Summary: This is a review of the newer Response D15 had it for 5 months and about 200 hrs playing time. I contructed and completed an attic studio in Sept 2003 in view of placing my guitars and planned for a decent audiophile equipments for easy and private listening.
Upon completion went around an auditioned speakers and equipment which included Vandersteen 3a, 2a, Sonus fabers, Thiel and Proacs and others. I initially end up with a Proac Studio 125 which was fairly decent but within a few weeks went back to the shop and swapped for a Response D15. I wanted a simple equipment arrangement and had a Prmare I20 amp and a Primare D20 CD player to drive the speakers. It came close to my acceptance but felt something was not showing the true colors of the speakers and upgraded the int amp with the new hybrid Copland CSA 29. After sufficient break in time the D15 came to fully alive. Seperation and imaging was superb. Bass I felt was not as strong as the Proac Studio but was more accurate.High was clear and the mids was something to die for. It was not too engaging which I prefered and no forwardness detected. Everything came together nicely, no fatigue and have been enjoying music for hours since.
Strengths: Mids and imaging.
Weaknesses: I can use with a stronger bass.
Similar Products Used: Bose, Mission.
Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: Terrific small two way design. I had the 2.5 for years but needed something smaller for a medium sized room. The 1.5 gives much of the performance of the 2.5 and images a bit better. The 2.5 has better bass, and has a richer midrange, but that would depend on the size of your room. A much better buy than the 1SC with good stands. For a few hundred more you get some real bass and a deeper, richer sound.
Strengths: Imaging, midrange, coherant, strong tight bass, easy to drive with tubes or ss.
Weaknesses: Expensive but worth it
Similar Products Used: Proac 1SC, 2s, 2.5, Audio Physic Virgo, ML Aeon, B&W 805
Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Summary: there is just a word for these speakers: addictive!
I cannot stop listening, specially when there are vocals involved.
Strengths: all but raw bass weight
Weaknesses: I cannot bring them to work
Similar Products Used: A few
Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Rating Reviewed by: ken ambrose(Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date January 19, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 4 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 3.33 of 5,
3 votes
Review NaN of
, from San Francisco
Price Paid:
$2900.00
from reference-av.com
Summary: WOW, what a revelation compared to my Boston Acoustics VR-950s (although to be fair the boston's are 1/3 the price)!
After > 1 year avg. 2 hours/day listening, I can say that listener fatigue - the audiophile problem from hell- is completely gone from my listening with these guys. I _never_ thought that would happen!
Details:
Imaging is magnificent, truly eerie sometimes. Often the speakers completely disappear and the soundfield is spread smoothly and evenly across a virtual-soundstage! I can often pick out individual placement of instruments and vocalists between the actual speakers, something I could never do before.
Midrange - to die for as they say. Male and female vocals provide all the presence of live- and I listen to live a lot. You can hear the breathiness, lip-smacks, etc. as you would in live. Detail at lower levels is magnificent, so the expressiveness in the human voice is reproduced like no other speakers I've heard.
Transients- no not homeless people- I mean the ability of these speakers to recreate the startling dynamics and speed of live music. Drum attacks snap out at you just like a live combo.
Bass- to be honest I use a subwoofer and dbx subharmonic synthesizer becuase I often play loud and my tube amp only has 25 wpc. So I cannot comment on the bass, never had these powered adequately to drive the bass with the main amp.
Treble- sweet,non-fatiguing but still great resolution and tingle. I swear I can count the rivits on the cymbals.
Summary: I am reviewing the Response D15, not the 1.5 These are extraodinary speakers, very "clean" in sound and in appearance, not too big but with a "big" a cristal sound - and they are not yet fully "broken". The bass they can produce is astonishing, bearing in mind their size and the size of the drivers - I guess mainly because the floorported bass extension - and the midrange is very accurate as is the tweeter.
Their appearance is not too appealing but we can not have it all.Great little/"big" speakers
Strengths: Excellent sound, good bass, cristal clear mid range and tweeter.Rock solid construction
Weaknesses: A bit expensive but I assume I paid for their general very good quality of construction and components.
Similar Products Used: BW's DM 580, Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home
Would you like to Comment? Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.