Напольная акустика — ProAc Response D48

The Response D48 is a floorstander with two mid/bass drivers in the ProAc Response Range, made in Brackley, Northamptonshire, and its cabinet is taller than those of the D20 and D30S. ProAc says the D48 entered production after a year of intensive research and development, with the work concentrated on the midrange and on a cleaner, faster and more extended bass. Two versions exist - the D48D with a silk dome tweeter and the D48R with a ribbon, the same pair of options ProAc offers on the D2, D20 and D30S.

Key specs that matter

Two ProAc 165 mm (6.5 in) mid/bass drivers cover bass and midrange together before the crossover passes the top octaves to the tweeter. The dome option is a 25 mm (1 in) silk unit with air cooling and inner damping, offset in mirrored pairs, and the ribbon option has a diaphragm lighter than a human hair, an alnico magnet and a damped rear chamber. ProAc rates the D48 at 20 Hz to 30 kHz with 90 dB linear sensitivity for 1 W at 1 m, a nominal impedance of 4 ohms and a recommended amplifier range of 10 to 250 W. Each cabinet is 1200 mm tall on spikes, 212 mm wide and 340 mm deep, and weighs 39 kg.

Engineering and use context

For this model ProAc designed a bass driver of studio monitor quality, with an impregnated cone and a dust cap larger than standard that tunes the mid frequencies. Each of the two drivers is loaded through ProAc floor loading with side vents, which the maker says makes the speaker easier to position and less sensitive to its surroundings. The filter network uses high grade parts mounted on a dedicated circuit board, multistrand oxygen-free copper cable runs throughout, and the crossover is split to accept bi-wiring or bi-amplification. Standard veneers include walnut, natural oak, silk white, cherry, mahogany and black ash, while liquidambar, rosewood and ebony are made to order for an additional charge. Every finish except silk white can now be supplied with magnetic grilles in crimplene cloth.

Pairing

The low nominal impedance is the main difference from the D30S and D20, so an amplifier that stays stable and delivers current into lower loads suits it best, while the sensitivity keeps the demand for raw wattage moderate. With the split crossover, a pair of stereo power amplifiers can drive the bass and treble sections separately.

Alternatives

The ProAc Response D30S is a slimmer floorstander from the same range, using a single Pagina Mica mid/bass driver and an 8 ohm nominal load.