ProAc Studio 140 review

The Studio 140s flow with the music, delivering power, punch and insight as and when they’re needed Tested at £1440.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Very competitively priced and deliver a class-leading sound

Pros

  • +

    Great all-rounders

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    work well with all genres of music

  • +

    well built and great value

Cons

  • -

    There are classier-looking alternatives at this price-level

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    avoid overly bright electronics

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

In common with other ProAc designs, the Studio 140s look ordinary – and in most ways, they are: their cabinets are just tall, well-built wooden boxes, while their drive units have nothing in them to make rival manufacturers curious. Yet, rather like a master chef cooking with everyday ingredients, ProAc's engineers have concocted something quite extraordinary.

The Studio 140s exhibit very few weaknesses – provoke the tweeter with really aggressive recordings or a very bright system and it'll draw a little too much attention to itself, but otherwise, and used in the kind of room where a design of this size would be expected to work, they turn in a mesmerising performance.

These speakers get all the essentials spot on. Dynamics are bold enough to do justice to something as demanding as Holst's Mars, and there's little sign of restraint, even at high volume levels.

Power, punch and insight
The Studio 140s just flow with the music, delivering power, punch and insight as and when they're needed. Timing is equally impressive, delivering a hard-charging beat from the likes of Massive Attack and stopping and starting with an agility not far short of the very best standmounts – except smaller speakers don't have the same bass extension.

The 140s' twin 16.5cm mid/bass drivers, tuned with a downward-firing port, promise some proper seismic bass activity, and they don't disappoint in that department.

So, these towers do the muscle thing very well, but ask them to speak softly and they'll enunciate like they went to a Swiss finishing school. If you're a fan of great vocalists like Nina Simone or Stevie Wonder, you'll find vocal nuances delivered as clear as day, so the emotional impact of a song is turned up to 11.

Want to impress your friends with some flashy-looking speakers? Buy something else. Want to impress them with great music? Start here…

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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