ProAc are a family owned manufacturer of high quality loudspeakers with over forty years of experience in the industry. Launched 12 years after the Response D2, the D2R incorporates a ribbon tweeter, as opposed to the dome tweeter of the earlier model. Whilst most attention tends to be garnered by the D2’s bigger brother, the D20R, the D2R should not be overlooked.

Construction

On the larger side of normal by modern stand mount standards, this two-way bass reflex design features a 6.5” glass fibre midrange unit with a distinctive copper phase plug. The aforementioned 2.75” ribbon tweeter sits above the driver off axis (to both improve phase alignment and sound staging). They are also front ported, making easier to position them in corners of a room.

The cabinet is constructed from a mixture of marine ply and high-density fibreboard. This mixture of materials is deliberate and helps with ProAc’s philosophy of minimising internal bracing.

The overall fit and finish is of the highest order, with materials of the highest quality used without.

Specifications

The frequency range is 30Hz to 30kHz. The impedance is 8 ohms, and with a quoted sensitivity of 88.5dB. In reality this means that these loudspeakers are not hard to drive and can be well partnered with many good quality amplifiers.

We drove the ProAc D2R with a Rega Elicit amplifier (an excellent match for these speakers), and the superb Innuos Zen providing streaming duties. Placement was 40cm from the back wall with a slight angle of toe in. Tweeters inboard. Standing on high mass stands it was now time to play some tunes:

Listening

One of my favourite artists is Shawn Mullins, and his best album (in my opinion) is Soul’s Core Revival. The acoustic version of Twin Rocks Oregon displays excellent transparency of both guitar and vocals and more so later when his band kicks in. Shawn’s baritone voice is conveyed in convincing style.

Moving onto Lady Blackbird (an artist introduced to me by a great customer called Paul a year ago) 2021’s Black Acid Soul album: For me the standout track is ‘Collage’. Buttery smooth and full of emotion; this track highlights the rich extended bass and deep wide soundstage; the location of each instrument is exact. It also displays the ProAc’s open and natural treble (not harsh as some ribbons can be).

Whilst these speakers do not plumb the bass depths to the same extent as the larger D20s (who go far lower than the plus 2Hz advantage would seem to suggest), the bass is taut and tuneful.

Conclusion

The ProAc D2R are fabulous loudspeakers, detailed and open but not too bright, possessing great imagery and a lovely, natural sounding bass.

These speakers are ideal for a small to midsize room; for someone who wants high end Hi-Fi without over egging the pudding by having too large speakers for the space available. For anyone looking at a high quality stand mounted loudspeaker, these should definitely be on their list for auditioning. Sometimes bigger, is not always better!

If you would like to have a listen please get in touch.

Thank you for reading.

Jon & Rob - Audio T Oxford

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