I got a pair of these last summer for $200 and i haven't regretted it since. I'm using an Audible Illusions Modulus L1 pre and believe it or not, a Kenwood M1 Basic D amp. I've read some reviews about how some don't think they're "ALL That" but, i've no idea what they're talking about! Since i've had them, 1 tweet went out and i had to contact Paradigm in Canada for a diaphram so, i bought 2 and replaced them both because i didn't know what they'd been through before i got them so i started from zero. I always wanted a pair of 11SE's but could never get my hands on a pair. I have no regrets at all. Mines are dark cherry and i had to repair and recover 1 grille, other than that, no issues. These monitors do everything i want: Smoking yet non fatigue highs, solid and detailed midranges and tight, focused bass. Extremely efficient to drive so you don't need much power but, if you've got the juice, use it! They do ALL music very well and i can't for the life of me understand why anyone wouldn't want a pair of these. They majestically stand next to a pair of Speaker Art Clef's that i absolutely enjoy. If you can find a pair of these you can afford, i say spring for them. It doesn't matter where you put them in a room, close to wall, 5 feet out or whatever, they sound great no matter where you put them.

I have had my Paradigm Monitor 9 v.2's powered by yamaha for about eight years, and it seems that as the years go by the sound quality becomes more supple. I can appreciate that all reviews of audio products are ultimately subjective, but the quality of sound reporduction inherent to paradigm speakers are far superior to 95%+ of products on the market.

-Very clean highs
-Accurate mids
-Very rich lows
-Hi-Def sound to match HD video (you could hear a pin drop amongst other sounds effects)
-Your music will sound revived, and I bet you'll go through all your favorite songs on these speakers.


For almost a decade, I have used these speakers for music and movies, and they have performed immaculately. If you are in the market for new speakers, and are not willing/able to spend thousands of dollars, I would HIGHLY recommend that you listen to a set of Paradigms.

The BANG for you buck will be nuclear.....

Excellent presentation at low and high volume, dynamic, and very musical in the sense that it executes almost perfectly every element that engages the listener to their performance such as tonality, imaging, soundstage, etc...

Although the cabinets are well constructed, the wood veneer finish could be a bit better.

Today's market is flooded by numerous brands of speakers that leave consumers with plenty to wish for through mediocre performances within the several thousand dollar range. With this in mind, auditioning becomes a part of the routine in finding a set of floorstanders that not only appeal to the ear buds, but also to the homes decor. Although the later is not presently a problem, it appears that companies have lost focus in the most important aspects about music. However, Paradigm brings great joy to those seeking for stellar performances within a reasonable price, placing products from other companies several thousand-folds to shame.

This review covers the Monitor 9's vs. 4 in light cherry. Their appearance at first glance is not exotic or thrilling, but favorably satisfies the eyes with the notion of bruteness and a smeer of finness. The wood veneer finish is satisfactory, although not convincing. In addition, the grills appear a bit fragile but sturdy enough to serve its purpose. Despite the minor details that one can find in these models, where they truly excel is in their ability to perfectly convey what ever material you throw at them. Wether it is music or movies, their ability to produce effeciently sound at different volume levels is amazing. I think of them as an overall performer, not bias to musical genre. Paradigm's engineers really did their home work, placing most of the manufacturing cost of these units where it really matters to deliver a stellar product. For instance, Mozart's violin concierto number 4 in E minor through these speakers performance places the listener in the middle of the auditorium, defining each instrument with ease and a well executed soundstage. Imaging is excellent, although dispersion seems to be a bit narrow off axis in comparison to other spearkers (eg. Klipsch RF-5's deliver excellently imaging and have large dispersion). The mid-range frequencies are also close to perfect, rendering both male and female vocals and other instrumentations that deliver notes within this region as close to realistic as possible. Tesla's "Love Song" that begins with some acoustic guitars before the electric ones kick in envoke a sense of realism that convincingly brings the musician into the living room. The low end frequencies are clean, fast, and fairly deep. Ooh, did I also mention punchy! Well, not in a earth shattering extreme, but you will feel their presence. With movies, titles as in Amargedon and George Lucas Star Wars episodes, sound effects are as good and close as it gets to being in the theatre. You will feel the bottom of your seat moving your internal organs. More than gently, but once again not in shattering fashions.

Overall, Paradigm has produced a great pair of speakers that rival others without drying your wallet. They are very neutral and well balanced. Musical is their strongest characteristic, delivering clean transparent sound with a sense of warmthness and excellent tonality. Very dynamic!

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Klipsch reference series RF-3 vs. 2 and RF-5's, Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand, Boston Acoustic VR-3, Martin Logans Clarity, and Definitive Technology Bp-7002's

great sound from the highs right down to the lows. there is nothing missing.

these speakers may be jeopardizing my marriage. grills are slightly frail.

I am so happy with my paradigm monitor 9v4s. I wanted to replace my 24 year old Acoustic Research 3 ways. I had ordererd Athena ASB2s and couldn't stand the sound. I spent over $100. to ship them back. I tried the Paradigms since I could return them to my retailer if within 10 days I did not like them. The sound is clear and accurate without any shrill or boominess. Since this purchase I've added the cv370 center and a pair of monitor 3v4 for the backs. You cannot get a better pair of towers for the price. The sound from them is incredible without ANY harshness.

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acoustic research, athena, boston acoustics, definitive technology

Exceptional performance for the price. Detailed sound, mid-bass performance.

Cheesy speaker grills?

This review is for the Monitor 9v4. I was shopping around for tower speakers to replace my Mini-Monitor's, which were being used as my main speakers in my system. The Mini-Monitors are excellent speakers, but were not giving me that detailed, room filling sound that I was looking for. After shopping around and reading various reviews, I decided to stick with the Paradigm Monitor line and ordered a pair of Monitor 9's from Shelley's Audio Video. After a short break in period, the speakers started to blow me away with their detailed sound. I was suddenly able to hear background vocals and instruments in different CD's that I regularly listen to. That "room filling sound" was now present. The speakers really shine while watching DVD's.

Very clear, accurate, and creates a very impressive sound stage.

None for the price. Could use a more distinctive design though

I've had these spekars for quite a while and overall, I've been very impressed. First of all, I'm only 19 and I've had limited funds for high end audio. I'm powering them with a Yamaha receiver that I ordered online. It's about what you'd get with a home theater package, but for the price I paid, I've been very impressed with how it drives these speakers in Stereo. The speakers themselves are very musical and very clear. You truly hear more depth and clarity in your music than you'd ever expect with anything you'll find at Best Buy or Circuit City. The bass response is also pretty amazing while watching amovie. For most everyday movie watchers, these speakers could provide all the bass they would need for a movie setup. I've spent hours listening to higher end Paradigm speakers and I think these speakers are by far the best value. The jump that you make to a set of speakers like this is far more significant than any jump within the paradigm line I think. I found the signature speakers to be a little too bright for my tastes. I've also experienced this with the higher end B&W Speakers. Listening is all about personal preference, and it's hard not to fall in love with these speakers for the price.

bass midrange and treble

I HAVE JBL412P POLK RTI70 MAGGES 2.7QR and the PARADIGM MONITOR 9v3. the paradigms are the best. they have a clean clear true sound.

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nope dope

quality construction throughout.

none

Guys, I am not a "brand junkie". However, I have somehow consistantly bought Paradigms for the last 8 years. It very well may be the price:performance ratio, or my being in the right place at the right time. However, my newest addition is the Monitor 9 v3. Understand that I have had 7SEmk3 fronts for almost eight years, and was not in a hurry to upgrade. However, after discovering that a local shop was bought by a larger vendor...no longer able to carry the Paradigm brand...they are almost giving them away. I was a little late to the close-out, as I would have loved to have grabbed some of the reference series they sold for well below cost. I found the 9s in rosenut at the above mentioned price and couldn't shy away. Now for the review...(note that I have let these play for about 120 hours for "break-in"). The 9s have a very open soundstage, much broader than the 7SEmk3 series I have owned. The upper range, 1khz is much more defined. They may seem too bright in these octaves, but that should easily be controlled by the pre/pro. They are very dynamic from 120hz up. I found that they tend to be somewhat "hot" between 90hz and 120hz, but that is not always a bad thing. The biggest consideration with this speaker is placement. I moved the set quite a lot after the break-in and found the sweet-spot finally. I feel that anyone who gives this speaker a negative review didn't take the time to align them. I eventually placed them 35 degrees off-axis with a very slight toe-in. I much prefer them to the old 7s of mine. They are very open and dynamic. At their full retail, I still consider them a very strong buy. At the price I paid...a steal.

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I don't want to go through the list...audio is a hobby of mine.

Fantastic bass. SO good that I have switched my receiver from L&R smalls to Large. These speakers produce plenty of defined bass and I leave the lowest registers to the sub. Great Tweeters. This is the most expansive sounding speakers I have ever experienced in this price range.

On some music tends to be a little too bright. However, on other types of music this is a blessing. Do not like the SIlver face behind the grille. Cheap and cheesy looking. WOuld much prefer the wood on the face.

My audio dealer is in Chapter 11 so I picked these up from the demo room floor. Great Price even without the great deal. I am running these speakers with all Pioneer Elite; VSX-41 Receiver, PD-F27 CD Carousel, DV-C36 DVD/CD. In 5.1 I am using Paradigm CC-170 for center and Atoms for surrounds, and Mirage FRX-S12 Powered subwoofer. I also use a Monster HTS-3600 AC line Conditioner for the whole system. (GET ONE! It really makes a huge difference) With that said, After building my dream stereo with Elite components I began to HATE my Mirage M890i bipolar speakers. NO bass to speak of and too shrill. Also had a lot of problems with rattles and cabinet resonance. I was just about to order some Monitor Audio SIlver 8i's when I came upon this deal for the Monitor 9 from Paradigm. Since the rest of my system is Paradigm I thought that it would be smart to go with a similar timbre speaker. Well, I am driving my wife nuts sitting in my listening room in the basement going through my entire CD changer enjoying every last minute of it! Pink Floyd - The Final Cut is breathtaking through these speakers! John Mayer - No Room for Squares is stunning. ANY DDD Classical is wonderfully reproduced. It is even good with relative techno stuff. To tell the truth, I have been unable to find any music these speakers don't like. I have been an audio freak my whole life and have never before REALLY heard and experienced true spatial relations of the instruments and voices. It is as if they are in the room with me! I did a lot of shopping around and listening. There is NO contest in price and performance with the Paradigm Monitor series. Get em now!

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Mirage M890i, Infinity's, Pioneer

titanium tweeter not harsh at hi volume. lots of low end punch. wide sound field. great fit and finish. very solid cabinet.

can crush small children if they fall over and scare the wife when the boxes enter the living room!

My review supports what Migel says. I also have the Ver3's in Rosewood. After six months of auditions, I perfered the Monitor 9's over all including the Studio Series (they sounded too "flat" in the low end). I had been using Titans for my mains (also Ver3) and a small PDR8 sub to fill in the lows but the lower to mid range to my ears was missing. Were the Titans were falling off on low freqs & the sub was active, there was a big hole. At first, the 9's (set as large on my Yamaha RXV 496 and both sub/main for LFE)didn't have much more response than the Titans on the lows. After a few weeks of break in, I was playing the sound track to The 5th Element and suddenly the bass extention of the 9's was incredible! It was like some one flipped a switch. I even shut off my sub and compared the full range that these speakers can produce with out a sub. The 9's mix well with the Yamaha amp, which may be a bit bright sounding. On a warmer sounding amp, they may tend to be a bit boomy. The titanum tweeter remains pleasant even at high volume, unlike the Titan's that at high volume starts to over whelm the ear. Over all a great speaker even for low/entry level receivers with guaranty'd proformance improvement on amp upgrade.

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Titans, Monitor 5's (friend's) & old Pioneer's auditioned: Monitor3,5,7, Esprits, Phantoms, Bostons & others