Proac 1sc or 2D for this size room

I have the Proac Response D Two. Using them with:

NAD C275BEE
Cambridge Audio 840E pre
Cambridge Audio 840c cd
Linn Axis TT
computer based digital music (mm hard drive etc.)

Mounted on Charisma Audio Function stands, image here: http://www.charismaaudio.com/FunctionS1.jpg

My room is 13 ft x 26 ft x 9 ft ceilings

My listening spot is 12 feet from the speakers, with the speakers having 3 feet behind them and 3 feet from the sidewalls.

These speakers really load the room. In fact, I can play these more loudly and cleanly than is really comfortable fo this size of room. So yes, they work in an even larger room without strain.

Love the speakers. They do all music well, no limitations. I have an 800 piece vinyl collection and the same number of CD's. Listen to Rock, Pop, Punk, alternative, heavy metal, jazz, and blues, in equal amounts. This all sounds good on the Response D Two. They are really natural and very musical, and no edge or glare or grain to them. Ton's of musical bass also.

I believe the speaker which was "much heralded" was the front-ported Response 2. I have owned both the Response 2 (still do) and the rear-ported 2S. The 2S missed the mark IMO. They didn't disappear like the 2. Placement was much more difficult and not worth the little extra bass extension they offered so I went back to using the 2 model and have been happier ever since. I will say the 2S had incredibly good bass for a monitor.

Wow, I've been out of it for awhile. I'm a former ProAc owner and really loved those guys. Is the D Two a resurrection of the much heralded 2S?

I will say this: ProAcs are widely known to be even more system-dependent that lots of speakers (realizing as I say that that ALL speakers are obviously system-dependent ...).

ProAc are also voiced with tubed electronics (Audio Research, if memory serves) and even though many report great results with Naim and other solid state gear, I would go so far as to say that you haven't really heard what a given ProAc speakers is capable of until it has been on the receiving end of a decent tube amplifier.

Ejlif's point is definitely well taken about the difference between the ProAc and Dynaudio 'sounds'. My Wilson-Benesch Arc's, in my system, sounded kind of 'boring' to me, despite being very well-regarded speakers. I didn't chalk it up to any fault of the WB's as much as I attributed it to less-than-optimal system-matching on my part.

Che13: don't forget about the new D1's either. I spoke to the distributor (Modern Audio) and a long-time ProAc dealer in Dallas (Audio Concepts) and both said they had eyed ProAc's ability to top the 1SC (in a speaker of that size) with suspicion - that is, until they actually *heard* the new D1. Perhaps not unbiased opinions in either case, but both made clear their awe of both the 1SC and the fact that ProAc was able to actually improve on it in several respects.

For what it's worth I think Pro Acs can be on the dull side. I've had both the D-15s and D2s. I can see the attraction in some ways but I kind of always just thought they sounded a little boring but good too in the best possible way of that description. Personally I can't imagine liking Proacs coming from Dyanudio. I do think that maybe Proacs tend to be a lot fussier about what gear they go with. I never tried tubes so maybe I never heard the magic they are capable of. I also have the Tablette 2000 Proac and that is a pretty nice sound that gives you an idea of the Proac sound for a cheap price.

I have had both the 1SC's and (now) the 2S's. I absolutely loved the 1SC's in my old, smaller room. Very detailed (but not ruthlessly so) tube-friendly speakers. But I moved to a place with a larger listening room (loft-style layout, a roughly 25 x 25 x 30 quasi-triangle-shaped room), and I kept turning the 1SC's up too much in order to 'fill' the room, and it became clear they weren't 'big enough'. I wanted to retain as much of the 1SC's sound as possible, but in a bigger package, and the 2S was a logical choice. I've had to forego some of the 'ability to disappear' I got with the 1SC's, but have gained more heft, weight and ease in the process, and I still have much of the sonic character of the 1SC (both use the same tweeter, for one thing). It's proven to be an acceptable trade-off for me.

I'm sure the D2's would be even better, but I got a great deal on the 2S's (in Yew wood finish) here locally and am, for the time being, satisfied. If I had a smaller room, I'd probably want my 1SC's back!

imho the response 2, and now the d2, have always been the sweet pot in proac's line. the perfect storm if you will.

Go for the 2D, if you have the room. Stands, of course, are a must and should be filled.

I am running the Response D Two's in a very similar sized room and they do very well. Strangely enough my brother lent me a pair of Proac 1S to see if I liked the "Proac" sound. I really thought those little speakers did well in my small room but I do tend to turn it up from time to time so I auditioned the D2's. I figured they where about the best fit for this room. I finally settled on the D2's and have been very, very happy. I had gone through a fairly long list of tower speakers but couldnt get a good fit for the room. Similar problems to what you describe with the C5's. I tried 4-5 different monitors as well including the Dynaudio 1.3 MKII's and liked the more laid back sound of the Proacs. I was hunting for the Confidence C1's when I settled on the D2's. That might be another option - I auditioned the C1's and thought they where incredible but a very different sound from the Proacs. They should sound good at nearly twice the price.

I would describe the Proacs as more laid back, non- fatiguing with a very well detailed midrange (warm, full-bloom). The C1's were fast, detailed, very stong upper end and incredible bass for such a small speaker. I run a sub with the Proacs but not all the time and just a touch.

PS

The only reason I would upgrade my speakers is if I could find the light maple or birdseye maple finish and with all the switching around I have done that says something. I have never shied away from switching out equipment. For now I am very happy however.

My equipment :

Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (Signature Edition)
Levinson 23.5
Levinson 27
Wadia 23
Audio Research PH3 SE
Denon DP 62L / Grado Gold
Logitech Transporter (No mods yet)

Proac Response D Two in cherry
Velodyne DD-10 sub

Cables :

A mix of Cardas, Signal Cable(silver) and Acoustic Zen.

Favorite music :

Older Jazz (Miles, Coltrane ... etc)
70's/80's rock (ABB, Jeff Beck, ELP, Zep, Beatles)
Blues

I do dip into R&B and soul but mostly the stuff from the 70's ...

Good luck, and I would like to hear your thoughts after auditioning the D Two and compare them to the C5's.