Paradigm Studios

mystik610

What is everyone's thoughts on these?

I'm building a house with a dedicated HT, and thought the Studios might be better for HT than my LSi's. Went to a local AV shop and had a chance to listen to the Studio 60's and were less than impressed. Maybe I'm accustomed to the warmth of the LSi9's, but the Studios don't sound much better than the RTi's to me.

The Studios were hooked up to an Onkyo 809, which is probably less than ideal, but as much praise as these things get, I expected more. The bass was nice and punchy and very accurate, but the highs seemed rather shrill, and the mid-range was very anemic. Brought a co-workers of mine, who is also an audiophile, and he commented that they sound like your run of the mill big-box store speaker.

Build quality is also not nearly as nice as it seems in the pictures. Only slightly better than the RTi cabinets IMO.

This is one those situations where I was ready to buy, and wanted to like them, but was kind of dissapointed. I'm going to try another a/v store next week to check the studios out again, but part of me is leaning to having the cross-overs upgraded in my LSi9's instead, or possibly picking up the LSiMs.

leroyjr1

Get the LSIm's.

dkg999

I have the Paradigm Studio Reference 20v3's. It takes a long, long, long time for the tweeters to break in. And they are very particular about source gear. When the tweeters settle down and you get the right source gear, oh baby!

mystik610

dkg999 wrote: »

I have the Paradigm Studio Reference 20v3's. It takes a long, long, long time for the tweeters to break in. And they are very particular about source gear. When the tweeters settle down and you get the right source gear, oh baby!

I noticed you're also running the LSi's. I know its an apples to oranges comparison, but what are your thoughts in comparing the two?

I love the LSi's musically, but I'm thinking a brighter speaker might be better for HT. On the flip-side, I've owned the RTi's in the past, and they really are fatiguing when listening to music for extended periods. I've always heard that the Paradigm Studios were bright, but with a rich mid-range and not at all harsh. What I heard today was not indicative of that.

adb3da

dkg999 wrote: »

I have the Paradigm Studio Reference 20v3's. It takes a long, long, long time for the tweeters to break in. And they are very particular about source gear. When the tweeters settle down and you get the right source gear, oh baby!

I also have Studio 20 v.3's and I would add that they are particular to their room too. They sound terrible in my living room and good in my office. When setup well, they sound fabulous.

jawhog

I've had the Studios 20s V2, 20s v4, 20s v5, and the 40s v2. They've changed over time, but have all stayed with a certain type of sound. Version 2 and version 4 had a recessed midrange. This led to a very clear, non nasal and non boxy sound, but it also sucked the life out of certain movies and guitar heavy rock.

The Studio 20 v5s that I had didn't suffer from that as much. Mids were more balanced. Treble was very good and extended without being shrill and they were just all around great. Compared to the RTiA1s that I had, I thought the build quality was outstanding (should be for a speaker costing twice as much). Much more solid, fully rounded without that flat back, and all the edges were smoother, the wood richer.

Having no experience with the 60s, I have to ask, did you listen the the 20s while you were there? It's actually hard to find someone that doesn't like them. They might prefer something else, but I've hardly ever seen someone write "I hated the 20s". With a sub (the 60s need a sub also), the 20's can hold their own in a decently sized room.

If you hear the 20s and don't like them, then either the setup is bad, or maybe you're used to something different from the Studio's sound.

mantis

I'm a Paradigm Dealer and the Studio line is more suited for music then theater. They are not for me but many people love them. They do have a pretty big following.
For music they can be nice , a step up from LSI and on par with LSIM. But IMO none of these speakers are exceptional for a theater room unless music is first then theater because you love your music speakers.
Yes all speakers can play sound , so can a christmas card but it's selecting the right speakers for your preference is key.
Lets talk about your use of these speakers. I got theater is in order but how much music will you be doing with the given system? What size is this theater your building? What movies do you like to watch?

Answer these questions for me and I can guide you in the right direction.

mystik610

mantis wrote: »

I'm a Paradigm Dealer and the Studio line is more suited for music then theater. They are not for me but many people love them. They do have a pretty big following.
For music they can be nice , a step up from LSI and on par with LSIM. But IMO none of these speakers are exceptional for a theater room unless music is first then theater because you love your music speakers.
Yes all speakers can play sound , so can a christmas card but it's selecting the right speakers for your preference is key.
Lets talk about your use of these speakers. I got theater is in order but how much music will you be doing with the given system? What size is this theater your building? What movies do you like to watch?

Answer these questions for me and I can guide you in the right direction.

I honestly don't see myself sitting in a dedicated home theater listening to music. I love the LSi9's musically, but I agree that they're good, not spectacular for home theater. These will probably be kept in the living-room (which is being pre-wired for 5.1), as this is where I'll more regularly be listening to music.

I definitely want a more 'aggressive' set of speakers for the media room....something that throws the soundstage at you, rather than the LSi's, which seem to pull you into the soundstage. The media room will be 14' x 16'. Not exactly a huge room. Definitely open to suggestions on speaker lines. I haven't ruled out a 'down-grade' to the RTi-A9's either, as I have a set of FXi3's and RTi-A1's in the attic.