Spendor S9e or ProAc Response D28


I've been eyeing the Spendor S9e and ProAc D28 and while this is your typical "how does this compare to that thread", I wanted to give some background about where I'm coming from.

I currently own a pair of B&W 703's and my gripe with them is that my ears get tired of listening to them when playing music after 20mins or so. To be a bit more specific, at low volumes 60-70dB, these speakers are very listenable but low volumes don't do rock music justice. At higher volumes (80-85db) my ears get tired within a couple of songs.

In fact, at louder volumes even if I'm in the other room doing stuff on the computer and listening to music playing from my living room I get annoyed.

Not all is bad with these speakers, they shine when it comes to movies. I only have two of them but even so they generate an excellent phantom center (note: I haven't felt the need to add a dedicated center because they are that good). They also disappear into the background. Weird thing is I listen to movie louder than I do music, yet under this activity I don't find them fatiguing.

I've been thinking of upgrading my pre but the question I keep asking myself is that maybe I've outgrown this brand of speaker (I used to have 603's).

A bit more about me and my setup:
- Ratio of music-to-movie duty: 50/50
- Listening preferences: rock+hard rock (90%), everything else literally (10%).
- Source: Squeezbox v3 (my library has been converted flac)
- Preamp/Poweramp: NAD T742 / NAD C272
g_georgi
Iam looking into the D28 coming from the Proac signature 8's which are great...stunning really, but Iam also a rock fan and even in a small listening room 11.5 by 12 with 9 foot ceiling and french doors that open behind me making the room larger the 8's were just small. What room sizes are some of you using the D28's in. 6 box cyrus system and cardas cables. Thanks Mike
Given what you are considering, you should also consider Harbeth and possibly Sonus faber. Did someone say an the D28s give honest 20Hz?? I don't think so. 40Hz yes (I'm not saying there is no output at 20 Hz).
Pubul57, have you owned the D28s? Well I do, and they go an honest 20hz. Not sure what you are basing your comment on. Give me a break about Harbeth.....they do an honest 80hz at best and Sonus Fabers have been relegated to big box stores.
Hi Drubin,

You make a good point that it could be my source, I'm planning on adding a Lavry DA10 DAC soon just to get out that last bit of resolution that's lacking. I know the squeezebox DAC isn't the greatest but it's much much better than the DAC inside my NAD receiver (which I use as a preamp btw). The NAD tends to flatten the presentation so that there's no airiness between instruments. The SB is much better sounding but rolls off the bass. I'm thinking a better DAC will be the solution.

I'll try playing a CD or two to see if that makes a difference, I just need to dig them all out of the back of my closet.

I also realize that most if not all rock recordings are recorded very poorly and when I think about it over the last couple of years I've started listening to more and more different types. I may be wrong with this line of reasoning but could it be possible that I've managed to setup a system that is more clinically revealing as opposed to musically revealing and that I'm just starting to realize this now as my hearing is evolving to pickup newer nuances/detail that I wasn't aware of before?