HIFI PIG LOOKS INTO THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH BRAND PROAC, ITS CREATOR AND FUTURE AS A FAMILY BUSINESS

Founded by Stewart Tyler in 1979, ProAc, an abbreviation of Professional Acoustics, is a British designer and manufacturer of loudspeakers.

Following the sad passing of Stewart Tyler in June 2021, the family is continuing forward into the next chapter of the ProAc story. HiFi Pig brings you the history of Stewart and ProAc and talks to his daughter Zoe.

ProAc founder Stewart Tyler with daughter Zoe at The Bristol HiFi Show

BRITISH HIFI

The 42-year-old family-run manufacturing business is based in Brackley in the UK but started from humble beginnings in a small unassuming shop in Borehamwood, North London.

PROAC FOUNDER STEWART TYLER

As a young child Stewart displayed an unusual sensitivity to sound with an almost photographic aural recall of voices, music and other sounds. This talent of acute hearing developed into a lifelong fascination with music of all genres. Attending live classical concerts from the age of six, he soon became dissatisfied with the sound made by HiFi equipment of the time, which failed to recreate what he had heard in a concert hall. He consequently modified his first loudspeaker at the age of twelve.

ELECTRONICS AND ACOUSTICS

As a young man, Stewart went on to earn a degree in electronics and acoustics, eventually building a loudspeaker of his own. His main objective was to build a compact loudspeaker with good bass extension, smooth and extended high frequencies with a clear and uncoloured midrange. With the aid of an anechoic chamber for amplitude measurements and nothing more than his own ears, Stewart designed a two-way system with a nine-element crossover. He experimented with different drive units, cabinet bracing, loading the reflex port with various fibrous materials and eventually small tubes.

CELEF AUDIO MONITOR

The Celef Monitor speaker was born and received many positive reviews in the HiFi press. Over the next five years, through an expanded dealer network, Celef Audio became known around the world.

The celef Audio shop and van

As Celef began to expand, Stewart developed the family business which was to provide the cornerstone of his reputation. His parents joined him at his small shop in Borehamwood, his father taking charge of production and his mother overseeing quality control. Their attention to every detail became vital as demand and production increased. Celef continued to prosper and many more new models were introduced. But Celef loudspeakers had generally been positioned as a medium-cost range and Stewart felt the need to break new ground.

Stewart at Celef in the 1970s

THE BIRTH OF PROAC

The catalyst for change was Stewart’s discovery in 1979 of the new ATC range of bass and midrange drive units which offered great performance, but at much higher prices. Stewart knew that enclosures utilising such exotic drive units could not sensibly be marketed under the Celef banner and in 1979 he formed a new company, ProAc.

Drivers

PRO AUDIO & HOME LISTENING

ProAc models were designed for professional and studio use as well as for the domestic listener. The first model launched was the ProAc Studio Three, a three-way design which quickly drew acclaim. Encouraged by this success, Stewart decided to undertake his most difficult challenge to date, a miniature loudspeaker with real bass extension and good power handling. The dilemma over totally enclosed cabinets and reflex port designs was once again resolved by using a special version of the resistive reflex port.

PROAC TABLETTE

Using a 4-inch bass driver, specially coated to Stewart’s own specification, a miniature loudspeaker was created. This unit became the ProAc Tablette, which in a newer generation is still available today.

ProAc Tablette

The product range evolved steadily. The Studio Three was transformed into the EBS Monitor (Extended Bass Studio) which itself was developed into a floor-standing model as the Studio Tower. Further models were added the Studio One, a compact unit, and the Super Tower and Mini Tower, both slimline floor-standing enclosures.

EXPERIMENTATION AND IMPROVEMENT

Throughout the development of these models, Stewart’s policy was one of constant experimentation and improvement. Most of the drive units used in his designs are now produced to his own specification by manufacturers including Scanspeak and SEAS.

By this time most of ProAc’s production was carried out at a new main factory at Milton Keynes and following the launch of the Response Range in 1989, things went from strength to strength. In 1990 a new factory in Brackley was established and all production moved from both Borehamwood and Milton Keynes. The 1990s also saw the Tablette range progress and the production of a ProAc home cinema set up, resulting in the Hexa 5.1 surround sound system.

Home Cinema in the 1990s

RIBBON TWEETER

Stewart continued experimenting with different materials and designs and in the early 2000s he developed the Future Series using a chamber with no parallels. The Future Series was also the first ProAc speaker to utilise a ribbon tweeter.

ProAc Future loudspeakers

As the years went on, the use of carbon fibre was introduced with the Carbon Pro 8’s, ribbon tweeters were introduced to the Response Range, the Tablette range progressed and the high-end K Series, made using Kevlar cones, was launched.

ProAc K10

ProAc K1

PROAC TODAY

Today, ProAc continues as a tight-knit family operation producing loudspeakers for worldwide distribution and running the busy manufacturing factory. They are currently developing Stewart’s designs and plan to release new speaker models in the near future.

ProAc Workshop in Brackley

We spoke to Zoe Tyler-Mardle, Stewart’s daughter. “Music is at the helm of our family and plays a vital part in the development of the ProAc ‘perfectly natural’ sound”, Zoe, said. “We are entering a new phase of the ProAc story and going forward we are determined to continue working on my father’s designs and honour his legacy. We are lucky to of had such a good teacher when it comes to producing superb loudspeakers, most of us having worked with my father over the last 25 years. With the full support of family and the ProAc team at our factory, we are storming ahead”. She goes on to add: “Luckily we have been blessed with Stewart’s work and design philosophy and I also like to think, his gift of acute hearing!”

Read more interviews and insights into the HiFi Industry in the HiFi Pig Industry Insider section here.