Paradigm Reference 5seMk3 Floorstanding Speakers

Paradigm Reference 5seMk3 Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

8" bass/mid, 1" treated textile dome tweeter, 150 watts, 32Hz-20kHz

USER REVIEWS

Showing 11-14 of 14  
[Dec 14, 2001]
C
Casual Listener

Strength:

Great sounding speakers for the money

Weakness:

None yet (see below)

Found these speakers on sale after a "REAL" fire sale, never really had heard of them at the time but the sound was good the price was right so I bought them.

Got them home and I was very pleased with the sound quality
the bass response was tight and the treble and mid ranges were clean. I was a very happy camper. Once I listened to them for sometime (5 years now) I still do not much to kick them about. They do sound a little fuzzy while listening to D. Krall or J. Monheit but the still sound great on anything else that they tackle.

Similar Products Used:

Energy xl-25

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 21, 1998]
Darrell Laforce
an Audio Enthusiast

At first the speaker system was in some ways awsome.But now it is just about trash.When listening at high levels the whole box rattles loud enough to be heard over the music that is playing.I am no longer impressed with it!

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
[Aug 06, 2001]
Steve
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Good imaging and smooth sound. Couldn't find anything better in its price range.

Weakness:

Lacking in Bass by todays standards.

I was fairly new to Paradigm when I bought these speakers 7+ years ago and wasn't sure where the company was heading. I was more familiar with Paradigms 'big brother' Energy Loud Speakers and was told they came out of the same factory, so I decided to give them a try...I've been a Paradigm fan since.

Sure the Model 5se don't have the depth of MKIII or some of the more expensive models, but compared to a lot of other speakers on the market, they sound clean. I understand the complaint with the lack of bass compared to other speakers on the market, but I didn't buy these to vibrate my windows and the neighbors next door. I was looking for a clean sounding and decent imaging speaker for the money...the Model 5se delivers.

You want bass, go buy Cerwin Vegas...you want clairity...give Paradigm a try.

Similar Products Used:

DCM TF-350

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 17, 2001]
Joe
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Easy to listen to; only get better with higher end electronics in front of them.

Weakness:

A little unrefined; build quality.

These are excellent entry level hifi speakers. They perform well with anything from low end receivers and CD-changers to higher end amps and source components.
I started with these in an inexpensive system consisting of a Yamaha surround receiver and a Kenwood 5 disc changer. In this system the speakers managed to sound warm and relaxed; they really made it easy to listen for extended periods of time. When used for movies in my small room, I never found them lacking at either frequency extreme.
In time I caught the hifi bug and started looking for an upgrade path. I was advised to start with the source and work down; well, good advice that was! I purchased a nice one box single disc player that really made a difference in my system; music sounded more open, detailed, and less grainy. I then purchased a decent integrated amplifier to replace the receiver. Again music was allowed to flow through with more air, less grit. I heard new things on my discs I never even knew existed. Listening became ever more important to me- so much so that for months I did nothing but visit my growing CD collection. Who could ask for more than that?
The Paradigm 5SEmkIII's may not be perfect, but for the price this shouldn't be expected either. They are an excellent choice for starting out on the road to high end audio satisfaction. They work well in a budget system and they allow more funds to be directed higher up in the signal chain. They will not disappoint during the growing period, they will only sound better. In fact they may spoil; when finally deciding to upgrade the speakers, it will take a lot more money to make the difference worth the expense.

Equipment used:
Yamaha RX-V390
Kenwood 5 disc changer (model not remembered)
Carver HTR-885
Toshiba SD-2108
Cambridge Audio A3i
Quad 67 CD

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 11-14 of 14  

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