Complaints from neighbors..

My favorite and least expensive part of my home theater.

That thing ROCKS when I am playing music.

Similar Products Used:

Car Woofers....

Hits very, very low.
Aesthetically pleasing.

Not very loud when playing music, but sufficient for movies.

Let me start off by saying that I'm in the process of building my home theatre system and am by no means a home audio audiophyle. I would consider myself a car audio expert though.

I started my HT setup with a JVC9000 receiver from Ubid.com.
I then got a Cerwin Vega LS6C center channel from Ubid.com.
Finally, I purchased two pair of Klipsch Quintets from Ubid.
After looking on ebay and ubid for subs in my price range <$400, I compiled a list and went to my local retailers to audition them. The PDR12 was not on my list. I auditioned Sony, JBL, Acoustic Research, Velodyne, Polk, Klipsch and Cerwin Vega. Among those listed, the JBL and Klipsch were battling head to head. It was not until I was going home to ask the boss (my wife) for permission to purchase the JBL that I noticed a shop I had never seen before. Upon entry I noticed a PDR12 on closeout. The manager said they were selling for $250, with a normal price of $399. I managed to talk him down to $220. I purchased this sub without auditioning it, purchasing on brand recognition/reputation alone. I could barely drive home, I was so excited that I had got a Paradigm for $220.
I got it home, hooked it up and was pretty much dissappointed. Don't get me wrong, I bought it for HT and it does quite well playing movies. BUT, when listening to CD's, it just doesn't sound musical. There are no tight bass beats, just low rumbles. I'm using premium Monster cables and have tried several different positions in the room, with only minimal difference. I didn't listen to the Klipsch KSW12 or the JBLPB12 in my house, but in listening rooms, but it seemed like both of them were louder and much more musical than the PDR12 is in my living room.

I think I couldn't do any better for the price I paid, but for the msrp of $400, you're better off with a KSW12 or PB12.

Similar Products Used:

None. Basing opinions on car audio experience.

Relatively inexpensive, 12" woofer.

Picky about placement, OK for music but not for HT

No matter what I tried (and trust me I tried!) I couldn't get the PDR-12 to sound how I think a sub should sound. After a week of trying different room placements and different combinations of cut-off frequency and volume I gave up and exchanged it for the VR-500 (see my review on that). It seemed like the PDR-12 was struggling to hit the low notes particularly on movies and while it can certainly make the house rumble it just wasn't very satisfying for some reason. It handled music a bit better but I wouldn't say it was great. For the money ($450CDN) its not a bad deal but I wanted a sub I would be happy with for a long time and I could tell this wasn't it. The VR-500 blows the PDR-12 away. Admittedly its more expensive but I guess, like everything else in life, you get what you pay for.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustic VR-500

TONS OF BASS, HT OR MUSIC

NONE

EXCELLENT SUB FOR THE COIN ONE OF THE BEST OUT THERE. I HAVE A FRIEND WHO OWNS THE PS1000 VERY NICE SUB BUT IT WAS A LITTLE MORE MONEY SO I DECIDED TO GET THE PDR12 AND AM NOT DISSAPOINTED. GRTEAT WORK PARADIGM..!!!

most slam per dollar

none

I paid $370. It is a value at twice that. Goes so low I can't hear it. has had no problems in over a year. built in amp runs cool even under full load. I may buy a second one so I can shake more than just my house. This subwoofer is a must hear!

This is my second posting for this product. For some reason, the first posting didn't take. To sum up: I had a loaner PS-1200 sub, got the PDR-12 sub. Bass is deep, fast and loud. Equally adept with music and movies. 5 speakers. Thank you Paradigm!!

deep bass

this sub rocks. it is more than enough to shake my small room. i watched saving private ryan and you can really feel the explosions and the rumbling of the tanks. i listen mostly to jazz and this sub is perfect for me. i set my front speakers to "large" and the pdr12 crossover to about 60hz. all in all, great value and performance. after trying this sub, it's hard to live without it.

Lower price than the PW2200 or the Servo15

Not the PW2200 or Servo15

This sub does everything I thought it would. It fills my 12' x 12' x8' room no problem. Great for the LFE on digital surround tracks. I am not that big of a fan of subs in my audio set up; however, when friends are over and were listening to hi-hop/r&b/electronica music this sub has no problems delivering loud deep bass.

I am upgrading to the PW2200. But knowing me... I will probably end up with the servo 15.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm PDR8, Paradigm PDR10, Energy EXL12, Deftech 15 (sorry no model #), demo'd tonnes of other powered subs

Review of Paradigm PDR12 subwoofer.
About 6 months ago I purchased the PDR12 subwoofer to use with my system
consisting of Martin Logan CLSIIA speakers, Aragon 8002 amp , and 28K preamp.

The PDR12 has turned out to be an excellent match for the CLSIIA's!

Setup:
I am running the full range signal from the Aragon preamp to the rca input of
the PDR12. The preamp has 2 sets of outputs, so I drive the main amp with one
set, and use the other set for the subwoofer. The preamp does not have a subwoofer output. The signal to the CLS's is also full range.

At the present, I am using only the right channel as I didn't have the money
for 2 PDR12's at the time. The sub is crossed over at its lowest position (50Hz)
using its internal electronic crossover. It's a pity the internal crossover
isn't set up to take both channels from the preamp without buying an external
crossover.

Impressions:
This sub has no problem keeping up with the CLSIIA's. The ClS's now have the
bottom end that they so desperately needed. The sub never gets in the way of
the main speakers, but blends in perfectly. I listen to Jazz and Newage with
some classic rock. The subwoofer never takes away the nuances of the music that
the CLS's are famous for reproducing. The whole system is coherent from top to
bottom now.

For a subwoofer at this price to integrate so well with electrostats is
most impressive. I highly recommend the PDR12.

I purchased the PDR12 3weeks ago upgrading my center and surrounds with the Paradigm CC170 and Atoms at the same time. My system is powered by a Harmon Kardon AVR85. I used the Delos DVD Spectacular to run frequency sweeps on all channels including LFE and was able to hear palpable strong output from the PDR12 down to 20 Hz (Amazing!!). Extensive listening confirmed this is one very good subwoofer for the money remaining true to Paradigms reputation for high quality speakers that don't cost a fortune.