Vintage proac tablettes

[lukem999]

Hello all good people,

 

I have recently acquired these and am getting a bit excited. They appear to be a bit of a collector's item. Any ideas on what to do? They are using straws for the port!

[klm]

Definitely worth restoring as they can sound exceptional when using high quality amplification. They look as if they have had a rough life so far so be kind and find someone who knows what they are doing in order to bring them back. 

[gemini07]

These speakers can provide superb imaging and very natural voicing when operating as intended. However, they are approx 40 years old and need proper attention if you want to restore them effectively.

 

It looks like the tweeter on the left speaker has been replaced with something non original. I owned a pair of similar Super Extended Bass Tablettes in the 80's and had to replace the tweeters after about twenty years. I can't remember whether they were SEAS or Scanspeak. 

 

Also, as well as that broken speaker plug, it looks as though an entire rear panel has been removed, maybe to have a go at the crossover. Probably a good idea to get someone to have a peak before buying replacement drivers.

[rabidlistener]

Ran a much abused pair of these for nearly 20 years and this is what I found:-

 

1 Even though they look like 'bookshelf' speakers they are fair from it. They need plenty of space

2 I preferred these to Linn Kans

3 Later models seem to prefer heavy stands but this model was much faster on Linn Kan II stands

4 They require plenty of grunt

5 I bi-amped mine and they sounded brilliant

6 They have amazing bass for their size - people used to ask where the non-existent sub was!

7 The back panel is not removeable but the front one is

8 Tweeters look the same - its a trick of the light

 

Mine were eventually replaced by a pair of 55kg Chinese monsters (sublime to the ridiculous!)

 

Mike