ProAc Response D2R - LOUDSPEAKER

Between the mid-1980s and late 2000s, Stereophile published 14 re-views of loudspeakers from England’s ProAc Limited.

- KEN MICALLEF

First came Dick Olsher’s review of the ProAc Tablette1 in 1984. The latest—until now—was in 2010, when John Marks wrote about the ProAc Response D Two.2

Then, in 2016, came the passing of US ProAc distributor Richard Gerberg, of Modern Audio Consultants, and for some time the company’s products weren’t available stateside.

“We lost our importer in the USA a few years ago, and it took a little while to find a replacement,” wrote ProAc’s founder, CEO, and head designer, Stewart Tyler, in an email. “It takes time to reestablish your place in the market. With our new importer”—the Sound Organisation, which specializes in UK imports—“and increased promotion in the press, we are gradually becoming a brand that is considered again when looking for good quality loudspeakers.”

I’ve owned three pairs of ProAcs: the Response 1SC bookshelf monitors, which were reviewed by the late, great Wes Phillips3 in 1999; after that, the larger Studio 100 stand mounts; and then the floor standing ProAc Response 2.5—the last loudspeakers I owned before I changed allegiance to DeVore Fidelity’s Orangutan O/93.

A good description of ProAc’s more recent sound can be had in the above-mentioned review of the Response D Two: To read it now is to almost believe he was describing the subject of this review, the ProAc Response D2R standmount ($4500/pair), which was introduced in 2019. Still, much has changed in the transition from D Two to D2R, including cabinet materials, tweeter design, crossover scheme, internal damping, and price.

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