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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
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,338 posts
 
@rsf507 ,
Very strange because I did listen to the Spendor D7 and they did not seem to lack in midrange or fullness. I am assuming that equipment makes a difference. The D7 I listened to had $$$$ MBL amp, preamp and CD player feeding them. In real life no one would make this kind of a combination; but it showed what the speakers were capable of.
avanti1960
1,425 posts
 
@seadog77

I’m currently doing an accelerated break in of a new pair of D7s. These need LOTS of time. I am approaching 200 hours and they are still changing for the better. The slightly hot upper midrange is gone. The vocals are full and just incredible. The upper treble is softer and still detailed. But the speed and dynamics are what you stay for. Musical notes really pop like no tomorrow!
However I am coming from Harbeth where I do miss a few things they did well- but I would most likely miss the energy of the D7s even more. Almost ready to commit to them. This close...
keithr
1,306 posts
 
What amp are you using?
seadog77 OP
15 posts
 
Avanti1960, yes, yes, I do agree with your findings. I had to return the D9’s. I must have added another 100 hours on them & I have never seen a speaker change so much. More bass, deeper bass, and the nasty mid/treble knocked right off.

I am almost ready to jump on a new pair of D9’s, the Dark Walnut looks nice. Thank you all for comments, there is not any "poor cousin" speaker choice between these  . Just personal likes/dislikes etc. I have total respect now for the ProAc brand after my demo. and I can totaly see why they have so many fans !

The D9 just floats my boat a bit more.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Not sure if I follow. You are returning the D9s after you broke them in just to get a pair of new ones?
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