Proac Response D30 DS

@itzhak, sounds like a wonderful pair of speakers. I haven’t had the pleasure to hear the entire ProAc line but of the ones I have listened to I completely agree with your statement "unfussy nature they just play everything effortlessly in the most faithful and natural way". Perfect description of ProAc speakers in general. Since acquiring my DT-8s I find myself enjoying listening to the music more and not trying to dissect what the rest of my equipment up chain are either adding or detracting. AS you stated they just flat out play music in a way that has me wanting to listen all the time !!! I have had numerous brands in-house and have heard many more at various shops or homes over the years but ProAc’s have become my favorites.

@milpai,I played many different kind of music and I was overwhelmed by their unfussy nature they just play everything effortlessly in the most faithful and natural way.
The D30’s performance come  close to much more expensive speakers I had heard before .

@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.

This is only first impressions because the D30SR’s are still breaking in :
The build quality of the speakers are exceptional compared to the old model (D30R) the pulp & mika mid-bass driver looks like a substantial step up it build like a jeep tire very rigid and flexible it helps the speakers to be effortless even at the most demanding parts, the sound is very natural and the soundstage is huge and lifelike you can place every instrument in its place and every instrument has its own space to breath.The D30’s go very low almost to subwoofer territory it’s a remarkable achievement from a 2 way speakers design.The Ribbon twitters are great they are sweet and natural and every small naunce come to life in a delicate nature ,Integration between the twitter to the driver is breathtaking.
So far this speakers exceed my expectations by far by their strong dynamics,musicality,effortless and natural nature.

Yes I bought the Ribon twitters version.
So far they sound much better than the dome twitters .
I replaced the stock jumpers with my Tellurium Ultra Black ones the improvement is huge .

Not that many companies have successfully married ribbon tweeters with regular dynamic drivers.  The two types sound so different that the disconnect is noticeable.  For my ears, ProAc has managed to blend the two driver types quite well and I prefer their ribbon models.  

@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?

Congrats. Looking forward to your review.

My D30SR’s just arrived yesterday they sound very promising and look lovely in Cherry finish,I will write a review soon.

If I have the space I definitely buy the D48R so I think will compromise with the D30 SR .With room size of 16x24 you should be OK with the D48.what is your amplification?

I have the D-40r which are similar to the D-48. I ran them for many years with Quicksilver V-4 (tube) amplifiers. They sounded great, but they now sound better (IMO) with an Aesthetix Atlas (hybrid) amplifier. My experience was that they needed more bottom end control and grip.

If you want to look my system is posted here on Audiogon.

OK you all have me seriously interested in the D48R’s. I use tube components though and the 4 ohm load worries me a bit. I have driven some other lower ohm speakers without issue though. 

  My room is 16x24 so I think I will be OK with them in here. I don’t listen to much music that will push the lowest of frequencies, but I haven’t ever had any issues with significant loading in here normally.

I'm not a B&W fan for many reasons and not all are sound related.  That said, I do feel that the Proac's are better better tonally.  To me, if you can't get the tone down right, then that's a non starter for me personally.

I had the chance listening to the B&W 804D and Proac DT8 side by side it was a big surprise that the modest 2.5 way DT8 didn’t embarrass the bigger 3 way B&W double bass drivers at all they were very close in any aspect with minor advantage to the 804D.
The bigger suprise was that the 2 way D20 with only 1 driver was much better than the 804D with its 3 drivers !
that shows you how great Proac speakers are .

Agree with Milpai. As good as the D20 is, the D-30 takes things upa notch or two. You will not be disappointed.

Listened to the D18,D20,DT8,Studio 148 and from my experience:
Mine 140MKII are punchy,detailed with excellent bass but lacks the musicality,sweetness and effortless of the D18 and D20.The D18 is laid back and lacks the wonderful Ribbon tweeters of the D20 .I found the Studio 148 aggresive and blur defently  the worst Proac speaker ever listened to however the new Response DT8 is fine project huge soundstage and details but not at the same league as the D20 which I realy loved.Unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to listen to the D30 neither the D48 which I can buy on special order only from my dealer.

@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.

I decided to be open minded , still considering to buy the new Proac D30 RS once the funds allow to .The D48R is not suitable to my limited space the D30 will be probably fine .
Last week I heard the D20 at my dealer show room and completely loved this speakers effortless and natural sound . it’s much better than my Proac Studio 140MKII and the D30 will be probably much better than both of them.

"The D30 RS are not for me I guess...
I will stick to the 140MKII , really love them and they are ideal to my room size."
itzhak1969-The 30s with the carbon fiber drivers come up for sale on the used market. If you really like them you can get them used. I did and I am VERY happy listening to them.

Just now noticed the drivers of the new D30 RS made of pulp which I heard before in the Studio 148 (Proac stop to sell this model last year) and didn’t like at all it lacks the delicacy,clarity and transparency of the carbon fiber drivers which I currently have with mine Studio 140MKII and were implemented in the previous generation the D30 R too. The D30 RS are not for me I guess...
I will stick to the 140MKII , really love them and they are ideal to my room size.

I had been a Proac owner (many of them in the 90's until about 8 years ago.  When I heard the VAndesteen's for similar prices, it was a no brainer for ME, but the Proac's are all great speakers.  Get in touch with Rutan.  It's a free no brainer to me.  The guy has sold Vandy's and Proac's, Maggies and B&W for years and years.  He is a great set up guy and gives legit answers on set up etc...

+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.

Before I purchased my D-30R's I had a chance to listen to the D-20R and the D-48R's. The D-48R is wonderful. My thoughts on the D-48R
is that its plays big and effortlessly.  Its very resolving but still maintains
the musicality that Proac's are know for. Unfortunately their also
bigger than my room could manage. The D-30R's are a big jump
up from the D-20R. They don't quite have the scale of the D-48R but in
smaller rooms they will work better. Bass is well controlled and
resolving with good impact. Mid-range is typical Proac and the top
end with the new ribbon twitter is sublime. Some of the best I've heard
period. Good luck

+1 for camenc. 
Johnny Rutan sells the ProAc's and knows just about everything there is to know about them. His Audiogon name is 'audioconnection'.
I would PM him with your questions.
B

@carmenc
Yes my room is definitely too small for the D48 it’s not an option for me at all the bass will be too excessive and the soundstage will be probably out of control.

@milpai
How do you find the bottom end of the D30 ? Is there a big difference between the D30 to the D48 ?

........and/or contact JohnnyR @ Audio Connection.  We all know about his knowledge regarding Vandersteen, but he knows a thing or two about Proac as well.   Audition, research and ask questions.  Again, good luck on your journey.

IMO, your room is too small for D48.  Read this post dated 12-28-2011, 
” Ayon Spirit 3 what speaker combo will u recommend? “.  Zero in on username;
 “ erikminer “ and his responses.  I was contemplating Proac speakers at one time and Erik helped me a lot.  He knows his Proacs.  Good luck.

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.

My room is 13 X 10.
My amplification is McIntosh MC152 and D100.
I think in terms of power and room size the D30 is the right choice but I am afraid although in terms of transparency and details it’s much better than mine 140 MKII the D30 won’t have the earthquake  dynamics and bottom end of the 140MKII but it’s only a guess I am not sure about it.Unfortunately dealers at my country don’t have the D30 in stock and can make special order for me without deno.

I own the D-40r.

I have heard the Proac dome speakers and they are good but the ribbon tweeter IMO is a better sound, It integrates very well with the mid/bass driver and there is no discontinuity.

My room is 11 x 17. How large is your room?

Regarding the lifespan of Ribbon tweeters. I know of some Ribbons lasting 30 years+ if taken care of. What did you hear?