I recently spent over two months trying to find new speakers. To make a long story short, it came down to the 100's and the PSB Stratus Silvers ($1699 retail). The 100's actually had better bass, but it would be too much for my listening room (the Silvers get a suprising amount of bass considering the fewer and smaller drivers). However, as a former musician (maybe again someday) Imaging and Soundstage are paramount to me. The Studio's didn't have as good imaging or sound stage as the Silvers. The mid range and upper registers of both are excellent. It comes down to taste, but I think these are two good designs in the Sub $2000 range.
Frank

Equipment,

CD NAD 502
Preamp NAD 917 A/V Preamp
Amp(s) 2 NAD 214's Bridged Mono
Cabling DH Labs Silver Sonic Interconnects and Speaker(x2)wire

Waiting to purchase a Ultech 100 CD player.

With the purchase of these speakers I went from Enthusiast to Audiophile. I have had them 9 months now. The 100's deliver a whole lot of quality sound for their low cost. They have far more bass than the Theil 1.5 and cost less. A little less detail than the 1.5 too, but given expensive front ends, they can image quite nicely. On the other hand, you can crank the 100s till the paint peels; for home theater use they go low enough to shake the room, but aren't boomy for regular listening. These are about the best Enthusiast speakers you will find, but they really are entry level Audiophile speakers. They can go deep, but have a significant bass roll off at the very bottom. The highs are not harsh, but neither are they silky or fluid. Soundstage is decent, but not exceptional. For the "meager" $1500 however, they are superb. Use a decent amp of 200+ watts (Mondial's Acurus a-200 or better) and some good cables. Switching from 12 gauge OFC to Goertz' MI-2 biwire was a major improvement! If you are building a <= $7500 system, you must audition them! I give them 4 stars overall - 5 for value, 3 for sound quality as an AUDIOPHILE, an 5 for sound quality as an ENTHUSIAST. The regular finishes are very nice, the fancy finishes cost more but are beautiful. Well done, Paradigm! PS - they don't really sound "Canadian" but they are made there.

Auditioning speakers is an extremely subjective experience, but here's my take on the Studio 100s. I mainly listen to home theater (typically action/SF-type flicks), along with music that leans toward hard rock and metal. I've carefully auditioned most of the mid-priced passive speakers out there (I consider mid-priced as $1000 to $3000 a pair). If you watch a lot of movies and/or have a small to normal sized listening room, you may prefer bipolar speakers like the Paradigm BP series or something from Definitive Tech. If you like music with a lot of nice vocals, or symphonies, you may prefer B&W. If you have a wimpy amp/receiver, you may prefer powered speakers like the Paradigm Active series, or speakers with built-in powered subs like Definitives or Klipschs or Paradigm 70P/90P Monitors. On the other hand, if you want passive, direct-radiating speakers, and if you like rock 'n roll where the kick drum slams you in the gut, or like bone crunching sound effects and explosions you can feel, then the Studio 100s are just about the only game in town. Don't get me wrong, you may be able to get this level of performance from others in this price range, but you're gonna need a subwoofer to do it. Just as importantly, these speakers sound excellent at normal volumes as well, with very good treble and mid-range response, and you won't need to tweak a tone/loudness control or boost the bass to get them to sound right at low listening levels.
I got my 100s in "rosenut" wood (dark red color similar to rosewood) because I'm tired of black and I'm tired of "wood veneer" made of plastic. They look great; the wood is a solid 5/8" thick in addition to the main 3/4" (I think) MDF enclosure, so we're not talking about paper thin veneer or plywood here. The version 2 speakers look much better than the original boxy version, so the pics in the ads and brochures available now don't do them justice. The speaker build quality, fit, and finish, appears superb. There have been complaints about the binding post nuts feeling loose or "sloppy" and the fact that the posts are too big to accept spades. Well, so what. The posts work flawlessly with bananas and up to 10 ga bare wire. There's also been complaints that the gold jumper strips appear flimsy. Again, so what. Get 2 inches of decent wire and jumper 'em yourself if you don't like it, or just bi-wire the things and be done with it.

System:
B&K Reference 20 preprocessor/pre-amp
2 Parasound HCA-2003A amps (220Wx3)
Sony DVP-C600D DVD player
Paradigm Reference Studio 100 fronts
2 Paradigm Reference Studio CC centers (aka CC-450)
Paradigm Reference Studio ADP rears (aka ADP-450)
Paradigm Reference Servo-15 sub
Monster M-1500/M-1000 interconnects
Monster 12ga speaker wire (bi-wired) w/ Vampire Wire bananas

I auditioned these speakers last week and thought that for the money they were amazing. The highs sounded alot smoother that the previous version. I dont know if it was the cd at the time or what, but the grainingness of the highs were gone with the version 2's. The mids sounded clear and dynamic, but not too forward. The bass was tight and deep, not muddy at all. In all it is a kick ass speaker that can compare to speakers that are twice as much. 5 stars

i got these speakers about 3 weeks ago after the release the new version.i waited for 3 month for these speaker and finally the speaker arive and it worth my money and my time. these speaker weigh over 120 lb in its packaging and over 90lb without the packaging. i bought mine in real wood veneer( rosenut ) and they have the luxury looking like other megabucks speakers.the design is not boxy like the previous version, but instead, it has a "curve" on the top of the front face and the side is rounded. the driver is still the same but they claim to have modified and made refinement to the crossover and bracing. the sound from these speaker is amazing. listen to them yourself and you'll know what i'm talking about. kick drum kick is impresively real and dynamic. the imaging is excellent. the top end is silky smooth and the soundstage is realistic. my 17x20x9 never sounded this big before.
however, the only complaint is the binding post is a bigger that avarage post. i have to change my spade to connect the speaker. luckily i have the ICONN for my MIT T2. no problem for me. just have to spend a few bucks more.
i'm not really impressed with the center speaker (studio CC) which replace cc-450. it looks the same and sounded the same. i wish they make the center in wood veneer so i could match my 3 front speaker.
in my room, these spekaer sounded i little bright, i have to tame the brightness by hanging several each towel on the wall. but the brightness only reduced a little. any comment on how to tackle this????
i give paradigm 5 star for value and 5 star for sound quality.

OK, my break-in is well over. I can now write an accurate review. And may I first reiterate what I've read on AudioReview repeatedly: "Break-in matters!"
These are probably the best speakers for the price on the planet. The rep in my local high-end store didn't even try to sell me something more expensive, like they usually do. I told him I was interested in Studio 100's, and he said, "Great speaker. You can't go wrong there. When people ask for Studio 100's, I don't even try to show them anything else." I talked him down to $1,625, which appears to be a good deal, as AudioReview shows a minimum price of $1,800.

It turns out, that these are the second series of Studio's that Paradigm put out. They had a fresh pair in the back that just came in. They say "Studio 100 v.2" in the fine print near the terminals which, I assume, means "version 2". I haven't been able to find out exactly what Paradigm changed with the new version. Their Web site simply says "All New Paradigm Reference Products", and they used the word "retooled", and they slapped a bunch of "New" graphics on the Reference pages. I'd love to know exactly what they changed.

My Studio 100's are currently powered by a new Rotel RB-991 200-Watt amp through new MIT Terminator-4 Bi-Wire cables. My components are all power-conditioned with a Monster Power HTS-2500. They've had at least 6 weeks to break in now, and I AM THOUROUGHLY PLEASED!

When I first got the Studio 100's home, power was from an old Hafler 220 (110 watts per channel). Between the MIT cables that take 2 weeks to break in, the un-broken-in speakers, and an underpowered amp, I was not 100% impressed. The bass I expected to be there, wasn't. The speakers just didn't sound all there - I guess the word is "cold".

Now, 6 weeks later, and properly powered with a freshly broken-in Rotel 991, these things have opened up like a can of "Whoop-Ass"! The bass dropped down to the perfect level and tension. The highs have widened to a sweet, transparent lucidity that I've never heard before. Even at blistering levels, with some full-range, cymbal and snare-heavy mixes, the highs never slice my ears apart like I was so used to. Yet, they emit every upper-frequency nuance with perfect clarity. The imaging is fantastic! I have them placed at Paradigm's recommeded 2:3 ratio. In other words, the listeners distance from the speakers is exactly 1.5 times the speaker's seperation (to the millimeter - I'm anal).

I listen to a wide range of music: jazz, fusion, classical, heavy metal, progressive rock, new age, and more recently, techno and electronic music. I needed a speaker that would reproduce all forms of music with utmost accuracy, handle the ENTIRE dynamic range, yet reproduce the subtleties of my "nicer" music. That's exactly what I got with the Studio 100's. From Bela Fleck to Horowitz, from Rush to Sevendust, from Spiro Gyra to The Crystal Method, these speakers project every 1 and 0 etched into every CD right into your listening room.

Even at low listening levels, they shine. My best friend and I recently had a late-night listening session as so often happens. I put in both CD's of "Lifeforms" by Future Sound of London. It was 4 in the morning, so I had it on a low, but listenable, volume level and flat EQ (of course). I don't know if anyone is familiar with "Lifeforms", but that CD is a brilliant electronic music composition. The production, engineering, and sonic quality are astounding. It's one of those "journey" discs - takes you to worlds other than this one. Anyway, it took on a whole new life coming from the Studio's. We sat with our jaws on the floor, and listened quietly to both CD's in their entirety. At one point I commented to my friend, "THIS is the true test of a speaker. Any speaker can crank cheesy, distorted rock. These things are unreal!" He knodded in agreement, but resisted speaking as not to interrupt the other-worldly music that was bouncing from my speakers. I gained an even greater respect for the Studio 100's that night. To hear the entire range of music at a low listening level like that, while retaining every bit of warmth and depth, confirmed my purchase decision.

If you buy these, make sure you:

1) Bi-Wire (with GOOD cables) - This is very important if you're not going to bi-AMP. I'm sure the MIT-Terminator 4 Bi-Wire's have a lot to do with my speaker's performance.

2) Use plenty of power - Get at least a 200W/ch power amp. Paradigm says you can go all the way up to a 350-watt amp.

3) Place them at the 2:3 ratio that Paradigm recommends.

4) Use the spikes if they're on the second floor.

A wonderful speaker, even at three times the price! I listened to plenty of other speakers before settling on the 100's. Even some $8,500 speakers were shy in some areas. The Studio 100's do it all!

I agree with the raves of this new Studio 100s. I had a pair of Monitor 7s when they first were made almost a decade ago and nothing came close to their sound for the $400 I spent on them. Ten years later I had much more money to spend and found nothing that could compare to the 100s anywhere close to that 2K price range. I listened to a pair of JM labs speakers for over 5K and the Paradigms blew the doors of them. What a joke.Is there a speaker made better than the 100S? Sure, but what you would have to spend to get there would be silly and better spent on other things in the system.
To answer Russel's questions/comment on Audio Review on the 100s: Paradigm increased the internal bracing by 30% thus adding more weight, tweaked the cross over to the tweeters, and added more copper wire to the base drivers, as well as the new look. BTW, I also drive mine with the Rotel RB991 and its a kick ass combo, thogh now I want that new 385 a channel Rotel!

Regards

Will Brink @ WWW.Brinkzone.com

Great Bass, Great detail in treble and highs, great overall sound

None noticeable

Have owned for over a year and they sound great. The break
in period is substantial, but the speaker sounds better and
better every day. When it is surrounded by high-end equipment it really sings. Outstanding bass has made me stop shopping for a powered subwoofer--it goes as deep and provides all the tuneful bass you will need. Paradigm Reference is first class in my opinion and far outclasses others in its price range and above. Very highly recommended.

Very Open, Great Sound Stage, Un-colored

None I can think of

Great speakers with an incredible sound stage. Would highly recommend these speakers, listen to them and I think you will be surprised. It took a bit of time to break them in but as great as they sounded right out of the box they just got sweeter.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Old JBL, Many Others

Sound quality, Build quality, Price

Binding posts difficult to tighten when bi-wired

Love the studio 100's. Build and sound quality are outstanding for the price. Once I start listening, I often cannot stop. Take a listen. Its well worth your time!