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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
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.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,420 posts
 
Based on your last post, it looks like you have more praises on the ProAc than the D9. But if the bass does not work for you, then go with the D9. Did you try the song I suggested? That should be a good test of what is "listenable" in your environment.Despite being a ProAc D48R, I would suggest that you have at least 24-36 inches behind these loudspeakers to breath, and at least 18 inches from side walls. If you cannot give them this much space, simply go with the D9. Think of your "best 4-5 albums" of all time and take time to play them on both the speakers. If the bass on the D48 is too much, you should give them up. If you are able to live with the bass that they provide, you can go with them.It would be a disservice on my part to misguide a fellow audiogoner into buying the ProAc D48 just because I love them. You can also talk to your dealer to lend the D30RS and Spendor D7, since you are going to give him our business.
Good luck and hope you are able to take a decision soon.
itzhak1969
515 posts
 
The D30RS has one of the best bass I ever heard ; fast, taught , controlled and very deep.
Below a thread how good this speakers are compared to the old version 30R and the ATC SCM40 :

https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/129233-even-briefer-review-of-atc-scm40-vs-proac-d30r-vs-proac-d3...
rsf507
2,348 posts
 
Have several friends who own Spendors and always found them lacking that midrange fullness and just to hot on top. Just not my flavor in a speaker YMMV. 
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,420 posts
 
@rsf507 ,
Very strange because I did listen to the Spendor D7 and they did not seem to lack in midrange or fullness. I am assuming that equipment makes a difference. The D7 I listened to had $$$$ MBL amp, preamp and CD player feeding them. In real life no one would make this kind of a combination; but it showed what the speakers were capable of.
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