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Paradigm Comparison

R

Riddlinkidstoner

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
4,630
This is my current system setup:

Pair of Paradigm 3SE (Not MKII/III)
Sony DG720 (Soon to be replaced by a V663 coming friday)
Kingrex Amp/PSU (Coming This Week)
PS3 upgraded with a 320GB 7200rpm HD as my music/movie/everything player.

I also have a pair of Polk R50's for rear surround duty for HT that I couldn't resist because it was so damn cheap.

Anyway my question is I'm about to audition some Paradigm Atom's at this store downtown and I'm wondering whether it would be worth it for me to replace these 3SE's. I love these speakers, I really do. What I'm really afraid of is the upgrade bug. Now I haven't tested these speakers out yet with the new Kingrex amp and the V663 coming so I'm going to wait for that to make my choice. My price limit for a pair of speakers right now is about $500 although I didn't really want to exceed that

What I REALLY wanted though is the X-static but I can't justify $230 in shipping alone
 
For a tiny bit more you start getting into B&W territory, who Paradigm tries to model itself after. They've done a decent job of attempting to copy the B&W sound, but have never quite made it. If you can, find a shop that has B&W and see if you can audition the CM1s - I bet you take a pair home! :)
 
AGH the paradigms sound sooooo much better than the B&W's...I auditioned both before I bought my studio 40v3's. The atoms sound pretty good but, I recommend auditioing them all before buying...my local audiophile store will let you take them home with a small credit card charge to make sure you don't keep them.
 
gs274 said:
AGH the paradigms sound sooooo much better than the B&W's...I auditioned both before I bought my studio 40v3's. The atoms sound pretty good but, I recommend auditioing them all before buying...my local audiophile store will let you take them home with a small credit card charge to make sure you don't keep them.
Click to expand...

What did you audition? The CM1s share the same components with the legendary 805s, Paradigm has never had a speaker you'd call 'legendary'. They're great at mass manufacturing speakers and being the high-end at your local electronics store, but they don't have the engineering know how, experience or attention to detail that B&W has.

Edit: I took a look and saw that the Studio 40s sell/sold (they seem to be discontinued) for anywhere between $1200 - $1400 per pair, we're talking about speakers at half that price. Let's compare apples with apples here.
 
CM1's for about $600? Where? Does B&W do internet sales? I know Paradigm doesn't. I'm just looking for some nice bookshelf loudspeakers.
 
No, they don't do internet sales so you'll have to find a shop. They're quite heavy anyway and the shipping would be far too expensive.
 
Listen to whatever speaker you buy before you lay down your cash - if you're in an urban area most brands should be represented somewhere locally. You can generally get better deals on speakers locally then on the internet anyway, as you can't haggle on the internet. Do you really think that the shipping is free? When it comes to high(er)-end gear the sticker price is never the price, they price it a bit high on purpose because it's usually men who buy that stuff and guys like to haggle.
 
...I wouldn't say paradigm mimics b&w since paradigm has nothing on b&w on the aesthetic side...and british sound isn't particular to b&w.

The current signature series definitely is a departure from the smiley face FR though, paradigm has made some very "affordable" speakers (some might argue the cheapest) speakers you can get with beryllium these days ($1500 for the s1v2), and the measurements are very much "american" neutral sound.

Edit: Ugh I just noticed the signature v2s have aluminum midwoofers...resonance hell
 
SharpieFiend said:
Edit: I took a look and saw that the Studio 40s sell/sold (they seem to be discontinued) for anywhere between $1200 - $1400 per pair, we're talking about speakers at half that price. Let's compare apples with apples here.
Click to expand...

I agree that we are talking about a less expensive speaker...the atoms sound nothing like studio's in comparison. My point was...in general my impression of the sound between the atoms and their rival B&W and later the studio's and their rival B&W was that the paradigms didn't sound as...lifeless is the way i'd describe it. But, my overall point was the one that has been repeated...don't take anyones advice w/o listening to them for an extended period of time in a realistic environment. When I listened to my studio's and the b&w's they were in a demo room comparable to the one I was putting them in...closed for 30min to an hour. Most audiophile shops like this one have no problem accomodating the customer to help make a decision they will be happy with for a looooong time.
 
Paradigm is a great company with great products and so is B&W but the difference IMO is every Paradigm line is good value for the money IMO except maybe the Cinema line. B&W makes very good speakers in the CM series, the Diamond tweeter 800's, and everything higher up. The 600 series is very pedestrian and is bested easily by half a dozen other companies. The 700 series is absolutely awful and are one of the worst values in high end audio. The CM series is very good and I have no problems with them. The higher end 800's are good speakers but still overpriced as Dali Helicons, Monitor Audio Platinum's, and Dynaudio Contours are all cheaper and just as good if not better. As for Paradigm, the Studio 40 and Mini Monitors are absolutely terrific values as is most of their other stuff.

This of course, is all my opinion.
 
gs274 said:
I agree that we are talking about a less expensive speaker...the atoms sound nothing like studio's in comparison. My point was...in general my impression of the sound between the atoms and their rival B&W and later the studio's and their rival B&W was that the paradigms didn't sound as...lifeless is the way i'd describe it. But, my overall point was the one that has been repeated...don't take anyones advice w/o listening to them for an extended period of time in a realistic environment. When I listened to my studio's and the b&w's they were in a demo room comparable to the one I was putting them in...closed for 30min to an hour. Most audiophile shops like this one have no problem accomodating the customer to help make a decision they will be happy with for a looooong time.
Click to expand...

I see you still haven't answered the question, so I'll ask it again. What did you audition?
 
450 rockets yeah. If you have a sub, those would rock the house!

I have X-LS ninjas and do not use the sub. They sound better without it in that room. Plenty of bass for a bookshelf lol. Especially with 2 X 150 watt BPA-1s in monoblock config.
 
Ok, comparison according to Stereo Shoppe (were I auditioned and bought them) would have been the 683's.
 
I picked up a Cambridge Audio 640A/540C combo for $275! (I know!). Works great! My Paradigms have never been happier.
 
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