Proac Response D30 DS


I currently own Proac Studio 140MKII which I’m very satisfiedwith ,sound is detailed and punchy soundstage is vast and dynamic are terrific I run it with McIntosh pre / power system with good results .
In the past I considered upgrading to Response D48R but realized that my listening room is relatively small and maybe I will have to upgrade to better McIntosh power amp to move them properly so decided that the D48R is really not for me.
I am considering now an upgrade to the Proac D30 DS( the dome tweeter version because I understood that dome tweeters last longer than Ribbon ones ) but no chance to make a demo in my country. I guess the overall sound wil be improved-more transparency,details and better soundstage- but I am afraid that moving from 2.5 speakers to 2 way ones will reduce the dynamics and bass I already have with my current Studio 140 MKII ? Is the the D30 a substantial step up over the 140 MKII ?
itzhak1969

Showing 5 responses by milpai

OP, I have auditioned the D30 and D48 extensively during my search for loudspeakers that started 2 years ago and ended a few months back. I ultimately went for the, D48R because my room could accommodate it without issues.
The D30 is a very engaging loudspeaker and goes pretty deep for it's size. The vocals on these speakers are to die for - at least that is what my listening notes say, when the D30 was being played through a Naim system. But I have never listened to the 140MKII, so I am not in a position to compare.
I agree that you room is small for the D48. I completely agree with @jperry that the ribbon in ProAc series are something special. They just sound very natural.
+1 @cmach 
You perfectly nailed the differences between the D30 and D48.

@itzhak1969,
I remember my demo at AXPONA 2017. I was in the medium sized room and they had just started playing Boz Scaggs "Thanks To You" through a Naim system. The low end was really powerful. This track is used to test the low frequency extension of loudspeakers, and I was amazed at how much bass the D30 produced. I made sure that there were no subwoofers installed. It was kind of overloading the room a bit. But the musicality was amazing. This was the first time I was listening to this track.

Now, the D48 has a "larger scale" as a whole. They will sound bad in your room. I am able to say this because I recently interacted with a audiogoner who installed Spendor D9 in his listening room which was almost your dimension. I have listened to the D7 extensively and can imagine how much bass the D9 can produce. It is almost like the ProAc D30 and D48. Anyways, he loved his previous A6/A5, but was thoroughly disappointed with the D9s. The issue was not the D9, but his room. He eventually went with Devore Fidelity loudspeakers in his room and is very content. He told me that his regret was that he sold the ProAc D30 (previous generation). So even if you had money to buy the ProAc D48 or even the K6/K8, they might not fit your room. Hope this helps.
@itzhak1969,I am glad you made this decision. I searched the net and found on some forums that people preferred the Studio 148. I am not saying that your experience was invalid. But maybe the room or electronics they were connected to, when you listened to them, might not have been a match to the ProAcs.If you loved the D20, you will be mesmerized by the D30RS. Just give them enough space. Even with that one driver, they go down very low. Do let us know when you get them.

@itzhak1969,
Congratulations on the new ProAcs. Would love to see your setup here on the Gon. Use moderate volume to break them in. You are in for a treat.I believe your ProAcs have Ribbon tweeters?
@itzhak1969,Yes, it was the D30RS that got me started on the ProAcs. The first time I listened to it was at AXPONA 2015. I requested the following song to be played:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K2yQQ3xwdE
The room literally shook with the deep bass this song has. Of course they played it through Tidal, and not youtube. I would like to hear your feedback about this song on your D30RS.
Did you get a chance to play some nice acoustic music, like Eric Clapton Unplugged, etc? I agree, the Ribbon twitter is something else.