ProAc Studio 100

*These speakers are often built to order, so please anticipate supply in the region of 2-4 weeks, but if delivery time is critical please contact us first so we can check for any current manufacturing delays*

The SM100 is the successor to the classic Studio 100 - one of our all time favourite stand mounted speakers. To understand this new model it’s best to consider its predecessor first. It was a design that was kept in production for two decades as it was highly prized by those in the know for its naturalness and accuracy, yet simultaneously was perhaps ProAcs best kept secret, often being overlooked in the press. Over the years it has found homes in many domestic and professional settings - in the case of the latter the list of famous names that own them is impressive - from heavy metal and dance musicians and engineers through to many more sedate genres.



We were very sad when they finished production (in fact ProAc had several aborted attempts to discontinue them as demand kept pushing them back into production) and we were concerned that they wouldn’t reach the same heights again, but thankfully it appears our fears were unfounded. I’m delighted to say that the new SM100 is remarkably close to the original, both in terms of design, sound quality and presentation. The cabinets are still reassuringly weighty and dead and of the same size as the original. The classic combination of soft dome tweeter and paper mid/bass driver is thankfully retained too. A new 1” tweeter, and crossover, is used, with the bass driver featuring the latest ProAc cast basket and a rubber rather than foam roll surround, making them more robust (and much longer lasting in humid climates).



This latest version strikes me as being much easier to partner than its predecessor. The old model would spit out inferior electronics, revealing greyness and grain wherever it existed. For us it was never really a problem, we took care to make sure they were partnered with the right (predominately valve) amplification and high quality sources, and then music simply happened.



So they are more forgiving, but they don’t seem any less transparent, which is quite something to pull off. They still thrive on great partnering systems of course, but remarkably tolerate inferior ones without disdain (although do remember this is still as serious a speaker as you’d expect of one at its price, so it’s all relative).

They are quite easy to place in the room, the mirror offset tweeters give great imaging and help reduce side wall interaction to a degree, the front mounted port reduces room interaction so they rarely excite resonances, but they are undoubtedly at their best on a really good pair of stands somewhere in the region of 50cm from the rear wall where the image depth can then be enjoyed at its very finest. Start with plenty of toe in, aiming at the listening position and you wont go far wrong as a starting point, just be prepared for a rather extended run in period when new.


Unlike most speakers used in studios there’s no obvious presence lift, they’re not relentless and tiring and they don’t make you feel like a giant magnifying glass has been placed over certain elements of the recording at the expense of others (and of musical enjoyment).

What has always made the 100 special is the mid band, and that’s still the case. It is expressive, clear and natural to a very rare degree - compare it to many British classic highly regarded monitors that use plastic cones and you’ll hear just how contorted and contrived they really are. This isn’t a one trick pony though, there isn’t an area that lets them down, the treble is open and extended, the crossover beautifully judged. The bass is clean, tuneful and as extended and powerful as can be expected of a cabinet of this size and with this level of sensitivity (which is a perfectly reasonable 88dB). They image, they time, they portray emotion - you get the gist!