[larryrx7]

So you like the ref 8 better than sc's....I was just wondering because there is a pair for sale on audiogon right now for 750

[nature boy]

Vandy 1-C's w/ toobs.

NB

[JimJ]

Everything sounds better with t00bs 

[doug s.]

So you like the ref 8 better than sc's....I was just wondering because there is a pair for sale on audiogon right now for 750

there's a pair of ref 8's f/s for $725 on agon, but this is a different speaker than the ref 8 sig - it has a different woofer.  i am not saying that the ref 8 isn't good - i have never heard it.  but the ref 8 sig is a different speaker.  there's two ref 8 sig's f/s on agon right now, asking price is $1200..

the ref 8 & ref 8 sig have proac's newer tweet, this tweet is what makes the speaker a bit better than the 1sc, imo.  i'd bet the standard ref 8 is still an excellent speaker, i have never heard any proac that isn't extremely nice. 

another thing this thread has reminded me - speaker choice is extremely personal - you really need to listen for yourself; for example - vandy's have been recommended here a lot, i have never heard a vandy i have liked, at any price.  tho i admit not having heard any vandy's for a few years.

i can also recommend the usher s520.  i had a pair that now resides w/ny ex & my kids - it is a fantastic speaker - wery competitive w/the proacs.  i know someone on this forum that sold his 1sc's, after auditioning the s520's.  not that the s520 was actually better, but he felt they were so close that he was happy to keep the cheap s520 & pocket the cash from selling the 1sc...  and, my s520 was the stock speaker; bill baker of response audio has a x-over mod that makes them even better...

doug s.

[Tweaker]

 Von Schweikert VR 1's.
 
 Frank

They get my vote, as well.

[larryrx7]

I had a little floorstander, the Totem Arro that was pretty darn good and can be had for ~700

[eric the red]

Meadowlark Audio Kestral Hot Rods. For @ $7-900.00 used nothing else comes close and I've own ALOT of speakers.

[doug s.]

i had the totem arro in my rig for a few days, & i also heard the kestrals quite a few times in a system i knew well.  both are really nice, but i would take the proac 1sc or ref 8 sig over either one of them any day.  the arro's pooped out when cranked, even when crossed over to subs at 80hz.  the ref 8 sigs, on the other hand, would easily generate concert-level volume in a 26x38x8.5 room in the same system w/the subs.  (so would proac tablette 2000 sigs i had in that rig for a few weeks.)  the kestrals, in a different system, were certainly nice, but couldn't compete w/proac 1sc's in that system, in terms of resolution, air & soundstaging.  and these three aspects are where the ref 8 sig surpasses the 1sc's; the 1sc's only adwantage over the ref 8 sigs is that last little bit of extra low end.  but, even in a 14x22x10 room, i would choose the ref 8 sigs over the 1sc's, even w/o a subwoofer.  now, i realize that the proacs really do not qualify as $1k speakers...  in this case, i would check out the usher line, as the sound is closer to the proacs, imo, & the pricing is much more favorable...

doug s.

[eric the red]

Sorry doug but I have to disagree in my situation and from what I've heard in the last 30 years. The Kestrels in my room with my tube integrated and cdp/tt are my favorie speakers in a long long time. They don't do audiophile well but do music very very well and disappear. There's something just right with them to my ears. The guy that I bought mine from said that the only speaker he thought was better musically (and he could afford to buy pretty much anything he wanted) was the Spendor SP100 (which he owns) and he had a second pair of Kestrel HRs that he said he would never get rid of. An outstanding speaker especially for the price they are going for used.

[doug s.]

Sorry doug but I have to disagree in my situation and from what I've heard in the last 30 years. The Kestrels in my room with my tube integrated and cdp/tt are my favorie speakers in a long long time. They don't do audiophile well but do music very very well and disappear. There's something just right with them to my ears. The guy that I bought mine from said that the only speaker he thought was better musically (and he could afford to buy pretty much anything he wanted) was the Spendor SP100 (which he owns) and he had a second pair of Kestrel HRs that he said he would never get rid of. An outstanding speaker especially for the price they are going for used.

s'ok, eric.  that's why there's different speakers - we don't all hear the same, or have the same tastes.     and, don't get me wrong - i think the kestrel's are some fine speakers.  and, to be fair, the kestrels i heard were the standard wersion, not the hot-rods.

best,

doug s.

[vinyl anachronist]

Sorry doug but I have to disagree in my situation and from what I've heard in the last 30 years. The Kestrels in my room with my tube integrated and cdp/tt are my favorie speakers in a long long time. They don't do audiophile well but do music very very well and disappear. There's something just right with them to my ears. The guy that I bought mine from said that the only speaker he thought was better musically (and he could afford to buy pretty much anything he wanted) was the Spendor SP100 (which he owns) and he had a second pair of Kestrel HRs that he said he would never get rid of. An outstanding speaker especially for the price they are going for used.

s'ok, eric.  that's why there's different speakers - we don't all hear the same, or have the same tastes.     and, don't get me wrong - i think the kestrel's are some fine speakers.  and, to be fair, the kestrels i heard were the standard wersion, not the hot-rods.

best,

doug s.

The Hot Rod version of the Kestrels was definitely the one to own.  I liked the Meadowlarks, too, but I found that they were lacking in midrange magic compared to speakers like Harbeth and Spendor.  But man, they did the disappearing thing extremely well! 

[Zero]

I had a pair of Meadowlark Kestrel 2's and a pair of Meadowlark Swallow's.  GREAT speakers when done right....

The audio world lost a little something when they went under. You just don't find craftsmanship like that at those price-points..