Down to 2 speakers & I can't decide, ProAc D48R vs Spendor D9


Hello,

I am a bit perplexed as to my final 2 speakers to choose from. Either the ProAc D48R or Spendor D9.
My electronics are all NAIM Audio, 252 pre / 300 DR power / n-DAC/555PS and my room is 26' x 13' x 8' open plan lounge dining room all brick walls and concrete floor with hardwood flooring. It is broken up by soft furnishings, rugs, tables, book shelfts etc. - so a little bit live sounding but not extreme.

My music choice is mostly rock, pop, blues, acoustic rock & hard rock/metal. I have listened to the D48R and was impressed, but not enough to buy it, getting a demo. of the Spendor D9 is almost impossible because of where I live.

There was a thread about these 2 speakers and a Devore but it has been deleted by the Mods. So any advice on either speaker would be most welcome.


Best,
Pete 
seadog77


You haven’t personally auditioned one of these speakers, so is this a blind purchase distilled down to a coin flip based solely on mag reviews because that’s what it sounds like to me? They are both very fine options, each with its own signature sound.

Regrettably is no substitute for the personal audition trek down the Yellow Brick Road to audio OZ. Without it, all you are going to get here is

(1) a biased anecdotal 50-50 push of what the respondents like, with no correlation to what you like with your own bespoke tastes; and,
(2) just a pure guess as to system synergy with the rest of your system AND the influence of warts invoked by your bespoke listening arena

There are many more terrific options for NAIM pairings, such as NEAT, KUDO, FOCAL, HARBETH, J M RENAUD, Etc. just to highlight a few.

Those two models are designed to compete directly with each other, from companies that compete with each other.  Think Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry.  D9/D48, D7/D30.  Likewise, Spendor's Classic line is in a similar competitive pairing with Harbeth's offerings.