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Home demo. ProAc D48R and Spendor D9

I am in the process of a home demo. of the ProAc D48R and Spendor D9 from different dealers.
The ProAc guy says it is well run in and the Spendor guy says only about 90 hours on them.

First off, love the D48R so far, midrange to die for & the bass, lots of bass, perhaps a tad too much. Not sure yet, vocals , treble from that ribbon is exceptional.
The Spendor in comparison is not bad at all, I think a bit better definition in the bass, not as full as D48R , seems just as deep, but more tuneful to me. The midrange is OK , it seems to lag behind the ProAc only just. The upper midrange/treble to me is a bit of a let down. For example acoustic guitar seems slightly less crisp, less involving compared to the ProAc.

Question for any D9 owners out there, how long did they take to fully run in ? I assume I am not hearing now what their final run in sound will be like. Will the midrange/ treble open up more, like D48R more, or is the ProAc ribbon tweeter that much better ?
seadog77
itzhak1969
515 posts
 
It’s not only a matter of break in but also a synergy with your system. the D48 can sound better with your system but the D9 can sound better than the D48 on other system. Don’t except mirracales to happen after full break in of the D9.
jetter
3,040 posts
 
hifiandmore, do you mind sharing the amp and preamp you are using with your Spendor D9s?
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Demo'd D7's and Classic 100's last year, same day, same room, same system, and--sorry--the 100's blew the D7's out of the water.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,412 posts
 
@seadog77,Did you make a decision yet? Since you mentioned that you cannot place the D48Rs away from the wall, I suggest that you play the "Thanks To You" song by Boz Scaggs on both the loudspeakers and decide which loudspeaker you should buy. Try if you can play this using Tidal. If not, then use Spotify or Amazon music. The bass is pretty deep on this and this should be a very good test of the bass performance in your room. No point in going for the D48R for it's midrange and vocals, if the bass overpowers the room and ultimately the clarity of the loudspeaker.Hope this helps.
seadog77 OP
15 posts
 
Really, really not sure where to go from here.

D9, love the speed, bass depth and definition, midrange. 
Not so much treble and still slight hot at very high volume.

D48R , love the treble , sweet detailed and fast. Bass is full, perhaps too full , and not as fast as the D9.  Midrange is almost a tie, but slight nod to the D9. 
However the D48R wins hands down on soundstage width, height and pinpoint accuracy of vocals etc. Just marvellous.

It is a tough choice in which way to go.
Even thought about D30RS and save some money, or ATC SCM40 (liked, but not loved these when I did a home demo.) Might revisit them.
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