The Official Paradigm Speakers Thread

[got rice]

Originally Posted by rded

BluCheez, I have auditioned the Studio 100s extensively in fact I almost bought them. They(Paradigm) are what I call rock and roll speakers. The great thing about the studios 100 is that it is not too critical, harsh and unforgiving of bad recordings. They have a lot of slam but not bright I found them to be fatiguing to listen to at times. They do make bad recordings bearable. Just because they have a 8 ohm rating it doesn't mean they're fairly easy to drive. You're gonna need a decent amp though.

Originally Posted by rded

Oh. The studio 100s are very forgiving of bad records meaning they do not expose all the frequencies of bad recordings so listening sessions are enjoyable and pleasurable. The thing with true HI-Fi speakers is that the better the speakers are the more unforgiving they are of records. So you figure how bad recordings will sound on the signature series. Unfortunately, I do find Paradigms fatiguing due to their forward presentation,its just me as well all hear and perceive differently.

rdred, you are correct in that the term was "slam" not bright. My mistake.

With all due respect, there are inconsistencies in your observations. The first quote makes reference to the Studio 100's as:
" not too unforgiving of bad recordings. They have a lot of slam but not bright I found them to be fatiguing to listen to at times."

Then you follow up in the second quote as the 100's as:
"very forgiving of bad recordings so listening sessions are enjoyable and pleasurable."

I'm confused are they fatiguing or enjoyable and pleasurable?

Then you go on to say that "the thing with true Hi-Fispeakers is that the better the speakers are the more unforgiving they are of records.

i believe you are making refernce to Coloration of the sound waves. This is the newest R&D used by many of the hi end speakers today. A good illustration of this is the original Revl Ultima vs the Ultima 2. The original Ultima was known for the faithful sound reproduction, however the U2 reduces undesirable diffraction( bad recordings). This is the direction the "true Hi-Fi speaker companies are moving to.

footnote:http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-lo...m2-voice2.html

regards,
Got rice

[rded]

Originally Posted by got rice

rdred, you are correct in that the term was "slam" not bright. My mistake.

With all due respect, there are inconsistencies in your observations. The first quote makes reference to the Studio 100's as:
" not too unforgiving of bad recordings. They have a lot of slam but not bright I found them to be fatiguing to listen to at times."

Then you follow up in the second quote as the 100's as:
"very forgiving of bad recordings so listening sessions are enjoyable and pleasurable."

I'm confused are they fatiguing or enjoyable and pleasurable?

Then you go on to say that "the thing with true Hi-Fispeakers is that the better the speakers are the more unforgiving they are of records.

i believe you are making refernce to Coloration of the sound waves. This is the newest R&D used by many of the hi end speakers today. A good illustration of this is the original Revl Ultima vs the Ultima 2. The original Ultima was known for the faithful sound reproduction, however the U2 reduces undesirable diffraction( bad recordings). This is the direction the "true Hi-Fi speaker companies are moving to.

footnote:http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-lo...m2-voice2.html

regards,
Got rice

Wow, you are really splitting hairs here....Ok when I stated, "not too unforgiving" I actually meant not unforgiving i.e. forgiving.(2 negatives cancel each other out)
1. I find the digms to be pleasurable and when I say forgiving I mean that you can still listen to bad recordings without cringing and if you don't have stellar components up and downstream you will still find the sound pleasant. The studio 100s are not the most revealing speakers in the Paradigm line. But I bet you that the signature will reveal more and thus expose the bad frequencies that make you turn down the volume if the record not good. Overall, I do find that they add coloration to the sound-then again not a bad thing.
2. You acknowledge the fact the we hear and perceive things differently, I personally feel that the digms have a more forward presentation vs the likes of my Dynaudios and fell that the sound coming from them is a little "forced up the ears" kinda like B$w but still not bright. Due to this, I find them fatiguing especially with long/ extended listening sessions.
So, the digms do sound good and are quite pleasurable but in the end they are not the speakers for me.Am I bashing the brand? Absolutely not. This is my honest observation from when I auditioned them.I might have had some typos but I believe I have saying the same things over and over but this time I elaborated a little bit more.

Cheers

[got rice]

Originally Posted by rded

Wow, you are really splitting hairs here....Ok when I stated, "not too unforgiving" I actually meant not unforgiving i.e. forgiving.(2 negatives cancel each other out)
1. I find the digms to be pleasurable and when I say forgiving I mean that you can still listen to bad recordings without cringing and if you don't have stellar components up and downstream you will still find the sound pleasant. The studio 100s are not the most revealing speakers in the Paradigm line. But I bet you that the signature will reveal more and thus expose the bad frequencies that make you turn down the volume if the record not good. Overall, I do find that they add coloration to the sound-then again not a bad thing.
2. You acknowledge the fact the we hear and perceive things differently, I personally feel that the digms have a more forward presentation vs the likes of my Dynaudios and fell that the sound coming from them is a little "forced up the ears" kinda like B$w but still not bright. Due to this, I find them fatiguing especially with long/ extended listening sessions.
So, the digms do sound good and are quite pleasurable but in the end they are not the speakers for me.Am I bashing the brand? Absolutely not. This is my honest observation from when I auditioned them.I might have had some typos but I believe I have saying the same things over and over but this time I elaborated a little bit more.

Cheers

Fair enough... We agree that its all about perception of the end result.

Take it easy.

[tlmaclennan]

Do you guys think that $400 is a good price for a new Paradigm CC-290 v.5 center speaker? Right now I don't have the room but I want to have Monitor 7s for my fronts, a CC-290 for center and maybe the Mini or Titan Monitors for my surrounds. Eventually I would like to get a pair of the ADP-390s for surrounds and use the Minsi/Titans for rear surrounds, completing a 7.1 setup.

Anyways, for now I don't have the room or money for the Monitor 7s or ADP-390s. So I'm looking at using the Minis/Titans for my fronts, the CC-290 as center and my existing Polk RM6750 surrounds. I used the 6ave.com Name Your Price sale and they accepted my $350 for a pair of Mini Monitors and $400 for the CC-290. Should I accept the offers?

[got rice]

Originally Posted by tlmaclennan

Do you guys think that $400 is a good price for a new Paradigm CC-290 v.5 center speaker? Right now I don't have the room but I want to have Monitor 7s for my fronts, a CC-290 for center and maybe the Mini or Titan Monitors for my surrounds. Eventually I would like to get a pair of the ADP-390s for surrounds and use the Minsi/Titans for rear surrounds, completing a 7.1 setup.

Anyways, for now I don't have the room or money for the Monitor 7s or ADP-390s. So I'm looking at using the Minis/Titans for my fronts, the CC-290 as center and my existing Polk RM6750 surrounds. I used the 6ave.com Name Your Price sale and they accepted my $350 for a pair of Mini Monitors and $400 for the CC-290. Should I accept the offers?

that seems like a fair price for new w/ warranty. One thing you may consider is that will ship in 7-10days, so you may not receive the speaker for another 2 weeks.

My suggestion would be visit Paradigms website and contact the closest dealer and see if they will price match. This will allow you to get now, if in stock, and easier for warranty issues(no shipping bak and forth).

Another suggestion is the used market. Audiogon.com just recently sold a cc-290v.5 for $295.00. This website is known for its hi-end equipment and reputable sellers.

Good luck

[tlmaclennan]

Yea, I have nothing to compare it to so I wasn't sure what the speakers are selling for. I will have to check out Audiogon for any listings. I know there is one dealer listed on their site but its quite a distance away. Not sure if I can get out there anytime soon.

Thanks for the replies!

[vicdog]

I'm a lucky new owner of the monitor 9's with the 290 center. I couldn't be happier. They are better than I expected. the 290 was $350. I didn't think you could buy paradigm online. You have to go pick them up, no?

[Tru2theBlu]

Auditioned Paradigm Signature S 2's today, and wow they were awesome! For the price though, I think I will step down to the Monitor 9's w/ cc-290. But they were great if anyone is considering dropping $1200-$1400 on a pair of bookshelf speakers. And they had their Monitor 9's paired w/ a JL Audio F113, and it was pretty clean bass! Also a beauty.

[-DLS-]

I finally got to hear the new Studio series last week... My wife and kids were with me..I loved them.. She loved them.. She said why wait you'll get less if you sell your speakers later so I sold them within a day for exactly what I bought them for 4 months ago - lost the taxes that's all.

Now waiting for v5 Studio 100's and a CC-690.. hope the wait is not too long since there seems to be a high demand for the 100's but at least I got them ordered.

I've had 3 Energy RC-LCRs for about a week now up front and they actually sound pretty good for smaller speakers than what I had. I'll be giving them back once I get my Studios in. Can't wait. I love my wife!! Can't believe how that went down!

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by DLS_222

I finally got to hear the new Studio series last week... My wife and kids were with me..I loved them.. She loved them.. She said why wait you'll get less if you sell your speakers later so I sold them within a day for exactly what I bought them for 4 months ago - lost the taxes that's all.

Now waiting for v5's Studio 100's and a CC-690.. hope the wait is not too long since there seems to be a high demand for the 100's but at least I got them ordered.

I've have 3 Energy RC-LCRs for about a week now up front and they actually sound pretty good for smaller speakers than what I had. I'll be giving them back once I get my Studios in. Can't wait. I love my wife!! Can't believe how that went down!

That is awesome!! Congrats!! I had a chance to hear those while auditioning, what a great sounding speaker!

[-DLS-]

I guess I'll be waiting a bit longer - spoke to a Paradigm sales rep and the Studio 100's in Black should be available for shipping by next Wednesday. The last of the CC-690's shipped out today and I might have to wait a bit longer for that. They said they had a crazy amount of orders for both models the past 2 months. Shouldn't be too long though I just hate waiting!!

[Digity]

First post! I have a 11x11 room with the Paradigm V6 Mini Monitors fronts, V6 CC190 center, V6 ADP190s surrounds, Velodyne DPS12 for a 5.1 system, It sounds pretty good but my little room needs room treatments. Should I save up for the Monitor 7s? is it a huge upgrade?

[skar]

Originally Posted by Digity

First post! I have a 11x11 room with the Paradigm V6 Mini Monitors fronts, V6 CC190 center, V6 ADP190s surrounds, Velodyne DPS12 for a 5.1 system, It sounds pretty good but my little room needs room treatments. Should I save up for the Monitor 7s? is it a huge upgrade?

I have the 7's c-290 & a190s And they seem to sound better at 20 feet then at 10.
I used the audyssey auto set on my Onko . That said you should be fine.

[dobyblue]

Over the mini monitors? Absolutely it would be a huge upgrade.

[rickdeth]

Originally Posted by DLS_222

I guess I'll be waiting a bit longer - spoke to a Paradigm sales rep and the Studio 100's in Black should be available for shipping by next Wednesday. The last of the CC-690's shipped out today and I might have to wait a bit longer for that. They said they had a crazy amount of orders for both models the past 2 months. Shouldn't be too long though I just hate waiting!!

Cant wait to see your set-up when you get these, you'll love the center.

Im assuming all version 5 ? I really wish i had the v.5 center i liked the curves on it.

[-DLS-]

Originally Posted by rickdeth

Cant wait to see your set-up when you get these, you'll love the center.

Im assuming all version 5 ? I really wish i had the v.5 center i liked the curves on it.

Yes they are the v5's and I know everyone loves the Rosenut finish on any speaker but I am gonna have them in Black real soon.

A Paradigm rep called me yesterday personally rather than my dealer calling me just to tell me that they had one single CC-690 ready and the rest not expected til May 17th, but they have shipped it out with the Studio 100's and it should should arrive at my dealers place this Tuesday. So I would say Thursday or Friday hopefully since nothing ever comes on time. But man am I excited for these!!

I gotta give it to Paradigm for customer service - just a simple courtesy call shows how much they value their customers!!!

[rickdeth]

Originally Posted by DLS_222

Yes they are the v5's and I know everyone loves the Rosenut finish on any speaker but I am gonna have them in Black real soon.

A Paradigm rep called me yesterday personally rather than my dealer calling me just to tell me that they had one single CC-690 ready and the rest not expected til May 17th, but they have shipped it out with the Studio 100's and it should should arrive at my dealers place this Tuesday. So I would say Thursday or Friday hopefully since nothing ever comes on time. But man am I excited for these!!

I gotta give it to Paradigm for customer service - just a simple courtesy call shows how much they value their customers!!!

i'm excited for you

[efesbe]

I have been thinking of getting some Paradigm Atoms or minis for rear surrounds but I am very unfamiliar with the version changes. Lets just say I don't know what the current versions are for any of the Paradigms. What do you all think of using either of those speakers for rear surrounds. They will be ceiling mounted and angled to the sweet spot of course. I will also consider an older version but not too old but don't know what the differences are between current versions and a few versions back. Can anyone chime in on this.

[got rice]

Originally Posted by efesbe

I have been thinking of getting some Paradigm Atoms or minis for rear surrounds but I am very unfamiliar with the version changes. Lets just say I don't know what the current versions are for any of the Paradigms. What do you all think of using either of those speakers for rear surrounds. They will be ceiling mounted and angled to the sweet spot of course. I will also consider an older version but not too old but don't know what the differences are between current versions and a few versions back. Can anyone chime in on this.

Dobyblue is pretty knowledgable with Paradigm, I'm sure he can differentiate between the v.'s. You may want to PM him.

[supaman72]

Originally Posted by efesbe

I have been thinking of getting some Paradigm Atoms or minis for rear surrounds but I am very unfamiliar with the version changes. Lets just say I don't know what the current versions are for any of the Paradigms. What do you all think of using either of those speakers for rear surrounds. They will be ceiling mounted and angled to the sweet spot of course. I will also consider an older version but not too old but don't know what the differences are between current versions and a few versions back. Can anyone chime in on this.

I was thinking the same thing on the atom or mini monitors for the rears, but they will be used as fronts for a few months untill I move into my house. I was wondering what u guys thought of this idea or are the adp series gonna be better as surrounds and I should just wait untill I get the monitor 7s? Thanks in advance