Polk or Paradigm speakers

Bernie

Hello I am new to this board. (As you all are wondering.) I do have a question for you. I am in the process of creating a completely new system for dual use. 60% music / 40% movies. I am looking at Polk, Paradigm and Denon electronics. The most impressive speaker I have listened to is the Paradigm Studio 100(for tunes, and pushing my budget.) Polks reputation is ovious. What do you fine people think of Paradigm? Thank you.

elsid88

I have POLK all around matched up with the DENON AVR-4800 and POA-5200.

The dollars I spent on these products vs the enjoyment I get, I couldn't be happier and anyone who has been in my theater has been quite impressed.

My $.02.

SETUP:
RT1000i (L/R)
CS400i (C)
f/x 500i (SL/SR)
RT35i (SBL/SBR)
PSW650 (SUB)
Toshiba 57HX81
Panasonic RP-56
Monster MHTS3500
Denon AVR4800
Denon POA5200

________________

"That's a winner" (The late Jack Francis Buck)

TroyD

Paradigm is a good quality brand. I've listened to them quite a bit and find them to be very competitive with Polk. I generally prefer Polks over the Pdime monitor line. The Reference series is pretty sexy though.

Give 'em both a listen and buy what you think sounds best.

BDT

jcaut

I went through the Polk vs. Paradigm thing a while back. They're both "high-value" brands, meaning they give you a lot for your money. Like Troy, I preferred the Polks to the Paradigm Monitor line--- I listened extensively to the Monitor 11, and ended up buying Polk RT800i's. I think your dollars go a little farther with Polk. If money wasn't as much of a concern, maybe the Paradigm Reference series....

And my Polks work well with my Denon 3801.

Jason

tony27

The studio 100's over all of polk including the LSi25. its obvious polk quality is going the way of mass produce,,,quality? small drivers for what?

Aaron

I've listened to the Studio 100's on several occasions, and they just don't do anything for me. They sound average to me, especially for their $2000 asking price. Sure, there aren't a lot of decent 3-way speakers out there for that price, but there is one that comes to mind: the LSi15. While I haven't heard them (LSi15's), what I heard of the LSi9 (even on lousy gear) makes me think the LSi's will outperform the Studio line. I think if you did an A/B of the LSi15 and Studio 100, you'd find the LSi to be the more refined speaker. The only area that it probably can't quite hang with the Studio 100 would be in bass output (single 8" and a much smaller cabinet). Still, the Studio 100's aren't the last word in bass either.

Aaron

TroyD

I'd further add that the build quality of the Polks is superior to most other speakers even near it's price range. Bigger drivers doesn't guarantee better sound quality.

BDT

matthew_2

Yeah, big drivers does not mean better sound. I would rather have a Paradigm Studio60, over the bigger Studio80.

HBombToo

I just priced the B&W line. Nice box, great sound but I didn't notice justification for plus 4K...

hoosier21

My opinion means nothing to say the least, but I just bought Paradigm Reference all around 100's CC and ADP. Nice well made stuff. Can't say they are better than LSi's but clearly better than RTi line.

Aaron did you get a good demo of the 100's? what don't you like?

Aaron

Aaron did you get a good demo of the 100's? what don't you like?

Studio 100 v2 demo history

Demo 1: low-end Parasound separates with a low-end DVD player source. This was a completely unimpressive demo in every way.

Demo 2: good quality Anthem separates with a Sony ES changer. The problem with this demo was speaker placement. They are positioned really far apart and weren't aiming in the same direction (so there wasn't a very good center image). This again resulted in a completely unimpressive demo. One thing I did notice between this demo and the first was that the Studio's seemed to have more bass (and tighter). This was definitely due to the much for powerful Anthem amp. After listening to these I listened to the B&W Nautilus 805 bookshelf's, and they totally kicked the Paradigm's face in. No surprise, really. They cost the same amount, but obviously your money is going to very different places with these very different speakers.

Demo 3: same Anthem separates and Sony ES changer as in Demo 2, but in a different store. Here the placement and seating position was pretty good. Now I was finally ready to experience the illusive sound quality of the Studio 100's. It just never happened. They just sound average.

Hoosier, I'm not trying to rip your speakers; I'm just telling you how I hear it. I really wanted to like these speakers since they are a full-range speaker that fits in my budget. Unfortunately they leave me underwhelmed.

Aaron

Aaron

I guess I should be more specific about what I didn't like about them. In overall sound quality I didn't find them to be very detailed. Still, I think their level of detail is on par with their price as a 3-way speaker. The three areas that disappointed me most were the soundstaging, imaging, and bass. The speakers didn't create a large soundstage nor did I get much of a sense of imaging. The center image also wasn't very good. With regard to the bass I expected to be very impressed. I figured with dual 8" woofers and a large cabinet these speakers should hit pretty hard and go deep. They hit fairly hard, but they just don't seem to go very deep. I mean, it's good bass, it's just not impressive. I'm sure the speakers are capable of a bit more than I heard (as is usually the case with in-store demos), but I know they aren't the speakers for me.

Aaron

nascarmann

hoosier21

How do the Paradigm rate against the 1C's you just sold?

mantis

I personally don't care for them.They are bright,loose and tinny.Built quality is nice,but man I don't like them at all.I ran them several times and came to the conclusion that they are average sounding speaker's and can easily be takin out by the LSI line.
The LSI line in compare not in the same room but from what I heard in my past demo's they LSI15's are much cleaner setailed warmer and more natural sounding without a hint of strain or mud.Impressive sounding.
The Paridigm line I actually like the middle of the road line, they have a pair around a grand, they sounded nice.But didn't turn my head,nor did there reference line.So So.
Speakers are personal you can't go on what others hear.You got to like them for yourself.

hoosier21

Aaron, I am not taking offence here, I was curious what you did not like, so I asked, no harm.

Nascarmann, a short a sweet answer is, I wish I had my 1C's back, no SDA effect, and the law of deminishing return ouch

These are all barely breaking in, but so far I am really digging them and hoping for more as time goes on.

I know we all have an opinion of what we like and don't, but Aaron you and Mantis have a seemingly low opinion of a speaker that most everyone really likes?? and your dislikes about them "loose bass" "bright" "lack of detail" are 180deg from what professional reviewers had to say, not saying reviewers are all the ****, but when most everyone of them say the 100's are a slamdunk, I really have a hard time accepting your views, nothing personal I just don't agree :rolleyes:

mantis

hoosier21,
speakers are personal man.I don't care what anyone else thinks of them,you personally have to like them.Review is a review.I don't like them at all and would never even consider owning them.Agree or not, Bernie asked and we all replied.You like em I don't, end of story.:cool:

hoosier21

I think that is what I said?

Bernie go give them a listen and you tell us.

TroyD

I'm going to go with Hoosier on this one. I've demoed the Studio 20's and 40's using both Marantz monoblocks (I was interested in the Monoblocks at the time) and a Conrad Johnson pre/amp set up. I thought they sounded very natural and laid back. Bass response was not exceptional but we are talking about bookshelves and what WAS there was clean and tight. I'll agree that the stereo image could be better. Not bad but not exceptional, either. With the Marantz monoblocks (using a SR-14EX for a preamp) the highs had a slightly harder edge which I initally attributed to the aluminum dome tweet. However with the CJ gear, it was smooth as a prom queens thighs.

IMO, under decent conditions, I'd argue that there is no way you could say that these speakers are terribly flawed. They may not be for you but if you conclude that they are flawed, I'd say either the speakers were damaged or the demo gear was the culprit.

BDT

RuSsMaN

I never got to demo the towers, but the 20 and 40 shelf-mounter's I felt were impressive, especially up against B&W in the same price range, and I am a Bowers & Wilkins fan from the get-go.

$.02 Russ

Aaron

I think the first thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that the Studio 100 is a 3-way, 4-driver speaker that weighs a ton and only costs $2000. There aren't too many of those speakers around for less than that (unless you're talking trashy JBL or something). If you're building this kind of speaker for that amount of money, there are obviously going to be some tradeoffs. I didn't really find the Studio 100's flawed; they just didn't do anything for me. I think the problem is they're trying to do too much (for too little money), so the speaker doesn't really excel at anything in particular.

I know we all have an opinion of what we like and don't, but Aaron you and Mantis have a seemingly low opinion of a speaker that most everyone really likes?? and your dislikes about them "loose bass" "bright" "lack of detail" are 180deg from what professional reviewers had to say, not saying reviewers are all the ****, but when most everyone of them say the 100's are a slamdunk, I really have a hard time accepting your views, nothing personal I just don't agree :rolleyes:

Just to clarify, Mantis said the speakers were bright and had loose bass. I said that they weren't very detailed. Sure, the Studio 100's have gotten great reviews (and I've probably read them all). In spite of this, Stereophile only gave them a Class C rating. The speakers that I have been comparing them to have either been rated Class A or Class B by Stereophile. So, I don't think I'm out of line. Again, I think the thing you have to keep in mind is that this is a 3-way speaker for $2000. There aren't many companies that make such a speaker for that price point.

Aaron

mantis

Saying a speaker is good or bad in anyway is totally personal.You can argue that they shine or ****,but in the end personal taste overrides any and all reviews,comments other's demo's,etc.
I can say they suck.....to me they do.I have heard many of there lines of different classes and years.None of them even made me look again.
Don't argue the point,just take it for what it is.Like em or not.

TroyD

I'm not arguing and certainly you can say they suck and you are more than welcome to your opinion.

I'm just saying that Paradigm is a well respected company that has an outstanding reputation among critics and consumers. To just say that flat out suck, while it may be your opinion, is certainly contrary to the majority opinion.

BDT

rskarvan

When compared to Polk SDA series, almost all non-Polk speakers suck. While most things in life are subjective, this is one of the very few objective statements that rings true.

RuSsMaN

Damn, is this 'show your ignorance' day or what?

Cheers,
Russ

nascarmann

Damn, is this 'show your ignorance' day or what?

Hell fire Russ! That's every day for me?:D

KING DIPSHE-AT

SPEAKER7

Just wondering if anyone had the chance to compared these two Canadian speaker co's?

Paradigm Studio 100's vs PSB Gold/Silver?


which one sounds better and why? (bass,mid range...ect.) and how they may or may not be compared to the Polk Lsi's Series?


dc.:D

mantis

Thats a good question,
I think the Psb lines are alot better sounding.dollar for dollar they ring nice.the highs are clean and don't rip your ears off you head.Mid range is quick and clear,good blend up and down,The bass was alittle out of control,
This wasthe Image series.I found the 4t's to be the complete speaker in that line.They look like Mirage helped them build them.Same style cabnets.I found out that a Mirage tech went to PSB.
In the Stratus line they where nice but the last demo I did was on a Kenwood receiver and the speakers where to far apart.Sounded like butt hole.

SPEAKER7

thanks Mantis for your reply/brief view on the PSB's...........

I had the chance to do a brief auditions with the Stratus silvers/bronze about a year + ago ......the speakers where powered by adcom equipment........the sales guy compared them to the image series/energy mid ends stuff/mission.......and the Stratus bronze sounded alot more accurate and clearer.....the bass seem pretty good also.....maybe because of the amps?

However, I ended up purchasing the Polk RT800i's because they were more in line with my budget and my JVC receiver at the time was not efficient enough to power the Stratus Bronze and especially if you move up to the Silver/Bronze models.

Anyways, that's my amateur take on the speaker audition.


dc.