Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I'm a fan of Proacs and my current settup is Proac 2.5 ARC LS15, VT100MkII Meridian 508.24 NBS Master III I decided to add more space, details and bass articulation to my system and was looking around for new set of speakers. I compared Sonus Faber Amati Homage, Proac 5 and Watt Puppies 7. All speakers have been listened in different rooms and had different setup: Proac 5 ( Meridian 506.20 and Integrated Electrocomponiet 3) Amati Homage ( Mark Levinson 39S,360S,333 and ARC LS15, VT100MkII) Watt Puppies 7 (Electa - Can't remember the model and Gryphon) System with Watt Puppies 7 was most detailed, most dynamic and very much articulate in the bass. The only downsize was its top end which sounded thin and unnatural. Amati Homage never sounded dynamic and articulate. The only kind of music Amati Homage beats Watt Puppies 7 was classical. Proac 5 was most coherent and musical speaker. It didn't produced details and speed of Watt Puppies but to me it was more pleasure to listen Proac 5 then any others in this test. Telling the truth, choosing the speakers I considered 4 parameters: sound, size,look and value. On second hand market today you can find Proac 5 and Amati Homage almost for half price. Considering those I was hoping that Amati Homage would be the speaker I could live with. But it came between Proac 5 and Watt Puppies 7.

Strengths:
Great musicality and coherence. Very good value on a second hand market

Weaknesses:
Size.

Similar Products Used:
Watt Puppies 7, Sonus Faber Amati Homage, B&W 802,801 Nautilus.

Price Paid:  $14000.00

Summary:
The Response 5 may be the best ProAc speaker design yet. If you like the ProAc sound, these have it in spades while offering excellent extension at both frequency extremes. Also, the midrange (provided by an ATC large dome)is better other ProAc model can offer - and they're all good. The ProAc's aren't the most neutral speaker (the Vandersteen 5 is) but the way they color the sound (slightly) is the most beautiful way you can imagine. It's almost as if the instruments are polished.

The only way to really improve the Response 5s is to run stereo (two) Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofers underneath them. This is the ONLY subwoofer in the world that is built for the highest end audio systems and will not only do no harm, but will dramatically improve the performance of the entire system. With the subs, the ProAc's get more open, relaxed, with better imaging and much better dynamic freedom.

Strengths:
Beautiful sound from top to bottom. The biggest ProAc with the most coherence. Work really well with ARC tube amps.

Weaknesses:
No one will ever say they're cheap.

Similar Products Used:
Vandersteen Model 5, ProAc 3.8

Summary:
ProAc's are great with tubes, but Krell makes them rock!

Associated equipment

Wadia 860
ARC LS15/PH1
Krell FPB300
Synergistic/MIT cables
Benz Micro

Strengths:
Beautiful sound, very involving. From the lows to the highs, this is one sweet speaker.

Weaknesses:
Speaker placement/room acoustics important, they need some space. Associated equipment needs to be Class A.

Summary:
I'm still tweaking up the system, but used with Wadia source and Audio Research amplification, these are the best I've ever heard. The only speaker I would put in the same category would be the Sonus Faber Amati Homage. The soundstage is CAVERNOUS. It sounds like it goes on forever, with breathtaking detail and tonality. Life is good.

Strengths:
Everything

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Audio Research VT-100