I bought these speakers over a year ago after looking at many other speakers in the same price range (klipch, Polk, Boston Acoustics etc...) and found the Paradigms to be far superior to the others. They have the bass I'd been looking for, without being too overpowering. Mids and highs are smooth and clear. Everything seems to sound very natural, and a great representation of what is actually recorded on the CD. They also sound great for my home theater set-up. I don't even think I'll need a sub with these baby's. I would recommend these to anyone.

Great base without sub

Large size

I have had these speakers for a little over a year and have to say that they are great! Smoth sound, possibly a tiny little harsh uper midrange but most speakers have a hard time producing this. Overall I truely think you have to spend $4000-6000 to get a better sounding speaker and you would have to really have to listen hard to notice.

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Image Concept 200

excellent extended bass response, ability to handle transients and to resolve details in the mix

imaging not as good as others in price range

at their (discounted) price point no other full range speaker comes close

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vmps super tower r

Huge soundstage, very acurate imaging, neutrality & the ability to disappear.

I got greedy, might be a tad large for my living room!

I have had these studio 100s for about 18 months now and after a nice break in period ( 4 months) they have become one of my favorite components I have ever owned. They are a very neutral speaker that will show you exactly what you give them.(ie they won't polish a turd!) In fact they exposed weeker components in my system. To regain my sanity, and cause my wife to lose hers, I upgrade my receiver to a Yamaha MX-1 power amp & CX-1 pre-amp.
After another break in period, I can safely say that my leap of faith has paid off in spades!The Studio 100s love the extra power the MX-1 gives them and responds by handling
deep bass transients and difficult passages effortlessly.I
notice this most, oddly enough when I am listening at lower levels. I am pretty sure bi-wiring has helped as well.
They still obviously prefer to be fed well recorded material, so I make sure I listen to similar music at one sitting. As far as the finish goes the roesnut wood veneer is outstanding.(A good friend of mine has gone the wood veneer route as well on his B&W 805s to convince his wife they belong in the living room...guys take note!) In fact I
like the appearance much better than the new Studio 100 v.2 which only has the wood veneer on 2 sides as opposed to all 6.
I still sometimes feel a little guilty for splurging on my new system, but that soon evaporates right after I turn it on!

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Paradigm 9se

These Speakers have it all!

None

I only had these speakers a few days but i fell in love and hard. I think these Speakers wil replace sex with the wife. Bass better then most subs.Mids like i never heard on anyother speaker near the 100's price class. Highs that are crystal clear. If you have $2000 and looking for a speaker that will blow everything away in the $5000 and under range you have found the champion. Paradigm take a bow,standing OVATION here!!!

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None i've used

Construction, price, frequency range, incredible bass response.

Dumb question.

What else can I say than others here? For the price, there is no competition. Even at the $2000 retail I liked these better than B&W Nautilus 802s, which are several times more expensive. Incredible speakers, and if positioned right, the bass will kick you in the stomach. I hate metal tweeters but somehow they made these work awesome, better than any silk dome I've heard. Detail is awesome. I will add a sub eventually, but I'm in no rush. All this, and they're running off my $150 Pioneer receiver!!! Soon to be driven by Odyssey Stratos and paired up with their family (Studio CC V.2 and Studio ADP V.2) and an SVS subwoofer most likely, possibly a paradigm PW sub (the Ref. Servo is way too much money for me). I'm in no rush to get the sub, it would only be for movies, these have great bass for music on their own. I will not ever regret this purchase. I bought them a few-months used, so they were mostly broken in when I got them, but everyone says you have to break these guys or you may be initially disappointed. Even the manual that comes with them says at least 3 hours to loosen the surrounds. Just toss on some pink noise when you go to work one day, should take care of it. Also, I've heard the V.1 vs the V.2 (What I got) and the V.2 is LEAPS AND BOUNDS better, definately go with the V.2.

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Nothing of this caliber, have auditioned almost every brand out there in the last 5 years though.

The total package in audio, dynamic yet subtle, covers the entire musical spectrum, great sound stage and imaging, excellent cabinet construction and finish, mine are cherry

you need quality amplification which can run into large dollars

I bought these from a friend of mine. Why he sold them I'll never know, but his loss is my gain. I was getting tired of my Klipsch KLF 30s. They never did loose their brightness and did'nt give me the bass I thought they should. I listened to the studio 100s and was instantly in love. It had none of the evils the 30s had, mainly COLORATION, and presented the best overall musical experience I have ever heard. I won't ramble on, just say these are the best speakers you can buy for under $5,000! They are a steal even at full retail.
My two channel system:

2 Audiosource amp 3s bridged
NAD C160 pre-amp
AMC CD8b CD player
Kimber PBJ interconnects
MIT Terminator 2 bi-wire speaker cable
Paradigm studio 100 v2

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Replaced Klipsch KLF 30s

Imaging, tight bass, true vocals, extremely solid construction

Would like to see some of the wood finish on the front, slightly recessed midrange

I found these on sale and couldn't resist. I already owned a pair of Studio 40 v.2, but wanted a speaker that had more bass so that I wouldn't have to use the sub so much (the neighbors don't like it). I have to say I was pretty disappointed when I first hooked it up. The midrange was raspy and it had very poor bass. But I reminded myself that the 40's took a while to break in, so I gave them some time. They just kept getting better and better. Now, a couple of months later, they've easily surpassed the 40's. They have a 'bigger' sound and the bass is surprisingly tight--not a particularly strong characteristic with the 40's.

I took a serious look at the B&W CDM7SE and was impressed with its superior soundstage and full-sounding midrange. But it didn't have the bass, the highs were a little laid back for me and it didn't play as well at high spl's. The thing that really sold me on the 100's was the overall balance. It does everything well and I've now determined that my 100wpc amp is all I need to run this big boy.

To date, it is the best speaker I've heard overall except for a Dynaudio Contour 3.0 which is well above my budget and requires better gear than I have.

I'm only giving these speaker 4 stars for value because I think Paradigm marks this model up more than is justified by additional cost to build over the Studio 60.

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PSB, Tannoy, Dynaudio, B&W

BASS...mids...highs..all! Imaging...great speakers

have not found any yet..grilles are not the best though, but better than many.

Ignore the last review I left for 3 stars, I since have fized my problem with a new reciever - Marantz SR18..NOW I feel the bass and it is smooth, tight and plentiful. The best speakers I have heard in my home. If you want better be prepared to spend about $6000 for a pair. If I could give 6 stars I would, becuase at the price I paid $1600 with cherry wood, these are UNBEATABLE. Thanks to Live Wire in Canada for helping me, they are a great store with great customer service...if you go, ask for Bob, he will take care of you! livewireaudio.com is their site...you can get a deal if you want to drive.

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polk, infinity, (auditioned B&W, DEF TECH, and many others)

True high-end, full-range sound at an affordable price.

Component dependent, needs a lot of space

I purchased the Studio 100s (original version) in early 1998. My interest was piqued by the numerous good reviews it received in Stereophile, Audio, Sensible Sound, Audiophile Voice, Soundstage.com, and word-of-mouth. Let me say right here that the speakers lived up to all the hype, and then some.

For all of you audiophile snobs who feel that a speaker priced at only around $2000 cannot possibly measure up to models going for 2 or 3 times that price; drop all your prejudices, go to your local Paradigm dealer, and honestly evaluate the performance. An article that the now defunct Audio magazine conducted with Paradigm honchos (Scott Bagby and the Vandermarel brothers) show how they are able to offer a superior product at an affordable price. Tactics like mechanical assembly and in-house production of most parts all contribute to keeping the price down. When done correctly like how Paradigm does it, there is absolutely no compromise in quality.

A warning before you invest in Studio 100s. First off, make sure your room is big enough. I would say, you would need at least a room that will allow you to space the speakers at least 9-10 feet apart and to sit at least 12 feet away. Anything smaller and the 100s will flood your room with bass and you will hear an unnatural mid-bass hump. If you have a smaller room, consider a smaller model like the Studio 80s or 60s. Also, your electronics will have an impact on the performance. It was very frustrating for me to find the power amp that had the best synergy with the Paradigms. When I used the NAD 218THX (225 wpc), the midrange was a little too forward and fatiguing when played too long. When I used a tubed Dynaco ST35, the sound was mellow but a little too distant and cloudy. The best amps in my collection that best works is the McIntosh MC275 (tubed 75 wpc) and Audio Research D115 mk. II (tubed 100 wpc.) I guess my recommendation would be to use medium or higher powered tube amps.

When you use such an amp as one of the latter ones I have used, prepare yourself for a presentation that sounds deep, enveloping, and inviting. You will find yourself enjoying and hearing things in your old recordings that you never heard before. While no speaker yet invented will perfectly emulate a live concert, the Paradigms (when set up right, used with the right equipment and good recordings) come as close as any other speaker to being a magic carpet that is able to transcend time and space. It really IS that good. The only other speakers I have heard that are significantly better are the Pipedreams, which edge them out when it comes to soundstage height, depth, and overall seamlessness in the sound. But the Pipes costs much, much more as I saw it setup at CES and 99% of people will never be able to afford them or have the adequate space at home. For all the audiophiles in the real world, there is the Studio 100s.

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