First Impressions ProAc D20R

Our system is a Nait XSII, Hi-Cap, Naim DAC and a universal Sony CD/DVD used as a transport for the DAC with a Hi-Line between the DAC and Nait and Chord speaker cables. A move required a downsizing of speakers to fit a great room with a cathedral ceiling.

Speakers are on the long wall with windows behind them letting us listen and look out on a green belt, the clincher for our new home.

We went to our nearly two decade’s long stereo shop and after listening agreed that the ProAc D20R really was the one and also took up only 1/3 the space of our departing speakers, now how would they sound in our new home? Our shop let us take them home for a demo and we called back that they wouldn’t be coming back. So some listening impressions.

First, these are musical speakers, yes you can hear deep into the recording and hear the drums, bass guitar, etc., but they are not plucked apart for examination, they are there as part of the music.

Highway 99 All-Stars- “Sweet Little Angel”, B.B. King: This is a live recording at our favorite Blues Club where there the night  they recorded these tracks and in fact danced all the way through “Sweet Little Angel”. First listening moment was a chuckle, the imaging of the band members was wonderful, however they had Hot Rod Holman on his B3 Hammond Organ coming out of the left speaker when he performed on the right side of the stage and trombonist Randy Oxford came out of the right speaker when he was on the left side of the stage! Speaking of that trombone, each performer got to show case through the performance of this song and this performer could make his trombone sing, soft/loud, splatty and crooning, did I mention that these are the best of the best with three members being band leaders. Live, yes it was a live recording with crowd shout outs, but live was the feeling we got sitting and hearing Robby Laws sing both vocally and through his guitar. Live music to us is the standard and these speakers passed the test.

Pilgrim-“River of Tears”, Eric Clapton: This is grief, reconciliation, redemption and a man in full power of his life and art, it opens with a thundering deep bass heart beat that the song carries off of and then enters the guitar and voice of Eric Clapton. That opening intro should pressurize the room and somehow these small towers with a venting port in their base did it. This was a jaw drop moment in our home. You don’t ask how, you just hear it and join Erik in a river of tears. Bass and dynamics, check.

The Essential Simon & Garfunkel-“Scarborough Fair/Canticle”, Simon & Garfunkel: I have heard this song since the 60s, but last night I heard the harmony for the first time. Two voices singing together like rivers or great winds where greater and lesser currents blended and separated and we were the kite or floating leaf taken into their journey. Voices, acoustics check.

More, there’s always more music, we’re waiting to find CDs we’ve packed away during the move, but for the moment these musical speakers are everything we would wish for, good luck to all who search for beauty.