"Testament to Rule No. 1 – the gear has to be right for the room. In a 12 x 12 foot room these were just a joy, in a much wider room firing across the long wall they just lost their magic with a lot of music. I really tried to live with this but in the end attachment just wasn’t enough.
So I blindly plunged for a pair of Proac Studio 115. Not a speaker I hear much about which surprises me as the 110s they replaced were very well thought of indeed. I used to own a pair before the Harbs and thought they were a little wonder.
So, first impressions are that Proac have upped their game in terms of cabinetry veneer. Very nice finish indeed. They’re not a deal bigger than the Harbeths, same width, 80mm taller and a bit deeper. The bass driver is rather larger in diameter though at 165mm as opposed to 110mm.
I only had a couple of hours with them last night but was mightily impressed. The sound really is out in the room and I have soundstage back. What I would describe as the intimacy of music I had with the Harbs is less apparent but see opening para. of post !
Towards the end of the evening it was definitely ‘just one more track’. I find I just want to go home and play more music so I reckon this is a good sign of things to come.
I’m now thinking Croft 7R, Leben CS300"
