When I was a teen, I was all about high-performance two-channel audio, and I loved the pursuit for “the best” speakers. Shopping for my very first pair of speakers at the age of 15, I recall going into the local HiFi shop, listening to two pairs of bookshelf speakers that sounded totally different, and asking the salesperson which one was “right”. The answer was “whichever one you like”, and I somehow knew that wasn’t correct. One of them had to be closer to the real thing. (The real thing being the live instruments and vocals being demonstrated through the recording).
That very first speaker demonstration started my pursuit for audio equipment that reproduced sound accurately. I continued this pursuit when I started my career, and since that day it took me over 30 years to find it (even after owning my own integration company for 20 of those years).
Considering the advancements in technology I’ve seen over the years; it has always blown my mind that audio is one of the stalest categories in the industry. Some speaker brands have had the same models in their line-up for decades with little to no improvement. The same speaker models that were once sold for two-channel listening in the 80s have been re-marketed time and time again to accommodate media room surround systems, theater rooms, and distributed audio.
Many dealers are still using consumer/HiFi speaker brands to outfit their client homes including for distributed audio and theater rooms. The problem is those speakers are, quite simply, the wrong tool for the job. Consumer speakers are typically detailed and delicate. They sound dynamically compressed and small compared to real life. Home theater systems should be able to play at high output levels without strain or distortion in order to capture the dynamic life and scale of the real instruments and theatrical sound effects sound mixers have mixed into today’s movies – especially with the development of Dolby Atmos and other immersive surround sound formats.
Modern movie mixes are insanely dynamic – the difference in level between dialog and small ambient content in the soundtrack compared to the sound effects is greater than typical home theater systems can reproduce without strain and distortion or even total failure. When end users have the volume loud enough to understand the dialog, the sound effects come along and nearly blow the speakers up. If the user turns the level down to preserve the speakers from failure, they can no longer understand the dialog.
Of course, there does exist a category of speakers that offers output and dynamics. However, those speakers are typically large professional style speakers used for touring and live sound (think rock concerts!) They are durable, reliable and can play at high output levels without strain or distortion. Professional speakers – especially those with DSP processing – capture the dynamic life and scale of real instruments and theatrical sound effects much closer to the real thing.
So why not use professional speakers in the home? First, the size. Dedicated home theater speakers are typically built into the walls and ceiling, but professional speakers are far too big, heavy, and deep. And second, the sound of professional speakers tends to be less refined. Most people’s impression of professional speakers (when listened to outside of, say, a rock concert) is they sound hard, bright, honky, and aggressive.
For years, I wondered why the pursuit for the best and most accurate speakers was so hard, but I realized speakers fell into one of the above-mentioned categories – consumer or professional – and there was no such thing as a speaker that could do both. Or was there?
In 2021, I was introduced to Pro Audio Technology (PRO) and found the brand that breaks the mold and offers the best of both worlds – PRO speakers are as detailed, delicate, and resolved as the very best high end two-channel products on the market, while offering all the full, unrestricted dynamic range and output capabilities of professional speakers.
So, how is this possible and why haven’t other speaker brands figured it out? PRO’s founder and product designer, Paul Hales, started making HiFi speakers in the 1990s, and then spent some time working in the commercial and professional audio industry as Director of R&D for Loudspeakers at QSC. In 2004, he combined everything he learned about speaker engineering and design from both sides of the industry and launched Pro Audio Technology. PRO includes speakers and DSP amplifier-processors that take into account the philosophies of all market segments into every design, regardless of market niche.
PRO systems are big, bold, and relaxed – with an effortless quality you cannot achieve with home speakers. And, at the same time, they are nuanced and can produce detail and intelligibility at very low volumes. PRO has enjoyed great success in the high-end residential home cinema market segment by marrying professional and consumer engineering together. Some of the most powerful people in the world: movie stars, music moguls, CEOs, and world leaders own PRO systems.
And, launched in 2020 in response to demand for PRO’s superior sound outside of the dedicated theater room, is PRO’s sister brand Theory Audio Design (Theory). Theory uses trickle down engineering and componentry from PRO, assembled into sleek and compact enclosures. Theory has created an entirely new category of audio for every audio application beyond the theater (think bedrooms, media rooms, distributed audio, outdoors, and premium commercial spaces).
Now, it’s not lost on me that the last thing dealers and integrators need is another speaker brand. (I’ve been there with my own integration company. Speaker reps were constantly knocking on my door presenting the latest and greatest brand). But since most dealers and integrators don’t carry a professional style speaker offering in their product mix, adding PRO and Theory is an opportunity to offer unique solutions that don’t compete with their other speaker brands.
Consider looking at, listening to, and learning about PRO and Theory’s professional-style speakers for the home and present them to clients as a superior category of speakers that really can do it all. A little education and demonstrations go a long way. We do this at the PRO and Theory Experience Center in Southern California and sell a system every, single, time (and usually a bigger one than planned!)
From that first experience in the HiFi store when I was 15 to 2021, it took me multiple decades to find audio equipment that reproduces the most accurate sound possible. Delicate and refined to high-output and dynamic, I finally found the jack-of-all-trades with PRO and Theory. I can say with confidence, they are the right tool for the job.
This article was written by Mark Goldman, VP Sales, Pro Audio Technology.
Pro Audio Technology's contact information is to the right (or below if viewing on a mobile device).
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