What about Paradigm?

Paul Connor · February 2003

I was kicking around at a local audio store the other day and was looking over a pair of Studio/100's. A salesman happened by and we did a brief demo. I did not have much time to really compare them against different music, but I was modestly impressed, though it is not often that I listen to anything other than my 1.2's and a friends Thiel's.

I asked the salesman how they compared to Polks Lsi series and of course his response was "No comparison." (They are not a Polk dealer)

Just curious. Anyone have any experience with this line of speakers?

SPEAKER7 · February 2003

Just curious if those Paradigms that you were listening to at the audio store were powered by a receiver or by separates? I guess what I hear is that the 100's are pretty demanding/power hungry and they probably would sound better if they were power by separates.

As for the comparisons between the Lsi15's vs Paradigm 100vs2 would definitely be an interesting demo.

dc.:D

Paul Connor · February 2003

They were powered by separates, though I was not familiar with the amp. The salesman was pretty vague about everything, and I never did get a straight answer concerning what kind of power he was running.

The price seemed close to the Lsi towers, and my thought was that they must be a comparable product. I have yet to listen to a pair of Lsi's, but from reading posts on the forum by owners, my curiousity is up.

SPEAKER7 · February 2003

P,

My guess.....is that both speakers will sound different but how much I can't say....I have never listened to the Lsi's because no Polk dealers in my area carries the higher end line in stock but they could be ordered in. And the Lsi's has the ring tweeters vs the Paradigms has the aluminum tweet's....but may be someone on this polk board has demoed both brands and could fill in on their experience. I did have a brief audition on the 100's and they sounded pretty good but I can't really say too much right now because they were hooked up to a receiver and the music was played back on a DVD player.

Here in Canada I can get a pair of 100's for about 2100.00 $cdn before taxes and for the Lsi15's 2699.99 before taxes. I presently have the 100's on my short list for my speak's for my 2 ch system but I'm planning to get the amps first...ROTEL VS ANTHEM before I buy the speakers.

dc.:)

Paul Connor · February 2003

I must say that I was drawn to the sound when I heard them playing in the demo room and did enjoy what I heard in that short time. I also liked the physical appearance of the Paradigm's. They carried their full line and we listened to a couple of Zep tracks on a pair of bookshelves, which also sounded good. Perhaps this was what got my curiousity up.

pjdami · March 2003

I ran across a pair of Paradigm Studio 40 v2 speakers in cherry wood finish at a local hi-fi shop for $700 tax included. Normal retail for these speakers with this finish is $1200. I was looking to upgrade from my Polk RT35i's as mains. Man what an upgrade! I couldn't pass the deal up because it was an absolute steal. The speakers were trade-ins and were less than a year old. Near "mint" condition. One of the tweeters looks like it was replaced with a new one.

I'm really enjoying my Paradigms as mains. I bought a NAD C270 power amp to run the two channel stereo mode using my Yamaha receiver preouts. I use the Yammer and the NAD together for home theater.

Musically, I believe the Studio 40s sound better (to me at least) than the RT line. I've listened to the RTi70's and RTi100's. The midrange sound is very warm and natural and that is where I believe the Reference series of Paradigm really shines (that's also what most people's ears are most sensitive to). The RTs sound a little "brighter" and "more forward" and the midrange is not quite up to the Studio's but is still pretty good non-the-less. RTs are great home theater speakers but there may be better options when it comes to listening to two channel music. They are very competitive in their price range though, and I was very fortunate to come across some Studios at the price that I did (now I'm spoiled!).

I have never had the opportunity to listen to Polk's LSI speakers. Although I live close to a major city (N.O.) the closest Polk dealer who sells LSI's is more than 100 miles away. I don't understand this. The local hi-fi shops down here carry Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, Definitives, Spendor, B&W, JM Labs, Vandersteen, Mirage, among others, but none of them have the LSI's. They also seem to "dodge" the question when asked why they don't carry Polks. The local C.C. only has the RT series.

One advantage that the Paradigms have over the Lsi's is that the Paradigms are 8 ohm speakers. They do need some "juice" though to get them rolling and a seperate power amp really makes them shine. With a separate power amp I guess the ohm issue really goes away (especially when the amp can supposedly run 2 ohm loads).

I too wonder how the Lsi 9's would compare to my Studio 40's. Maybe when I get my tax return in I can find out. I need a pair of quality speakers for my home office so if I get the Lsi 9's then the better sounding of the two will stay in the Living Room and the other pair go to the office. I've also been eying some Axiom M22's or M60 for the office but my curiousity with the Lsi 9's may hold me off from buying the Axioms for a couple of months.

P.

TroyD · March 2003

I like Paradigm, actually.

I think they, like Polk, are a good bang for buck speaker. The Reference series are dead sexy, IMO. As far as sound goes, I'd give the nod to the LSi because of the ring radiator tweet. MO, of course. The other lines of Paradigm are good, I prefer Polk's sound though and the build quality of them is not near what the RT line is.

The Paradigm Servo-15 is the best sub that I've ever heard.

BDT

What about Paradigm?

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