Imaging, midrange, very nice aesthetics that allows to place the speaker for good imaging and transparency

Does not have the grand open sound for full scale orchestras music. Not the best speakers for rock, but then who cares

The ProAc 1SC speakers are truly nice speakers. I've first tried it with my Krell300i and it sounds nice (slighty forward, but still nice). I've since upgraded to Cary SEI 300B tubes and it sounds even better (more airy, bloomer sound,no coloration & the vocal sounds more natural, basically more musical).

The bass on ProAc 1SC by itself is actually quite nice. But I'm always using it with a REL Strata III sub and it makes the bass sounds very close to a floorstanding speakers and with the advantage of imaging from a minimonitor speaker. The imaging is superb.

There are times when I've listening to full scale orchestra that I would prefer a full range floor standing speakers, but most of my music is jazz, vocal, and classical (chamber instrument) and this is where the ProAc 1SC shines. Rock music look elsewhere (ie JBL).

Highly recommended:

Cary Audio SEI300B
Rega Planet
ProAc Response 1SC Speakers
Tara Lab RSC Prime 1000 Bi-Wire Speaker Cable
AudioQuest Python InterConnect

Similar Products Used:

Mission 753F, B&W804N & B&W805N ProAc 1.5 DynaAudio 1.3

Midrange clarity - especially female vocals

Slight upper bass bloom

I agree with most of the other's comments - these speakers have a magical midrange, which I feel betters my glorious Pro-Ac Response 3.5s! They obviously don't match the 3.5s bass depth, speed or openness, but they are very good when optimally spiked on heavy tall stands and used with good cable (I'm using Kimber Monocle XL until I can get some Bi-Focal XL). The same can be said for the HF - it lacks the detail, speed and 3-dimensionality of the 3.5s, but it's still excellent. I have used tubes (Lectron JH50) and solid-state (Chord 1400 monoblocks) with equal success.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio products - numerous

details, made, coherence

bass, bird eye Maple finish requires extra 40% of the price of a regular walnut finish model

Equipment used :-
Meridian 500 CD trsnsport
dCS 952 D/A converter
Jeff Rowland Synergy Preamp.
Jeff Rowland Model 6 Power Monoblock Power Amp. (150Wpc) with their Battery Power Supplies
PS Audio P600 Power Plant
Cables : vdH, NBS, Cardas, Strightwire

I had the 1S for four years without upgrading it to its 1SC version. The new 1SC is also a nice monitor but it sounded too analytical (and less musical) to me. The 1S is a truly revealing mini-monitor which beats many speakers twice or three times its price, although by itself it is not cheap. The soundstage it produces is deep and wide, well outside the boundaries of the speakers and is resonably up to scale (JM Lab Utopia is better concerning scale). The highs are sweet and transparent, never harsh. 1S is not capable of very high frequencies but it sounds very comfortable to their listeners. The mids are very real. It is obviously lacking bass below 40-45 Hz due to the size of the woofers but the lows rolls off gently. The speakers are easy to drive, my old 12 Wpc tube amplifier were good enough to pair with them to give a, less detailed, but sweet sound. Positioning can be critical, they can be placed widely apart but must have large toe-in (listener not seeing the sides of the speakers otherwise the soundstage may appeared curved). When properly placed, they simply disappeared, leaving only music that is very enjoyable. Break-in time was a painstaking 500 hrs in my case. Overall, a great sounding monitor for rooms around 180 to 250 sq. fts..

Similar Products Used:

ProAc Response 3.5

What else can I say, these speakers are magic. The detail is super. The speakers almost dissappear when listening to them. Especially wonderful when listening to female vocalists. These have got to be the best speakers for the price, $2100.00 US. Please do not hesitate to give these a listen, you will not be disappointed.

Bass is alittle weak, but very pleasing. Not a ounce of boom, just true bass. They suit me just fine. These speakers are not made for heavy rock and roll, but put some jazz on and these babies really how their stuff.

Thes re the best speakers I have heard in the $2000.00 to $3000.00 range. they must be on a high quality stand and the stands must be filled with lead in order to get the perfect sound and separation. If you are looking for a GREAT speaker, and have $2100.00 to spend, please do not look any further, these are the speakers that you are looking for. Best speaker, hands down, in this price range.

Similar Products Used:

I have owned ProAc Studio 100s and ProAc Tablette 3s. The Response 1sc's blow them away. The Tablette's and the Studio 100s are like going to high school and the 1SC's are like going to Graduate school.

Imaging, soundstage, tonal accuracy

Some rolloff in the bass at about 50 Hz

The 1 SCs are often called the "best small speakers in the world." I now can see why. I am in the process of putting together a 5 channel system. I had been using Response 3s (circa 1995) for my L and R mains with the ProAc CC1 for the center. I bought the 1 SCs for the rears. I immediately compared the broken in 1 SCs to the older Response 3s. Believe it or not the 1 SCs sounded better than the Response 3s, even holding their own in the bass. Andrew Taylor has come a long way in the last several years with improved woofer and tweeter designs as well as the crossovers. I am now considering selling the Response 3s to "upgrade" to the Response 2.5s that incorporate some of the newer changes in the line. I have compared the ProAc Response 2.5s and newer 3.8s to comparable models from B & W and the ProAcs outperform in almost every way. Their midrange is close to electrostatic in detail and transparency without the "fatigue" factor, with first rate imaging and wide/deep soundstage. The most impressive aspect of their performance was what I see as complete harmonic and tonal accuracy. A violin sounds like a violin, a piano like a piano, not artificially overly detailed or edgy. Several times I have heard something in the soundtrack or on a CD that is somewhat unexpected, like a triangle or say a windchime or other subtle sound. I have caught myself looking around to the source's pinpoint position in space before realizing it wasn't real and was on the movie or musical recording. I heartily encourage anyone looking at high end mini monitors to audition the 1SCs. Just make sure you use quality front end equipment as any weaknesses will be exposed. Also, Harmonic Technology cables are very good complementary cables to use with the ProAc line.

Amp: Proceed Amp 5
Pre: Proceed AVP
Cables: Harmonic Technology ProSilway Mk. II interconnects and Pro 9 Plus biWired speaker cables.

Similar Products Used:

ProAc Response 3s

What can i say? They're magic! Didn't know music could sound like this before I bumped in to the Response 1 SC's. Yeah, they don't do the bass thing, but that's what the subwoofers ar for, right? I'm in love...

I have been listening to music with the 1sc's for over a year now. These speakers are the best y have ever heard. But some conditions apply. First, you need the best source you can afford, then a good amplifier. If you try to get music out of these speakers with a bad source, I can assure you that they will sound worst than a K-Mart type of cans. It is of no use to listen to them in any other circumstances or with any ``multi-bucks'' amplifiers if you dont have a good source. Even in this rapidly changing world, what was true in the past is still true today. If you alter or erase a signal at the source, no amplification device or no speaker in the world will reveal that missing information.

The only problem I can see with those Proac's is their high price. (for ordinary people).

This is an update to my earlier review.
These speakers are sounding magical! The more I live with them, the more I'm convined that they are some of the finest speakers made. That's true--although these speakers are relatively inexpensive and small, I've not heard many, if any, other speakers to do better on small jazz ensembles.

95% of the time I listen to small group jazz, particularly Miles Davis, Bill Evans, etc. If you have the same musical preferrences as I do, you must not look any further. I bought the speakers because I wanted something that would sound realistic, musical, and emotionally involving, and that's exactly what I've found about them. The speakers disapper entirely. No boxiness, no coloration. The mids and highs are open, detailed, sweet, pleasant, and very slightly warm. Truth of timber is what you'll hear. Trumpets sound airy and rich, and piano transiets sound too real to be true. Bass is not overpowering, but is ample and fullbodied and never inadequate. The soundstage is reasonably wide--up to about four feet beyond the speakers on each side. The depth is incredibly stunning. The soundstage is unmistakeably seven to ten feet deep behind the speakers. The imaging is so real and convincing that I forget about the speakers all the time. When I look at the speakers, it's hard to relate them to the sounds I hear becasue they have disappered entirely into the music. I hear and see in front of me not instruments, but musicians, with pin point accuracy. The imagery of musicians interacting in synergy and harmony is startlingly real that it's almost eerie at times.

I have listened to many speakers recently--JMLab Utopria, Dunlavy SC-IV, Energy Veritas 2.8, Sonus Faber Grand Piano, Gershman Avant Garde, B&W Nautilus 805, Martin Logan Arius etc. None of these speakers have the kind of imaging and soundstaging as the ProAc. And in terms of overall truth of timber the ProAcs are at least better than all but the JMLan and the Energy, which have a superbe but different sound. (But I find these large speakers a bit too slow and the sounding too "large" for this time of music.) For my type of music, I'm confident too say that the ProAc is the optimal choice.

If you like small jazz ensembles and have a small to medium size room, you MUST give the ProAc a try. Properly set up, it is the most amazing speaker I've heard in a long time.

Electronics:
Enlightened Audio Designs DSP-7000 Series III/HDCD DAC
YBA Integre DT integrated amp
Sony DVP-S7000
Listening room untreated

Note: I'd also urge you to listen to the YBA. It's a perfect match for the ProAc. I'd also recommed Pass Aleph 3/5 if you want a even warmer solid state
sound, or Conrad Johnson CAV-50 if you want to go all tube.

I had a pair of the new One SC's for a short while borrowing from a friend. Well the speaker is really special in the mids with a airy transparent reproduction here. The bass is really good for a speaker this size, the bass actually had some heft and "air" on some recordings that was surprising at times. Sounstaging and focus of images was really good. The Proac is able to sound really big and stay focused at the same time. They disappear at times, staring right at speaker and the sound seems to be part of the room and not the speaker itself. Fun. I have only one nitpick and this could possible be cured with differnt cables and or another amplifier. The upper midrange and treble sometimes was "too open" and had a slight "hifi" quality to it. I don't know how too say it, too much zip to that frequency range.
The One SC is not as neutral and true to the recording as the less expensive Tablette model 50 and Sig 50, both of which are drier and i think more accurate though not as excitng a listen. Anyway, this slight emphasis could probably be minimized with a diffent setup than mine(Sony 707 ES CD player, Sonic Frontiers Line One, Anthem Amp One amplifier and Audioquest. Anyway, a great little speaker that is my favorite at this price and size. It makes you listen more often and usually longer than your used to. My friend has been listening alot more to his collection and loves them. He too has the Tab Sigs plus bigger Proac 2.5's, Response Three's among other brands, Acoustic Energy 2's, Coincident and small Aerials. He says the music has never sounded better.

clarity soundstage and dynamic

none

I was completeley blown away so sweet and can fill a goodsize room. bass rolls of about 45mhz. but thats is ok it has plenty of bass for the speaker. im not getting ride of these. who ever I audition them to just look at me with so much awe.