LSi15 vs Paradigm Studio 100

kolyan2k

can anyone input on this. thanks

audiobliss

I'd be ineterested to find out what folks think. I like Paradigm's stuff, but the LSi25 is a very nice speaker.

PolknPepsi

I used to own the Studio 40's-III and the tweeter was a bit too much for me, the Polk's I've not had a chance to hear.

audiobliss

By 'too much', do you mean it was too bright/harsh?

Schris22

I haven't heard the Lsi yet but I have heard the studio's and they are amazing in my opinion.

Though I hear the same thing for the Lsi. One major difference would be ohms so unless you have proper equip already you might need to upgrade, but on the other hand the studio 100 isn't a small speaker so you probably need seperate amplification anyway.

Chris

kolyan2k

today i listened to studio 100s but the store didn't have Polks, so i can't say which sounded better. i only compared them to B&W 600s and Paradigm won here. the rep. at the store said that it's like comparing station wagon to a sports car......and all depends on what you need. but gerenaly Paradigms are better built speakers.

markmarc

As much as I like the LSi15, the Paradigm Studio 100's are a better speaker IMHO. I have heard them and they handle their own quite well against the Totem Forest in a direct comparison across all forms of music.
I just read my copy of Stereophile last night and I believe the Studio 100's were rated a Recommended Class B.

jeepslave20

i spent a large amount of time trying to figure out if i should go with the paradigm studios or the lsi's.

i was never able to compare the lsi15 to the studio 100, but i did listen to the lsi9 vs studio 20 (both of which are the bookshelf equivalents). the studio blew the lsi9 away. i will grant the fact the the lsi9s just came out of the box and where underpowered when i listened to them, but the studio was incredible. the studio 20 held it's own with every speaker that i listened to (b&w, klipsch, nht, polk, thiel, etc)

i would gladly listen to the polks again, but my vote would be for the paradigms. hands down.

organ

I worked in a high end HT store in the summer and heard all the Pdigms being powered by Anthem seperates. They're nice but IMO the LSi are superior. The Pdigms sounds thin and bright in comparison to the LSi. I like the LSi a lot more. The Paradigm sounds more like a refined RTi line to me.

Maurice

shack

I've heard both on several occasions and I PREFER the LSi15s.

PolknPepsi

audiobliss wrote:

By 'too much', do you mean it was too bright/harsh?

Yes, I guess you could describe them that way. The tweeter just sounded a little more forward/louder than the rest for music. For movies (voices) they were great but that tweeter sure showed itself too much during any music and that's what drove me to trade them in.
Just for kicks in the future I'd like to try some Lsi9's.

organ

That's what I hear too. I love metal tweets but not like that. I hear some of this on the Tannoy Eirys(sp) but it could have been the Yamaha receiver and optical connection.

W WALDECKER

kolyan2k wrote:

can anyone input on this. thanks

i owned the lsi 15s and replaced them with a pair of Paradigm reference studio 100v3s. the lsi15s listed for $1800 the 100v3s listed for $2300 to my ears the 100v3s were worth the extra $500.00 i loved the midrange and treble of the lsi15s but the bottom end was lacking and a tad muddy with the gear i was using at the time. thanks....WCW III

tdeluce

W WALDECKER wrote:

i owned the lsi 15s and replaced them with a pair of Paradigm reference studio 100v3s. the lsi15s listed for $1800 the 100v3s listed for $2300 to my ears the 100v3s were worth the extra $500.00 i loved the midrange and treble of the lsi15s but the bottom end was lacking and a tad muddy with the gear i was using at the time. thanks....WCW III

Did you like the midrange and treble on the LSi15s better
than the 100v3 s?

knownalien_

W WALDECKER wrote:

i owned the lsi 15s and replaced them with a pair of Paradigm reference studio 100v3s. the lsi15s listed for $1800 the 100v3s listed for $2300 to my ears the 100v3s were worth the extra $500.00 i loved the midrange and treble of the lsi15s but the bottom end was lacking and a tad muddy with the gear i was using at the time. thanks....WCW III

with enough watts driving your 15's you would not have thought the bass was lacking unless a) you have a HUGE room or possibly you listen to a lot of rap-like music. I listen to all music flat. Flat. And at that, even rap sounds like the cars you drive by and wish we off the road. In fact, I turned off my subwoofer!! Don't need it now.

tdeluce

knownalien_ wrote:

with enough watts driving your 15's you would not have thought the bass was lacking unless a) you have a HUGE room or possibly you listen to a lot of rap-like music. I listen to all music flat. Flat. And at that, even rap sounds like the cars you drive by and wish we off the road. In fact, I turned off my subwoofer!! Don't need it now.

Definitely don't need a sub for music. I upgraded to
three monoblock outlaw 300 watt amps to drive my LCR
and I am using my Denon 4802 to drive my surrounds.
This complete transormed my entire audio system.

I love my Velodyne HGS-15X for movies :-)

markmarc

I consider the Paradigm 20's and the LSi7's comparable with the edge to the 20's due to a more consistent sound across the board. The LSi9's dominated the 20's especially in the lower octives where the 20's rolloff. The Paradigm 40's and the LSi9's are very similar. Once again, I give a slight edge to the Paradigm, but that could have easily changed based upon equipment.

A key I found in comparing the Paradigms and the LSi's is finding a fair volume comparison, as the Paradigms are 8 Ohms, and the LSi's 4 Ohm. Either brand I consider to be a fine addition to audio system.

2+2

The Paradigm Studio 100s are great speakers that I would have loved to have....but they were $1000 more in my neck of the woods...and it was not worth the improvement over the LSi15s for me.

kolyan2k

here in Boston Paradigm 100s v3 are $1900 and LSis are $1700

organ

In Canada, you can get Paradigm at excellent prices. I've been to the Pdigm warehouse a few times and almost blew a load. Huge warehouse with Pdigm stacked to the roof. All the lines are there.

W WALDECKER

tdeluce wrote:

Did you like the midrange and treble on the LSi15s better
than the 100v3 s?

i did not compare both side by side so it is tough to call. the amplifiers i am using now are much better than the RB 1080 that i was using at the time so the overall results including the bass performance may have been much different and for the better.thanks....WCW III

W WALDECKER

knownalien_ wrote:

with enough watts driving your 15's you would not have thought the bass was lacking unless a) you have a HUGE room or possibly you listen to a lot of rap-like music. I listen to all music flat. Flat. And at that, even rap sounds like the cars you drive by and wish we off the road. In fact, I turned off my subwoofer!! Don't need it now.

i dont listen to rap music and i was using a 200 wpc Rotel RB1080 power amplifier. my listening room is 14' x 24' Mileage will vary from system to system and if i had the lsi15s in my current system the results may have been quite different and for the better. thanks....WCW III

LuSh

I've compared both lines. Paradigm imho is becoming more of a marketing company...they splash patents and review awards around more and more. In Canada (where I live) a few people consider them some of the best speakers made period. The funny thing is that even dealers, have no idea why they sell so well. I have talked to more then 1 dealer who hated the bright, harsh sound of the Paradigm and mid range boom, but said his customers loved it and its paying bills.

I do think the Paradigm house sound makes the speakers jump out at you for short listening periods. They are fairly efficient and don't require higherend electronics to make them sing. But, in terms of build quality I have no idea why a dealer would say a Paradigm is a better built speaker. It simply isn't the case. Also when both series of speakers are setup properly I think the LSi would shine through.

Much of this is personal taste, you might like green I might like blue and we could sit here and argue all day. But there are very few dealers in Canada or the US that have the electronics to make the LSi's shine in a way they should. And because of this few people never get a chance to listen to the LSi's at their max potential. From my listening experiences the Paradigm dealers usually have better gear around, and the speaker isn't as picky as the LSi's. Hence the Paradigms are usually demo'd at near or close to their potential. The LSi's are a much more demanding speaker, with a much more refinded top end that is totally holographic when mated with the highest of electronics.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Polk Audio LSi speakers are a tremendous value in audio. That says something when you can mate these speakers with very highend eletronics and they sound better and better. It's a shame Polk Audio's distribution channels have more mass market appeal and very few highend dealers. I understand why they don't (it's a simple question of economics) and use larger massive retailers that carry more AVR and Home Theatre. But just ONCE I'd love to hear a set of Polk Audio LSi15's setup with an Ayre, Linn source and quality amplification from Plinius or Classe from a dealer who also carried Paradigm. I think the differences in the speakers would be striking and I think that dealer would be selling alot more Polk Audio product.

ninerbj

Amen Lush...well said.

W WALDECKER

LuSh wrote:

I've compared both lines. Paradigm imho is becoming more of a marketing company...they splash patents and review awards around more and more. In Canada (where I live) a few people consider them some of the best speakers made period. The funny thing is that even dealers, have no idea why they sell so well. I have talked to more then 1 dealer who hated the bright, harsh sound of the Paradigm and mid range boom, but said his customers loved it and its paying bills.

I do think the Paradigm house sound makes the speakers jump out at you for short listening periods. They are fairly efficient and don't require higherend electronics to make them sing. But, in terms of build quality I have no idea why a dealer would say a Paradigm is a better built speaker. It simply isn't the case. Also when both series of speakers are setup properly I think the LSi would shine through.

Much of this is personal taste, you might like green I might like blue and we could sit here and argue all day. But there are very few dealers in Canada or the US that have the electronics to make the LSi's shine in a way they should. And because of this few people never get a chance to listen to the LSi's at their max potential. From my listening experiences the Paradigm dealers usually have better gear around, and the speaker isn't as picky as the LSi's. Hence the Paradigms are usually demo'd at near or close to their potential. The LSi's are a much more demanding speaker, with a much more refinded top end that is totally holographic when mated with the highest of electronics.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Polk Audio LSi speakers are a tremendous value in audio. That says something when you can mate these speakers with very highend eletronics and they sound better and better. It's a shame Polk Audio's distribution channels have more mass market appeal and very few highend dealers. I understand why they don't (it's a simple question of economics) and use larger massive retailers that carry more AVR and Home Theatre. But just ONCE I'd love to hear a set of Polk Audio LSi15's setup with an Ayre, Linn source and quality amplification from Plinius or Classe from a dealer who also carried Paradigm. I think the differences in the speakers would be striking and I think that dealer would be selling alot more Polk Audio product.

i surely beg to differ with you on your comments that Paradigms sound bright and harsh. mayby in certain systems but not all systems. when i powered the Studio 100v3s with the 200 wpc Rotel RB 1080 they were slightly hot on the top and compressed sounding and when i switched to the 150 wpc 100 amps of current Odyssey Khartago monoblocks they were a totally different animal and it was easy to see why they are considered a Reference loudspeaker. these speakers thrive on high current and and should not be so easily dismissed or taken so lightly and if you had walked in my shoes and put them through the paces with a variety of gear as i have you would know this! blanket statements can come back to bite you in the ****.thanks....WCW III

audiobliss

Sounds like it may be similar to the LSi series, in that it's picky with its equipment!

W WALDECKER

audiobliss wrote:

Sounds like it may be similar to the LSi series, in that it's picky with its equipment!

BINGO!

audiobliss

Zero wrote:

Others who have the chance or patience to unlock their potential will be rewarded…

Sounds like I better go with Paradigm!

markmarc

LuSu:
I've got to respectfully disagree with you as well. I've heard every model from all three series (monitor, studio, signature). Only the entry level monitor series could some see in this light, and then in comparison to much higher quality speakers.

I have had the good fortune to listen to Paradigms through Rotel, Music Fidelity, & Bryston. For a big production outfit, they hold their own against more esoteric companies, especially with both the studio and signature lines.

The patents they hold are in collaboration with a Canadian science institute, a gov't sponsored entity that assists private companies by pooling research costs. The results benefit all companies in some form.

W WALDECKER

audiobliss wrote:

Sounds like I better go with Paradigm!

there are many great loudspeakers from many manufacturers that sound wonderful including Polk and Paradigm. dont limit your choices because there is alot to be missed if you are not open minded.

audiobliss

Very good point.