This is a review for the version 4's, which I'm sure do not differ that much from the Paradigm 40's version 3's. I live in a condo, so I have to be careful with the bass, as that is what travels through the walls to my neighbors. I value a speaker that has tight bass, neutral midrange, and a slightly forward treble, and for the most part, these speakers are not it. The bass is decent but I believe in the literature it says it only goes down to like 60 hz, which is a joke. The midrange is overemphasized and a little nasally at times. However, the top end is right on the money for me. Not a bad speaker, but has a distinctive sound that is always there and noticeable.

i recently moved into a new apartment and purchased a new high end system paradigm studio 40 v3 maranzt 6003 av receiver panasonic bd-60 blu ray player 42 " panasonic verria plasma and a ultra cube 10 paradigm sub . wow does this system do justice that ultra cube 10 is amazing to say the least i've never heard a sub like the ultra cube 10 working on getting rears any suggestions anyone . p. s. i have alot of jealous friends that spent double triple the money i spent.

Without doubt it has to be it's midrange to upper midrange capability.
Very smooth and extremely well blended high end frequency.
Tight and punchy bass for a small sized loudspeaker that will develop with age.
Great looks. This speaker not only sounds good for its price bracket, it's sexy too.
Good quality construction. Although I didn't mention it, the terminals are a great design.
Ability to produce high decibels when requested. Best done after warming them up.

Decent soundstage provided. Can be improved with better audio equipment.
Require speaker stands. Recommended that they be approximately 23" to 25" high.
Manufacturer recommends that the grills be in place - can't see the good looks.

Paradigm have a winner on their hands with the Studio 40 version 3. I find listening to music through these loudspeakers a daily joy that always seems to bring a smile to my face. Whether it be classical, some jazz or even cranking out some magical rock guitar solos from one of my favourite bands - the sound produced always seems to give me a good and content feeling. That should give you some idea of how much I enjoy and appreciate good quality sound reproduction - not to forget the Paradigms that do very well in producing it.

I bought them in the month of January, 2006. I had been after a good pair of stereo loudspeakers for a long time and I decided then it was the time to do something about it. I read quite a bit about what was available from magazines and from various internet forums. The various makes that seemed to be getting more favourable reviews than most others were Paradigm, B&W, JBL and Monitor Audio to name just a few. With that in mind, I set off for some auditions in the City and in the Blue Mountains. Needless to say, for the price range between AUD$1,500.00 and $2,000.00 - the winner was the Studio 40 version 3. To be honest, I was also very tempted by the Studio 60 version 3, but they were just out of my budget range AUD$2,400.00

Loading them into the car from the store wasn't a problem, I was just surprised with their weight - a tad on the heavy side. These are my first pair of loudspeakers that I have owned, and I guess you pick up on small things like that. Taking them out of their boxes wasn't a problem and in no time I had them on their stands and wired to go.

As you have probably already read a number of reviews about these speakers, I'll just briefly reiterate what I believe to be fair and honest appraisal. The strongest attribute these speakers have is their midrange to upper midrange. They really do produce that band of the audio range so well, I can't be much plainer than that. The high frequency range is very good as well. It is not too overly emphasised and it blends very well with the superb upper midrange. The bass (remembering it is a stand loudspeaker) is tight and punchy, giving the sound a well integrated and complete picture. The bass was more than I expected for such a small driver. From my measurments it is a 6" driver and it is as the brochure says, a 2 1/2 way design. The forward facing port just below the bass driver I believe does help a good deal in providing that extra kick it needs to sound right and wholesome.

Out of the box and over the first two or so months, the bass is refined and a little reclusive. However, over the past two or three weeks, it is really beginning to shine and develop into a stronger and defined character. I didn't really believe that audio equipment had such a 'breaking-in' period and that it can have a noticable difference to the sound - but I believe it does, specifically the bass in this case. The other drivers in the unit may and probably do 'develop' over time, but at this point in time the bass seems to have come out of its 'shell' as it were.

When auditioning the various loudspeakers, and after deciding that the Paradigms were for me, I noticed a few things that I just want to quickly mention regarding using different equipment. One in particular is 'soundstage'. Loudspeakers do vary in their ability to provide a 'picture' or a 'wall of sound' that is presented to you, detailing placement of musicians in breadth as well as in depth. I'm not for one minute say that the Studio 40s did a beautiful job of this. They did a good job of it, but by no means a great job. They dispersed the sound in an amicable way and I was content with that. I did however listen to other more expensive loudspeakers and expensive amplifiers to go with them. To point out what I mean by how well the soundstage was with these upper-class units I'll quickly detail a scene from the audio store for you;

From a bank of loudspeakers in front of me, I had no idea which loudspeaker the sound was coming from! It was as simple as that. I was sitting down and the sound could have been one of five different pairs in front of me. There was no way of accurately fingering which pair of loudspeakers was producing this beautiful sound. It was just a 'wall' of wonderful sound.

The Paradigm Studio 40s gave a very good go of doing this, and for their size and price I believe that's as good as you might get. However, the soundstage improves a lot more as you use better and more expensive amplifiers and CD players. This, I am sure of. So it is not by any means only the loudspeakers capability in providing a better soundstage. For a few hundred dollars more, I believe you can easily improve your loudspeakers ability in providing clarity in soundstage buy pairing them with like minded audio equipment. I think it has something to do with channel separation. This probably sounds far fetched but I used various CD players as well, and I did notice better channel separation with the more expensive CD players that produced the more defined 'soundstage'.

Anyway, I think I have written enough. In conclusion I highly recommend the Studio 40 version 3 from Paradigm. I believe they provide me with very good quality sound reproduction and for their price bracket, they are the best loudspeakers in the market today.

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Amplifier: NAD C372.
CD Player: Marantz CD 7300.

Terrific sound, very good medium, deep and tight bass. very nice built, heavy, solid, looks very great. bi-wired.

I would say that the size of the speakers limit the stage sound effect... When a speaker is very small, it happens all the time, unless you pay big money. But lf you use them in a standard room (living room), they are perfect and youll be enjoying many hours of good music...

I bought these speakers 3 weeks ago. The speakers i had before was paradigm mini monitors wich are great for the price but it is nothing to be compare with the paradigm reference studio's... The studio 40 provide you a very clear medium and a tight deep bass. Im using these speakers with a sim audio integrated i3 100 watts par channel and its doing as very nice job, good mix. When you buy something its always a question of price/value. I was looking at some reviews and some stupid dummies was comparing paradigm studio's with 5 000$ Martin Logan speakers... If you compare Martin Logan's speakers with paradigm signature series S8, ok fine! Anyways, for 1000$, the studio 40's are very decent speakers for sure, excellent value, terrific sound and a very good warranty.

Customer Service

5 years warranty, nice...

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Paradigm mini monitor, paradigm 9SEMK3, paradigm reference eclipse.

Excellent sound for a good price. Good warranty. Nice looking

Laminated veneer, looks pretty good though

Amazing speakers! Paradigm knows what their doing. The highs sound crystal clear and the mids sound perfect. Im going to have these speakers for a long, long time. You can't find better speakers for the pice.

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Paradigm cc-470 V.3 Paradigm adp-470's V.3 Paradigm pw2200

At $1200 it's all strenths. You can buy more sophistication, but at what price. If there were more than five stars I would use them.

Laminate not real wood veneer. The laminate is well done so it is a minor gripe.

Unbelievable product! The v3 out does the v2 by quite a ways and I would know I owned both the Studio 40 v2 and the original Studio 60. These are in a different class. The high are so much more refined than the previous versions of this speaker. They throw a wide and deep sounstage giving classical music the kind of attention that speakers in this class rarely do. I listen primarily to classical and jazz, but also enjoy the occasional pop or r&b record, these speakers leave no genre behind. I am thrilled beyond speech. Well worth $1200 +. I used to own Magnepan MG12's, great speaker but not as versatile as these.

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Too many to list here. My current system: Paradigm Reference Studio 40 v3's Paradigm Mini Monitors v4's Paradigm CC470 v3 center channel Paradigm PW2100 subwoofer Premier Stands NAD C162 Pre amp Hafler 9505 Power amp Marantz SR 5400 A/V Receiver NAD C542 CD Denon DVD-2910 Universal player Rotel RLC900 Line Conditioner Studio Tech A/V Cabinet Sony 50WE655 LCD Rear Projection TV Liberty Cable THX Ultra Cap Speaker cable (2.00 per ft) Northwest Audio Labs Jim Ott custom interconnects (45.00 per 1 meter pair)

price, size, sound quality

none--except there needs to be more dealers in my area..

Excellent speakers for the money. good bass for the size. crystal clear midrange. plain and simply paradigm makes great speakers for the money.

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didn't have to check any....friend has paradigms and that sold me on their products, not to mention all the reviews that state just how good these speakers are compared to other brands.

Outstanding highs and the sweetest midrange for the price. Bass is amazing. Fit and finish are excellent.

None so far.

I recently traded in my Monitor 5's V3 for a new set of V3 Studio 40's. My dealer gives you original costs trade in value! I immediately noticed the difference. I am new to high end audio and am just getting started. I currently am running an Anthem MCA 20 amp and Anthem TLP1 preamp. The sound is absolutely amazing for this price point! It has the clearest highs, the sweetest midrange, and suprizingly strong bass. I got a lot more bass than I expected. Yes, the larger floor standers may produce more but for a stand mounted speaker at this price point, I challenge you to find better. You will not. I listened to everything in my budget, B&W, Acoustic Energy, JBL, Infinity, Klipsch, and on and on. I even compared them to Revel performa series. The studio 40's matched $4000 speakers in the upper and mid-range. Vocals sound so sweet. You would think Diana Krall is in your living room. The soundstage was wide and suprisingly deep. NO, they will not be as good as a Wilson Watt Puppy but they are $20,000 a pair. For now, I am quite happy until I can afford a great floor stander. I also listened to the new Signature S8. It was amazing! It was the best $5,000 class speaker I have yet to hear (my next purchase). Give the little studio 40's a try. Yes they need a stand. I amde my own and they are gorgeous for under $100. They will reveal any flaws in your system as well.

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Paradigm Monitor 5 V3 Anthem MCA 20 amp Anthem TLP1 preamp/tuner Arcam CD player Transparent and Synergistic cables

Great sound, great looks, great build quality (the phrase 'bullet-proof' comes to mind, and not just because the midranges are made of kevlar).

Just a little bright sounding with my equipment, but I don't think the speaker is responsible for this.

I purchased the studio 40 v3's on a trade in of recently purchased studio 20 v3's. I liked the sound of the studio 20's well enough to move my system out of the living room (where compromises for the sake of decor were necessary)and into a dedicated sound room. As such, I was able to upgrade from the smaller bookshelf models to the studio 40's. I have these paired with a paradigm pw- 2100 subwoofer, but for most recordings, the sub is unnecessary. Paradigm's literature lists the 40's as having the same LFE as the 20's, but my ears are hearing a different story; the 40's produce a surprisingly ample low end. I'm presently driving the system with a Parasound Halo A23 amp / P3 pre-amp combo. The pairing sounds just a tad bit bright on certain recordings, but this is easily remedied by setting the treble to -1 or -2 depending on the source material. Overall, the sound is phenomenal. Female vocals (Norah Jones, Margot Timmons, Allison Kraus) sound much more 'real' than on any system I've previously owned, or had much opportunity to listen to. Orchestra wraps around you in a way that I doubt will be easily duplicated with surround sound equipment. Construction is solid all around, and aesthetically pleasing as well. I have owned paradigm speakers (9se MkII's and titan bookshelves)since the early 90's, but these are a cut above in all respects.

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Paradigm 9se MkII Paradigm Titans PSB speakers Polk Audio speakers