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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
jetter
2,984 posts
 
hifiandmore, do you mind sharing the amp and preamp you are using with your Spendor D9s?
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 
Demo'd D7's and Classic 100's last year, same day, same room, same system, and--sorry--the 100's blew the D7's out of the water.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,338 posts
 
@seadog77,Did you make a decision yet? Since you mentioned that you cannot place the D48Rs away from the wall, I suggest that you play the "Thanks To You" song by Boz Scaggs on both the loudspeakers and decide which loudspeaker you should buy. Try if you can play this using Tidal. If not, then use Spotify or Amazon music. The bass is pretty deep on this and this should be a very good test of the bass performance in your room. No point in going for the D48R for it's midrange and vocals, if the bass overpowers the room and ultimately the clarity of the loudspeaker.Hope this helps.
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
2,338 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.
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