Proac Response D2R £2895
With buyers of Proac’s Response floorstanders having long been offered the choice of a ribbon tweeter instead of a dome unit, now those investing in the range’s standmounters also get to choose.
Taking a close look at the D2RS, we’re struck by just how contemporary these speakers seem; after all they’re based on a design more than a decade old. Sure there’s no curved cabinet here or particularly fancy cone materials, but such things certainly don’t guarantee a great sound in our experience.
The big headline here, though, is the use of the ribbon tweeter. We generally find that the ribbon option gives a clearly more transparent and detailed sound, one that’s well worth the price premium.
And these are wonderfully expressive speakers, even at low volumes. We play Melody Gardot’s Mira and they respond with an agile, lively performance that mixes information with entertainment as well anything we’ve heard at the price.
Their midrange is a real highlight, delivering rich, playful tones with considerable skill, and conveying nuance and vocal textures superbly.
These aren’t particularly big speakers so really deep bass isn’t on the menu, but for their size, the low-end is impressive – deep and authoritative. That ribbon tweeter shines in the amount of detail it resolves, and unlike some similar designs avoids sounding a little sterile and tonally grey. The integration with the mid/bass is handled seamlessly and there’s a consistency of character from the lowest frequency upward that’s impressive.
Matched with suitably talented partners, the Response D2RS excel at giving the music the limelight. And of course, that’s what brings the gongs.