Price Paid:  $750.00 from www.buysellzone.com

Summary:
In terms of bass extension and maximum output the active/CC falls behind the Active40's and the older Active/450C (subjective analysis, I did not use an SPL meter to compare). I was hoping to be able to run all of the channels in my home theater full range with actives all around but I just don't feel the active/cc can handle high volume in the low bass as well as the active/450LR's, the active/40's and the active/450C could. That being said, I set my center channel to small and all my other channels to large and I am very happy with the resultant sound. While I do feel that the active/CC is worth it's asking price, I did not find it to be that same phenomenal value that I found the active/450LR, the active/40's and the servo-15 to be. Obviously, if you are using paradigm reference version 2 series speakers, active or not, the active/CC will give you the best timbral match. However, the studio/CC may be a better buy at about half the price. Compared to the paradigm reference LCR450 which I was using as a centre channel before, the active/CC is a big improvement. The active/CC matches my active/40's much better and has none of the slightly thin sound that the LCR450 has.

Strengths:
This speaker have excellent extension for it's size. Timber matches the active 40's well.

Weaknesses:
Only slightly better than studio/CC for twice the price.

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm reference LCR450