n-sanity

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Private sale

Summary:
Purchased these from a man that didn't know the model of these speakers. They are badgeless at the back, but are 9se mk3's. Pretty bomb deal. The fun just began at that however.

I paired them with my Paradigm 5se's for a 1:1 comparison. I wasn't blown away but most definitely pleased in the bottom end. Driven by a Nad c320bee, they deliver incredible sound at lower volumes. Unfortunately, the 50w c320 can't go far with them - purchasing a carver power amp for that. As i see here, they like their power like nothing else.

The highs are slightly less defined then with my original model 5se's (with vifa liquid cooled soft-domes), but still very impressive. Very slight difference, might even be the amp's fault as it's mostly noticeable at higher levels.

The bass however is truly standalone subwoofer worthy. At lower levels of which my amp is capable without clipping, the 9's murder my 5's. Although they are more sensitive (93db sensitivity - incredible). Even at low power, with +1db bass bias, these can rock a house with ease. At the very very low power levels, barely above audible - the bass is incredibly still there, ever present and balances out the sound alltogether.

As with many Paradigms of this model line (5-11 se's), the sound stage is absolutely ridiqulous. It is simply impossible to guess where the speakers are, and if your eyes are closed, a good recording could easily play with your wits. The sound stage extends way beyond your ceiling, out the backyard and inside your head. The 9's seem slightly better then the 5's in this.

Through in bi-ampability with gold-plated 5-way posts at the back, a very solid professional looking cabinet (mine are black) and an attractive price point... they hold their own against $1000 speakers.

Strengths:
Extremely large sound stage, very powerful tight bass, clear and detailed highs, bi-wireability, high detail and very high sensitivity.

Weaknesses:
Extremely power hungry - look forward to getting a 100w+/channel amp.
Large/heavy, although for some that is a plus ;)
High's leave something to be desired, but that might be solved by bi-wiring/amping!
Other then this, none! Wonderful speakers.

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm 5se, Sony monitors, Realistic Mach 1.

bibbers

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $120.00 from used

Summary:
Hi there, I finally just got me self some decent speakers. These things sounded very relaxed when I bought em. However, like some on these reviews (perhaps those whom seemed angry about their quality), I don't have a biamp, to run them. All I have in the way of an amp right now is an oldschool Marantz 2226B - which apparrently should not be used with these speakers.

I need some suggestions on amps at budget prices. In other words, any old biamp brands of considerable longevity which I might afford to power these from to watch for as second hand? I post this question as a response should prove pertinent to the product's use and relevance in today's market, yes?

Thanks!

Strengths:
judging from these reviews, getting a pair of these in near new shape at 120 is nothing to complain about?

Weaknesses:
Need a new amp. Fibreglass insulation is a but worrysome to me. Heard of alternatives? I think I'll rebuild the Cabinets with natural materials - mimicking the initial design of course.

Price Paid:  $700.00 from Local stereo shop

Summary:
I lived with these speakers for 7 years and loved every minute of it. I recently moved to some electrostas and thought I'd post a sort of parting review of these great boxes to pass on some of my experiences to the community. So, here a few of the more important things I learned during their tenure with me. 1) To really open these boys up, you need some decent amplification. I started running them with a Yamaha receiver of about a '96 vintage and loved them. After a few years and quite a bit more delving into the hi-fi culture, I thought there must be something more. I bought a Parasound HCA-1000A power amp and was positively blown away. I couldn't beleive how much happoer they sounded and how much more music they made. I have no clue what you're running them with, but the Parasound was probably pushing about 200W a side at the speaker's 4 Ohm impedance and man were they great. I think it was more the quality of the power than the wattage (as is always the case). 2) Move them out from the wall. I started with them pretty much right up against a wall and thought they sounded great. After some research, I realized maybe this wasn't optimal, so I moved them out 2-3 feet from the rear and side walls. Wow. The bass tightened up immeasurably and the overall sound just tightened up so nicely. Again, I have no idea what your constraints are, but try it if you can. 3) Lastly, I was running them with some cheesy Monster zip cord and never even really thought twice about it. Then I decided to see if there was anyhting to the whole cable thing and ponied up the cash (about $40 which is probably the best money I ever spent on my system) and bought some Audioquest Type 4 speaker cables. Again, all I could say was wow. The new high-quality wire really opened the speakers up once again and brought the sound into focus. I highly reccomend checking out AQ's product line, they are amazing. An exceptional speaker for the money. Heck, this is an exceptional speaker period.

Strengths:
Great sound, bass/treble extension, imaging, sensitivity, build quality, and overall bang for the buck. Highly reccomended.

Weaknesses:
Large (lowish WAF), a little comely with the grilles off, need a lot of power to open up despite the amazingly high sensitivity, somewhat cheesy plastic binding posts, and the fact that they're not made anymore.

Similar Products Used:
Countless.

Price Paid:  $599.00 from online, don't rememb

Summary:
I bought these online after reading reviews and getting input from various people who all loved this speaker. Bought them, bi-amped them, kept for about 5 months before I had to get rid of 'em. The sound was simultaneously flat and fatiguing! Replaced them with a pair of NHT 2.5s and once again the music rocked!

Strengths:
Bi-wiring and bi-amping.

Weaknesses:
Flat and dull sounding.

Similar Products Used:
NHT 2.5

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Price Paid:  $430.00 from Second Hand

Summary:
I've really enjoyed these speakers for years... with an average sized (or slightly larger) living room and the right placement, these speakers are so seamless that you only notice them when you're mother comes over and moves them out of the sweet-spot "...because they have dust on top...". (Okay,so I admit I'd rather listen to music than constantly dust... shoot me.) The part I really Love is how transparent they are when switching from music(mainly) over to movies(occasionally)... Listening to all types of music (read... not much RAP) and being able to serve double duty by being THE only sound source for the TV room (my XBR TV has no speakers in it...) makes these the most listened to speakers of anyone I know of. The guys are always over for the Games or Movie Night and even when my wife gets to pick a Chick-Flick, the 9seMkIII's never disappoint. I will always recommend these speakers as the easiest way to become aware of "audiophile" sound on a Moday-Night-Football and Hockey game budget... The ONLY reason I have this pair in the first place is because a buddy of mine absolutely HAD to move up to a pair of 11seMkIII's... thank heaven for "upgrade-itis" prone friends...

Strengths:
Incredibly balanced sound for the money, sweet highs w/o the hard sizzle of lesser tweeters, up-front and very live sounding without being too forward, moderately deep and VERY wide, solid soundstage that makes placing the speakers for the best "sweet-spot" a cinch... With an Amp/Rcvr that has a solid output stage, these speakers ALWAYS sound huge and expensive.

Weaknesses:
Must be placed out front (away from the back wall), slightly toed-in and, depending on the room, tilted back just a touch to get that "snapshot" imaging. The tweeter and cross-over point for this particular model have a tendency to make cheap (read Amp-on-Chip) receivers sound brittle, pop fuses in the Rcvr, or just blow the tweet(replacements should be bought in pairs and have the CORRECT amount of Ferro-Fluid in them for the best "matched" sound). Ash Laminate finish (black) is somewhat too rectangular and spartan... hard to sell the benefits to a fashion conscious better-half...

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm Titans, Paradigm Mini-Monitors, PSB Alpha's, Mirage Omni's, Thiel CS-5s, Klipsch 5's