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

Showing 15 responses by itzhak1969

Proac ribbon twitter is one of the best I ever heard I think is better than the D9. Proac innovative pulp & mica driver deliver excellent mid but the bass of the D48 can be too powerful and a little bit out of control especially on mid/small size rooms this is why I given up the D48 and bought the D30 instead which its bass is more tuneful and controlled(IMO the driver of the D30 is better than the drivers of the D48 and Proac will probably implement it on the successor of the D48 in the future). I think 90 hours of running in of the D9 can give you reliable definition of their performance ,on mid/small size room their bass can be overhang and out of control however on the right size room their bass should be fine. Can’t say that one is better than another they are both excellent speakers it’s really a matter of personal taste and right synergy with your system and listening space.
You are right ribbon twitters are much more sensitive than dome ones but they are much better , the differences are substantial : more details every small naunce is comming to life ,voices are liflike natural . ribbons are suppirier at every aspect.
total room area of 26’ x 13’ x 14’ can accommodate the D9 and D48 just fine, bass trapping solutions can tune the bass of the D48 but if you’re filling the bass of D48 is too much for your taste try the D30 .you should take into consideration that by choosing the D30 you are getting more controlled bass but loosing some of the great dynamics and huge soundstage of the D48 .
There is no perfect speakers ,there are some strengths points for D48 that are better than the D9 and there are some strengths for the D9 that are better than the D48 , There's always compromise when choosing the right speakers for you.
From what you are describing I think the D9 integrated better than the D48 in your listening space.
I currently own the D30RS wonderful speakers but my listening space is half of the OP I am not sure if the D30RS can fill this kind of large space but it will be interesting experiment if the OP will try this option and advise us his impressions.
I personally prefer the D48 with the correct acustic treatment you can tune the bass properly . it’s clear that the D9 integrated better in your space but you prefer the D48 sound. Very frostrated indeed...
The last thing the D48 needs is additional subwoofer to the system...
I think a small aqustic treatment and the D48 
will be excellent .If I had the space to accommodate them I certainly would take the D48 since I don't I compromise on D30 which are wonderful for medium/small space.
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.
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...
"However the D48R wins hands down on soundstage width, height and pinpoint accuracy of vocals etc. Just marvellous."
A quotation from the OP .
I don’t understand his choice either ,if everything is better with the D48 except the bass (that can be tuned easily with proper acustic treatment) why choose the D9 make no sense to me.
@milpai 

Yes I agree with you many here who search for advice have a fixation on what they want to buy and they tend to listen only to comments that favour the gear they wanted to buy in the first place and ignore recommendations for other brands. 
The ATC SCM 40 is not in the same league with the D9 and the D48 this  2 options are much better and you are correct the ATC are power hungry speakers, the other two are more efficient , anyway they are both excellent choices and I am sure you'll enjoy your new D9 speakers for many years.
@avanti1960
It’s a matter of synergy between speakers & system and personal taste too,the best piano sound I heard is with my Proac D30 RS ribbon twitters and with Harbeth 40.2 which I heard at high end show.
I currently own the D30RS and all I can say that they exceed my expectations by far first they sounded a little bit blur,weak dynamics and laid back after a very long break-in they are now wonderful their ribbon twitters give very natural life like highs,the mid is superb detailed and the bass is powerful , punchy and accurate on of the best I ever heard .the soundstage is huge and the sound is very natural . I think the D30RS will work very well in your size space without overhang bass that the D48 might do. Didn't hear the D7  however one of my friends who considered to buy them heard them at high end show and was very disappointed.
The Harbeth 40.2 are wonderful speakers but need very large space to fulfill their huge potential IMO your space will not work for them.