ProAc's Response D2R Loudspeaker Gets Five Stars from What Hi-Fi?
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Nov 7th 2019
The the original ProAc Response D2 speaker has been out for over a decade and has been highly regarded by industry critics like The Absolute Sound and What Hi-Fi?. The classic D2 standmount speakers had a typical silk dome tweeter that sounds amazing and have served audio lovers well for years. Early in 2019, ProAc unveiled a new version of the speaker, the Response D2R with a ribbon tweeter. Though the ribbon tweeter has been an option for the floorstanding models in the Response series, this is ProAc's first foray into offering the option for the standmount speakers.
Following up on their 2008 review, What Hi-Fi? examined the new ribbon tweeter version of the Response D2R. The reviewer was initially skeptical, wondering if the addition of the ribbon tweeter after ten years of development would be a disappointment. Right away, the author was surprised by the timeless quality of ProAc's loudspeakers, stating they were "struck by just how contemporary they still seem." They were very impressed with many of the factors that make ProAc speakers some of the best you can buy: excellent build quality, easily matched to a wide variety of amplifiers, transparent and expressive audio quality, and excellent stereo imaging. Of course, the biggest difference from the original Response D2 is the ribbon tweeter.
That ribbon tweeter shines in the amount of detail it resolves, and unlike 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.
