I bought the SM100 as my first speakers ever. I've been a headphone guy for 10+ years but unfortunately that habit gave me tinnitus, so I sold them all.
To be clear, my room is currently untreated! I know it's madness to put equipment like this in an untreated room, but as you understand I couldn't listen to any music whatsoever before I bought speakers. I was going crazy without music. The rest can come later including room treatment.
Saying these are the best speakers I've heard doesn't really say much. I've only tried Amphion ONE15's in my room previously. Although the SM100 could potentially be the right speakers for me long term, I think I have some work ahead of me to get the sound I want from them. There is something incredibly beautiful about the way these speakers reproduce music. But using them as actual studio monitors is a challenge for me. If I had a dedicated, fully treated studio it might be a different story.
The thing is that I plan to use these speakers for everything: vinyl, casual listening, movies, music creation (not professional mixing, but I still need to hear every turn of a knob in my DAW). Pure studio monitors like the Amphion ONE15 wouldn't be this versatile. Maybe I'll end up getting a second pair of monitors purely for mixing. Casually listening to music on low volume with SM100 are a joy, but working on details is another matter.
I use them with Hypex NC400 monoblocks and an Apogee Duet 2 as a DAC. Isoacoustics Aperta 200 stands. No power conditioning yet, just Wireworld power cables for the amps. Without comparing this setup with anything else I suspect this isn't the kind of pairing that ProAc intended. The sound is a bit too bright and fatiguing to my ears, but that could also be because of my currently untreated room and tinnitus/hyperacusis. The Apogee Duet 2 is a poor piece of equipment for many reasons but the DAC chip (ESS SABRE32) is the same one used in many audiophile products like the Parasound pre-amp mentioned below.
I bought these monitors because I read that they are very smooth and non-fatiguing, and also because they are said to work well on low volume. This is my first problem: I have to crank them up louder than I want to get the sound balanced and detailed. Play them too low and the bass falls off. They also lack detail on lower levels compared to the Amphion ONE15 (which is a main selling point of Amphion products). To those that own the SM100 in this thread, what are your thoughts about this? Imagine doing critical listening, mixing, tracking and so at 60-75 dB on your system. Am I trying to make these monitors something they aren't? The lack of detail is also what I like about them because they make the music come alive and sound cohesive. They excel in emotional impact, not in clinical work.
The Hypex NC400 cost me about 1200 USD used (custom built). They are the cheapest amps I felt I could get away with that had more than 100w power per channel, they have 200w. If I only intend to use the setup at low volume (60-75 dB) would it be better to have an amp with less power, or does more power equal better sound at low levels?
I knew that the Hypex NC400 probably wasn't a perfect choice for the SM100 but I had to start somewhere. I'm now considering upgrading. Either changing the amp, or getting a pre-amp. The dealer who sold me the SM100 recommends a Parasound P5 or P6 pre-amp together with the Hypex NC400. I trust the guy although I also realize he wants to sell me stuff. Thoughts on this? It has a phono output which I need, but perhaps a dedicated RIAA would be better for me. Would the overall sound really change just by adding a pre-amp into the mix? Or should I look at other amps? The Hypex NC400 is said to just amplify the rest of the chain without adding any form of character or coloration whatsoever.
In closing, the real problem here is my tinnitus/hyperacusis. Not the monitors themselves.