WTB: ProAc Response Series speakers

looking for proac response series speaker. prefer newer generation (d2, d25, d28, d15 or even 1sc)
call 0125579810. thank you

You looking used set or new set...? If used set, we only got Studio 125 only...!

hi andy,
how much is D-Two now?

May i know how much for a pair of new proac response D15 & D28. Plan to upgrade.

Sorry about late reply...!
If you guys interested on ProAc speaker and want to asking the price please contact me...! Thanks

Just saw a posted that new D18 is launched. May i know the price & does it match with Krell KAV_400xi? If possible i might bring my amp to audit it.

the d25's base is loose. there is plenty of low end base but is not well defined. No true hard punch but only wooly wooly punch. Nevertheless the vocal is superb. If you can live and happy with the upper spectrum of the music then the d25 is the best

Hi, Lam

I have a pair of Pro Ac Response D25(used) for sale. Asking for rm12000, condition 8/10. if interest pls contract me ..012-3308893 (cmy audio & visual)

Hi Long2292,
Thanks for enquiry, but the ProAc Response D18 still not arrival at Malaysia...!
So i doesn't know the selling price

When it arrival at Malaysia i will let u know...!
If you interested it, also can bring your amplifier come to my Jusco Balakong branch test it...!

I am a rock fan and I love very hard hitting base therefore my comment on the base of D25 is very subjective to my taste only. You should go and audition the D25 and make your own desicion. However I loved the D25's midrange. It's the best I ever heard in its price category. If you can get a used one at a reasonable price then its all worth it.

hi, this message is address to cmy i.e Andy or Dicky. May i know why the proac speakers' prices are still sky high despite the plunge of value in UK pound? (from 1:7 to 1:5 now)

hi, lam..

you are rite. now uk pound is 1:5. but material cost is increase in any country, other brand or product from uk, us, japan, taiwan, china etc..all price increase...try to check it..tq

proac D2 official retail price is 1700 pound. how much does it cost now in malaysia? interested in buying it.

HI , Lam

Now the price for Pro Ac Response D2 is Selling for RM 11780.00.

ok. will come over to your shop by this weekend for audition. is the price negotiable? any used response series (including demo) for sale?

hi lam,

just sold 1 pair pro ac response d25 last 2 day ..

haiz.. but never mind for proac response series now. i have decided to buy a new harbeth super hl5.
unless cmy got another used pair of proac response d28.. new response series is just too expensive in malaysia. how i wish i stay in england

Hi Lam,

Yeah, im a ProAc loudspeakers owner as well. Been thinking of switching to Harbeth speakers as well... even though they're not the most good-looking speakers around,ie very bulky n boxy, but they sure produce one of the best sounding speakers money can buy... at a very reasonable price, in Malaysia anyway...

Regards.

I auditioned the Harbeth SHL5 at the Tropical Audio.. I also listen to the Harbeth HL5 at the Rock Corner in Subang Parade, I frequent to this shop and buy some CDs there, but I find the the HL5 is a better sounding speaker than the SHL5. The Rock Corner put the HL5 speaker on top of the cd racks near the entrance. I almost wanted to buy the SHL5 but after proper thingking I decided not. I am still curious why the SHL5 is selling for under RM10K in Malaysia (and not sounding good) whereas in the UK it is priced at 2,200+ pounds and has rave reviews in UK and USA. Is the Malaysian version is immitation? Just curious.

hi johan and burrp2001,
i bought my harbeth shl5 last week. glad i make that choice over newer proac response series. i cant stop listening to my cd collections since i bought the speaker. and to Johan especially, dont worry as the harbeth in malaysia is genuine. you can check harbeth official website. tropical audio is the authorised dealer in malaysia and its owner Sam is very helpful in guiding me how to get the best sound out of my speakers. Unlike many hifi shops in malaysia, Sam himself is an audiophile and you should see his nice vintage cd collection.

i am an owner of proac studio 125 and older proac reponse 2 previously. in my humble opinion, harbeth sounds more natural and the vocal is certainly better than proac. its not that proac is bad but i think its overpriced here.
comparing shl5 to response d2 (RM2.5k more costly than shl5), harbeth have more bass (due to its driver size) and better midrange but less dynamic compare to d2 but i guess its due to my flea power unison research preludio tube amp. I have even compare response d15 side by side with harbeth and harbeth certainly sound better with my amp.

feel free to come for audition at my house in seberang jaya. we can share experiences and maybe you guys can teach me some tricks on hifi tweaking

What an amazing turn of events. From WTB Proac and now ends up with Harbeth speakers.

Congrats on the purchase of the Harbeth. I agree that the price of Harbeths in Malaysia is much cheaper than Proacs from the local dealers here. In the US, a brand new pair of the SHL5 retails for $5,000(approximately RM18,500) whereas a mint pair in 9/10 condition goes for $3,500(RM13,000). I believe the price of Harbeth speakers is much lower here. It's the other way round for Proac speakers.

I have a friend who owns the Harbeth M40 also bought from a dealer here who just cannot stop telling me how good the speaker is. He said the Harbeth would be his final pair of speakers after owning dozens of bookshelves throughout his upgrading path. He is still looking for the right amp to drive it. From the reviews, it seems to me the Harbeths would excel in midrange and vocals with a very smooth and warm midrange. Will appeal to those who like a smooth and soothing sound but may lack sparkle and dynamics for some musical material.

Looking at the trail of posts, where a few are saying that ProAc speakers in Malaysia are relatively expensive, we really need to be fair to CMY by shedding some light on the pricing process. Please note that we have no financial incentive to help CMY do more business here, but some clarity will help us dispel some misconceptions and help us remove some artificial purchasing barriers.

A few points here:
1. FYI, it is normal to see a significant product pricing differential between Malaysia and the country of origin, especially so for bulky items such as speakers and less so for smaller/lighter items.

2. US & UK selling practices normally follow a low list price/low-discount or nett price strategy. This is probably different from many (though not necessarily all) retailers in this part of the world, who usually do a high list price/high-discount strategy. What really happens (with duties & freight taken into consideration) is that the actual transacted prices are quite close. This could be the case (I'm only guessing here) for CMY with the ProAc Response D Two's RM11780 list price. Hence, in this context, this list price seems to be within reasonable bounds, especially compounded with the depreciation in the Pound Sterling (GBP) in recent months. Retailers here cannot frequently reduce the list prices too often for pricing & review purposes. However, they usually revise the nett prices to reflect the actual cost fluctuations. So, this RM11,780 list price should not be taken at face value.

3. Both Harbeth & ProAc are UK brands. To compare the Harbeth US list price with a ProAc UK list price is akin to comparing apples & oranges. Just as in Malaysia, the US probably has a higher list price than in the UK for UK-originated products. For example, the Harbeth Super HL5 (cherry finish) has a USD4995 & GBP2199 US & UK list price respectively. Likewise, the ProAc Response D Two (standard finish) has a USD3500 & GBP1750 list price. Again, from this angle, a ProAc Response D Two RM11780 Malaysian list price compares favourably with USD3500.

Finally, this post is not to say who's right/wrong and whether you got a good deal, but to establish a proper baseline & shed some light on the process of determining list prices. If you like the ProAc/Harbeth sound, are willing to spend the money, enjoy the expertise/support of your local dealer and believe it is a reasonable deal, by all means go for it.

Hi-Fi 4 Sale wrote:For example, the Harbeth Super HL5 (cherry finish) has a USD4995 & GBP2199 US & UK list price respectively. Likewise, the ProAc Response D Two (standard finish) has a USD3500 & GBP1750 list price. Again, from this angle, a ProAc Response D Two RM11780 Malaysian list price compares favourably with USD3500.

Like everything else, expensive is a relative term. What I think the OP means when the Proac D2 was described as "overpriced" is when comparing the list price of the D2 against the SHL-5. I don't really know in detail how the prices of Harbeth speakers are established by the local dealer here but it seems that the SHL-5 having a higher retail price than the D2 in the UK is selling at a lower price here in Malaysia. Hence, the added value of getting a more substantial piece of speakers at a lower price has caused the Proac D2 to be labeled as expensive in relative terms.

To protect the interest of CMY, the sentence can always be rephrased in another way. It can be said that Proac speakers are fairly priced while Harbeth speakers are a super-bargain. Whatever tickles your fancy.

In the end, the most important aspect is in getting the speakers that suits one's choice and listening preferences.

On a separate matter, the term "overpriced" is often used in the audiophile community to describe a piece of gear that can offer only that much performance given its list price when compared to another product that offers more performance and value at a similar or lower cost. In this sense, I always read B&Ws being described as overpriced or overrated.

First, congratulation to Lamkochai in getting his Harbeth speaker.

I believe Harbeth speakers are priced very attractive here as i read post from Echo Loft HiFI (Singapore) that it's cheaper to get Harbeth speaker here than Singapore.

Here is the link http://www.echoloft.com/hifi-forum/index.php?topic=14623.msg183604#msg183604 for your further reference.

I completely agree with you guys that Harbeth SHL5 sounds better than ProAc in some ways. I compared it side by side, helped by Mr. Sam himself (a very pleasant guy, I agree). Especially, the timbre, the bass.. and it gets you involved in the music. For such a stunning speaker plus the bargain price makes you drooling even. But the older version, to me, the HL5 sounds even better. I don't know why. Unfortunately, we don't have a SHL5 from UK bought at 2,199 pound to compare to the local SHL5 priced below 10k. I am not saying that somebody is cheating or what, but personally, I feel something is missing from the SHL5. I almost made up my mind like 97% already to purchase the SHL5 but after listening to the older version HL5 at The Rock Corner (just connected with cheap off the shelves interconnects and speaker cables and basic marantz cd player and technics amp), I decided not. Because the HL5 gets you involved in the music even more. I don't know how to explain but it is like that.

Now I have purchased the Sonus Faber Grand Piano Domus and driving it with Pathos Logos amp and Classe CDP. The sound..... million miles better than Harberth. I am glad that I made the right choice, at least I feel that way at this moment, who knows my hand will start to itch again in a few years and will want to upgrade to Harbeth M40, as most will agree that Hi-Fi fans' hands will be itchy now and then....

By the way Lam, have you listened to the home AV setup in the Harbeth shop. According to Mr.Sam all the speakers for the home AV are made in China now by Harbeth. Mr. Sam played the Santana DVD for me that day, the sound..... WOW!!!

Just enjoy the music thats coming out of your system. After all that is the choice that you made by yourself after auditioning and all. Just don't let some guy to tell you how the hi-fi sound should be or not. Finally if you don't like the sound then just upgrade to something that you like. SOME THING THAT YOU CAN LIVE WITH.

I am afraid there are some misunderstanding here. I am not trying to bad mouth our local proac dealer. Personally, I had bought a few items from CMY namely their siltech cables, Richard Gray power conditioner and Primare amp.

I still like proac very much and that's the reason why i owned 2 different proac models previously. Proac and Harbeth share similar trait i.e warm and natural midrange. Just that in malaysian context Harbeth is more "value for money" as the retail price here is cheaper than England -the country of origin of the speaker. I am still puzzled how our harbeth dealer manage to provide us with such a good and affordable price

Lamkochai wrote:I am afraid there are some misunderstanding here. I am not trying to bad mouth our local proac dealer. Personally, I had bought a few items from CMY namely their siltech cables, Richard Gray power conditioner and Primare amp.

I still like proac very much and that's the reason why i owned 2 different proac models previously. Proac and Harbeth share similar trait i.e warm and natural midrange. Just that in malaysian context Harbeth is more "value for money" as the retail price here is cheaper than England -the country of origin of the speaker. I am still puzzled how our harbeth dealer manage to provide us with such a good and affordable price

Lamkochai,
No worries. The spirit of the discussion is good here and there's no doubt about your sincerity. Our explanation was just to shed some more light on the pricing process.

The retail price is often not the nett selling price. What you eventually paid for the Harbeths is the nett selling price, which as expected, is probably a good price.

Conversely, the RM11,780 quoted by CMY for the ProAc Response D Twos is the retail/list price. This is very likely to be subject to further negotiation. You may also end up with a good & fair nett selling price here and based on CMY's positive reputation, likely so.

Either way, depending on the sound you prefer, it's probably a good deal for both speakers. It's a win-win situation for the consumer and the industry, as both the ProAcs & Harbeths are quality products and most importantly, are well-represented in Malaysia, so that many of us can enjoy owning them with confidence.

Lamkochai wrote:
Proac and Harbeth share similar trait i.e warm and natural midrange.

I wouldn't catagorise the Proac as warm speakers, Harbeth yes. I own the Proac Tablette 50 Signature picked up here in the Hi-fi 4 Sale ads and the sound is upfront with good dynamics and quick pace. High frequencies are refined and very open. I am using Plinius amp to drive the Proacs and find the combination to be still slightly on the bright side of things although the amp is dark-sounding. The good thing is piano notes sound very real with the Proacs but sound fake with PMC speakers(to be fair Bryston amps match these speakers better than Plinius). I presume the Tablette 50 Sigs will sound very bright with other solid-state amps.

I've listened to Proac 125 speakers in CMY several years ago(at that time I own the Sonus Faber Grand Piano) and the SF is much warmer than the Proacs.

CMY Sg Wang likes to partner naim with proac and they use siltech reference silver cables!! thats why proac sounds bright in the shop. I personally do not like those combinations as i think the timbre is not right. Try partnering proac with tube amps and it will provides you with slightly warmer sound.

Sonus faber is good but unfortunately they need more power to drive it. Most of the hifi shows combine sf with Krell amp but i dont like the sound alot as it is too analytical and sounds a bit on the 'cold side'.

However i did an audition with sf cremona auditor 'm' partnering my own unison research preludio 14watt amp in Perfect Hifi (demonstrated by Alvin the shop owner). The sound especially the vocal is so natural and seductive with no sign of strain at all except for some big scale orchestra. However the Transparent cables he use already cost more than 50k on their own and the classe cd player also cost another 50k. I bought the amp but not the sf because i am not really convinced the amp is able to drive the speakers well. I do like sf alot but it will drain my pocket more to buy a new amp

I have read from the magazine combination of sf with Jeff Rowland pre+power amp with give you powerful yet warm and tube-like sound. Have anyone here listen to the combo before? Where in malaysia can i listen to the Jeff rowland amp? who is the dealer here?

One of my friend owns the Jeff Rowland model 8TI with the matching preamp. His speakers are not Sonus Fabers though but an American model which the name I have forgotten. Jeff Rowland stuff cost a bomb and I am not sure if they there is a dealer who brings them in. My friend is from a rich family background as he got all his Jeff Rowland amps and speakers from the US when he was a student over there more than 10 years ago. Since his room is not dedicated and all his components are in his living hall, the system is not optimised due to poor room acoustics. My modest system which costs much lesser than his sounds better in a dedicated room.

Regarding Proacs, actually I think the brightest model in the Proac line of speakers must be the Tablette 50 Sigs that I own. It is not exactly bright but very upfront and revealing with good dynamics. I may be getting in a tube amp to match it later and see how it sounds as I have got a few recommendations to go that route for the speaker. If one likes the Harbeth smooth sound especially vocals, he/she will not like this Tablette 50 Sigs. Most of my music do not have vocals.

SF Cremona Auditor are nice speakers. Like Harbeth, Sonus Faber speakers excel with vocals, even the lower model Grand Piano I once owned also sounds good with vocals. Since I prefer more life and dynamics in my music, I have gone to other speakers that suit me better.

No need to spend RM50k on cables, unless the system itself costs RM300k then it's another story.

Hi frd. for me about speaker is very subjubtive . how about set up , system , rooming . tuning room . software , mood and etc. all important is it . hearing yourself is good enought. that all. cheer





i use linn , rockport and jbl 4343 horn speaker
amp quicksilver and lamm . i love tube