Procella Audio P860 Biamplified Full-Range Extremely High-Output Reference Speaker Preview

Let's take a quick trip down to fantasyville. Let's say, for a moment, that you won the lottery. If you are anything like me, the first thing you'd do is buy a house. This is the perfect first purchase because no one would argue that it is a good investment (over the long term at least). Plus, it makes the wife/spouse happy. Plus, you get a new home theater out of the mix.

That's right, kids. A NEW home theater.

Now that you have a new room, you can't just stick your same old speaker in there, can you? No, your new theater has to be big enough to contain all the sycophants and leeches you're sure to gain now that you have money. So you're going to need something large. Something huge. Normal home theater speakers just aren't going to be enough.

Welcome to the world of custom installed audio. This is a world filled with speakers, amps, and cables, each of which may cost more than your first two cars combined. But just because it is expensive doesn't mean it is simply overpriced fluff. Sure, you'll run into more than your fair share of snake oil, but some of it is expensive for a reason.

Take the Procella Audio P860 Biamplified Full-Range Extremely High-Output Reference Speaker. Designed with large rooms in mind (and by "large" they mean up to 80 feet deep), the P860's can power your home theater OR a mid-sized commercial cinema. While pricing hasn't been set in stone, expect these monsters to cost in the range of $20-$25k each.

When we say monsters, we aren't kidding. At six feet tall, the P860s have a single 1.5" professional quality high-frequency compression driver mounted on a proprietary Procella constant directivity waveguide (80°H x 50°V above 1.5 kHz). The midrange is reproduced by dual high-performance 8" drivers aligned in a vertical Midrange-Tweeter-Midrange (D'Appolito) configuration. That's the top box in the picture above. Below, the lower box contains six 10" woofers in a push-pull configuration for the bass. The woofer box is sealed (as you'd expect in a push-pull configuration) allowing placement close to boundaries (an important feature as you'll soon see).

Of course, this number of speakers pushing out as much sound as may be required, demands a lot of power. Rather than rely on the consumer or installer to pair the correct amps, Procella Audio has included the amps with each purchase. The external DA-1400 four channel amp puts out a total of 2800 watts (700 watts per channel). Three of the channels are used for the woofers, one for the tweeter/midranges. The DA-1400 provides DSP control and the does crossover duty between the two halves of the speaker. 

So, what does all this get you? In free-standing conditions, the P860 is capable of producing continuous output levels of 128dB and peak levels of 132 dB. When mounted in a baffle wall, the speaker’s maximum output increases to 132dB continuous and 138dB peak. And really, mounted in a baffle wall is the way to go. One of the P860s talking points is how shallow it is. At only 14.2" deep, creating a seamless home theater should be a breeze (and, let's face it; the P860s have a face only a mother could love - they are designed to be hidden). What will be your largest problem will be finding a subwoofer to keep up with the Procella Audio P860s. Reaching down to 40Hz, you're going to need a powerful sub to even add much more than 20Hz in extension. But, then again, if you can afford $25k a speaker, whats a few more thousand on four subs?

Conclusion

We may never be able to afford a pair (much less full set) of Procella Audio P860 Biamplified Full-Range Extremely High-Output Reference Speakers. But that's okay. In the world of expensive audio, we often encounter companies that are talking up their heritage and custom finishes rather than what their speakers can do. Not Procella Audio. With extension down 40Hz, output high enough to fill a mid-sized commercial cinema, and included amps, there isn't a lot to complain about (other than their looks). If you have a HUGE theater and a pile of cash to burn, Procella Audio should be on your short list.

For more information, please visit www.procella.citymax.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.