all

non removable grill

this is my second review after reading all the others regarding the hum--i had to put my ear to the speaker to even hear it lol--and my room is 12x14--gimme a break--put your ear on your amp and youll hear a hum lol--i neglected to say in my 1st review that i listened to this against the pdr 10--and they sounded identical--not worth the 150.00 difference and meager 10 watt improvement--go for it--this is all you really need--and unless you listen with your ear glued to the sub lolol you wont hear a thing--heck!!!! my sony 36 in wega tv hums if i have my ear to it--most electronics will

Similar Products Used:

sony sawm20

full base--size

none

room is 12x14--using onkyo 696--mains infinity rs5000--cc1 center--and inf qps 1 in rear--was using sony 50 watt sawm 20--saw velodyne reg 400.00 at 6th ave for 200.00--went--listened-was BIG sub-told salesman my prob--small room--sub has to go between speakers in utility cabinet--no choice!!!!!!no room lol-- he said i have the sub for you!-he cut in this little giant and it blew away the ct100 velodyne! made it appear thin in sound-pdr was NOT boomy-but fuller sounding-i was amazed--ran home and got the sony--a+b against the pdr8--totally blew it away--what bass it produces!!!paid 300 bucks but worth a lot more for those of us that are room hampered but want accurate bass--when oh when are sub manufactures gonna put the LEVEL control on the front!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol-this is all the avg person needs--anything more and your trying to fill a gymnasium--highly recommended--and i been into audio for the last 25ys-as a consumer trust me--you WONT return it-i heard em all

Similar Products Used:

sony sawm20

Sounded good with my bookshelf Mission speakers. Compact size.

Audible transformer hum.

After promoting my Mission 760i to the living room, I needed some more low end. The PDR-8 had gotten grat reviews, and the price and size were what I wanted.
First impression was very good, but after short time use, I noticed an audible (transformer) hum. Speaker was returned to shop for repair twice, but in the end they told me that these units are made like this (they compared with two other units).
As the hum was unacceptable (we actually stopped using it after a few weeks), the shop agreed to take it back.
If only Paradigm could get rid of that hum...

Similar Products Used:

None

Sounds great for a 8"

Needs spikes

I love this sub since I'm in a small room. I've read that some people didn't noticed that there is a light in the front of the sub just over the Logo.

Tight, clean, low powerful bass reproduction for an 8" sub. I like how the frequency level has gotten as low as 29 Hz. Very impressive in my book. Matches my towers just fine.

Can't remove the grille, slight hum, no auto-off switch.

I have to say that I enjoyed every sub that I owned(Yamaha, Sony, and now this), but every sub that I have had and heard either because of the settings, or placement, or whatever the case, has not been able to do what this one does, create a pure, low turbulence sound, I feel bass should be heard and not felt, your subwoofer should just cover the low ends that your mains do not, and it should do it discretely enough so that you have no idea where the sub is. At the same time, when you ARE supposed to feel "the hit", it gives to you. It is not as functional during music as it is during movies, but it still outperforms every sub I owned, hands down, I would NEVER EVER go back. Clarity and performance is a definate plus, I can agree that the sub gives off a hum, but, what that says to me is, the sub wants to be pushed, I heard a saying, I think it is Pioneers Car Audio Theme, "Perform best when LOUD". I can't say anything else, except, if you are looking for thumping, bass that you can piss everybody off with, this is not the sub for you, if you want bass you can feel through the natural sound, this sub is perfect. Happy listening.

P.S. Remember, this sub is not made to vibrate, it is made to resonate. My major suggestion is get two of these bad boys if you really want to tear down walls.

Similar Products Used:

Velodyne, Yamaha, Sony, Definative Technologies, Infinity

I recently purchased the PDR-8 powered subwoofer to go in my mini/cheapo-audiophile stereo system. The PDR-8 is the smallest powered subwoofer from Paradigm (8' cone) and comes with active crossover and line level control knobs. You can play it through either speaker cables from your amp or one of those "sub-out" lines from an A/V receiver. I bought the PDR-8 b/c of its small size (I'm limited on space) and price ($259 on sale). It delivers a clean bass with a little bit of boominess. It might be too small for a full-blown home A/V system but it has substantially enhanced the sound of my stereo system by extending much needed bass to my little Paradigm Atoms.

PARADIGM PDR-8 SUBWOOFER - $299 USD
Amp: 90 watt, soft clipping, thermal protection
Bass: 8 inch extended travel
Low Freq: 29Hz
Low-pass crossover: Adjustable from 50 to 150Hz
High-pass crossover: None
Height: 12.75 inches
Width: 12 inches
Depth: 15 inches
Weight: 25 lbs

Home Page: www.paradigm.ca

Having a pair of Optimus PRO LX5 speakers, I wanted to find a small, inexpensive subwoofer to fill in for the LX5's lack of bass. I've been interested in the Paradigm PDR-8 subwoofer since I first heard of it, and found a very nice stereo store that let me take home their demo unit to try out in the freindly confines of my small living room.

The first thing one notices about the PDR-8 is it's rather small size relative to other subs. Being just over a cubic foot in area, it really doesn't take up much space (a very important sellling point for me....) and is rather easy to hide. Also one notices the several cost saving measures Paradigm employs on their PDR series of subs to keep the cost VERY low. Just like the Micro/Atom/Titan speakers they make, the PDR's have a non-removable front grill. Also, the PDR's don't have a high-pass crossover unlike many other subs in this price range. (This is a feature I don't really miss...) But one of the most strange cost-cutting measures is the lack of speaker line-outs! There are clips for left & right speaker line in, but nothing to loop it back out. There is an RCA jack for a line-level connection, and that's just how I connected the sub to my receiver. Like many modern recievers, mine has a special mono line-out for subwoofers. Of course this meant the LX5's were stuck playing the full frequency range of sound being sent to them, but I did not find this to be much of a drawback, if any.

After a small period of fiddling with the PDR-8's volume and low-pass crossover controls, I found this sub sounded best with the LX5's with the volume set exactly at the half-way mark; and the low-pass crossover set at 100Hz.

Listening to a wide variety of classical and acoustic jazz music, I found the PDR-8 to do an admirable job reproducing string bass and drums. The sub did seem a little boomy and distorted compared to other subwoofers I've listened to, but this didn't really distract from the listening experience. Overall it did a very good job.

With pop and jazz fusion, this little subwoofer really showed it's stuff! It does a wonderful job reproducing the low frequencies of electric bass guitars and bass drums - as a matter of fact these instruments sounded even better coming from the PDR-8 than the other lower-distortion subs I've listened to! Perhaps the slight boominess actually works to it's advantage with this type of music.

As far as using the PDR-8 while listening to surround-sound movies, I found nothing to complain about. As a matter of fact it performed extremely well reproducing the low-frequency sound effects in the movie "Independence Day" and had no problem with the effects in "Dante's Peak."

Those of you who own a pair of Paradigm's Micro/Atom/Titan speakers will want to run right out and buy one of these little guys, even if you have to pay the full list price of $299 USD. You will be amazed at what the PDR-8 can do to fill in the low-bass information you're currently missing out on. Of course, owners of other brands of "economy" bookshelf speakers will find the PDR-8 to be all the subwoofer you need. I was amazed at how well it blended with my Optimus LX5's.

Once again Paradigm proves you can have quality sound at bargain basement prices. I'd would give it five "speakers," but for the slight boominess and distortion. So I'll give it a 4.5.

Bought the PDR-8 about a month ago from my local specialty store for $199. I dont know why you guys paid so much! For $200 i can complain at all. It really performs wonderfully. I have Titan's in the front, Atom's in the rear, a CC-170 Center channel and this PDR-8 hooked up to my new Onkyo TX-DS555 DD,DTS receiver. By the way this receiver absolutely is the best receiver for $500 you can find anywhere, period. The PDR-8 outperforms many others at $199 and blends in perfectly with my other Paradign products. Don't beleive the BS. It is to your advantage to manufacturer match ALL speakers in a home theater. Wanted the PDR-10 but didn't feel there was any real audible difference and for 100 bucks more, no way. Paradign continues to amaze with the price/performance products. 5 stars. Can't ask for any more. Perfect product for $199.

By the way i mistook and meant to say the receiver was the Onkyo TX-DS575 not the 555, both are excellent product however, but the 575 has DTS also

cheap, easy to listen. Good for dance music

Too much boomy bass, Non-removable front.

I have been quite pleased with my Paradigm Titan's but if I had to choose now what speakers to buy, it wouldn't propably be Titan's. I have listened them couple moths and i first impression was really good, but they is my first speakers and now I want more quality! I recommend Titan's if you are a casual listener, of for home theater use.

-Henkka