our history

How We Got Here

Late 70's

The Beginning

Where it all began...Celef Audio shop in Borehamwood

1970's

speaker design

Stewart working on early Celef speaker designs

Mid 70's

Family Support

Stewart's father Alf packing Celef speaker models.

Mid 70's

Promoting the Brand

An early hifi show featuring Celef models RT1, Domestic 2 and Domestic 3 amongst others.

Mid 70's

Quality Control

Stewart's mum Jay who was in charge of quality control and a fundamental part of Celef and ProAc's success.

1975

Innovative Solutions

The straw ports featured in early speaker models was an innovative solution to a reflex port design. Here is Zoe busy at her first job with ProAc!

1979

expansion

Business expands with a branded van and the Celef Audio shop takes over the retail space next door

1979

proac is formed

In 1979 Stewart discovered a better quality range of drive units that were used only by professionals and so he formed a new company called ProAc (an abbreviation of Professional Acoustics). Here is the early production of the ProAc range at Borehamwood

1980's

Hifi Show

An early show featuring Celef and ProAc speakers.

1985

Three Generations

Stewart with his father Alfred and son Tristan. From a very early age Tristan has been involved in building and promoting the ProAc brand.

1989

The Response Range is released

An important milestone in compact loudspeaker design pushing the performance boundaries of what a small stand mount speaker could deliver.

1990

Relocation

A new factory was purchased in Brackley to move production from both Borehamwood and Milton Keynes.

Early 90's

Production Expands

Production is well underway at the new factory in Brackley.

1990's

Golden Ears

Stewart’s new listening room at the factory with an early prototype Response 3 and Audio Research equipment.

1993

Progressing the Tablette Range

The Tablette 50 is released. This 5th generation of the Tablette Range, takes the voice of a compact speaker to that of a floorstander.

Mid 90's

Home Cinema

The demand for a home cinema experience is met with the new home cinema set up from ProAc.

1995

Expanding Further

Celef/ProAc expands into the next door unit at Brackley, giving more space for research and development and increasing demand for products.

Early 2000

Inspired Design

The new Future Series, introducing a ribbon tweeter for the first time.

2001

Welcome!

A new factory reception area.

Mid 2000

5.1 Surround Sound

As home theatre continues to be influential in customers’ homes, the new Hexa 5.1 surround sound system is born.

2005

Husband and Wife Team

Stewart and Frances together at the Bristol HiFi show. Frances is also a founding member of ProAc and has been a great support to Stewart over the years.

2008

Marketing - ProAc's First Product Guide

All our products in one brochure showcasing the three ranges: the Tablette, Studio and Response Range. The latest models include the Response Tri Tower, D80 and D100.

2010

Use of Carbon Fibre

ProAc continues to experiment with different cone materials and in the new Carbon Pro 8 speaker a unique cone using carbon fibre was introduced (which was quite advanced at the time). The Carbon Series went on to include the smaller Carbon Pro 6 model.

2011

Introducing the K Series

The K6 is released, named due to the cone of the woofer being made from Kevlar. Kevlar is an excellent material for producing exceptional bass response.

2015

K Series expands

The new K8 is introduced. Here it is in silk white along with the Carbon Pro's at the factory in Brackley.

2015

The Response Range Grows

The launch of the Response D48, using our renowned ribbon tweeter (which was first introduced to the Response Range in 2007 on the D38R). The D48 is one of our best selling speaker models which is still in production today.

2016

10th Generation of an Iconic Design

The Tablette 10 is released at the Bristol HiFi Show to critical acclaim.

2017

Happy at Work

Stewart, in his listening room.

2017

Different Cone Materials

The Response DT8 is launched as a new entry level floor-standing model for the Response Range. For the first time, utilising two mid/bass driver cones made from different materials in the one speaker.

2019

Father and Daughter

Stewart and Zoe at Bristol showcasing the new K6 Signature.

2019

Family Team

Working on K series models, Stewart with son-in-law John (they had worked together for over 30 years).

2019

Celebrating 40 Years

2019 is a landmark year for ProAc as it celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

2020

Flagship Design

Following the discontinuation of the K8, the new awesome K10 is launched at the Bristol Sound and Vision Show. Alongside it, is the award-winning K1, the first stand-mounted K series speaker with a dedicated stand.

June 2021

The whole ProAc family is devastated by the sudden loss of founder Stewart Tyler. Frances, Zoe, John, Tristan and the whole ProAc team who have all worked with Stewart and the ProAc brand over the last 30 years, vow to take the brand forward and honour Stewart’s legacy…

October 2022

The UK Audio Show

The ProAc journey continues as we take part in the UK Audio Show's Hall of Fame programme. We hold a special retrospective exhibition of early speaker models, old photos, hi-fi show posters and brochures. Zoe also gives a presentation, telling the story of how ProAc started, from a small unassuming hi-fi shop to a busy manufacturing factory with global distribution.

"The beauty of music and the joy and emotion it brings is so much more important than designs based on scientific measurements and statistics. Designing loudspeakers is an art, a gift of knowing when something is right – when the soundstage is portrayed, the speakers disappear, and you thrill to the music."

Stewart Tyler