When I first got a listen with these speakers I was amazed. They completely blew the roof off of all other speakers (PSB, Klipsch, and even other Paradigm's) I'd heard. I can't wait till I actually have the money to buy them.The bass was nice and tight, and didn't have any signs of washyness I had experienced with the Klipsch's. The midrange was probably the most staggering part, I couldn't just tell where the musicians were on stage I could tell where the lighting technicians and band manager were too! I have to give these speakers the highest rating possible! Second only possibly to the Studio 100's.

The Paradigm Reference Studio 80's are some of the best speakers I've ever auditioned. I compared them to some other Paradigms as well as some Phase Technology speakers. The 80's completely killed the Phases, which seemed overly bright and distorted. The 80's played clean even at very high volumes, and the imaging was excellent, even when substantially off-axis. Acoustic guitars came across as if the musician was actually in the room, and female vocals were articulated well. For the price, there a very excellent buy.

Amazing value. Very tight throughout the frequency ranges.These are going to be my next speakers, and my Monitor 7's
will become my surrounds.

A truly remarkable speaker for the money. Pair with slightly bright components if possible. Very musical, very good clarity, and most importantly, very enjoyable to listen to - with just about any kind of music. "No sub required" is right when it comes to these puppies - the bass is clean and pronounced. Compared to other speakers in the same price range, nothing came close. As for the Studio 100's, I don't personally think they're worth the extra $400, but they are certainly good also. Finally, I agree that you should get these in the Cherry laminate - simply beautiful.

I reviewed a number of speakers in their price range and not much else compared to the 80's, voices are extremely well reproduced a product of good mid-bass. What else can be said except they are a real 5 star to be discovered.

These babies came in 3 days ago. It didn't take long too "burn them in" though they may still be improving. They sound fine now. I let them play on a repeat CD for a day and then put some more time on them just listening to them constantly. You get to know them that way. I listened to several pair of speakers beforehand, traveled to other cities with other dealers to find the best in the land (for my price range). It finally came done to the B&W CDM7 and these.

I'm not going to tell you these speakers a great because I've already broke the bank buying these speakers and are now going to like them no mater what. They are incredibely musical speakers, anyone would have to admit that right off. They'll play anything at a reasonaable sound level and produce very nice clarity and produce the good imaging that ususally goes with it. They have a huge soundstage without too much trouble with placement. They give you as nice a midrange and treble as the CDM7 (which is very nice) but a much more controlled bass. Besides that I believe that they sound better loud.

Also, I have a mosdest 70 watt Arcam system which is happier with a more sensitive system, which the Paradigms are (92 db). The HNT 2.5s, the Snell D IVs and the Theil's (in that price range) aren't as sensitive. Just about any amplifer can control these monster speakers. They are big and heavy and boxy wiithout a boxy sound. Most people will know what I mean by that. The highs are very smooth and just a bit aggressive. The midrange is very tight and controlled even though it covers the largest range of the 3 speaker 2 and a half way speaker system going from 2 to 40kHz. The bass can reach down unlike its little brother the Paradigm Reference Studio 60s which have a nice sound in their own right. The 80s physically have a larger bass and midrange, both moving from 6 to 8 inches (170 to 215 cm) which relates sonically to a deeper richer sound. One might think that it might be a bit lose in the midrange but it isn't apparant. The midrange might be its brighest spot. And the low's go quite low enough for me. I'm not a sub person. You loose control when you go to deep and I wonder if that is the mucic that the composer really wanted. Isn't that a little too deep. If you are into home video that may be different but I'm not listening for the drumbeat of dinosuour feet, I'm listening for the lows of William Orbit doing some stuff from Hinterland. His electronic lows are about as low as I need to go. There is no boom there. It is very polite while still delivering its message. They seem to benefit from spikes and like to be played with their grills on with a large split between them (8+ feet) without any need of assistance from a toe in. The soundstage is huge which will allow you to get better imaging over a larger area. For what I hear concidering what I paid, I have to give these speakers tops marks. God yes I've heard better speakers and wish that I could afford them, but I'm living in reality and my budget. Overall I very much recommend these speakers to those in the 1K to 2K price range

Just purchased these speakers. Amazing sound, value, etc etc. Had to experiment a bit on placement, but when I found the magic zone - incredible!
Real bass, very low and exceptional clarity in the midrange. I haven't
bi-wired anything, just let 'em warm up a few days (required) and enjoy.

Particularly good on small group jazz. I'm running these on a baby ADCOM,
these don't need a lota power either for a very revealing sound. Probably the most interesting thing is how good they sound at low volumes.

I finnaly got to hear these speakers after a long search in NY city to find one on display. Ive been looking for the right speaker to my taste for the past half year and I narrowed it down to two speakers. One, the Studio 80 and the other BMW CDM7SE. The BMWs sound great and I fell in love with them on the spot especialy because of the MIDs BMW know how to make so well, but for less money the Paradigm can deliver a sound that reminds me of the BMW or might even excel over the BMW? Great soundstage, good mids ,Tight Bass , Good low bass never muddy, very Dynamic with one of the best high frequency I heard to date ( very close to the highs I heard on the Egglestonework Andra 10000$ pair). This speaker will tear apart many other more Expencive speakers and Im not talking in the hundreds but in the thousands. I heard a KEF reference ( I believe 105 or something ) speaker going for 4000$ that does not stand a chance against Studio 80. I also heard Missions new flagship going for 2000$ which in my opinion SUCKS, no clarity or bass with woofers that seem to tear apart when playing loud. I heard an expencive Celestion ( big tower mama ) cant remember the model but was going for 4000$ + - and it sounded pretty good but the Studio took it apart also in clarity, tight bass,and dynamics. I wish I could only compare this speaker with the BMW CDM7SE but I have not yet found a store who has them both. I know its a close call between the two and I have not yet decided. One thing for sure, I can live with either of them.

Sonic Qualities:
I have now lived with my Studio 80's for 3 months. They sound fantastic. Imaging is right on. You can definitely pick out individual instruments and their location on the sound stage. I never really appreciated listening to Donald Fagen The Night Fly before, but imaging is so good with the 80's that it now actually gets played. Acoustic guitar of Boston's 1st album sound like it is right in front of you.

When I 1st got the 80's home I was afraid that they were not going to be able to produce a low/tight bass that I like, but believe me, they do. You'll really appreciate the bass when you play a good action flick, try the 1st scene of "The 5th Element" to see what I mean. I might as go as far as to say you could get by without a seperate subwoofer in your home theater setup (until you've bought everything else anyway !)

Brightness:

These speakers seem a little bright to me. It may be my room or my amp (ADCOM 5503) I find myself selecting the contour button on my preamp (ADCOM GTP450) to remove some of the brightness. My listening room has a couch and a love seat, but lots of walls, which may attribute to some of the brightness. My family room is adjacent to the dining room and kitchen with an arched wall between them. So I sort of have more than 4 walls for reflections to bounce off. I getting ready for a new preamp soon, so I report back on the brightness when it gets installed in my system. (Sony ES9000 or the Acurus)

Build quality:

These babies are built rock solid. 105 pound weaklings out there (my girlfriend) take note: Do not try to lift one of these yourself. Beware of moving these around on the floor after you get them out of the box. It looks like the black ash veneer may rub loose at the bottom of the speaker cabinet if your not careful. Make sure you get those little gold plated feet on ASAP.

Hardware Problems:

The Studio 80's ship with gold plated round feet and spikes. One of my spikes threads was stripped midway down the screw and got stuck in the base of the speaker cabinet while I was screwing it together. As I was CAREFULLY trying to unscrew it out of the base of the speaker the nut in the speaker pulled out.

I didn't listen to a lot of speakers before buying these. My opinion is they will sound different when you get them home and hooked up with your own equipment anyway. I'm sure there are other speakers out there in this price range that sound just as good, but I'm sure you won't be disapointed if you end up bringing these puppies home.

Rating:

4.5 stars on price
4 stars on build quality
4 stars on sound

Since listening to music is a near-religious experience for me, buying new equipment was a pretty daunting task. I tried many brands over several weeks (the worst being the $1400 Bose 901s-PHEW!-nothing but muddled midrange and no punch). The Paradigm Studio/80's won, hands down. Compared to several B&W floor-standing speakers (annoying highs, too bright), NHT, and Thiels, the Paradigms had a warmth and clarity that overrides the "accuracy" many companies tout. No need for a subwoofer-the base is powerful enough, with no rumble or distortion. "Reproduceability" is terific; you can pick out all the musicians in an orchestral playback. I lucked out and got a display pair as seconds for less than $1100. The cherry finish is appealing, but the black ash looks just fine with my cherry furniture. To get the most outta these sturdy guys, BI-WIRE them-the results are astounding!