Напольная акустика — ProAc Response D30RS Mahagon

The Response D30RS is the ribbon-equipped variant of the D30 floorstander from ProAc, the English maker that Stewart Tyler has led since 1979 after earlier designing under the Celef Audio name, and the Mahogany listing refers to one of the standard wood finishes. A revised D30R was announced in February 2017 with new woofers and a reworked crossover, and ProAc now sells the model as part of the D30S generation, where the D30RS sits beside the dome-equipped D30DS. At the 2017 launch the price was USD 7,800 per pair in standard finishes and USD 8,800 in upgraded veneers.

Key specs that matter

Across its two ways the speaker has a stated frequency response of 20 Hz to 30 kHz, 89 dB sensitivity at 1 watt and 1 metre and an 8 ohm nominal impedance. High frequencies come from a ProAc ribbon 60 mm by 10 mm in size, whose motor uses alnico and whose rear chamber is damped, and ProAc fits the same type of ribbon to the D48R. The woofer uses a mica and pulp cone with an acoustic coating and a phase plug. The cabinet is 1041 mm high.

Engineering and use context

For the 2017 update ProAc replaced the woofers with drivers made from the same mica-pulp material as those in the D48R, and introduced a fresh phase plug meant to widen dispersion around the crossover point. The ribbon unit stayed as it was. Stewart Tyler revised the crossover using hand-assembled components that were tuned by ear, and internal wiring uses multistrand copper of the oxygen free type. The enclosure is MDF damped with bitumen and uses a bass reflex port. ProAc hand-crafts its speakers, with one technician building and testing each unit, and lists Black Ash, Mahogany, Cherry, Natural Oak and Walnut in its regular veneer range, with Liquidambar, Rosewood and Ebony built only on request. The input panel uses nickel silver terminals. ProAc positions the D30 as the choice for buyers who want a smaller floorstander than the D48 while keeping comparable bass loading, cone material, tweeter and crossover design. The front is covered by an acoustically transparent crimplene grille.

Pairing

ProAc states a continuous power range of 10 to 200 W for suitable amplifiers and calls the D30S easy to drive. Because the crossover is split, the D30RS accepts bi-wiring or two separate amplifier channels for bi-amplification.

Alternatives

The ProAc Response D20R is a smaller ribbon-equipped floorstander with a 165 mm glass fibre weave woofer and a height of 978 mm on spikes.