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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
motokokusanagi
65 posts
 
Buying speakers blind is a big, big risk. However, Spendor is combined with Naim quite a lot. I’ve heard Naim Spendor setups and they sound good to me, but without the Naims behind them, I find Spendors boring af tbh. I run ATCs and they also go well with Naims, but they’re not at all everyone’s cup of tea. Proacs I find a bit bright. I’d really make the effort to find some Naim dealers somewhere and go listen to stuff for yourself.
seadog77 OP
3 posts
 
I was just about to jump onto the ProAc D48R when I had an long demo. of the ATC SCM 40A. My goodness the active version really did beat the passive, and not by a small amount either.

Would / should the ATC SCM 40A beat the D48R/ naim 300DR driving them ?

I heard an active will beat a passive everytime (within reason e.g. similar priced/quality speakers & power amp or even a bit higher).
mktmkt
6 posts
 
There seems to be a consensus that active is the way to go with ATC. Was the difference between active ATC SCM40 and passive as big as the price difference? ($7K vs $14K list). What amp was driving the passive?
4425
455 posts
 
what about naim loudspeakers? also great speakers on audiogon sell for incredible prices. you can buy way better speakers for the money. just an opinion. 
soix
2,133 posts
 
So you've heard the ProAcs and the ATCs, and I assume/hope you listened to them with your own music.  What did you think?  I personally love both these speakers, but for very different reasons.  If I'm looking for dynamics and the feeling of a live performance, I'd go ATC no doubt.  If I'm looking more for "audiophile" characteristics like a deep, 3D soundstage, speakers disappearing, etc. then it's ProAc.  To me, these major speaker strengths and inherent characteristics override the mode of amplification in this particular situation.  Only you can make that final decision, but with your preferred music my strong bias would be for ATC.  And yes, their active speakers are clearly superior to passive, which you've obvious already found.  From what I've heard from you so far, if it's me I'd sell my current amp to help finance active ATCs.  Just my $0.02 and FWIW. 
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