ProAc Tablettes - Info Sought

[bhazen]

I may be auditioning a pair of these LS3/5A-esque-sized monitors this weekend; any owners here? I'm curious about their tonality (partic. mids, highs); also how efficient/sensitive they are. Any other qualities, too...I'd be driving them with a Rega Brio amp.

Cheers,
Bruce

[Jay F]

Make sure they are at the right height, i.e., ears level with tweeters.

I sampled a pair once before I really understood why we use stands for speakers, and I don't think I appreciated them fully. Had the tweeters been at my ear level, I might have "gotten" the speaker.

[TONEPUB]

I had a pair of original Tablettes for a long time and really loved em!

Definitely more forward and detailed than LS3/5a's....

What version are you looking at?

[bhazen]

I had a pair of original Tablettes for a long time and really loved em!

Definitely more forward and detailed than LS3/5a's....

What version are you looking at?

Unhhh...fairly recent (90's/'00's); really clean.

Forward how? Mids?

[TONEPUB]

The newer ones are more refined and smoother than the older ones.
I like em all personally. The whole presentation is more forward and
dynamic than the Rogers. It's kind of like comparing a Dynaco Stereo
70 to a modern tube amp...

[bhazen]

Cool!! Sounds like my kind of monitor.

If I get 'em, I'll post a review. As some of you know, my perspective is that of a typical UK listener (PRaT, grip, groove, follow the tune) with Naim & Rega kit.

[TONEPUB]

They are definitely the British sound...

[bhazen]

...then I'll play Purcell, Elgar, Beatles, Kinks and Oasis at the audition!

[chevvies]

I've had my Tablette 50's for about 12 years now and I love 'em, certainly sound bigger than they look. I don't hear the 'forwardness' that I do in a friends pair of Spendors, and a big positive about them for you too is they are fine with all types of music.

[kudesai]

I have a pair of Proac 1sc's, while they are not exactly the same speaker, there are some similarities, not the least of which is placement. Some others here may have different experiences, however, I feel that they are very sensitive to room location. And, whatever you do make sure they are on very good stands. They make a huge difference.

Oh, and yes, tweeters at around ear level!

[bhazen]

Oh, and yes, tweeters at around ear level!

What happens if they're not at ear level?

[TONEPUB]

2nd that on the good stands.

If the tablettes are not at ear level, you might think they are not
as detailed as they actually are, the off axis response goes down a touch.

I felt the newer ones (like what you are looking at) are much better in this
respect...

[Jay F]

What happens if they're not at ear level?
I thought they were boring...nothing special.

I didn't realize at the time that the tweeters' not being at ear level was why I found the speakers boring. I bought the height stands the dealer told me I needed (24"). They probably should have been 28", but I didn't know that at the time.

So many people like these speakers, I wish I could have heard them to full advantage.

[Vinyl-Addict]

I bought the height stands the dealer told me I needed (24"). They probably should have been 28", but I didn't know that at the time.



Your dealer would have to know where your ears were positioned relative to the tweeter which is controlled by your chair/sofa/stool, etc. He probably didn't ask you what you were sitting on.

[bhazen]

As it happens, I have 28" stands. So, they sound "soft" if the tweeters aren't pointed right at you?

[curbach]

I'm big on ProAcs myself. I've heard a pair (not the Tablette unfortunately) driven by Rega (cdp/amp) and it sounded really sweet.

[bhazen]

I'll be checking them out today!!

[TONEPUB]

Good luck, hope you enjoy them!

[bhazen]

Well...here's my report. I trundled off to Hawthorne Stereo, my local purveyor of audio goodies (primarily good British stuff: Naim, Rega, Cambridge, Quad etc.). A recent-model used pair of ProAc Tablettes were set up, and driven by a Cambridge 640 CD deck and Rega Brio 3 amp. Good, solid flat-earth kit. Music played included some Beatles, Moody Blues, J.S. Bach, Procol Harum, Chet Baker, Pink Floyd, Cotton Mather.

The Tablettes sounded very good; a bit polite, perhaps. I thought I detected a recession in the midrange, something that always worries me a bit. I then listened to a pair of Rega's new minis, the R1. Not as refined, but the fun factor was increased a significant amount. Surprised, as the Regas are only $500 or so, new. Next up, on the suggestion of Hawthorne's staff: a pair of PMC DB1s. Whoa! More definition, presence, weight. These were what I was looking for. They're upwards of $1,200 or so new, but I got these ex-demo for $800. Keepers and, I believe, the minimonitor to beat these days. Bass is, of course, somewhat lacking in all three speakers I auditioned; but the PMC's suggestion of "weight" helped close the deal. Because of my downstairs neighbors, serious bass is a no-no for me anyway.:(

As "dessert", I went into the other room for a demo of the PMC OB1s, the floorstanding transmission-line version of the DB1: amazing. These are possibly the most serious competition I've heard for the DeVore Gibbon 8s; you hear all the music. A seamless presentation from top to bottom. Dominic played an LP of the Pretty Things' Parachute: a revelation.

A great day out, and my first pair of PMCs! Thanks to the Hawthorne gang; support your local hifi specialty shop (and record stores).