Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I traded off a Meridian 506.20 for the Studios. When I got them home they were annoyingly boomy!!! Never thought that I would have too much bass! Some songs sounded pretty natural, others sounded horrible with the bass overload. After about 3 hours of listening I happen to notice a screw in the back of the speakers that said "factory adjusmtent". I played with the screw and lo and behold I was able to adjust the bass!!! Everything is tuned and these puppys produce some excellent sound. Great soundstage, detail, imaging and instrument placement. Had I never discovered that they could be adjusted I would have a seething resentment for the speakers. I had a pair of Epos M15 that I was using. They are decent sounding speakers that hold their own, especially for their size. The Paradigms' are cable of playing any time of music from Bach to rock. The vocals are more up front and believable compared to the Epos. Female voices are nice and smooth. (Diana Krall) String instruments seem to soar with these speakers. I love these puppies! Equipment: Krell 300iL Audio Research LS15(through the Krell "theater pass through". Krell 280cd Linar 250 amp B&K Reference 30 Oval Nines

Strengths:
Great imaging, vocals are produce nicely, nice highs, and did I mention the BASS! No need for sub with these babies!

Weaknesses:
Cabinets are plain and unattractive, but that doesn't affect the sound.

Similar Products Used:
Martin Logan Aerius, SL3, KEF 105.4, KEF Q60, Klipsch, Epos M15

Summary:
I've owned these speakers for 5 years and although I began using with them on my Adcom GFP 555 II and GFA 545 II combination, I've upgraded the preamp to a Parasound P/LD 2000. My source has changed significantly during this time and many tweaks/anti-vibration have been added. I also have much experience listening to many other setups both informally at audio stores and much more critically at friend's homes.
I believe the sound is quite good and with fine source material is goosebump-inducing. I'll admit that my buddy Chris's tubed setup offers a warmer, more pleasant presentation but wonder how much is attributed to the room. The speakers can rock as loud as PSB Stratus Gold or Mirage III si (of which I am very famaliar). 2 weeks with a 250 W Carver have proved this but I could not live with the Carver.

The lower midrange is slightly cool (with the Adcom) but the response is very fast (faster than Chris's tubed PSBs). The sharp edges do tend to increase the live quality of the music but also contribute to the brightness. Using vibration controlling devices (sandbags) on top of the speaker has improved details and transparency. Much of the brightness is caused by the wood floor/drywall combination (lack of high frequency damping). A few Sonex panels helped somewhat but I believe more need to be used.

Overall, many of my critisms are not the fault of the speakers but of all the equipment and the room as well as the source material. I believe the speaker is as good as the PSB and the Mirage which cost more. I would like to try a ML Aerius (or better yet, an SL3) or a Newform Research R645 and a Bryston electronic crossover (I already use a decent sub) but neither of these moves can be made cheaply.

For this reason, I believe this is a fine value not unlike the Adcom and Parasound stuff I own