# ProAc Response D28 Speakers Review



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

*ProAc Response D28 Speakers Review*

*Introduction*

Well ProAc has had a long standing in my H-Fi history and I have owned them previously in the past and they are one of the finest British made speaker, well to be found anywhere in fact, I'll never forget a demo I had with a pair of D80's with Meridian Mono blocks powering each speaker and the Meridian 808i Signature CD player spinning some tunes and boy what a sweet sound that was and I was mesmerised for many hours, one of the best demo's I have ever had, such a powerful sound and superb imaging, well I could only but dream as those speakers need some serious room to breathe, so unless I manage to find a warehouse to live in I probably will not be owning them.

My first proper Hi-Fi that I owned consisted of Cyrus electronics and then a pair of Response D15's so you could say I am accustomed to their refinement already, so let's move on to the D28's then.

*Setting Up*

As you can imagine with a speaker of this calibre they come finely boxed and well protected, in fact the boxes are rather large and I would suggest someone to help to get them out of the boxes and lifted into place as they weigh in at roughly 27kg each so not exactly light, but what I will say is that they are not hard to place or fussy in fact and that is thanks to the side vents at the bottom of each speaker which used to be used only in there higher end range and gives it's bass response more authority while making them easier to place, a slight toe in to the listening position and you are ready to go, well not forgetting to connect up the speaker wire and I use all Chord Cables while not cheap I do think they make a difference to my system and systems I have had in the past so I quite like there cables.

The quality of how these speakers are made is exemplary and the Cherry Finish that I chose really do look quite beautiful in place. 

Once in place the bottom plinth has four screw holes for each speakers conical feet and there is 8 in total 4 for each speaker, which makes then stand very solid with NO movement at all. 

The speakers L&R can be depicted by the ProAc Tweeter being nearer to each relevant speaker or with the grills on the ProAc badge nearer again to each relevant speaker.








With the manual that comes with the speakers ProAc are very clear in that once in place to leave them breathe for a few hours before firing them up, which is a pain as you really want to just get them going, but this time lets them settle into the room and they say that the ideal temperature is 16C.

*The Sound*

ProAc recommend at least 1 week of running in before any serious auditioning should be done so I have just been playing them every day at moderate levels to allow run in time, in fact ProAc state that it can take up to a couple of months before there at their best!

Coming from studio monitors previously limited to 80hz which required a sub to run full range, is not needed now as these are proper Hi-Fi Speakers with a frequency response rated from 20hz-30khz and therefore there forte is most definitely 2 channel material and they certainly do not disappoint in this area, and atm I am not using a sub even for my multichannel system.

My source is the trustee Oppo BDP83 using its 2 channel output which is fairly good tbh as I have been using more expensive Red Book CD spinners in the past and the Oppo holds its own, and as the preamp is the Arcam AV888 with the Rotel RMB-1575 powering the speakers , so a nice mixture but which work and gel really well together.

Material used is a variety as I do like lots of different types of music ranging from Tori Amos/James Taylor to Sting/Police and even the more up to date Tiesto but that is used for the Multichannel part of listening which I will get on to later.

Tori Amos's album The Beekeeper is one of my favourites atm and the imaging that these speakers create is absolutely spot on with an almost holographic 3D picture being created and each instrument being placed in its correct place within the soundstage, and with herself moving back and forth while singing which gives me goose bumps as it really is a joy to listen to, also very forceful in its presentation too.

Both James Taylors albums October Road and New Moon Shine are superbly recorded albums and the ProAcs do his incredible talent justice with a dynamic and rhythmic presentation and once again the imaging is superb and when listening I always set these 2 albums on to repeat as they deserve a second round (laughs).

The Police albums that I have are some of their very early stuff and also the Best Of, so going back almost to the punk era of the early eighties and the music certainly steps up a gear and the ProAcs keep up with excellent timing in fact they do not put a foot wrong and makes you want to crank the volume up a bit to get those feet moving. The speakers stop and start on a dime and I am amazed at how low these speakers actually go as they are only two way floor standers but the bass is very low indeed and with a lot of Authority, an album that I found which really does give good bass is  nor elle  and in particular track 4 which is quite stunning!

This nicely leads me on to Multichannel Music/Movies and most members will remember my old set up which was a full M&K system and MX5100 sub which was quite a beast and one of the best I have heard and owned period, I am now currently running a 5.0 system but have ordered an BK XXLS400 sub to temporarily fill in until I have the funds to purchase a Fathom F113 which will really be made of use when watching movies with plenty of LFE, while the ProAcs go low they cannot break the laws of physics' and there cabinet sizes and 6.5inch mid bass driver cannot do what a proper sub woofer can.

I have plenty of SACD and DVD-Audio discs to listen to ranging from Steely Dan to War of the Worlds and these really need to be heard to be appreciated, my M&K's did a good job but the ProAcs really do do these discs justice with such a musical sound and more rhythm then the M&K's could of ever done, btw I am using the ProAc Studio centre speaker for my centre channel duties and it mates perfectly with the Response D28's keeping excellent tonal balance across the front soundstage. 

Movies have also been a pleasure to watch and listen to with this new set up also and I have tried various films and Hero / Fearless and IP Man have been a few of my favourite movies to watch on the big screen lately which have excellent music and sound scores written for them, with subtle details being picked out which just sounds so right if you know what I mean.

I have had a few people over to listen to the speakers and all have come away impressed, a good one to use for demoing is the Dark Knight and have been using this as a marking point for people to judge and I honestly did get the question asked " so ok where is the sub? " and when I told them it was just the 28's doing all the bass as all other speakers are set to small and redirected bass to the main Left and Right speakers they could not believe how good they sounded and with such authority.








*Conclusion*

So to finish this mini review, I was very hesitant at first when selling my M&K speakers as I have enjoyed them for a good 5 years and would of hated to have made a mistake and choosing wrongly but thankfully I have not, I suppose as I am getting older I am preferring music more than I used to and I think the ProAc D28's are the speakers I have been looking for.
As I have only had them a short time they are supposed to improve even more as they bed into my system so plenty of more listening to be had and it will also be interesting to see what a sub brings to the mix, so will update this review with an extended version to follow.
The only negative point i can honestly give to these speakers is there ordinary looks other than that they really are star performers.

* ProAc D28 Speakers: Official Thread*


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

*Re: ProAc Response D28 Review*

*Technical Info for Response D28*

*
Nominal Impedance*
8 ohms
*
Recommended Amplifiers*
10 to 200 watts
*
Frequency Response*
20hz to 30Khz

*Sensitivity*
88.5db linear for 1 watt at 1 metre

*Bass/Midrange*
61⁄2” (165mm) ProAc unit, professionally made with coated polypropylene cone on die-cast chassis.

*Tweeter*
1” (25mm) ProAc silk dome with special surround and air cooling.

*Crossover*
HQC network using the finest dedicated components, wired with multistrand oxygen free copper cable, split for bi-wiring/amping.

*Dimensions*
421⁄2” (1080mm) high on plinths with conical feet
8” (204mm) wide
111⁄4” (286mm) deep

*Weight*
60lbs (27kgs) each cabinet

*Mode*
Floorstanding

*Grille*
Acoustically transparent crimplene

*Finish*
Available in the following real wood veneers: Black Ash, Maple, Mahogany, Cherry, Ebony and Bird's Eye Maple

*RRP: $6000*


----------



## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

*Re: ProAc Response D28 Review*

Top man for going to the trouble of reviewing these John :T. As someone who loves music as well I can understand your switch, and from the sounds of things I should consider ProAc when looking at my own upgrade, just as soon as I am finished with subwoofery 

How do you think something like a pair of these would work in my room (3.5 x 5). When I am happy and finished with the sub situation, I will be looking at making my HT into a bit of a 2-channel/HT combined and speakers will be my next upgrade.


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

*Re: ProAc Response D28 Review*

Cheers Dan, I can say I am over the moon with these speakers, music wise they play everything so well and movies are also great so I am honestly not missing the M&K's.

I was considering the D38's but they would be too big for my room and my dealer was right the D28's are perfect for it's size which is roughly 3.5 x 5M so the same really, ProAc really do make great speakers and I would strongly urge you to consider them.


----------



## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

*Re: ProAc Response D28 Review*

Well musicality is one of the reasons I never went for MK speakers. You just cant get the same sound from sats, period. Ive looked at a lot of speakers from Monitor Audio to XTZ, but a few brands pass me by, not least these.

I'll be sure to take a gander now though, not least as I have a fair bit of faith in your judgement for whatever reason .


----------



## Toby Jack (Feb 5, 2010)

I love your setup. You can usually tell at first glance when someone has carefully chosen components after years of research & learning about this kind of equipment. I really respect how thorough you are in your reviews and posts. I also really appreciate your willingness to help without passing judgement on anyone. It seems like no matter what thread I happen to be scrolling through you always have a helpful post. It's people like you that make this forum work. Thanks.


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Toby Jack said:


> I love your setup. You can usually tell at first glance when someone has carefully chosen components after years of research & learning about this kind of equipment. I really respect how thorough you are in your reviews and posts. I also really appreciate your willingness to help without passing judgement on anyone. It seems like no matter what thread I happen to be scrolling through you always have a helpful post. It's people like you that make this forum work. Thanks.


Well, thank you kindly sir


----------



## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Recruit, Do you have an REW of these speakers in your room?
Bob
PHP143


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

acoustat6 said:


> Hi Recruit, Do you have an REW of these speakers in your room?
> Bob
> PHP143


Hi Bob, unfortunately no I do not and do not really intend to as generally that is used for subs I have had in the past, my ears are the best measuring tool and the quality of sound is sublime with deep bass and very taught and the midrange where ProAc speakers excel is superb.


----------



## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Recruit, Thanks for your answer, but the reason why I asked was that a friend of mine has a pair of the same speakers and the bass response falls off much earlier than what you stated. 

You said, "proper Hi-Fi Speakers with a frequency response rated from 20hz-30khz and therefore there forte is most definitely 2 channel material and they certainly do not disappoint in this area, and atm I am not using a sub even for my multichannel system"

And you said, "I am amazed at how low these speakers actually go as they are only two way floor standers but the bass is very low indeed"

You also said, "" so ok where is the sub? " and when I told them it was just the 28's doing all the bass"

After listening to his speakers in many locations and in three different rooms we found the bass lacking. We moved the speakers around and never found that they could go low, as a matter of fact the -3db point appears to be 50hz as measured by REW with a calibrated mic! Not exactly low, is it! They dont measure or sound as if they go low and definatly do not go to 20hz.
Thats why I was wondering if you had an REW, well if you have not measured them my guess is that they are incapable of going that low in any room. Oh well he still likes them even if they do not do any real bass. Other than that we both think they sound "good". Perhaps he has a defective pair, or there is something going on in his systems electronics. 


Bob


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Hi Bob, maybe it is the rooms and the response in those rooms, ProAc state a frequency response of 20hz-30khz and yes they will struggle in some rooms to get anywhere near that figure that is why it is always good to get a home demo as I really wanted the D38's but the bass would of been too much and chose the D28's and in my room they sound great, I took the advice of my dealership and he could of made more money by selling the D38's but he gave me good advice.

My review is just my opinion of these speakers and true they may not reach that low dependant on the room but they sound sublime in mine.

Did your friend manage to get a pair of D38's to demo as they may of satisfied him ref bass response?


----------



## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Recruit, I just did some research and found this on the Stereophile website and it states

"It nicely correlates with MF's finding that the ProAc D28 "pushes forward slightly in the upper mids" with "a slightly bright top end." You called it correctly, Mikey. Below 300Hz, the graph shows the complex sum of the nearfield woofer and port outputs. The port resonance at 180Hz results in a rather disturbed-looking upper bass, though once the nearfield hump is taken into account, the D28 can be seen to extend at full level down to 42Hz or so, the frequency of the low E-string of both the double bass and the bass guitar. As MF noted, the D28's low end doesn't extend particularly deep. I also noted some doubling when I was driving the speaker with bass tones at high levels, with some unloading of the woofer cone below the port resonance. You can expect only so much from a 6.5" woofer."

This review is here, http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/808pro/index4.html

Oh well I guess he will have to live with the slightly anemic bass response that he has in his room, unless he decides to get a subwoofer. You are quite lucky that the speakers work so well in your room:sarcastic:

Bob


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Thanks Bob for the link and I have read that review many times over and again it will depend on the _room_ that the speakers are in and the response that they give, it is true you can only expect so much from a 6.5" bass driver but it goes plenty low enough for me and have never liked using a sub for Hi-Fi, and there is not many CD's out there which go below say 30hz anyway unless you are into Organ Music which is not really my cup of tea tbh.

I do use a sub for multichannel use and also movies and set the ProAc's to Large and once again they perform admirably set in that configuration, what I will always say is that no matter how many reviews and research you do on any speaker the only real way to find out if they work for you is to _Demo_ at _home_ in the _room_ that they will reside in or else it is just pot luck 

May be send an email to ProAc and ask them how they came to those figures quoted on there website and see what they say?


----------



## acoustat6 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Recruit, one of the first things I see is that your speakers are placed directly in the corners of your room which certainly helps boost the low freq response. 

Have you ever used REW to really find out what any of your systems response really are?

Bob


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

acoustat6 said:


> Hi Recruit, one of the first things I see is that your speakers are placed directly in the corners of your room which certainly helps boost the low freq response.
> 
> Have you ever used REW to really find out what any of your systems response really are?
> 
> Bob


Hi Bob, yes the location of the speakers obviously helps in boosting the speakers bass response.

My days of testing frequency responses are gone, I used to be out in school playgrounds testing sub woofers responses on Sunday mornings and my girlfriend thought I was mad :dumbcrazy:, I have not used REW as it is now but did used to fine tune my subs with a BFD before REW was available and thank goodness John created REW as it makes testing a lot simpler, he is one clever chap and is always tweaking and making it better I believe v5 is out now.

I know my room pretty well now and am happy to use my ears ref to the SQ and that is good enough for me, my sub has a problem around about 36hz and the Antimode takes care of that and with the quality that my AV888 gives, my set up does sound pretty good


----------



## Moonfly (Aug 1, 2008)

. . . and who said corner loading is always bad


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Moonfly said:


> . . . and who said corner loading is always bad


Yep, it certainly helps in some situations :T


----------



## hearingspecialist (Mar 15, 2010)

Very nice, nothing like a big enclosure and fine engineering : )


----------



## recruit (May 9, 2009)

hearingspecialist said:


> Very nice, nothing like a big enclosure and fine engineering : )


The D28's are crafted beautifully


----------



## MidwestAudioGuy (Nov 21, 2011)

Nice review and interestingly I have your exact speaker setup in the front; a pair of D-28 and the Proac Studio Center Channel. I have different cables and my electronics are Sunfire TGP-5 and TGA 5200. I use Noble Fidelity in-ceiling speakers for the rear speakers which match very nicely with the Proacs. I use a REL B3 because I prefer that to the JL Audio subs. You are right, even without the sub the bass in great but a little loss of control at higher volume levels. I also use the Oppo 83se with six Kimber Kable Hero interconnects. Awesome! Try San Fransisco Symphony SACD of Maler #2 and I almost cry with joy it sounds so good.

I set all my speakers to large and I read you set your center channel and rear speakers to small and have the d-28 manage those speakers lower octaves. I have set all my speakers to large. I felt the Proac Center Channel going down to 35 hz could handle that and the Noble Fidelity speakers can handle more than their share of bass too. My question to you is have you tried both large and small settings for your speakers and why did you settle on small?

Thanks,
MidwestAudioGuy


----------

