detailed and dynamic sound throughout the frequency range.
Very well-built and elegant cabinets.
Very hight quality product in general

None for this price.

I wasn't supposed to do a review, but because of its excellent performance I have to do justice to this fabulous loudspeaker. Only a 5 star performer loudspeaker like this can make me foccus only in the music...hours after hours.
Many thanks to Pro-ac for this product and also to its Distributor in Portugal.
My System consists on:
Meridian 506-24 CD Player;
Densen DM-10 Amplifier;
Audioquest lapis interconect;
QED Silver Biwire speaker cable;
Pro-ac Response 1.5 loudspeakers

Similar Products Used:

Audio Physic Virgo;
Sonus Faber Electra Amator II;
Thiel CS 1.5.

Musicality, Power, Sweet.

This new speaker from Proac is almost as good as the 2.5 model, witch as only a stonger bass response.
The 1.5 is an exemple of musicality, with a very deep and tigh bass, good midband transparency and sweet and extended higs. A truly audiophile speaker at a very acceptable price.
The Yew finnish wood is amazing.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus, Proac 2.5, Martin-Logan Aerius i

Imaging, frequency range and tonal character

May seem a little overpriced compared to other small two way floor standers

Many of the speakers I've heard and lived with around this price range are very neutral and have excellent imaging, but these add that seemingly intangable allure that many ProAc models are known for.
They are very neutral and detailed but have a warm brilliance that is addictive. It's the same tweeter used in the other Response models but the 1.5 uses a new Seas midbass driver that's also used in some of the Future models. It's hard to believe it can put out that much bass and maintain such a clear midrange.
I've also found them to have a much wider sweetspot than other reviewers have indicated. For two channel home theater you can sit way off axis and still have the dialog locked firmly in the center.
They are surprisingly full and lush sounding for such a simple two way design. Harsh sound sources benefit from this and never sound fatiguing.
I'm kinda surprised I've never seen a professional review for the 1.5. The ProAc rep says he doesn't care because it's one of their best selling speakers.
I guess they must be a good value cause I can't stop listening to them.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.9, Audio Physic Spark III, listened to various B&Ws,Martin Logans, Dynaudios.

Top end and mids are smooth as glass. Solid, tight bottom...acoustic bass sounds acoustic and "woody".

Can be tricky dialing in placement. The Response 1.5 is quite a bit fussier about precise placement (1/8" can matter a great deal) than the Proac Response 1sc.

I spent four months looking for speakers that stopped me cold.

We listened to:

- NHT 2.5i (good value, but the bottom was all over the place in my living room)
- PSB Stratus Silver & Stratus Gold
- Magnepan 1.6QR
- B&W Nautilus 805 (a close contender to the 1.5, in my opinion...I prefer the sound of women's voices on the Response 1.5)
- Meadowlark Kestrel
- Proac Signature Tablette
- Thiel CS1.5
- Vandersteen 2Ce

After three months, I found the Proac Response 1sc. When we listened to them the first time, we looked at each other and smiled...they just sounded 'right'. We spent 90 minutes listening, and while they were impressive as heck and imaged like crazy, I missed the bottom I'd heard on other speakers. The dealer suggested we listen to a pair of Proac Response 1.5 at his other store.

Wow...all the sweet top end and midrance of the Response 1sc, plus tight, beefy bass. The crossover transition is truly one of the smoothest I've ever heard...or *not* heard, more accurately.

Comparison to the Proac Response 2.5 showed a similar top end and midrange, but the 2.5 has a better bottom end with an excellent transition from mid to upper bass register and a deep, extended, but not flabby, low bass. Mind you, the 2.5 is about $1500.00 more.

After about three weeks of listening, I'm still fussing with placement. They seem significantly more sensitive to placement than the Response 1sc. The sweet spot is quite narrow and toe-in of the speakers has to be quite symetrical or the imaging falls apart. I suspect I'll be messing with placement for some time to come.

The Proac Response 1.5 is an impressive speaker and provides excellent value when you compare the competition. For about $300.00 more than the Response 1sc (with stands), you get all the bottom you could want. While it's not the bulletproof bottom of the Proac Response 2.5, it's very close for about $1500.00 less.

Similar Products Used:

Response 1sc, NHT 2.5i, Magnepan 1.6QR, B&W Nautilus 805, PSB Stratus Silver, Proac 2.5

deep definite solid bass,good medium,analitic high range

price, cool high range, scene, old fashion cabinet

Allora:
Partiamo dalla gamma bassa: profondissima, solida, granitica, ferma. Al limite è più facile mettere in crisi (risonanza)le suppellettili che i suoi woofer.
Gamma media articolata, raffinata, ma non al livello della gamma alta. Se vogliamo questo diffusore è eccezionale proprio agli estremi di gamma, e per la quatità di dettaglio che riesce a fornire, la gamma media è meno in evidenza, equilibrata ma senza lo slancio peculiare che caratterizza gli estremi ("inglese"?).
Ma questo diffusore mi piace?
Certo però per al prezzo già salato occorre aggiungere elettroniche di alto profilo (possibilmente valvolari) per sentirlo "cantare", inoltre l'estetica (a me non dispiace ) è decisamente classica e un pò understatement.
Cosa ha di più della concorrenza? Rigore e precisione, oerenza di emissione, estensione agli estremi di banda.

Similar Products Used:

B&W CDM1NT, B&W Nautilus 804, Tannoy

Smooth, dynamic, refined, musical, transparent transducers.
Finish of cabinets are gorgeous.

None

The perfect sound reproduction I strive for in my hifi is in recreating a sense of "really being there". The ProAc Response 1.5's are simply superb in this respect. They produce an immense soundstage with pin point imaging. They are also incredibly transparent. You can almost hear and see where individual instruments are placed and singers feel as if they are really in your listening room.

The treble is sweet and detailed. Percussion instruments really shine and shimmer. Despite the detail the sound is not hard or fatiguing. Very important as I never tire listening to my music now. The midrange is superb and really lends itself to good valve amplification. Voices are organic and life-like. You can feel the emotion of the artists. The timbre of musical instruments are reproduced accurately. You can feel strings being plucked, singers breathing, the sense of space in halls in live-recorded events............as I said its like being there! The amount and quality of bass these speakers produce is amazing. The top end, mid range and bottom end are seamless. I have a resonance problem in my listening room so the bass can sound flabby and loose, but even in this environment the quantity and extension is fantastic. I have heard these speakers in other listening rooms with no resonance problems and can confirm they are fast, agile and have wonderful timing.

Im my opinion good speakers should play all types of material equally well and not favour say pop over classical or rock. These boxes really deliver. It does not matter what material is played through them. They all sound impressive - electronic, orchestral, live, singers.

The music these speakers reproduce is so frighteningly life-like and involving that you find yourself rediscovering your entire music collection. My current equipment consists of Pioneer PDS-901 CD player (10 years old, Legato Link filter with stable platter mechanism), Unison Research S8 integrated amp and the ProAcs. Currently I use Audioquest Viper interconnects and Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cables. I used to drive them with an Audiolab 8000A but recently bought the S8. The Pioneer may be 10 years old but has proved to be a more than adequate front end for the amp and speakers. Most will consider the weak link to be the Pioneer. I have tried direct A/B comparisons in my system with Densen and Musical Fidelity CD players but unless the comparison is made immediately it is difficult to distinguish one player from the next. Granted I thought the Musical Fidelity A3 CD player was better in all fields but I was not confident if I could reliably distinguish the players in a blind listening test. The differences were that small. I would like to compare some outboard DACs and more esoteric equipment from Meridian and Wadia but these are well over my budget at present.

I have learned that you should spend as much time as you can on different cables and interconnects. There has been nothing to date to beat the Nordost Blue Heavens but at US$750 for a 3m biwired pair there should not be! I tried to "get away" with more conventional speaker cables but the trade off was a major loss in transparency mainly and also refinement. It was too difficult to revert back to other cables after auditioning the Blue Heavens which bring out the best in the Response 1.5's. The Audioquest Vipers are excellent interconnects. I upgraded from Audioquest Corals to the Vipers and the difference in sound was again mainly better transparency, refinement and dynamics. I have had good results from using QED Silver spiral interconnects also but thought these less revealing.

The cabinets are gorgeous. They may only be simple boxes but the wood veneers are stunning. I chose the Yew which you have to pay a small premium for. They are very handsome pieces of furniture and are not only great to listen to but beautiful to look at.

Last but definitely not least to mention are the chaps who provided the ProAcs and introduced me to the S8 and cabling. Jeff and Pete at Hifi Studios in Doncaster were friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgable. They also have a wonderful setup in a converted barn.

If you like your music big, life-like, transparent, and want to create a sense of being there then you won't be disappointed. They are also refined and musical. They really sound as if the artist(s) are really in your living room whatever material you throw at them (orchestral music, chamber music, piano sonatas, Chemical Brothers, Eminem, Kylie, Abba etc etc). They are also gorgeous pieces of furniture in their own right.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus, various Missions and Castle floorstanders, Living Voice, ProAc Response 1SC

Speed and agility

Problematic bass

I’m learning that many audiophiles have more than one system. I’m not talking about the typical car stereo or the one in your garage or office even though they could be quite good as well but more like a “second” system of high quality components. In American, these are usually found in a bedroom or some other room where listening is done in a more casual setting. I guess it’s part of the compulsion, wherever we light for any extended period of time, a stereo is not long to follow.

I’ve always had a second or, as is my case, a bedroom stereo. I call them stereo because that’s what they are. Two channel high-end audio systems. Anyway, my bedroom stereo has evolved along with my main system. Sometimes pieces from the main one becomes part of the second but usually I bought pieces for each separately. This bedroom system has developed very nicely. The system is centered around Krell’s KAV-300i integrated amplifier. I use Denon’s DCD-QS10 CD player with Alpha-Core interconnects and speaker cables. All this works quite well together. The Alpha-Core wires open and informative, the Denon is smooth and a little withdrawn and the Krell is vivid. The speakers were PMC’s incredible LB-1 nearfield monitor. The LB-1 was praised by Stereophile a while back and I believe they’re still listed as a recommended component. I really like the PMC’s but as good as they are, they just don’t reach far enough into the lower bass range. This is an A/V system but it’s a two channel set-up. Music is served fine with the LB-1 and I don’t mind the missing low bass on most material, they sound that good, but movies lose a lot of drama without the low bass effects. I could’ve added a sub but I decided to look for a more full range speaker instead. That search turned out to be somewhat of a challenge.

First, I tried PMC’s next larger speaker, the AB-1. This was great. With a 9" driver as opposed to the LB-1's 4.5" , they solved the problem of the missing low bass. In it’s price range, the AB-1 is probably without peer when it comes to bass reproduction. With their modified transmission bass loading, these speakers will go really deep and do sound wonderful, full bodied with a neutral presentation, but after a while I began to notice something amiss. For sometime I couldn’t pin point the difference. The AB-1 should sound like an LB-1 with low bass but it doesn’t, not exactly. Had I not had the LB-1 to compare them with, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the slight thickening in the AB-1's mid-range. Putting the LB-1 back into the system confirmed it. The pristine mid-range I was used to was back. I attribute this to the AB-1's 9" driver. It has excellent bass both in quality and extension but it can’t match the agility of the 4.5" driver in the LB-1. The LB-1 is more transparent throughout the mid-range and mid-bass too and I guess it’s the trade-off PMC chose. It’s not a bad one though, the AB-1 is an awesome speaker fully competitive with designs from Dynaudio, Ariel, Thiel and Pro-Ac. With that said, I come to the speaker under review.





At one time, I was a proud owner of a pair of Pro-Ac Response 3 speakers. These were some of the original 3's, not the signature version or the later 3.5. I loved them and just recently sold them. When Pro-Ac introduced their Response 1.5, I was immediately interested. I called Brian at Sound Mind Audio in Austin and he assured me they were very much a contender, so I bought a pair. Did the 1.5's strike that happy chord I was seeking? The short answer is yes, they finally did.

I placed the 1.5 where the LB-1 and AB-1 had been. Since this is my bedroom, I do sacrifice some but I still manage a respectable distance from the walls. The speakers are a little closer together than I would like but overall it’s a workable compromise. Pro-Ac speakers are expressive and they communicate with the listener unlike any other I know. They seem direct coupled to your ear. They’re not bright or edgy at all but brilliant and emotional. They capture the drama of music energetically and that’s how they’ve captivated me. They allow that emotional connection to music to occur naturally. The mid-range is just about perfect. Not as see through as the LB-1 but more lively, maybe a bit more spontaneous but certainly more expressive. I much prefer the Pro-Ac in the highs, very delicate and extended. The highs on the PMC speakers never impressed me but they didn’t offend me either. This Pro-Ac tweeter is superb, very detailed and airy. It’s their bass performance that’s harder to qualify and where their only serious flaw emerges. They truly are extended and remarkable for a 6.5" woofer. In fact, you’d probably be as surprised as I was. They don’t get down as far as the AB-1 yet they’re more full bodied than the LB-1 but their bass is like the rest of the Pro-Ac sound, expressive. Energetic again is a word that describes it, and agile. Very much what I was looking for but all was not without problems. This Pro-Ac does tend toward one note bass and can boom if not properly installed. The AB-1's transmission line bass is more to my liking, it’s tighter, more extended and everything stays under control. With the Pro-Ac, things are allowed to run “free” a little bit. Usually, this works in their favor as it does in the mid-range, I’m not so sure about the bass but at least it does integrate with the speaker’s overall personality. Quick and agile, expressive and delicate with an extended but sometimes “ripe” bottom end. Listening to music with the 1.5 is engaging and highly enjoyable while movie sound tracks are intelligible with ample punch and drama. I’m often impressed by how close this bedroom system comes to the level of performance I have in my reference system.

I can enthusiastically recommend the Pro-Ac Response 1.5 to anyone interested in a high performance speaker that does everything asked of it very well indeed. It’s small, unobtrusive, easy to drive but high current is recommended, they image beautifully, wide and deep and if you have room to let them breath, they can provide some serious bass. Don’t plop them down anywhere and give them some really good upstream partners and you’ll be impressed. These little speakers are true thoroughbreds and offer up a healthy slice of that delicious sound Pro-Ac is famous for. At $3,000.00 retail they’re within reach for most of us and they produce a level of performance that will surely please anyone.

Similar Products Used:

PMC AB-1 & LB-1, Dynaudio Confidence 3, PRO-AC Response 3

beautiful, gorgeous, midrange, excl bass for its size

not the fastest or most transparent

Classic ProAc performance at a more affordable price. This new floor standing, compact speaker offers the the classic ProAc profile: Lifelike, rich, though forward midrange, deep but slowish bass, with sweet, luscious, silky highs that are slightly laid back and rolled at the top. How does this designer get so much MUSIC out of seemingly so little? After all, this is just a little, 39" tall, 7" wide 2-way speaker. One hint to its exceptional design is its startlingly low noise floor: It posesses a quiet, black background from which musical details emerge. It offers the listener with 90% of the 2.5s performance(less bass, slightly more finicky set-up, although perhaps wider soundstage) for $1500 less. If you're a ProAc fanatic, this speaker is a steal.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 805, Apogee Stage, Genesis 6, ProAc Response 2.5