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Paradigm Reference 5SE Mk2
Paradigm Reference 5SE Mk2
MSRP: $

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Rating
Reviewed by:

braxus

(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
August 11, 2007

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 12.00 votes

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Review 1 of 1

Price Paid:  $500.00

Summary:
I bought these speakers in 1993. The Mark 2 series was probably the last of the great Paradigms before their new revisions actually got worse then better. The new Monitor series is an example of that (Version 5s). I owned these speakers right up to the late 90s, when I sold them off. Big mistake. Newer versions have weaker bass and the quality of the newer speakers has gone down. I put them on Premiere stands which are also made by Paradigm. If you get a chance to get any mark 2 series speakers, go for it! The tweeter in this series was farmed out to Vifa. Its a soft dome tweeter. The woofers are made by Paradigm and are solid. My 5SE speakers suprised me when I got them. For the low end of the series, they produced so much low end bass, it sounded like I had subs in the room. The bass fills a large room. Granted its not super low like many large subs, they do hold their own. The mids weren't bad and the high end not bright. Imaging was quite good for such a large speaker. I could hear some notes extending beyond the speakers. Now that I sold them I'm running B&Ws again. Also good speakers, but they don't have the low end those old Paradigms did. For anyone hesitating on getting a set of these old speakers, I emailed Paradigm (a Canadian company no less) and they still have parts and speakers for these old models. So buy a set of Mark 2s and give them new woofers to make them like new.

Strengths:
Great low end for such a smaller speaker
Last of the great Paradigms before they went downhill
Decent imaging
Great price on these used today

Weaknesses:
Can be a bit boomy in some cases
Used speakers may be a bit beat up today

Similar Products Used:
B&W 602 series 2 and 3


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