I usually enable audyssey in direct modes. I think the point I was trying to make was don't "Boost" bass or treble signals and don't use 2 channel to 7 channel converters like dolby prologic, if it was made 2 channel listen in 2 channel, if it was 5 or 7 channel then use that, there is no need to manipulate signal.

From what I'm reading it looks like there is a bit of a back up in deliveries of the v5 Studios. Or is it just the ones in rosenut? Was going to try and get a good deal on some Studio 20s, but if there is high demand it looks like the dealers won't be willing to "deal" for some time:(.

Jim

FYI:

Just wanted to let others know of great deals at 6th Ave.

They have a "Name Your Price" promotion going on over there where you email them an offer and they let you know if it's accepted.

Just picked up 3 pairs of Mini Monitor V5's for $250 /pair. No tax, free UPS ship.

That's tough to beat.

http://www.6ave.com/shop/nameyourprice.aspx

I just put my deposit down yesterday to order a pair of studio 100 v5 and a cc690 in black. I have been hearing about these long delays in getting these, but my dealer said it could be 2-3 weeks, optimistically. I'll let everyone know when they do come in.

Waiting patiently,

I see where they carry the 100s and 60s in the Studio line, but not the 20s. Guess I'll just have to wait a few months for the V.5 backlog to clear. My 10+ year old DefTechs will have to do a bit more service.

I just put my deposit down yesterday to order a pair of studio 100 v5 and a cc690 in black. I have been hearing about these long delays in getting these, but my dealer said it could be 2-3 weeks, optimistically. I'll let everyone know when they do come in.

Waiting patiently,
That long "optimistically? And you're Canadian?:)

I just put my deposit down yesterday to order a pair of studio 100 v5 and a cc690 in black. I have been hearing about these long delays in getting these, but my dealer said it could be 2-3 weeks, optimistically. I'll let everyone know when they do come in.

Waiting patiently,

I'm from Northern Alberta too and ordered the same speakers in black last month - took 2 and 1/2 weeks to get to the store only cuz the CC-690 was back ordered one week. Once it ships it takes 7 business days to get to Alberta - at least both times I ordered this year. I'm guessing they're caught up on Blacks just the Rosenut seem to be in very high demand..

Paradigm wasn't expecting such a demand for the Rosenut v5's. They hadn't been a particularly big seller in the past, largely due to the fact that it was a vinyl veneer. Now that they've gone back to an actual wood veneer (thank you, Paradigm) the Rosenut is in high demand...obviously higher than they expected. I'm considering cancelling my order and picking up a Bose setup instead.

Jason

I'm considering cancelling my order and picking up a Bose setup instead.

Jason

Is this a joke post? You're going to cancel an order for Paradigm and buy Bose instead?

Is this a joke post? You're going to cancel an order for Paradigm and buy Bose instead?

Nope, he's dead serious. Most all of of Paradigm owners are thinking of selling off what we have to buy Bose.

Paradigm wasn't expecting such a demand for the Rosenut v5's. They hadn't been a particularly big seller in the past, largely due to the fact that it was a vinyl veneer. Now that they've gone back to an actual wood veneer (thank you, Paradigm) the Rosenut is in high demand...obviously higher than they expected. I'm considering cancelling my order and picking up a Bose setup instead.

Jason


Yeah.... that was a really good move on the part of Paradigm here, I think they were a little slow out of the gate for real wood venneers on the Studio's with all the competition going in that direction at that price point.

Jumping up to the Sigs for that real wood was not an option for alot of people at those prices.

But I have to say, I am now very very excited to see what the next step in evolution will be for the Signature line, which will have to be something impressive to further separate the distance between the Studio's and Signatures.

I'm really glad I bought my D2v first, which made a huge impact for my room, just with the Studio's alone....

Nope, he's dead serious. Most all of of Paradigm owners are thinking of selling off what we have to buy Bose.

I was actually going to consult Raymond and see what he suggests... ;)

Jason

I was actually going to consult Raymond and see what he suggests... ;)

Jason

Be careful, next thing you know, you'll be the "proud" owner of some Sound Designs. :D

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Everyone,

I am purchasing my first AVR and 5.1 system sometime soon and am looking for a bit on input from the experts here as I know squat about audio.

I am thinking on going with the Denon 1909/1910 AVR - can get for $600 in Canada.

For speakers, I can either get the Paradigm Cinema 110's for $900 or the Mission M30 package for $1,000. The stupid thing is that these are are separate stores so I can't really compare them back to back if you know what I mean.

In your opinion, which are the better speakers? I can't really find any reviews on the M30's however what I have read on the 110's is that they are decent speakers.

The room is about 15' by 15' with carpet and two leather sofas (if any of that matters).

Thanks in advance for any opinions.

I'm considering cancelling my order and picking up a Bose setup instead.

Jason

I had to check the date on that post to see if it was April 1st.
I upgraded from Bose to Paradigm. I bet they're still in a closet somewhere. You wanna buy them? They're about as useful as paperweights to me these days.

Hi everyone,

My setup is as follows
Monitor 7 v3
CC-370 v3
SVS pc-plus (don't remember the model right now but it rocks the whole house) sub.

I sold my Titans I used to have as rears and I'm looking to get ADPs. I don't know however if I should settle for the 170 v3 (or earlier) or should hold out for 270's or 370's v3 so to ensure voice-matching is perfect?

I'm using a Marantz SR-8400 to drive the whole thing and mostly use this system for movies with the occasional music/PS3 game.

thanks for your help!

Even living in a fairly large city (Atlanta) the options on Paradigm dealers are very limited. I'm trying to figure out what people really pay for these things. I know that retail for the Studio 100 v.5 is $1499 and the CC-690 is also $1499. If I was to get them for 1/3 off (as I've been offered) would that be considered fairly normal or a good deal?

Nope, he's dead serious. Most all of of Paradigm owners are thinking of selling off what we have to buy Bose.

I have had my Studio 60's (Rosenut) for about 5 weeks and I have found them to be worth the wait.
I waited about 2 weeks which sounds very short compared to others. Of course the Paradigm plant is just down the road from here. (Sorry, couldn't resist). The local dealers make weekly runs to Paradigm to pick up their orders.

Initially, I listened to Monitor 9s but found them to be too bright. There must be a more technical term for it but after an hour I was physically tired from listening to them.
Monitor 11s were just too large for my space so moved to the Studio 60s and haven't looked back. My sub-woofer is a critical part of my setup as I set all my speakers to 'small' and adjust the crossovers to suit.

Paid $1825 CAD plus tax for the pair. This exceeded my initial budget but I do not want to wish I had bought the 60s every time I turn on my system.

Think long term when ordering the 60s. I will be using these speakers for many years.

BTW. My dealer mentioned that Paradigm was including a 5th foot for the 60s as they are a bit top heavy and could be knocked over. He mentioned kids and pets. The extra foot attaches at the front. If this extra foot is not included you should ask your dealer to get them. There should be no charge.

KG

I have had my Studio 60's (Rosenut) for about 5 weeks and I have found them to be worth the wait.
I waited about 2 weeks which sounds very short compared to others. Of course the Paradigm plant is just down the road from here. (Sorry, couldn't resist). The local dealers make weekly runs to Paradigm to pick up their orders.

Initially, I listened to Monitor 9s but found them to be too bright. There must be a more technical term for it but after an hour I was physically tired from listening to them.
Monitor 11s were just too large for my space so moved to the Studio 60s and haven't looked back. My sub-woofer is a critical part of my setup as I set all my speakers to 'small' and adjust the crossovers to suit.

Paid $1825 CAD plus tax for the pair. This exceeded my initial budget but I do not want to wish I had bought the 60s every time I turn on my system.

Think long term when ordering the 60s. I will be using these speakers for many years.

BTW. My dealer mentioned that Paradigm was including a 5th foot for the 60s as they are a bit top heavy and could be knocked over. He mentioned kids and pets. The extra foot attaches at the front. If this extra foot is not included you should ask your dealer to get them. There should be no charge.

KG

So much for the old standard business practice of filling orders/backorders by when received. I've been waiting since March. Of course I just received my 4th guarantee of "they're shipping this week". One can only hope.

Hi everyone,

My setup is as follows
Monitor 7 v3
CC-370 v3
SVS pc-plus (don't remember the model right now but it rocks the whole house) sub.

I sold my Titans I used to have as rears and I'm looking to get ADPs. I don't know however if I should settle for the 170 v3 (or earlier) or should hold out for 270's or 370's v3 so to ensure voice-matching is perfect?

I'm using a Marantz SR-8400 to drive the whole thing and mostly use this system for movies with the occasional music/PS3 game.

thanks for your help!

If you are looking for ADP's, you should click on that 6thAve deal above, they have ADP's in their line, and who knows maybe they'll take a price that fits in your budget nicely.

I have had my Studio 60's (Rosenut) for about 5 weeks and I have found them to be worth the wait.
I waited about 2 weeks which sounds very short compared to others. Of course the Paradigm plant is just down the road from here. (Sorry, couldn't resist). The local dealers make weekly runs to Paradigm to pick up their orders.

Initially, I listened to Monitor 9s but found them to be too bright. There must be a more technical term for it but after an hour I was physically tired from listening to them.
Monitor 11s were just too large for my space so moved to the Studio 60s and haven't looked back. My sub-woofer is a critical part of my setup as I set all my speakers to 'small' and adjust the crossovers to suit.

Paid $1825 CAD plus tax for the pair. This exceeded my initial budget but I do not want to wish I had bought the 60s every time I turn on my system.

Think long term when ordering the 60s. I will be using these speakers for many years.

BTW. My dealer mentioned that Paradigm was including a 5th foot for the 60s as they are a bit top heavy and could be knocked over. He mentioned kids and pets. The extra foot attaches at the front. If this extra foot is not included you should ask your dealer to get them. There should be no charge.

KG

I've had my V4 100s for over a year now and I have no intention of parting with them. ;)

No paradigm owner would ever seriously consider using Bose for anything other than paper weights. :D

So much for the old standard business practice of filling orders/backorders by when received. I've been waiting since March. Of course I just received my 4th guarantee of "they're shipping this week". One can only hope.
I can't speak for Paradigm but I know that my dealer sells a lot of Paradigm speakers and probably had a cross section of Paradigm speakers already on order.

KG

I've had my V4 100s for over a year now and I have no intention of parting with them. ;)

No paradigm owner would ever seriously consider using Bose for anything other than paper weights. :D
I have a Bose radio in my bedroom. It sounds pretty good.

KG

Did he charge you for the loaners?

Nope. But I would have been upset to have been charged for the product immediately and then forced to wait an undetermined period (of over a month) for their arrival.

Even living in a fairly large city (Atlanta) the options on Paradigm dealers are very limited. I'm trying to figure out what people really pay for these things. I know that retail for the Studio 100 v.5 is $1499 and the CC-690 is also $1499. If I was to get them for 1/3 off (as I've been offered) would that be considered fairly normal or a good deal?

No opinions here?

No opinions here?

That's a sweet deal. Most people barely get 15% for buying an entire system!

No opinions here?

Mine were 20% off msrp, that's CDN. 33% sounds sweet!

Paid $1825 CAD plus tax for the pair. This exceeded my initial budget but I do not want to wish I had bought the 60s every time I turn on my system.

Think long term when ordering the 60s. I will be using these speakers for many years.

BTW. My dealer mentioned that Paradigm was including a 5th foot for the 60s as they are a bit top heavy and could be knocked over. He mentioned kids and pets. The extra foot attaches at the front. If this extra foot is not included you should ask your dealer to get them. There should be no charge.

KG

This was my train of thought also. I was set on getting 60's for my needs, I don't listen too loud very often. But I do have a large room and didn't want to regret my decision a few years down the road. Spent over my self imposed budget, ordered the 100's and cc690. I expect this will keep me happy for 20+ years. The $ difference amortized over that time is small if you look at it that way.

Do you happen to know if that 5th foot is strictly for the 60?

This was my train of thought also. I was set on getting 60's for my needs, I don't listen too loud very often. But I do have a large room and didn't want to regret my decision a few years down the road. Spent over my self imposed budget, ordered the 100's and cc690. I expect this will keep me happy for 20+ years. The $ difference amortized over that time is small if you look at it that way.

Do you happen to know if that 5th foot is strictly for the 60?

I did a similar thing two years ago with the 100s and a 590. I still grin and giggle when I listen to them. I have no reason to upgrade, other than a 690 for the 590.

You're going to love it! :D
An old Oilers fan, ayrton

Even living in a fairly large city (Atlanta) the options on Paradigm dealers are very limited. I'm trying to figure out what people really pay for these things. I know that retail for the Studio 100 v.5 is $1499 and the CC-690 is also $1499. If I was to get them for 1/3 off (as I've been offered) would that be considered fairly normal or a good deal?

I think you're about a grand shy on MSRP for the 100s.

1/3 off sounds great.......just don't expect it to be off of the #s you gave.

A 5th foot for the front? That sounds hideous if they're using the same style of foot... Hopefully it's something concealed.

Jason

I think you're about a grand shy on MSRP for the 100s.

1/3 off sounds great.......just don't expect it to be off of the #s you gave.

Hmm. Well the numbers I was quoted really were 1/3 of the prices I listed. So maybe a better deal than I thought?

$1499 sounds right if you're talking about price per speaker and not per pair. If you can get 1/3 off, jump on it. I haven't seen a deal like that anywhere around here.

Right, I was talking per speaker. Sorry for the confusion.

$1499 sounds right if you're talking about price per speaker and not per pair. If you can get 1/3 off, jump on it. I haven't seen a deal like that anywhere around here.

Right, I was talking per speaker. Sorry for the confusion.

I'd take that deal. Thats better than what I gave for my V4s.

I should have known you were talking per speaker. :o

It was early here in Illinois. ;)

Yep...1/3 off msrp is a great price for Paradigms. My local dealer can usually finagle 25% unless it's a package purchase and then he can eek a bit more.

Jason

Thanks for the info guys. Gives me an idea of what to look for on $ when I get ready to pull the trigger. Still deciding whether to do 20' all around in a 5.1 system, or to get 100s or 60s in front for the L/R mains. Any ideas?

Jim

Thanks for the info guys. Gives me an idea of what to look for on $ when I get ready to pull the trigger. Still deciding whether to do 20' all around in a 5.1 system, or to get 100s or 60s in front for the L/R mains. Any ideas?

I'm going through the exact same dilemma myself. Though I'm not sure why you'd want to put 20s for the mains? If you can afford it, by all means go with the 100s.

Though I'm debating myself if the 100s are really that much better than the 60s. Same thing with the CC-690 vs the CC-590.

The questions I'm asking myself are:

- Am I really going to hear a difference?
- What can the 60s/590 do that the 100s/690 can't?
- Do the upper models only benefit if you're in a really large room?

Sorry Jim, I guess I'm giving you more questions than answers lol.

Hey guys, I just got a pair of J-29's for my 20s. What do you normally fill them with? Sand seems dangerous inside a house w/ carpet since I live in earthquake country....
Thoughts?

I'm going through the exact same dilemma myself. Though I'm not sure why you'd want to put 20s for the mains? If you can afford it, by all means go with the 100s.

Though I'm debating myself if the 100s are really that much better than the 60s. Same thing with the CC-690 vs the CC-590.

The questions I'm asking myself are:

- Am I really going to hear a difference?
- What can the 60s/590 do that the 100s/690 can't?
- Do the upper models only benefit if you're in a really large room?

Sorry Jim, I guess I'm giving you more questions than answers lol.

Well, I have the same questions. It will be with a PJ system, so don't need the 590/690. The center speaker will be stand mounted under the screen if I go all 20s. With my Hsu sub filling in the lows I was wondering what the benefits would be in going with the 60s or 100s for the front L/R mains. Kind of a cost vs benefits question I guess.

Hey guys, I just got a pair of J-29's for my 20s. What do you normally fill them with? Sand seems dangerous inside a house w/ carpet since I live in earthquake country....
Thoughts?

Can also use metal shot. I live in NorCal and have Target stands that also are hollow tubed for the fill option. Where I live, Modesto, is not close to a major fault so I don't have the worry of them falling over in a quake.:D

Can also use metal shot. I live in NorCal and have Target stands that also are hollow tubed for the fill option. Where I live, Modesto, is not close to a major fault so I don't have the worry of them falling over in a quake.:D

Would one be better than another acoustically?

Would one be better than another acoustically?

Weight is weight.

But then again, there is no possiblity of sand grains rattling against one another. I wouldn't suspect that to be a problem with a filled stand though either.

you can try making your own sandbags for the stands so you can slide them in and out without all the mess but still provide the necessary weight and acoustic properties.

I just got "the call" from my local dealer that my Studios are in! :D

Unfortunately, I can't pick them up until Thursday. :( Though at this point, what's another day or two...

I'll get some pics up when they come home.

Jason

What's with this fifth foot for the studio 60s? Is it really necessary? Can any studio 60 v5 owners comment on their stability without it. I'm about to take the plunge on a studio 60 system but I've got kids and a big clumsy lab so I want to make sure they aren't going to topple over on me. Can anyone explain how this foot attaches? Or have a picture of it? I just can't picture how it could look right, unless its concealed somehow.

I just got "the call" from my local dealer that my Studios are in! :D

Unfortunately, I can't pick them up until Thursday. :( Though at this point, what's another day or two...

I'll get some pics up when they come home.

Jason

Congrats, always good to hear. Lets people still waiting like me know that there is a pair of speakers, (light), at the end of the tunnel.

Would one be better than another acoustically?

Got me. I've never heard or seen any reference to shot filled vs sand filled speaker stands. Just of the top of my head I would think sand would be less likely to transmit vibrations. In my case, Home Depot is close by and a ready source of cheap sand:D.

Jim

You don't need to fill those stands, I have had my Sig S4's on the J-23 Stands and I don't think I would ever want sand in my house.... Sounds fine to me, and I have never had an issue with vibration....

I think the goal was simply stability and sand would certainly be a step in that direction. Shrabok's suggestion to fashion your own sandbags in an excellent one.

Jason

i think the goal was simply stability and sand would certainly be a step in that direction. Shrabok's suggestion to fashion your own sandbags in an excellent one.

Jason


+1

Ya that's a great idea to use some type of bag inside the tube. I'll probably just go with a couple of Hefty bags doubled up and then zip-tied at the top.
And yes, Jason was right. I'm looking for stability because I'm in CA. I'd hate to see my money go down the drain because a small quake knocks the speaker stands over.

Well, I'll tell you what..... when you get those stands and see how they are amazingly designed and how incredibly rigid they are, you'll understand why I said what I said... they are not cheap, cr@ppy tube steel haphazardly welded together... the intricate extruded aluminum is very well thought out... Before I bought my stands, I though to myself, what the h3ll makes them so ridiculously priced, it soon came to me upon arrival.

Just my personal opinion, but to each their own...

The Sig S4's are around 45 lbs each, and I don't for 1 second question the stability of my stands. I could rock them off kilter 5 or 6 inches and be confident they would land upright every time... though they are a bit shorter then the J-29's.....

What do people think of this 5.1 system?

Denon 1910 AVR $650
Paradigm 330's as fronts $900 for 3
Paradigm Cinema 90 Rears $200 for the pair
Paradigm PDR-8 Sub $250

Canadian prices keep in mind.

is this a good system for the $$ or should I be looking at something else?

I am also considering the Cinema 110 package for $900---so essentially is the extra $450 worth it??

Thanks

I just got "the call" from my local dealer that my Studios are in! :D

Unfortunately, I can't pick them up until Thursday. :( Though at this point, what's another day or two...

I'll get some pics up when they come home.

Jason

Hi I was just wondering how long you had to wait to get "the call"? I ordered my rosenut 100s and cc690 on 5-21 so it’s only been 3 weeks for me but my deal is also telling me they are back ordered and I should expect to wait at least 4 weeks.

Hey guys, I just got a pair of J-29's for my 20s. What do you normally fill them with? Sand seems dangerous inside a house w/ carpet since I live in earthquake country....
Thoughts?

I filled mine with "play sand" from Home Depot. (That's sand that's been filtered to remove contaminants, so it's safe for sandboxes, etc)...here, this stuff: http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/50-lb.-play-sand--10392-111351

One bag is enough for the pair of stands, and costs under $10. (a bag = 50 lbs, if I remember correctly)

Just be careful with it. If you get sand on the base of the stand while filling it, do NOT wipe it off by hand, as it'll leave tiny scratch marks in the paint. Vacuum it off with a shop vac, or use your regular household vacuum if it has a hose.

I don't see how sand seems dangerous. First off, the J-29 stands, with studio 20s on top and filled with sand, are ridiculously hard to knock over. Second, even if they do get knocked over, some of the sand may stay inside the stand. And the stuff that does get on the carpet? No big deal, it should vacuum up just fine. I'd use a shop vac if that happened though, wouldn't trust a household vacuum cleaner to stand up to that abuse - but they may do just fine.

anyone know where i can get all the Paradigm speaker pricing on their website?

Even living in a fairly large city (Atlanta) the options on Paradigm dealers are very limited. I'm trying to figure out what people really pay for these things. I know that retail for the Studio 100 v.5 is $1499 and the CC-690 is also $1499. If I was to get them for 1/3 off (as I've been offered) would that be considered fairly normal or a good deal?

i bought a whole speaker system , the dealer gave me crushing prices !!! all v5's , otd priCes on pairs , not singles . i live in tucson az . the dealer , in tucson , would not budge on prices . i found one that would . waited a long time , worth it .

studio 100 $1920.00
studio cc690 $960.00
studio adp-590 $1000.00 two pairs
sub 15 $1865.00

bert

anyone know where i can get all the Paradigm speaker pricing on their website?
It has been posted ad nauseum in this thread...as recent as one or two pages back. Use the "Search" button...it is your friend.

Jason

US pricing for individual Paradigm Studio v.5 models:

Studio 10: $399
Studio 20: $599
Studio 60: $999
Studio 100: $1,499
Studio CC-490: $799
Studio CC-590 $1,199
Studio CC-690: $1,499
Studio ADP-590: $699
SUB 12: $1,999
SUB 15: $2,799

These prices are MSRP per speaker...

Jason

Hi I was just wondering how long you had to wait to get "the call"? I ordered my rosenut 100s and cc690 on 5-21 so it’s only been 3 weeks for me but my deal is also telling me they are back ordered and I should expect to wait at least 4 weeks.

I waited 5 weeks. I'll be heading out this afternoon to pick them up.

Jason

I have a pair of studio 100s in my setup (studio V3s all around, actually) and am wondering if anyone has come across suitable replacement feet? My speakers sit on hardwoods and the little rubber feet that came with the speakers fall off and are less than ideal. Any ideas? I recall auditioning some speakers that came with "outrigger" feet, for lack of better words, that extended to the sides and were stable and adjustable. Not sure what they were however as this has been at least 5 years ago.

Can't believe there are already v5 studios out... Still loving the v3s.

anyone know where i can get all the Paradigm speaker pricing on their website?

Paradigm doesn't list prices on their website, but here is a pricelist.

http://www.bradfordshifi.com/prices.html

Jason listed the prices for the Studio v5 series, but if you are looking at others, you can check here. It says updated in May '06, but it is more up to date than that b/c it has the Studio 10 is listed and they didn't exist in 2006.

I filled mine with "play sand" from Home Depot. (That's sand that's been filtered to remove contaminants, so it's safe for sandboxes, etc)...here, this stuff: http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/50-lb.-play-sand--10392-111351

One bag is enough for the pair of stands, and costs under $10. (a bag = 50 lbs, if I remember correctly)

Just be careful with it. If you get sand on the base of the stand while filling it, do NOT wipe it off by hand, as it'll leave tiny scratch marks in the paint. Vacuum it off with a shop vac, or use your regular household vacuum if it has a hose.

I don't see how sand seems dangerous. First off, the J-29 stands, with studio 20s on top and filled with sand, are ridiculously hard to knock over. Second, even if they do get knocked over, some of the sand may stay inside the stand. And the stuff that does get on the carpet? No big deal, it should vacuum up just fine. I'd use a shop vac if that happened though, wouldn't trust a household vacuum cleaner to stand up to that abuse - but they may do just fine.

I was thinking of using a sock or womans stocking to make the sand more manageable. And if you're any good with a sewing machine you could craft sand bags that will fit the stand and can easily be removed and reused as you wish. I can understand some peoples concerns with sand since the smallest hole can make a great deal of mess.

I have a pair of studio 100s in my setup (studio V3s all around, actually) and am wondering if anyone has come across suitable replacement feet? My speakers sit on hardwoods and the little rubber feet that came with the speakers fall off and are less than ideal. Any ideas? I recall auditioning some speakers that came with "outrigger" feet, for lack of better words, that extended to the sides and were stable and adjustable. Not sure what they were however as this has been at least 5 years ago.

Can't believe there are already v5 studios out... Still loving the v3s.

I have a similar situation. One of the feet on my Studio 100 v3's got damaged during a move to another room. It's loose against the case. It stands up okay on the carpet, but I'd like it to be right.
Yeah, I agree, my v3's still give me goose bumps when I turn 'em up!

You can order those replacement feet for any of the speakers from your dealer...

I bought a dozen of them from my dealer to use on my DIY subwoofers.... I thought it would be nice to match my speakers... Jason Coleman also got these for his DIY subs, I think I paid $10 each for them.

Jason, congrats on finally getting to pick up your speakers... my 2 month D2v wait was agonizing...

The Monitor 9's are rated on-axis (±2 dB from 51 Hz - 20 kHz). Low-Frequency Extension 39 Hz (DIN).

I currently have no sub, and have them set to "Full Band" with LPF 120Hz. When I get a sub, what is the best crossover setting for these speakers?

The Monitor 9's are rated on-axis (±2 dB from 51 Hz - 20 kHz). Low-Frequency Extension 39 Hz (DIN).

I currently have no sub, and have them set to "Full Band" with LPF 120Hz. When I get a sub, what is the best crossover setting for these speakers?

The one that sounds best to your ears in your room. Try several and pick the one you like best.

Hello there Paradigm owners!

I'm looking at purchasing a 5.1 Paradigm setup. I just have a couple questions I was hoping you guys could help me with. I found a set of Studio 60s. The sales man said they were v5's. This is not talked about on the Paradigm site (well I couldn't find anything about that) but from what I've read in this forum I'm assuming that is the version??? so I'm guessing this year (or the newest) will be v6's. The guy said they were clearing the v5's out. So they were 40% off regular price. I was looking to get Monitors but when I saw the price on these I figure that can't be beat right? The problem they only had the fronts and not any centers or rears (surrounds) on sale. Could you have Studio fronts with Monitor surrounds and front? I'm also curious about the Sub. The guy suggested I look at other brands then just Paradigm. Is that a good idea? Any recommendations? Space is not a concern and I'd rather spend the money now then regret it in a few months or years.

Thank you very much for your help.

The current version of Studio 60s is V5. I expect that they would be clearing out the V4s. The V4s have the typical rectanguar cabinet while the V5s have a curved cabinet.
Not sure where your dealer is coming from but if they are really selling V5s for 40% off go for it otherwise I suggest you try another dealer for more accurate information. Actually you should try another dealer regardless.

I replaced my monitor 5s with the Studio 60s V5 and am now using them (Monitor 5s) as surrounds. The jury is still out on this. My ADPs are sitting in the spare room for the moment. ADPs are typically used as surround speakers.

Perhaps your dealer could lend you a pair for a trial otherwise you should spend a long time in their sound room. Sound is so personal.

I have a Paradigm subwoofer with limited knowlwdge of other subwoofers. Perhaps others can help with this?

KG

Thanks KG,

I appreciate your suggestions.

Yeah I'm definitely going to check out some more places. I just wanted to get some more knowledge before I go back. Yeah I was wondering if I did buy the studios if I'm kind of limited in my choices for fronts and surrounds...I'm looking at getting the ADP 390s. I did listen to them all...and maybe I'm a sucker for spending money but it seemed the more expensive the better they sounded. They guy working there seemed pretty knowledgeable and not pushy which was great. I think I just didn't know the right questions at the time.

Hello there Paradigm owners!

I'm looking at purchasing a 5.1 Paradigm setup. I just have a couple questions I was hoping you guys could help me with. I found a set of Studio 60s. The sales man said they were v5's. This is not talked about on the Paradigm site (well I couldn't find anything about that) but from what I've read in this forum I'm assuming that is the version??? so I'm guessing this year (or the newest) will be v6's. The guy said they were clearing the v5's out. So they were 40% off regular price. I was looking to get Monitors but when I saw the price on these I figure that can't be beat right? The problem they only had the fronts and not any centers or rears (surrounds) on sale. Could you have Studio fronts with Monitor surrounds and front? I'm also curious about the Sub. The guy suggested I look at other brands then just Paradigm. Is that a good idea? Any recommendations? Space is not a concern and I'd rather spend the money now then regret it in a few months or years.

Thank you very much for your help.

Check the back of the speaker. The version should be clearly labeled.

themackdad-

You'll definitely want to stay within the same series for your entire front end (left, right, and center). If you use different speakers (that are certainly voiced differently), music and sounds (dialogue in particular) that move from right to left or vice versa will change as they travel from speaker to speaker. The goal is to create a "seamless front end" which ideally would consist of three identical speakers. However, most of us don't have the room or the layout to accomodate three towers or bookshelves on stands and so we use the center channels horizontally instead (which are voiced and designed to match within their own series or line of speakers). As far as the surround speakers go, that's really up to you. For the most part, they're just used for effects and ambience, but if you listen to a lot of multichannel music (SACD, DVD-A) or watch a lot of concerts and videos that would take advantage of the surrounds, then they become more important. If the majority of your use is HT, save a few bucks on the surrounds and put the extra money toward a good CC (check Paradigm's site to see which center they suggest depending on what fronts you end up with...the CC690 is recommended with the Studio 60's). Finally, there are plenty of good subwoofers out there that will give you at least as much (if not more) bang-for-your-buck as the Paradigm subs. I would poke around the AVS Subwoofer forum for suggestions. An alternative to buying a commercially available sub is building your own DIY sub. That's where you'll get the most bang (boom) for your buck.

Regarding the prices you were quoted, 40% off the version 5 would likely be impossible. 40% off the version 4 is a very good price for new speakers. You can also check Audiogon for new/used Paradigm gear. I've bought and sold there quite a bit and it's a very reputable marketplace with a lot of good folks.

Good luck!

Jason

A 5th foot for the front? That sounds hideous if they're using the same style of foot... Hopefully it's something concealed.

Jason
Just talked with my dealer and apparently Paradigm is just about to receive their supply of the fifth foot. So they are not yet available. I will call back in a week or so.

I have no idea how they look but I can't imagine Paradigm designing something that would degrade the looks of the 60s.

Thanks Jason,

Yeah that makes sense about the front. I never thought about building a sub...but that makes sense. I have all the tools so I might give that a try.
Thanks again.

Thanks KG,

I appreciate your suggestions.

Yeah I'm definitely going to check out some more places. I just wanted to get some more knowledge before I go back. Yeah I was wondering if I did buy the studios if I'm kind of limited in my choices for fronts and surrounds...I'm looking at getting the ADP 390s. I did listen to them all...and maybe I'm a sucker for spending money but it seemed the more expensive the better they sounded. They guy working there seemed pretty knowledgeable and not pushy which was great. I think I just didn't know the right questions at the time.
My wife never uses the word 'sucker' more often than not it is 'soft touch'.

But you are right, you get what you pay for as long as you make an informed decision.
My price point will shift depending on the product. For expensive products that I use every day (ie. car, stereo) I do not want to regret my purchase every time I start the engine or turn on the stereo. No joy in that.

KG

The current version of Studio 60s is V5. I expect that they would be clearing out the V4s. The V4s have the typical rectanguar cabinet while the V5s have a curved cabinet.
Not sure where your dealer is coming from but if they are really selling V5s for 40% off go for it otherwise I suggest you try another dealer for more accurate information. Actually you should try another dealer regardless.

I replaced my monitor 5s with the Studio 60s V5 and am now using them (Monitor 5s) as surrounds. The jury is still out on this. My ADPs are sitting in the spare room for the moment. ADPs are typically used as surround speakers.

Perhaps your dealer could lend you a pair for a trial otherwise you should spend a long time in their sound room. Sound is so personal.

I have a Paradigm subwoofer with limited knowlwdge of other subwoofers. Perhaps others can help with this?

KG

Hi Kevin,
I'm currently looking at doing the same as you i.e. replacing my Monitor 5 speakers with Studio 60 or 100s. Was it worth it? Did you audition the 100s vs the 60s? Also looking at using ADPs to replace my mini monitors as surrounds on side and back. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks,
Will

My studios have just arrived - after almost two months. Looking forward to returning their demos and picking up mine this evening.

Well, I just canceled my order for the v.5 Studio setup. It's very disappointing after waiting 3 weeks but one broken promise after another had me fuming! :mad: They were supposed to arrive today for sure after Paradigm already broke 2 earlier promises. They also lied about shipment to my dealer. "They are in transit, they are on the way..." Yeah, yeah yeah. Today's story was that they would be another couple of weeks. Enough already.

The dealer couldn't have been better about the whole thing. Even they said Paradigm should just fess up and tell people up front that these are back ordered. WTF is wrong with them? Just be honest about it up front for God's sake!:mad: They just lost a customer for life. What the hell kind of company acts like this in this day and age?

Time to find another speaker...

How do you know it wasn't your dealer jerking you around? Because they said so? My understanding is that there are regional Paradigm reps that are go-betweens the dealers and Paradigm. My assumption is that they are responsible for allocating product. The fault may be with them, but your dealer was mistaken to assure you a short wait on such a sought after product. 3 weeks is nothing...

Additionally, Paradigm has been up front about the backorder issues that they're facing with the unexpected demand for the new series. My dealer knew they were backordered when he placed my order, and while he wasn't able to nail down an exact ETA, he ballparked it fairly accurately at 4-6 weeks. Despite the "broken promises" that you experienced (which didn't come from Paradigm CA), waiting 3 weeks for a whole setup isn't much time at all. Maybe you should be a bit more patient.

Good things come to those that wait...or something like that.

Jason

How do you know it wasn't your dealer jerking you around? Because they said so? My understanding is that there are regional Paradigm reps that are go-betweens the dealers and Paradigm. My assumption is that they are responsible for allocating product. The fault may be with them, but your dealer was mistaken to assure you a short wait on such a sought after product. 3 weeks is nothing...

Additionally, Paradigm has been up front about the backorder issues that they're facing with the unexpected demand for the new series. My dealer knew they were backordered when he placed my order, and while he wasn't able to nail down an exact ETA, he ballparked it fairly accurately at 4-6 weeks. Despite the "broken promises" that you experienced (which didn't come from Paradigm CA), waiting 3 weeks for a whole setup isn't much time at all. Maybe you should be a bit more patient.

Good things come to those that wait...or something like that.

Jason


Without getting into the details of "he said, she said", I agree with you that it probably had little to do with Paradigm CA. I know it wasn't the fault of my dealer. I've dealt with them for many, many years and have always been completely satisfied as have many others. They have a sterling reputation in my area. They did not give me what turned out to be multiple failed ETA's until either the rep or the Buffalo distributor told them. As I said, my dealer was directly lied to by someone in this chain that they "were on the truck." Twice, no less.

I should have been more clear. I don't have a problem with Paradigm CA per se, it is their representative network and distributor system that is dreadful. On the other hand, I would assume a large concern such as Paradigm would take great pains to ensure their U.S. distribution system worked properly. It does not in my experience. The buck has to stop somewhere. My whole point is simply that if their own dealers were truly in the loop they could and should tell customers to expect a wait. You were told that, I wasn't. Again, I don't blame my dealer, I blame the reps and distributor. Ultimately Paradigm has to step in and stop this nonsense. I do find it very strange that authorized dealers cannot simply log in to a centralized system to check orders and stock. Either the products have been made and shipped or not. This is not brain surgery. Very archaic if you ask me. We're not talking about some guy cranking out loudspeakers in his garage.

I'm sure I would have been much more patient if the expectation of a 4 to 6 week wait was there from the beginning. Of course, companies are going to be afraid telling potential customers something like this will cost them sales. 3 broken deadlines isn't going to make anybody feel very good about a company. So unnecessary.

The new Studio's look and sound really great though. I hope you enjoy yours!:)

If your dealer is so highly regarded and popular, do you really think that you were the first to order a pair of Studio v5's from them? Don't you think that somebody must have placed an order before you (after all, you only placed your order 3 weeks ago...folks here had theirs ordered MONTHS ago) and your dealer would be aware that the product is backordered. If your dealer doesn't get enough traffic or doesn't place orders (when product is backordered) enough, then that's a mistake on their part. If the distributor made them promise after promise that fell through, then thats their fault. But if you frequent these forums at all and read up before you buy then you would know to expect some sort of wait. JUST ASK LAMBERT R CONE... CAPTAIN CAPS LOCK... THE APOSTROPHE AVENGER... MR COUNTERTOP STUDIO 100!!! :D

The bottom line is this...blame whoever you want. If you can't wait more than 3 weeks for a "Studio system" then you're just impatient. If you want to turn your back on Paradigm as a result, then you're a fool. Why would you smack down that much money on a system that you hopefully auditioned and carefully evaluated and listened and listened and listened only to give up the goal a few yards short of the finish line? It just doesn't make sense.

Jason

Damn...I didn't realize that was my 3000th post...I probably should have said something poetic or inspirational or moving instead of busting balls and calling people out. Maybe the next 3000 will be a new JC... ;)

J.

(^Dig the new sig...I'm going green by typing less and somehow reducing my carbon footprint)

If your dealer is so highly regarded and popular, do you really think that you were the first to order a pair of Studio v5's from them? Don't you think that somebody must have placed an order before you (after all, you only placed your order 3 weeks ago...folks here had theirs ordered MONTHS ago) and your dealer would be aware that the product is backordered. If your dealer doesn't get enough traffic or doesn't place orders (when product is backordered) enough, then that's a mistake on their part. If the distributor made them promise after promise that fell through, then thats their fault. But if you frequent these forums at all and read up before you buy then you would know to expect some sort of wait. JUST ASK LAMBERT R CONE... CAPTAIN CAPS LOCK... THE APOSTROPHE AVENGER... MR COUNTERTOP STUDIO 100!!! :D

The bottom line is this...blame whoever you want. If you can't wait more than 3 weeks for a "Studio system" then you're just impatient. If you want to turn your back on Paradigm as a result, then you're a fool. Why would you smack down that much money on a system that you hopefully auditioned and carefully evaluated and listened and listened and listened only to give up the goal a few yards short of the finish line? It just doesn't make sense.

Jason


I fear this exchange is fruitless with you but here goes. There is no need to call me a fool or impatient. I have not addressed you as a fanboy or a doormat. You do not seem to be able to grasp the concept of repeated broken agreements in this equation. No matter who in the chain is at fault, it is not a desirable sales/cs technique. As I stated, if the rep or distributor had a firm handle on real-time turn around as they certainly should this would have all been avoided.

You cite a well-known history of back orders from Paradigm. While this has some truth to it, if you examine postings in both relevant threads for the last month you will see these reports predominantly date from AFTER the point I ordered the Studio 100's. In fact, this shortage was initially reported concerning the Studio 60's in Rosenut. Additionally there is great variability concerning delivery time frames. Some forum members got their speakers in 10 days, others 2 weeks, others several months. My only way to ascertain what's happening with my own order is to believe Paradigm when they say "THEY ARE ON THE TRUCK." These discussions, along with postings (including your own) regarding QC issues are very recent. Further, I know there are others on this forum alone who have thought about canceling their orders for the very same reason.

Yes, I auditioned many speakers including Paradigm. I have no argument with the quality of their products which is in fact why I ordered them. There are many other options though and I will now pursue them. My thinking now is that I'll step up to a whole other level in quality.

I'm not sure where all your defensiveness comes from. Is it that you are for some perverse reason emotionally invested with Paradigm because you just bought their product? It sounds like it to me and I have to say that's kind of creepy and pathetic. It's just a loudspeaker company.

Well, I just canceled my order for the v.5 Studio setup. It's very disappointing after waiting 3 weeks but one broken promise after another had me fuming! :mad: They were supposed to arrive today for sure after Paradigm already broke 2 earlier promises. They also lied about shipment to my dealer. "They are in transit, they are on the way..." Yeah, yeah yeah. Today's story was that they would be another couple of weeks. Enough already.

The dealer couldn't have been better about the whole thing. Even they said Paradigm should just fess up and tell people up front that these are back ordered. WTF is wrong with them? Just be honest about it up front for God's sake!:mad: They just lost a customer for life. What the hell kind of company acts like this in this day and age?

Time to find another speaker...that sucks. Im going to do the studio v.5's with the SubMersive sub, I was waiting for your review. how long did you have to wait for the SubMersive? the signature series is not on back order:D. what your next option in loudspeakers?

Question on a potential setup. I've picked up some studio 100 V.5's and CC690 V.5 for my front end. My room is nearly 100% HT use and now I'm shopping for surrounds. I've found a really great deal on some Studio 20's but they are V.4's. How well do you think they will match up with the V5 fronts?

Well, I just canceled my order for the v.5 Studio setup. It's very disappointing after waiting 3 weeks but one broken promise after another had me fuming! :mad: They were supposed to arrive today for sure after Paradigm already broke 2 earlier promises. They also lied about shipment to my dealer. "They are in transit, they are on the way..." Yeah, yeah yeah. Today's story was that they would be another couple of weeks. Enough already.

The dealer couldn't have been better about the whole thing. Even they said Paradigm should just fess up and tell people up front that these are back ordered. WTF is wrong with them? Just be honest about it up front for God's sake!:mad: They just lost a customer for life. What the hell kind of company acts like this in this day and age?

Time to find another speaker...

I was in your situation only wasn't sure if it was the dealer or Paradigm giving me the run around. Came on here and quickly found out that I was not the only one waiting for studios so I determined it must be on Paradigm's end, and shortly after that my dealer offered his showroom pair to me until mine came in, (I did not take him up on the offer). Just for your info I went through 4 delivery promises from Paradigm, none of which materialized and all left my dealer apologizing after every phone call. My 60's came in last Wednesday the 10th, it seems that a lot of rosenut has been shipping as of late. By the way I ordered and paid for my Studio 60's on March 7, so I waited almost 14 weeks. Even with this backorder issue my dealer was very adamant about what a stand up company Paradigm is and how well they stand behind the product if I were to ever have any issues with my speakers, so I decided to stick it out. For me I'm glad I did, but I won't deny that I was within a week or two of canceling my order and starting over.

Question on a potential setup. I've picked up some studio 100 V.5's and CC690 V.5 for my front end. My room is nearly 100% HT use and now I'm shopping for surrounds. I've found a really great deal on some Studio 20's but they are V.4's. How well do you think they will match up with the V5 fronts?

More then good enough.... You will be fine with that match.... I auditioned the .v5 100's next to the .v4's and they sound very very close. IMO surrounds are less necessary to voice match, I use Studio ADP-590's for surrounds with my Sig front end... sounds more then perfect to me..

More then good enough.... You will be fine with that match.... I auditioned the .v5 100's next to the .v4's and they sound very very close. IMO surrounds are less necessary to voice match, I use Studio ADP-590's for surrounds with my Sig front end... sounds more then perfect to me..

I kind of figured that would be the case. Just wanted to see what others had experienced doing it. It will certainly save me some extra money to go this route. Which I can put into a sub. I spent a little extra to get the 100's and the 690 so I had nothing left to upgrade to. Unless of course we're talking sigs...oh I better not start. I haven't even gotten my 100's yet. :)

that sucks. Im going to do the studio v.5's with the SubMersive sub, I was waiting for your review. how long did you have to wait for the SubMersive? the signature series is not on back order:D. what your next option in loudspeakers?


Yeah, I know. I still think very highly of the v.5 Studios so I do not think you will be disappointed with that setup. My wait time on the SubMersive was a bit less than usual just because I happened to order on a day where Mark pulled one out because of a minor blemish. I need time to give this thought but right now I'm seriously thinking of ordering 3 Catalysts for LCR and 2 Sparks. I need to find out if anyone in my area has these. I would like to audition them. I kind of doubt it though as most of these seem to be in Cali or the Midwest.

I was in your situation only wasn't sure if it was the dealer or Paradigm giving me the run around. Came on here and quickly found out that I was not the only one waiting for studios so I determined it must be on Paradigm's end, and shortly after that my dealer offered his showroom pair to me until mine came in, (I did not take him up on the offer). Just for your info I went through 4 delivery promises from Paradigm, none of which materialized and all left my dealer apologizing after every phone call. My 60's came in last Wednesday the 10th, it seems that a lot of rosenut has been shipping as of late. By the way I ordered and paid for my Studio 60's on March 7, so I waited almost 14 weeks. Even with this backorder issue my dealer was very adamant about what a stand up company Paradigm is and how well they stand behind the product if I were to ever have any issues with my speakers, so I decided to stick it out. For me I'm glad I did, but I won't deny that I was within a week or two of canceling my order and starting over.


Hey Footboard,

I'm so glad to hear your ship finally came in! That's great. That was a really long time to wait. Enjoy!!:D

I fear this exchange is fruitless with you but here goes. There is no need to call me a fool or impatient. I have not addressed you as a fanboy or a doormat. You do not seem to be able to grasp the concept of repeated broken agreements in this equation. No matter who in the chain is at fault, it is not a desirable sales/cs technique. As I stated, if the rep or distributor had a firm handle on real-time turn around as they certainly should this would have all been avoided.

You cite a well-known history of back orders from Paradigm. While this has some truth to it, if you examine postings in both relevant threads for the last month you will see these reports predominantly date from AFTER the point I ordered the Studio 100's. In fact, this shortage was initially reported concerning the Studio 60's in Rosenut. Additionally there is great variability concerning delivery time frames. Some forum members got their speakers in 10 days, others 2 weeks, others several months. My only way to ascertain what's happening with my own order is to believe Paradigm when they say "THEY ARE ON THE TRUCK." These discussions, along with postings (including your own) regarding QC issues are very recent. Further, I know there are others on this forum alone who have thought about canceling their orders for the very same reason.

Yes, I auditioned many speakers including Paradigm. I have no argument with the quality of their products which is in fact why I ordered them. There are many other options though and I will now pursue them. My thinking now is that I'll step up to a whole other level in quality.

I'm not sure where all your defensiveness comes from. Is it that you are for some perverse reason emotionally invested with Paradigm because you just bought their product? It sounds like it to me and I have to say that's kind of creepy and pathetic. It's just a loudspeaker company.

It's kind of sad because I think the real problem here has nothing to do with any part of the equation thats been mentioned, it's probably come down to boarder crossing. I've had to wait months for items to clear through the boarder lately. Only difference is we are used to it in Canada since many products have to be ordered from the States. A lot of the time they could be "On The Truck" but they have been sitting in customs for a month. The reason you never get a good answer, because customs will not give you an ETA.

Man! These recent posts have convinced me of two things.

1. Better wait for the backup to clear in Rosenut if you want the dealer to give a decent % off on price.

2. Wait for the backup to clear if you want a quicker delivery and avoid having the dealer collect a lot of interest $ on your payment.

1. Better wait for the backup to clear in Rosenut if you want the dealer to give a decent % off on price.
Finish has nothing to do with the price, nor should in-stock/out-of-stock status. If your dealer indicates otherwise, tell 'em to take a flying leap...

2. Wait for the backup to clear if you want a quicker delivery and avoid having the dealer collect a lot of interest $ on your payment.
When the backorder status clears (which it seems to be slowly doing) speakers will be shipping more quickly (der...). If you place your order now or if you wait to place your order, you might receive them at the same time...you're at the whim of the powers that be (wherever and whomever they may be). BTW, I don't really care what my dealer decides to do with my money as long as I get what I paid for. If he makes money off of it, good for him...consider it compensation for fielding all of the phone calls.

J.

Finish has nothing to do with the price, nor should in-stock/out-of-stock status. If your dealer indicates otherwise, tell 'em to take a flying leap...


When the backorder status clears (which it seems to be slowly doing) speakers will be shipping more quickly (der...). If you place your order now or if you wait to place your order, you might receive them at the same time...you're at the whim of the powers that be (wherever and whomever they may be). BTW, I don't really care what my dealer decides to do with my money as long as I get what I paid for. If he makes money off of it, good for him...consider it compensation for fielding all of the phone calls.

J.

I ALWAYS try to avoid the whims of the powers that be

I think I have a problem with one of my Monitor 9's! As you all know, I have been saying these speakers lack bass. Well...It appears the bass drivers in one speaker is not working properly. When I place my finger up to the bass driver, I feel it vibrate very little. The other Monitor 9's bass drivers are much louder and vibrate more!

So then in my Onkyo 607, I went into the Speaker Level Calibration, where it plays a "static" test tone. When I switched from Left to Right, I noticed the same speaker sounded "thinner/brighter". There is a distinct difference in the static sound. I swapped Left/Right cables. I tried different CD's too. Also turned off Audyssey and used Direct Mode. The same speaker appears to have the problem.

What would cause the bass driver to work "partially"? Is it just the midrange driver that is making the bass driver resonate?

UPDATE:
I tried different cables and also played a test tone sweep (100Hz-25Hz). Something is definitely wrong with the bass drivers. It sounds like the crossover is set differently or something. The bass drivers are "working" and vibrating. But they are hardly putting out any bass!

So tomorrow I guess I need to get the speaker exchanged. I guess I better check all the drivers in my Center channel too! :(

Hey everyone, on the Studio 20s with the J29 stands what screws are you using to secure the speakers to the stands? Doesn't look like anything that came with the J29s fits the Studio 20.

Hey everyone, on the Studio 20s with the J29 stands what screws are you using to secure the speakers to the stands? Doesn't look like anything that came with the J29s fits the Studio 20.

My J29 came with screws (hex head) that fits perfectly with my 20s..

The screws are 1/4-20 and you should be able to gauge the length needed.

Jason

My J29 came with screws (hex head) that fits perfectly with my 20s..

The same ones with the hex head that put the stand together without the speaker?
I started with that one but it didnt seem to fit easily so I didn't force it...

Hello All,
I currently have a pair of Sig 6's for my fronts and a Sig C-3 center and am considering replacing a pair of NHT 1.5's for my surrounds. I listen to both HT and Multichannel music. I am forced to have the surrounds on the wall behind the listening position due to the 24" space behind the main seats. They are currently on wall stands about 30" above ear level to the tweeter, and to the sides of the seats. Any Paradigm suggestions for surrounds? I have never tried dipoles but am not opposed to "change." Your time and consideration are greatly appreciated.
P.S. Unfortunately the dealers anywhere near me don't stock a lot of inventory on hand and it makes it more difficult to audition. Thank you, John.

Hello All,
I currently have a pair of Sig 6's for my fronts and a Sig C-3 center and am considering replacing a pair of NHT 1.5's for my surrounds. I listen to both HT and Multichannel music. I am forced to have the surrounds on the wall behind the listening position due to the 24" space behind the main seats. They are currently on wall stands about 30" above ear level to the tweeter, and to the sides of the seats. Any Paradigm suggestions for surrounds? I have never tried dipoles but am not opposed to "change." Your time and consideration are greatly appreciated.
P.S. Unfortunately the dealers anywhere near me don't stock a lot of inventory on hand and it makes it more difficult to audition. Thank you, John.


Hey J.

I'm not sure with you listening to multichannel music you should be looking at bipole or dipole... they are nice for HT, but mutichannel just doesn't have that same sound signature, it turns all your back channels into a smearing mess...

If you want something tight on the wall, take a look at the Paradigm Studio esprit.... they are pretty nice, otherwise if hanging off the wall is ok, I would head for either Sig S1, or S2's... I like my ADP's in my bedroom, but multichannel is not so hot with them...

Hey J.
.......otherwise if hanging off the wall is ok, I would head for either Sig S1, or S2's...

I have the same front stage as you J. and this is what I have done with a pair of S1's for my surrounds.

I have some Mission E52's for Surr Back on shelves as they have a similar sonic character but more cost effective for the occasional usage they get. I'm a purist and don't apply DSPs to 5.1 tracks so they only fire up with the occasional 7.1 tracks out there.....

The room is still being fitted out but here's a pic of the rear soundstage and how they're mounted during the testing stage. Note: the surround back channels are higher to allow for a riser and second row of seats when installed.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=145345&stc=1&d=1245027085

I have the same front stage as you J. and this is what I have done with a pair of S1's for my surrounds.

I have some Mission E52's for Surr Back on shelves as they have a similar sonic character but more cost effective for the occasional usage they get. I'm a purist and don't apply DSPs to 5.1 tracks so they only fire up with the occasional 7.1 tracks out there.....

The room is still being fitted out but here's a pic of the rear soundstage and how they're mounted during the testing stage. Note: the surround back channels are higher to allow for a riser and second row of seats when installed.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=145345&stc=1&d=1245027085

You need to at least point those puppies down towards the listening position. The high-end range is extremely directional, and you're losing a ton of it by pointing them at each other like that.

Have you done some acoustic measurements from the listening positions?

You need to at least point those puppies down towards the listening position. The high-end range is extremely directional, and you're losing a ton of it by pointing them at each other like that.

Have you done some acoustic measurements from the listening positions?

As I said the room is in the early development phase....

Acoustic measurements and fine tuning will occur after the room treatments and linings are in place and the riser for the second row and second lounge are installed. The mounts I have used have quite a large range of adjustment too.

One nice feature of the Sig series is that they actually have a very broad soundfield and are not nearly as directional as some speakers out there.

Anyway with monopoles at the sides you don't want them pointing directly at the seating position as this makes the surround effects too directional which can be very intrusive for HT applications!

Just got the call from my dealer, my rosewood 100's, 690 and 20's are in. Took ~4 weeks. Later than he predicted, but sooner than I realistically thought based on some of the times I have been seeing in this thread.

Still not decided 100% on subwoofer, but I think I am going to get the Sub 12 over the SVS for the same price. Since I'm not really looking for earth shattering bass anyway, may as well keep with the rosewood as well.

Now if only the couch would come in....

I'll be sure to post pics when I get a chance.

Well, bought the new Paradigm Studio 20 V4 for $650 last month and today just bought new Denon AVR-3808 for another $650. Bought the stand for the speaker, bi-wire cable and I may use small Bose speaker for surround for my bed room. What left is I need a 32in 1080 either Samsung or Sony and a Panasonic bd60 bluray player. Anyone have any idea should these items will work together with studio 20 for the front speaker?

Just got the call from my dealer, my rosewood 100's, 690 and 20's are in. Took ~4 weeks. Later than he predicted, but sooner than I realistically thought based on some of the times I have been seeing in this thread.

Still not decided 100% on subwoofer, but I think I am going to get the Sub 12 over the SVS for the same price. Since I'm not really looking for earth shattering bass anyway, may as well keep with the rosewood as well.

Now if only the couch would come in....

I'll be sure to post pics when I get a chance.

Would love to see pics of your new system. Grats! Just curious, but how are you planning to mount the 690?

Would love to see pics of your new system. Grats! Just curious, but how are you planning to mount the 690?

I have an entertainment console below my 50' Panny G10 on the wall I'm still breaking in (can't wait to use it!). The console has a thick top, but I won't know if I will need to tilt the 690 up any or if this height will be ok until I get my couch (hoping only 1-2 weeks away).

I can't post a link to the console (too few posts, as I've been lurking for quite some time), but its from overstock.com. "Manhattan Contemporary Espresso Plasma TV Console".

I think I have a problem with one of my Monitor 9's! As you all know, I have been saying these speakers lack bass. Well...It appears the bass drivers in one speaker is not working properly. When I place my finger up to the bass driver, I feel it vibrate very little. The other Monitor 9's bass drivers are much louder and vibrate more!

So then in my Onkyo 607, I went into the Speaker Level Calibration, where it plays a "static" test tone. When I switched from Left to Right, I noticed the same speaker sounded "thinner/brighter". There is a distinct difference in the static sound. I swapped Left/Right cables. I tried different CD's too. Also turned off Audyssey and used Direct Mode. The same speaker appears to have the problem.

What would cause the bass driver to work "partially"? Is it just the midrange driver that is making the bass driver resonate?

UPDATE:
I tried different cables and also played a test tone sweep (100Hz-25Hz). Something is definitely wrong with the bass drivers. It sounds like the crossover is set differently or something. The bass drivers are "working" and vibrating. But they are hardly putting out any bass!

So tomorrow I guess I need to get the speaker exchanged. I guess I better check all the drivers in my Center channel too! :(

Maybe the bass drivers aren't even hooked up. There has been some QC issues lately, as reported on this forum. What you're calling a midrange is actually a woofer that also handles the mid frequencies. Where as the 2 bass drivers are low passed lower than the "midrange".

Hi Kevin,
I'm currently looking at doing the same as you i.e. replacing my Monitor 5 speakers with Studio 60 or 100s. Was it worth it? Did you audition the 100s vs the 60s? Also looking at using ADPs to replace my mini monitors as surrounds on side and back. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks,
Will
Will,

Sorry about the delayed reply but have been out of town.

I have not listened to the Studio 100s.
I was initially looking at Monitor 9s but found them too bright (I understand that they are very efficient). Monitor 11s are too large for my space but I much preferred their sound over the 9s. I listened to the studio 60s and thought they would be perfect for my great room. I have been extremely pleased with them. I prefer a 'natural' sound and have literally listened to them all day long. In the store, I got tired of listening to the 9s after about an hour.
I swapped out my surround ADPs for my old Monitor 5s and found them to be a big improvement when I play my SACDs and Audio DVDs. So they are now my surrounds with the ADPs assigned to my office on my amps Remote 2 where I typically listen to internet radio. They work well for that.

KG

Well, bought the new Paradigm Studio 20 V4 for $650 last month and today just bought new Denon AVR-3808 for another $650. Bought the stand for the speaker, bi-wire cable and I may use small Bose speaker for surround for my bed room. What left is I need a 32in 1080 either Samsung or Sony and a Panasonic bd60 bluray player. Anyone have any idea should these items will work together with studio 20 for the front speaker?
I have the speakers in my plasma panel turned off and run all sound through my amp. Television/panel speakers are typically low quality with poor quality sound. Did I say already say poor quality?
The Studio 20s are vastly superior. The Panasonic BD60 is a good choice for a BD player.

KG

I can't post a link to the console...

Here it is... (http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Manhattan-Contemporary-Espresso-Plasma-TV-Console/3230212/product.html)

Congrats on your purchases...looks and sounds like a sweet setup. I'm expecting my 690 late next week (hopefully it won't be another waiting game like the Studio 100s). We're all looking forward to pics and impressions of your setup once you have it up and running. :)

Jason

JUST ASK LAMBERT R CONE... CAPTAIN CAPS LOCK... THE APOSTROPHE AVENGER... MR COUNTERTOP STUDIO 100!!! :D

yeA what he said

jason , really , captain caps is cool but mr countertop studio 100 wow a little over the top pick one ? :D

bert

Thanks for the reply Warpdrv! I guess I will look into S2's. Should they fire across to the opposite channel fronts for best sound? Thanks again, John. Hey J.

I'm not sure with you listening to multichannel music you should be looking at bipole or dipole... they are nice for HT, but mutichannel just doesn't have that same sound signature, it turns all your back channels into a smearing mess...

If you want something tight on the wall, take a look at the Paradigm Studio esprit.... they are pretty nice, otherwise if hanging off the wall is ok, I would head for either Sig S1, or S2's... I like my ADP's in my bedroom, but multichannel is not so hot with them...

yeA what he said

jason , really , captain caps is cool but mr countertop studio 100 wow a little over the top pick one ? :D

bert
You know that I'm just jealous...;) Your reckless abuse of the caps lock key, the erratic incorporation of the apostrophe (not to mention the extra spaces you use with punctuation)...you're like a grammar anarchist. I'm waiting for you to start shouting, "Attica! Attica!" :D

J.

Guys, maybe this extra cash I got is itching my head and also I am in a Paradigm board:confused:

I have a klipsch centre speaker
Klipsch sub-woofer 10"
Kiplsch satellite speakers.

And Celestion Ditton 44 front speakers.

I have had these front speakers since 1975 and they served me well and still are.

I was wondering which frot speakers would sound good with my system

paradigm monitor7 v6
Klipsch F2
or keep my Celestion and use the cash for vacation
Denon avr1910

Music has to sound natural and not get on my nerves in the long run. So they must lean toward Classical.
_

Thanks for the reply Warpdrv! I guess I will look into S2's. Should they fire across to the opposite channel fronts for best sound? Thanks again, John.

They should be setup like any normal HT system...

Side surrounds - 1.5 - 2ft above directly to the side and angled downward to the LP if possible..... AbMagFab made the comment about aiming the tweeters closely to your ears, he is dead on, tweeters are very focused, and with both of us having the D2v, we can see exactly from the measurements of each speaker how much of a difference that angle will show and perform... The Be tweeters have good dispersion, but they still need to be aimed for the best results. You don't want to waste what they have to offer - get the most from your speakers.

They should be setup like any normal HT system...

Side surrounds - 1.5 - 2ft above directly to the side and angled downward to the LP if possible..... AbMagFab made the comment about aiming the tweeters closely to your ears, he is dead on, tweeters are very focused, and with both of us having the D2v, we can see exactly from the measurements of each speaker how much of a difference that angle will show and perform... The Be tweeters have good dispersion, but they still need to be aimed for the best results. You don't want to waste what they have to offer - get the most from your speakers.

I thought that was the wole point of placing the speakers a few feet above your head, was to attenuate some of the high frequencies that make the speakers so localizable (for movie watching at least). Seems to me that if you're aiming the speakers at your ears anyway, what's the difference between that and just placing them at ear level to begin with? I think that I'm missing something here. :confused:

And rearding Kevin's comments about the Monitor 9 vs Studio 60's, I'd agree with that, based on my Mini Monitor vs. Studio 20's. The difference between those two speakers is exactly as Kevin described as well...the Monitor series just tends to seem a bit harsh after a while, whereas the Studios are much cleaner; that said, they're still not a warm speaker by any stretch of the imagination.

help....I have the chance to buy a set of older PARADIGM speakers monitor 90P. Anybody got any good info on these speakers? So far all Ive been able to find out that hey are made in 2002. These are the ones that have 2 8" subwoofers with a 140w rms built in amp. I wonder if these powered towers have problems with the amp lasting very long??? The guy wants 400 for the pair in good shap. Can the amps be repaired at this point because of age and at what cost? I have read the these are very good sounding speakers so far and have mad bass. The thing that worries me is this company was now done any with powered towers, was there a problem that they stoped doing this???

I just put my deposit down yesterday to order a pair of studio 100 v5 and a cc690 in black. I have been hearing about these long delays in getting these, but my dealer said it could be 2-3 weeks, optimistically. I'll let everyone know when they do come in.

Waiting patiently,

Well I just got the call that my speakers have arrived. Actually, I was told they arrived late on Monday night. That's 9 calendar days to come in! I guess I was lucky on hitting a delivery comming out this way. Of course, I probably won't be able to pick them up until Friday or so. Bummer.

Now I have to find a place to put that monster CC. I have to build some sort of temporary stand for now. I'll try to get some picture up, some time.

I thought that was the wole point of placing the speakers a few feet above your head, was to attenuate some of the high frequencies that make the speakers so localizable (for movie watching at least). Seems to me that if you're aiming the speakers at your ears anyway, what's the difference between that and just placing them at ear level to begin with? I think that I'm missing something here. :confused:



After running Anthem ARC before adjusting the directionality of speakers, the speakers response was pretty poor from the measured results in all the seat of the listening position, after making those adjustments to aim the speakers better I am not getting any localization whatsoever, they just blend perfectly and sound much better then before...

Well I just got the call that my speakers have arrived. Actually, I was told they arrived late on Monday night. That's 9 calendar days to come in! I guess I was lucky on hitting a delivery comming out this way. Of course, I probably won't be able to pick them up until Friday or so. Bummer.

Now I have to find a place to put that monster CC. I have to build some sort of temporary stand for now. I'll try to get some picture up, some time.http://***************/9/P/i.jpghttp://***************/9/R/i.jpg

Great news..congrats! I've been looking at these speakers for some time now & just can't decide..

I recently decided to do a complete overhaul of my HT. I am on a budget so I started saving for my first purchase, which is going to be the new Denon AVR-2310CI. That is until I happened across an HT retailer going out of business and selling the speakers that I was planning on buying for my fronts. I called and they were available, now these are demo models, but only on the floor for three and half months. So I drove over there this afternoon and purchased Monitor 9 v.6's for $518/pr. he also had demo 11 v.6's for $899/pr. I really wanted the 11's but convincing my financial advisor, wife, was hard enough on the 9's. Anyway, just thought I would throw this up on the forum.

Was able to purchase a CC-390v6 on ebay for $475.00 this week. I only had $500 saved up for this with the anticipation of it costing me over $600. I will have to wait a little longer for the Denon AVR-2310CI now but I could not pass this up.

Was able to purchase a CC-390v6 on ebay for $475.00 this week. I only had $500 saved up for this with the anticipation of it costing me over $600. I will have to wait a little longer for the Denon AVR-2310CI now but I could not pass this up.

You must have some deal finding mojo working. You ended up with the 9's + a390 for about the retail price of the 9's by themselves. Sweet! I'm looking for you to end up with the AVR you want for about 1/2 price too. ;)

What AVR are you using currently?

Onkyo HT-R550 from an HTIB about two years old. Looking it replace it with the Denon AVR-2310CI but will have to start saving all over again since the 390 took what I had. Hopefully by Black Friday or around that time I can get a good deal.

Hello all, I am new to this thread. I hope I can get some help on this matter. I have a paradigm 2200 sub. Before today everything was fine. Today I went to turn on my system like usual--turn on tv, then power center, then ps3. Normally the sub turns on right away(lights up) when I turn on the power center(1800 series). It is connected to the switched outlet(power center not amp). Today when turned on the sub did not turn on right away, it proceeded to turn on once it got some bass to it--after about 20 seconds.

Sounds like it is set on the back to Turn on Auto setting - check the switch and see if it was set to auto... which senses a signal coming from the RCA cable of your receiver.

Alot of subs have that capability. Try plugging it straight into the wall, not a switched outlet and see if it does the same thing.

thanks for the help I will try those suggestions. It is weird that all of the sudden it does this. Yesterday I tried programming a harmony 360 and moved the sub back about 1 foot, but I can't think why that would have anything to do with it.

Just ordered a pair of Studio 60s with a CC-590 center! My dealer said they should be in by Thursday or Friday.

God I can't wait!

It's going to be one heck of an upgrade over my old Infinity IL30s & IL25c.

I'll be running them with a Marantz SR-8200. I hope that's enough, though I'm sure most people would say to go with an amp/pre-amp combo instead to really open them up.

Do you think there'd be much of a difference running them with an Emotiva XPA-3 over the Marantz SR-8200?

Hi! any opinion or experience between studio 10 and signature s1? The S1 is about $400 more than studio 10.

Thanks

Hi :)

My set up is:
Front - studio 100 v.2
Surround - adp-470 v.2

I just need a center speaker to complete my set but i don't know which way to go...
The CC-570 is in my budget limits but I heard that the v.3 series has a complete different sound than the original CC v.2 and I don't want to ruin the soundstage by buying a speaker that's not compatible with the front speakers.

I would really appriciate your help.

Just ordered a pair of Studio 60s with a CC-590 center! My dealer said they should be in by Thursday or Friday.

God I can't wait!

It's going to be one heck of an upgrade over my old Infinity IL30s & IL25c.

I'll be running them with a Marantz SR-8200. I hope that's enough, though I'm sure most people would say to go with an amp/pre-amp combo instead to really open them up.

Do you think there'd be much of a difference running them with an Emotiva XPA-3 over the Marantz SR-8200?

That will be a sweet setup - enjoy

Onkyo HT-R550 from an HTIB about two years old. Looking it replace it with the Denon AVR-2310CI but will have to start saving all over again since the 390 took what I had. Hopefully by Black Friday or around that time I can get a good deal.

CC-390 will be at my house tomorrow, can't wait to hook it up. This will complete my front speakers and mark the beginning of saving for the Denon.

I waited 5 weeks. I'll be heading out this afternoon to pick them up.

Jason

I just got "the call" from my local dealer that my Studios are in! :D

Unfortunately, I can't pick them up until Thursday. :( Though at this point, what's another day or two...

I'll get some pics up when they come home.

Jason

I just got my call. Studio 60 in rosenut took about 5-6 weeks. The Studio Esprit Center in rosenut took less than 1 week. So, Paradigm is still real busy with the rosenut finish cranking these bad boys out.

Yes, but the wait is so worth it for the rosenut. The finish is fantastic.

Just ordered a pair of Studio 60s with a CC-590 center! My dealer said they should be in by Thursday or Friday.

God I can't wait!

It's going to be one heck of an upgrade over my old Infinity IL30s & IL25c.

I'll be running them with a Marantz SR-8200. I hope that's enough, though I'm sure most people would say to go with an amp/pre-amp combo instead to really open them up.

Do you think there'd be much of a difference running them with an Emotiva XPA-3 over the Marantz SR-8200?

Congrats Mike. I'm curious as to what finish you picked?

As for the amps, I can't say much, I just hooked up my new 100/690 (busy week, will post pictures soon) to a 4 year old yamaha that I paid $200 for new! Not really the powerhouse I need, but my upgrade comes in stages. I would like a 3 channel amp as well, and the Emotiva seems like a deal, but to get it up here in Canada would cost over $1000. Not that good a deal anymore!

Yes, but the wait is so worth it for the rosenut. The finish is fantastic.

I agree! I just setup my Rosenut Studio 100's and 690 this weekend. The finish is even better then my V.4's I had. Very classy looking speaker for sure and well worth the wait.

yes, but the wait is so worth it for the rosenut. The finish is fantastic.

yes the wait is well worth it . My rosenutS , ? , are stunning .

Bert

ps . sorry , not , the caps were on . not going to do it over .:d

yes the wait is well worth it . My rosenutS , ? , are stunning .

Bert

ps . sorry , not , the caps were on . not going to do it over .:d

Okay, that Smiley face attempt made me laugh...

Darn! Still the backup in the Rosenut finish. Pretty much decided on Studio 5X20's mains since I'm looking forward to 5 channel SACD when I get my Oppo 83 hooked up, and 2X10's for the rear surrounds for 7.1 material. Hsu 12" sub will fill in the low end when needed. Replacing a 12+ year old DefTech system.

I have the Seismic 12 subwoofer - great unit. I recommend it.
http://www.paradigm.com/en/reference/subwoofer-seismic-seismic12-model-5-15-4-9.paradigm

Goes well with my Monitor 11s.

I just picked up a pair of Atom Monitors v6. I am amazed by the sound quality. Now, I would like to wall mount the speakers. Where can I find inexpensive wall mount brackets for these speakers?? I know Paradigm sells the brackets (MB-60) but I only found them on one website for $50, that's harsh.

Greeting all!

I'm new to this forum and better home theater. This forum has been a wealth of good info. Thanks!

I recently ungraded my old 36" Sony Vega, CV U-321s, crappy little Sony center and surrounds and analog Sony Pro Logic reciever to...

Samsung PN58B560, Yamaha RX-V663, Sony BluRay, Monitor 7 fronts, Titan surrounds and CC-490 Center. I'm using my old Sony WM500.

When this gear was inbound I'm thinking, "Oh...this is all I'll need." The stuff's in the house two days before I'm saying, "Now those 7s will make nice surrounds when I get the 11s...but right after the SVS PB12...But there's that Onkyo....hmmmm"

Jeeeeez. I can see this is a slippery slope! :)

Darn! Still the backup in the Rosenut finish. Pretty much decided on Studio 5X20's mains since I'm looking forward to 5 channel SACD when I get my Oppo 83 hooked up, and 2X10's for the rear surrounds for 7.1 material. Hsu 12" sub will fill in the low end when needed. Replacing a 12+ year old DefTech system.

Nice set up

That will be a sweet setup - enjoy

Thanks! The waiting is just killing me. My sales rep said Thursday/Friday and yet I'm already checking my inbox every 5 seconds in the hopes that they'll come in early.


Congrats Mike. I'm curious as to what finish you picked?

I decided to go with the black ash finish. I love the Rosenut finish and think it's absolutely stunning, however the one thing I don't like is how it looks when the black grills are on it. Most of the pictures I've seen with the Rosenut finish have their grills off (which looks amazing), however when they're off I just don't like the look that much. (Of course I'd keep the grills off all the time if I could, but I doubt the gf would agree to that.)



As for the amps, I can't say much, I just hooked up my new 100/690 (busy week, will post pictures soon) to a 4 year old yamaha that I paid $200 for new! Not really the powerhouse I need, but my upgrade comes in stages. I would like a 3 channel amp as well, and the Emotiva seems like a deal, but to get it up here in Canada would cost over $1000. Not that good a deal anymore!

Yes definitely, post some pics! I'm curious to see how you positioned/mounted your CC-690. (Man that thing is a beast!)

Also, why do you say shipping the XPA-3 to Canada would cost over $1,000? The listed price on the site is $599 which is roughly $690 Canadian. With tax that comes to about $780. Of course there's shipping, but surely that can't be $200+ ?

Darn! Still the backup in the Rosenut finish. Pretty much decided on Studio 5X20's mains since I'm looking forward to 5 channel SACD when I get my Oppo 83 hooked up, and 2X10's for the rear surrounds for 7.1 material. Hsu 12" sub will fill in the low end when needed. Replacing a 12+ year old DefTech system.

That sounds like a great system. Do you have any pics of your set up?

I think he's decided on that system and doesn't have it yet.

J.

I made a fairly lame discovery over the weekend with my Studio 100s. I noticed that the feet were somewhat loose, so I laid the speakers down to find that all 4 feet on both speakers were loose...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04567.jpg

I decided to take one of the feet off just to see how they attach to the cabinet to find this...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04571.jpg

I also discovered that the feet they use are cheap plastic and not the same metal feet that I ordered from Paradigm for my DIY subwoofers. I'm sure Warp will chime in on this one!:D The metal foot is on the left...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04568.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04569.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04570.jpg

The metal foot is obviously more solid and rigid and is comprised of two pieces...my guess is for manufacturing purposes because it doesn't seem to perform any type of adjustment...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04576.jpg

And here's the foot properly mounted with the carpet spike attached. I'm still wondering why Paradigm is using these tiny cheap spikes...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/DSC04573.jpg

...especially when ones like these are readily available...

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z285/vikingdwarf/NewSpikes.jpg

I'll post some pics of the actual speakers next to my Dali Euphonias later.

J.

In retrospect, I suppose I'm lucky that they didn't have the metal feet on there because they would certainly have wreaked havoc with the finish if they were loose. :)

J.

I can see this is a slippery slope! :)


You're right about that keef. Two years ago I had a htib that I was fairly happy with. Since then (when I started reading AVS), I have purchased 2 new sets of speakers, made two subwoofer upgrades, upgraded DVD players twice (I had to be able to play SACD & dvd-a ;)), purchased 4 new AVRs, a new HDTV, a new camcorder, and a universal remote.

I have also learned a lot, had a lot of fun, been introduced to some good music, and can not be blamed for the economic downturn the USA. :D

In retrospect, I suppose I'm lucky that they didn't have the metal feet on there because they would certainly have wreaked havoc with the finish if they were loose. :)

J.

Hmmmmm

My dealer didn't even get me the Metal ft for my subs, I guess I figured they weren't available or something, all my feet for my Studio's and Subs are the Plastic one... Sorry to see that you had a problem with them Jason... That sucks....

I have noticed that the ft on my Studio's are a little loose, I'll have to revisit them and tighten them up....

Hmmmmm

My dealer didn't even get me the Metal ft for my subs, I guess I figured they weren't available or something, all my feet for my Studio's and Subs are the Plastic one... Sorry to see that you had a problem with them Jason... That sucks....

I have noticed that the ft on my Studio's are a little loose, I'll have to revisit them and tighten them up....

On one of the speakers, only 1 out of the 4 feet were slightly loose. On the other speaker, all four were tight. The plastic outer piece is solid and serves the purpose well. I have no problem with the design. So far, I am BLOWN AWAY at the sound of the Studio 60v.5, very sweet.

Anyone here have tried or demoed a pair of studio 10 and signature s1 bookshelf speakers? The s1 is about $400 more. Is ther any different in sound quality?

Thanks you.

Sorry to see that you had a problem with them Jason... That sucks....
It wasn't really a problem, I was just surprised that all 8 feet needed to be tightened (some more than others). I was also surprised by the plastic feet, because they look identical to the metal ones at first glance so I just assumed they were metal and was not expecting them to be plastic.

The biggest issue is how they brutally attach the feet to the cabinet. Fortunately it's on the bottom and never noticeable unless your speaker is on its side or upside-down...then you've got bigger fish to fry! :D

Otherwise, I'm loving the speakers. My 690 should land in the next day or so and I hope to have it up and running by the weekend.

J.

CC-390 will be at my house tomorrow, can't wait to hook it up. This will complete my front speakers and mark the beginning of saving for the Denon.

CC-390 is hooked up and is soundin' good. I will have to get an IR repeater so I can control the TV but other than that it's all good. This CC fits perfectly in front of the Sony, there is about 1/32 of an inch from the bottom of the screen. The CC lines up great with the L and R speakers, which was totally unplanned. Below is a link to the pic on the Theater, take a look if you like. Any and all comments would be great.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showfull.php?photo=28626

CC-390 is hooked up and is soundin' good. I will have to get an IR repeater so I can control the TV but other than that it's all good. This CC fits perfectly in front of the Sony, there is about 1/32 of an inch from the bottom of the screen. The CC lines up great with the L and R speakers, which was totally unplanned. Below is a link to the pic on the Theater, take a look if you like. Any and all comments would be great.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showfull.php?photo=28626

Nice set up.

Cool kjstanger. I love the 390 with the grill off. That thing just looks like it means business.

Cool kjstanger. I love the 390 with the grill off. That thing just looks like it means business.

With the dual condoms. :D

Here's my current setup:
Yamaha HTR-5560 Receiver
PS3/Xbox 360 for movies & games
Paradigm Mini Monitor v3 Fronts
Paradigm CC-370 v3 Center
Paradigm APD-370 v3 Surrounds
Paradigm PDR-12 Subwoofer

I've had these for quite a few years and am looking to upgrade the Minis to something bigger and possibly use them for the rear speakers in a 7.1 setup. For 7.1 I'd have to look at upgrading the receiver too though.

I purposely bought the larger center/surrounds knowing I wanted to eventually upgrade the Minis, but now I'm wondering if the new v5 Monitor 9s will timbre match to the v3 series, or if I'm really looking at having to upgrade everything.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showfull.php?photo=28626
That's a great looking setup. I like the stand...very rustic and manly, but clean looking.

Congrats!

J.

...now I'm wondering if the new v5 Monitor 9s will timbre match to the v3 series, or if I'm really looking at having to upgrade everything.
You should be fine all around with the exception of the CC-390, which may or may not do the trick for you. Let your ears be the judge and upgrade to a new CC if needed. The other speakers will be fine.

J.

And I just got "the call" from my dealer and my CC-690 just landed! :) I'll have it up and running in time for my wife's movie night tonight. The WAF goes way up when there's direct benefits involved! :D

J.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showfull.php?photo=28626

Really nice! Great job on that stand.

And I just got "the call" from my dealer and my CC-690 just landed! :) I'll have it up and running in time for my wife's movie night tonight. The WAF goes way up when there's direct benefits involved! :D

J.

Should be exciting! I have to say that the CC690 has made the biggest difference in my setup so far (in its limited use).

Yeah, I'm very much looking forward to the 690. I must admit that my CC-570 never really wowed me that much with my Studio 100 v3 setup.

J.

Really nice! Great job on that stand.

Thanks, took three full weekends to finish. Well worth it.

I think he's decided on that system and doesn't have it yet.

J.

Correct. I do have my Oppo 83 ready to hook up and play with this weekend. That will keep my mind off the Studios for a short time, at least

Jim

So surprised to hear soo many people with shipping delays. I was able to order my Studio 100v5 and CC690v5 in rosenut last week and they are being delivered on Friday to my doorstep. Plus I was able to get approximately 35% off the entire order. Unfortunately, my upstairs HT room is still no where near ready for the system, but I am going to plug them in downstairs where my Mythos ST system will reside permanently once the Paradigms get sent up to their proper place. :)

After much research and reading about home theatre etc etc I have finally decided to take the lunge and buy some new gear. I have got on order the following

Yamaha 3900
Studio 100 V5
Studio CC690 V5
SA15R
SA15R30's

I wasn't able to convince the wife to get "proper" surrounds so i have opted for 2 sets of inceiling speakers. The rears will be the SA15R30's which have an angled speaker arrangements to direct the sound back into the room.

My question is this.... Do the inceiling speakers need back boxes. If so, why dont Paradigm make them. I live in a house with gyprock ceiling and timber frame. We dont have attics in Australia, just a roof space which has insulation batts in them. Space above ceiling is about 3-4 foot. Tiled roof.

If back boxes are better, can I build them myself using ply an some type of speaker insulation?? How big would the boxes need to be??

Any help would be appreciated.

BTW - The wait on Rosenut 100's in OZ is two weeks. Just as well because the prices are crazy. Try $6700 for a pair. Thats $6200 Canadian dollars for a pair of Studio 100's.....

All up cost for me was $12800.

After much research and reading about home theatre etc etc I have finally decided to take the lunge and buy some new gear. I have got on order the following

Yamaha 3900
Studio 100 V5
Studio CC690 V5
SA15R
SA15R30's



You'll like that 3900.

CC-390 is hooked up and is soundin' good. I will have to get an IR repeater so I can control the TV but other than that it's all good. This CC fits perfectly in front of the Sony, there is about 1/32 of an inch from the bottom of the screen. The CC lines up great with the L and R speakers, which was totally unplanned. Below is a link to the pic on the Theater, take a look if you like. Any and all comments would be great.

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showfull.php?photo=28626

Sweet setup

So surprised to hear soo many people with shipping delays. I was able to order my Studio 100v5 and CC690v5 in rosenut last week and they are being delivered on Friday to my doorstep.

I'm sure Paradigm has simply caught up on their unexpected demand for the rosenut speakers and therefore the turnaround time is fairly close to what you'd normally expect when purchasing an in-stock item.

J.

My Studio 60s and CC-590 came in last night.

The sound is good, but not great. It's a long way from what I heard at the store when my dealer demo'd I Am Legend for me.

I thought of a few things that might be contributing factors:

1. Break-in time. I understand new speakers need a good deal of break-in time. Somewhere in the vicinity of 100-200 hours before they really open up.

2. Bi-wiring. The 60s are bi-wired but the 590 is not. My previous center wasn't bi-wire capable so I didn't have a bi-wire cable. Right now I only have it plugged into the positive and negative base frequencies (the bottom two slots on the 590). I'm thinking (hoping) this is the main issue as I was watching a Blu-ray (Transformers) and the dialog seemed completely droned out during an action sequence. I know it's not the actual source of the movie itself as a professional who reviewed the Transformers Blu-ray wrote this: "Dialogue is rendered perfectly throughout. It is never lost under music or action." I feel the exact opposite is happening with my 590. Again, I'm hoping this is only because it's not currently bi-wired. I already ordered new cables (straightwire symphony IIs) and they should be in sometime next week.

3. Dolby Digital vs Dolby True HD. Right now I'm running my system with a Marantz SR-8200 and that receiver does not have the ability to play Dolby True HD or DTS MA. While I'm sure the difference between Dolby Digital and Dolby True HD is debatable, I'm wondering if that could be a contributing factor as well.

4. Amplifier power. The Marantz SR-8200 is currently rated at 120W x 6. Currently I only have the 2 fronts and the center channel connected (no rears or sub). I've read on multiple forums that getting a dedicated amp with at least 200+ watts per channel makes a really big difference. Some even claim that when you're in this class of speaker quality, it's pointless hooking them up to a Receiver because it just lacks the necessary power output. Several people mentioned that switching from a receiver to something like an Emotiva XPA-3 (http://emotiva.com/xpa3.shtm) enchanced the sound performance quite noticebly. Can anyone confirm that this would be the real source of the performance issue?

5. Receiver set-up. The Marantz has several tweaks and options that I'm not quite sure how to best optimize. I've set both the mains and the center to "large" and reduced their output level to 0 db. I also set their distance to 8 feet as that is approximately how far away I am from them when watching a movie or listening to music. Is there anything else I should be "tweaking" on the receiver itself? I made sure to set the subwoofer and surrounds to "NONE" in hopes that it would save a bit of power and direct them to the mains/center.

6. Room acoustics. I live in an apartment and I know it is far from being optimized for a home theatre. I don't have any carpets so I can understand the sound would have a bit of an echo. I plan on moving to a bigger place within a year so I don't want to go too nuts on treating my current place. That being said, I thought about placing acoustic panels on the wall behind me (currently bare, no pictures hanging on it etc).

Though I am a bit skeptical that would make much of a difference. Considering my apartment's living room opens up into the hallway and kitchen. It might only be beneficial if I put panels on ALL my walls. Any thoughts or ideas on the points mentioned above would be HUGELY appreciated.

This is really a sinking feeling. I know the Paradigms are outstanding but I don't feel I'm getting anywhere near their potetial with my current set up.

Thanks for any feedback.

Update:

As I was typing this post I got a response from my dealer on basically the same questions I just asked.

Here's what he wrote:

Exciting times right now, but be patient.

Breaking in time certainly does factor in, along with bi wiring as both will 'open up' the speakers. To decrease breaking time (this technique can only be done in pairs, unfortunate for the center channel) put one of the speakers out of phase (swap the positive and negative sides) and position them facing one another, put on a CD with good range and leave them on over night for a couple of weeks. This will cut the break in time considerably because you'll be able to set the volume a little louder than you'd normally be able to without bothering everyone in the house. Basically the sound waves eminating from the speakers will cancel each other out.

One main contributing factor that I see is definately the audio format you are using. Dolby Digital (DVD) is a compressed fromat, akin to MP3 where as True HD is an uncompressed format - yes the demo I played was on Blu Ray, True HD, uncompressed.

The marraige between speaker and amplifier definately creates a certain synergy. Paradigm, when doing critical demonstrations use their Anthem line, and it was no coincedence we heard the Studio 60' on an Anthem AVR50 and an MCA50.

Your receiver configuration is correct, set the fronts and center to large and attenuate the internal crossover (what is this?) accordingly and set your subwoofer output to 'both'. (I don't have a sub hooked up currently, is this necessary?)

Room acoustics is an underrated factor in your overall experience, subtle echoes will muddle dialogue. Throwing an area rug in your space will help, even an inexpensive Ikea one will do. Also recommend some Acoustic Panels. I can book a site survey and bring over some Acoustic Panels to see how much of a difference they will make, at no cost of course. But first I'd like to explore some of the issues that I have mentioned above.


Comments? Thoughts?

Thanks guys.

I will be running my upcoming Studios off of a SC-07, which many have given great reviews and even mentioned that an outside amp may not be necessary. However, I am definately looking at adding a Rotel or NAD amp down the line to really give the speakers the power they warrant and require for optimal performance. Break in time is also very important. I left my Boston Acoustic VR towers on for a week non stop at low volumes and even my Polk SRs in my car took a couple months to really break in and open up. Be patient and save up for an amp, your receiver should have pre-outs so you can go with am amp next and then save up for a pre/pro combo later.

My Studio 60s and CC-590 came in last night.

The sound is good, but not great. It's a long way from what I heard at the store when my dealer demo'd I Am Legend for me.

I thought of a few things that might be contributing factors:

1. Break-in time. I understand new speakers need a good deal of break-in time. Somewhere in the vicinity of 100-200 hours before they really open up.

2. Bi-wiring. The 60s are bi-wired but the 590 is not. My previous center wasn't bi-wire capable so I didn't have a bi-wire cable. Right now I only have it plugged into the positive and negative base frequencies (the bottom two slots on the 590). I'm thinking (hoping) this is the main issue as I was watching a Blu-ray (Transformers) and the dialog seemed completely droned out during an action sequence. I know it's not the actual source of the movie itself as a professional who reviewed the Transformers Blu-ray wrote this: "Dialogue is rendered perfectly throughout. It is never lost under music or action." I feel the exact opposite is happening with my 590. Again, I'm hoping this is only because it's not currently bi-wired. I already ordered new cables (straightwire symphony IIs) and they should be in sometime next week.

3. Dolby Digital vs Dolby True HD. Right now I'm running my system with a Marantz SR-8200 and that receiver does not have the ability to play Dolby True HD or DTS MA. While I'm sure the difference between Dolby Digital and Dolby True HD is debatable, I'm wondering if that could be a contributing factor as well.

4. Amplifier power. The Marantz SR-8200 is currently rated at 120W x 6. Currently I only have the 2 fronts and the center channel connected (no rears or sub). I've read on multiple forums that getting a dedicated amp with at least 200+ watts per channel makes a really big difference. Some even claim that when you're in this class of speaker quality, it's pointless hooking them up to a Receiver because it just lacks the necessary power output. Several people mentioned that switching from a receiver to something like an Emotiva XPA-3 (http://emotiva.com/xpa3.shtm) enchanced the sound performance quite noticebly. Can anyone confirm that this would be the real source of the performance issue?

5. Receiver set-up. The Marantz has several tweaks and options that I'm not quite sure how to best optimize. I've set both the mains and the center to "large" and reduced their output level to 0 db. I also set their distance to 8 feet as that is approximately how far away I am from them when watching a movie or listening to music. Is there anything else I should be "tweaking" on the receiver itself? I made sure to set the subwoofer and surrounds to "NONE" in hopes that it would save a bit of power and direct them to the mains/center.

6. Room acoustics. I live in an apartment and I know it is far from being optimized for a home theatre. I don't have any carpets so I can understand the sound would have a bit of an echo. I plan on moving to a bigger place within a year so I don't want to go too nuts on treating my current place. That being said, I thought about placing acoustic panels on the wall behind me (currently bare, no pictures hanging on it etc).

Though I am a bit skeptical that would make much of a difference. Considering my apartment's living room opens up into the hallway and kitchen. It might only be beneficial if I put panels on ALL my walls. Any thoughts or ideas on the points mentioned above would be HUGELY appreciated.

This is really a sinking feeling. I know the Paradigms are outstanding but I don't feel I'm getting anywhere near their potetial with my current set up.

Thanks for any feedback.

Update:

As I was typing this post I got a response from my dealer on basically the same questions I just asked.

Here's what he wrote:

Exciting times right now, but be patient.

Breaking in time certainly does factor in, along with bi wiring as both will 'open up' the speakers. To decrease breaking time (this technique can only be done in pairs, unfortunate for the center channel) put one of the speakers out of phase (swap the positive and negative sides) and position them facing one another, put on a CD with good range and leave them on over night for a couple of weeks. This will cut the break in time considerably because you'll be able to set the volume a little louder than you'd normally be able to without bothering everyone in the house. Basically the sound waves eminating from the speakers will cancel each other out.

One main contributing factor that I see is definately the audio format you are using. Dolby Digital (DVD) is a compressed fromat, akin to MP3 where as True HD is an uncompressed format - yes the demo I played was on Blu Ray, True HD, uncompressed.

The marraige between speaker and amplifier definately creates a certain synergy. Paradigm, when doing critical demonstrations use their Anthem line, and it was no coincedence we heard the Studio 60' on an Anthem AVR50 and an MCA50.

Your receiver configuration is correct, set the fronts and center to large and attenuate the internal crossover (what is this?) accordingly and set your subwoofer output to 'both'. (I don't have a sub hooked up currently, is this necessary?)

Room acoustics is an underrated factor in your overall experience, subtle echoes will muddle dialogue. Throwing an area rug in your space will help, even an inexpensive Ikea one will do. Also recommend some Acoustic Panels. I can book a site survey and bring over some Acoustic Panels to see how much of a difference they will make, at no cost of course. But first I'd like to explore some of the issues that I have mentioned above.


Comments? Thoughts?

Thanks guys.

It's ok and necessary to run your 60's fullrange without a sub, but that CC needs at least a 60hz high pass. That should improve clarity. Also you need to calibrate the system, you can't just set the levels to "0".

I wouldn't bet on hearing that much difference between BR and DVD.

It's ok and necessary to run your 60's fullrange without a sub, but that CC needs at least a 60hz high pass. That should improve clarity. Also you need to calibrate the system, you can't just set the levels to "0".

Forgive me but I'm still somewhat of a newbie to all this. What do you mean that the center needs at least a 60hz high pass? Is that what bi-wiring the center will do? And how does one calibrate the system?

Damn I hate not knowing this stuff. Though I suppose you have to start somewhere.

Thanks for the feedback though.

I left my Boston Acoustic VR towers on for a week non stop at low volumes...

I thought breaking in speakers requires somewhat loud volume to really get the drivers moving back and forth? Does running them 24/7 at low volume really do the trick?

Be patient and save up for an amp, your receiver should have pre-outs so you can go with am amp next and then save up for a pre/pro combo later.

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm guessing a better Amp would have more of an impact than switching from Dolby Digital to Dolby True HD.

I thought breaking in speakers requires somewhat loud volume to really get the drivers moving back and forth? Does running them 24/7 at low volume really do the trick?



Exactly what I was thinking. I'm guessing a better Amp would have more of an impact than switching from Dolby Digital to Dolby True HD.
to get that same sound your going to need that avm50v pre pro first. i doubt a better amp will do

to get that same sound your going to need that avm50v pre pro first. i doubt a better amp will do

Do you think an Emotiva UMC-1/XPA-5 combo would come close to the Anthem?

Hey Mike describe your room.... do you have any room treatments or carpet in there, was the room you demo'd carpeted and had room treatments...

If you have alot of bright surfaces in your room, the speakers will certainly not sound their best, proper setup is important, where breakin is not really necessary IMO, maybe for a few minutes, but not a long period of time...

Do you think an Emotiva UMC-1/XPA-5 combo would come close to the Anthem?I dont know, i never listen to any of Emotiva stuff. but your in good hands with Warpdrv:)

Hey Mike describe your room.... do you have any room treatments or carpet in there, was the room you demo'd carpeted and had room treatments...

If you have alot of bright surfaces in your room, the speakers will certainly not sound their best, proper setup is important, where breakin is not really necessary IMO, maybe for a few minutes, but not a long period of time...

Yeah my room is not set up for a home theatre at all. I'm in a one bedroom apartment. My gear is in the living room. Approximately 14 feet by 11 feet. I have no carpets and it opens up into the hallway and kitchen. (Spectacular isn't it? lol)

I'm sitting on a leather couch with a wooden coffee table between me and my fronts/mains. (My floors are also wooden.) I really should post some pics, but my camera is shot. Gotta wait till Saturday when the gf comes over with her camera.

I just looked at the price of the Anthem AVM50. At $4700, it's a little pricey. I'm hoping that the cheaper Emotiva's will come close to Anthem's performance and power.

Forgive me but I'm still somewhat of a newbie to all this. What do you mean that the center needs at least a 60hz high pass? Is that what bi-wiring the center will do? And how does one calibrate the system?

Damn I hate not knowing this stuff. Though I suppose you have to start somewhere.

Thanks for the feedback though.

I'm not that familiar with Marantz AVRs, so I don't recall your receiver having any type of auto set-up. To calibrate it correctly you'll need a Sound Pressure Level meter. You can get one from Radio Shack. Then you set your AVR's volume control at "0"dbs and using the internal test tones adjust the levels for each speaker so that the SPL meter reads 75db with the meter at your listening position.

In the mean time you can just adjust by ear when seated at your listening position. You can probably get it satisfactory, but you'll be surprised how far off you were if and when you get a meter. ;)

What I meant by a 60hz high pass is setting the internal crossover for the center speaker to filter out the lower bass. As I said above, I'm not real familiar with Marantz so I don't know what settings are available to you. Older AVRs used to just have "small" and "large" settings with a fixed crossover of 80 or 100hz. Newer AVRs have adjustments all the way from 40 to well over 100hz.

By not asking your CC to play low bass, dialog and clarity should improve.

Bare floors ain't helping your sound either. Can you put some area rugs down?

I dont know, i never listen to any of Emotiva stuff. but your in good hands with Warpdrv:)

I know! I've been watching this thread religiously. Lots of knowledgeable people here.

*Hands Warp a bribe of cookies... :)*

I know! I've been watching this thread religiously. Lots of knowledgeable people here.

*Hands Warp a bribe of cookies... :)*
your prepro is the Heart of your system $4700 is a one time purchase for sonic bliss + its modular upgradeable hardware/ software.

Yeah my room is not set up for a home theatre at all. I'm in a one bedroom apartment. My gear is in the living room. Approximately 14 feet by 11 feet. I have no carpets and it opens up into the hallway and kitchen. (Spectacular isn't it? lol)

I'm sitting on a leather couch with a wooden coffee table between me and my fronts/mains. (My floors are also wooden.) I really should post some pics, but my camera is shot. Gotta wait till Saturday when the gf comes over with her camera.

I just looked at the price of the Anthem AVM50. At $4700, it's a little pricey. I'm hoping that the cheaper Emotiva's will come close to Anthem's performance and power.

I'll tell ya that the AVM50v with ARC will make things sound 100% better, but before I went that route, I would look at getting some room treatments and some throw rugs in there, also try dropping a heavy blanket over the leather couch, and see how those things make a difference. Hard wood floors are a pain. I have them myself, but carpet install shortly coming, any reflective surface with start to make things sound shrill and can be ear piercing...

You should have more then enough power with your Marantz for now, I'm not very familiar with the unit, but it doesn't look like it has Audyssy or an auto EQ type setup.... and if you can adjust EQ at all, I would look at lowering the 15000 hz to 20000hz range if you can.... or turning down the treble to ease up on the high end a bit for ya...

Easyaspie has you right, you should be getting an SPL meter to keep things in check for speaker levels.

I don't know how the ADACS or DACS on the Emotiva will be, as neither the XMC or UMC are available and whether they will offer a superior SQ over the Marantz...

If you are handy, look at DIY for room treatments that don't break the bank... theres lots of tutorials out there for this sort of thing...

Here is a picture of some of my room treatments.... Don't mind the early unfinished room pic
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/Warpdrv/HT-Great%20Room/HTPics003.jpg

They are basically a Piece of Luan (thin strong plywood) with strips of wood all the way around and Owens Corning 703 insulation inside wrapped with fabric.... I bought all mine from ATS Acoustics for reaonable prices, they are well made. Or you could get the materials and DIY http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Owens-Corning-703-Case-of-6--1004.html

Well, I will be glued for updates to your speaker break-in and setup solutions. My Studio 100v5 and CC690 all in rosenut just arrived. My contractor is also finishing up the recessed lighting and running the wire to the back wall for the surrounds today and Monday. Hopefully, I will done painting by the next week and ready to start experimenting. I am also adding hardwood floors in the next month, but will be shopping for rugs and acoustic panels to help balance out my setup downstairs.

So, I am looking at buying my first set of Paradigms for my dedicated home theatre/media room. The room is ~12.5' wide and ~17' long (with no back wall, so it goes further back than that in an L, but the HT area is that big).

I am looking at the Monitor series. Would the cc-290 be sufficient for the centre?

If so, would the Mini's be good enough for front and rear? Or would you go Titans in front?

I wanna do 7.1, so for the sides would you go dipole ADP-190, or just stick with Mini's for the side as well? I have no experience with dipoles and have only had a 5.1 setup in the past.

I'll likely be matching it with a Denon or Pioneer avr in the $900-$1000 range, prolly the AVR-890.

I am off to audition some stuff in the next few days, just want to go in equipped with a good idea of where to start to keep the sales guys in check...

My Studio 60s and CC-590 came in last night....Comments? Thoughts?


I have owned a pair of Studio 60v3, my HT system, for a few years now, here my observations:


1. Break-in time. I felt there was some break in, but not night and day. Mainly effecting the high end, smoother now.

2. Bi-wiring. I biwire mine with 12/4 cables, mainly because of the long cable runs from my amps to the speakers. Don't look for a major improvement doing this.

3. Dolby Digital vs Dolby True HD. Just last week I picked up my first BD player, the Oppo BDP-83. Comparing DD fed digitally to a Rotel receiver being used as a pre-pro, and Dolby true HD with a multichannel analog preamp, I heard differences, but it wasn't like going from the old dolby surround/pro-logic to DD.

4. Amplifier power. This is where I think you can make a major improvement. I started out with a Rotel 1055 receiver (75 wpc x 5). Upgraded later to seperate Aragon amp (200wpc) big improvement. recently switched to Mackie FR1400 proamps (300+ wpc) better yet. Speakers really came to life.

5. Receiver set-up. I use my Rotel receiver now as the pre-pro. The best way I found to find the right crossover settings for my room was with the Room EQ Wizard PC program, with mic etc.

6. Room acoustics. Due to WAF, no room treatment is in my HT now, although I know for a fact it would improve the sound more than anything else. I have found that speaker placement can help a lot.

I have owned a pair of Studio 60v3, my HT system, for a few years now, here my observations:


1. Break-in time. I felt there was some break in, but not night and day. Mainly effecting the high end, smoother now.

2. Bi-wiring. I biwire mine with 12/4 cables, mainly because of the long cable runs from my amps to the speakers. Don't look for a major improvement doing this.

3. Dolby Digital vs Dolby True HD. Just last week I picked up my first BD player, the Oppo BDP-83. Comparing DD fed digitally to a Rotel receiver being used as a pre-pro, and Dolby true HD with a multichannel analog preamp, I heard differences, but it wasn't like going from the old dolby surround/pro-logic to DD.

4. Amplifier power. This is where I think you can make a major improvement. I started out with a Rotel 1055 receiver (75 wpc x 5). Upgraded later to seperate Aragon amp (200wpc) big improvement. recently switched to Mackie FR1400 proamps (300+ wpc) better yet. Speakers really came to life.

5. Receiver set-up. I use my Rotel receiver now as the pre-pro. The best way I found to find the right crossover settings for my room was with the Room EQ Wizard PC program, with mic etc.

6. Room acoustics. Due to WAF, no room treatment is in my HT now, although I know for a fact it would improve the sound more than anything else. I have found that speaker placement can help a lot.

Good post jkhome. I think that about sums up the 60s v3. Very happy with mine as well.

4. Amplifier power. This is where I think you can make a major improvement. I started out with a Rotel 1055 receiver (75 wpc x 5). Upgraded later to seperate Aragon amp (200wpc) big improvement. recently switched to Mackie FR1400 proamps (300+ wpc) better yet. Speakers really came to life.


5. Receiver set-up. I use my Rotel receiver now as the pre-pro. The best way I found to find the right crossover settings for my room was with the Room EQ Wizard PC program, with mic etc.


6. Room acoustics. Due to WAF, no room treatment is in my HT now, although I know for a fact it would improve the sound more than anything else. I have found that speaker placement can help a lot.

These are the most important points of this post that people should make themselves aware of here.... Which BTW great post jkhome...

People need to be very aware that "THE ROOM" is the key to integration and choosing a crossover point.... blending the mains with the sub at the right crossover point is all determined by "The Room".... every room will have a different interaction with the sound waves bouncing around and where and when those waves collide and arrive at the seating position - along with the seating placement and measurements that which will determine crossover of speakers to subwoofer....

jkhome is using REW (Room EQ Wizard (http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/rew-forum/11707-room-eq-wizard-rew-information-index-links-guides-articles-stickies-please-read.html)) which is a free program that will allow someone to use this program to test the response of the speaker and subwoofer integration together in your room...

Most people just set the crossover to 80hz as expected by THX standards that everything will be just right, but never take room integration into play... those measurements taken with REW will show any issues and will determine what the proper x-over should be..... When you measure, you can find out if there are nulls and peaks that will show if a different x-over will work better from one room to the next.

Amp Power - Give your speakers as much power as you possibly can afford, even pro amps will be a significant upgrade source of power, just as clean as most boutique amps could provide for a fraction of the cost...

Room Acoustics - room treatments/carpeting will help drastically in reducing bright reflections and HF issues.... softening up the sound in a bright room is essential for good SQ.

There are many variables that will help find the answers to good sound, and it would be beneficial for one to do their homework to bring everything together for the best HT or even just plain 2 channel listening.... Test - don't guess...

Yeah my room is not set up for a home theatre at all. I'm in a one bedroom apartment. My gear is in the living room. Approximately 14 feet by 11 feet. I have no carpets and it opens up into the hallway and kitchen. (Spectacular isn't it? lol)

I'm sitting on a leather couch with a wooden coffee table between me and my fronts/mains. (My floors are also wooden.) I really should post some pics, but my camera is shot. Gotta wait till Saturday when the gf comes over with her camera.

I just looked at the price of the Anthem AVM50. At $4700, it's a little pricey. I'm hoping that the cheaper Emotiva's will come close to Anthem's performance and power.

Dude, you do not need new equipment to make those speakers sound good. Your Marantz is more than adequate. You may be having speaker placement problems, or your receiver 'tweeks' as you called them may be set up incorrectly. There are so many modes on these receivers that you may have something engaged that you don't know about. Get to know the manual for the Marantz as well as you can and try to get the most basic setup you can and go from there. For example, you could just try getting a basic "direct" setup going with just the two speakers and no sub just to keep things ultra simple. Those speakers should sound really good on their own.

You mentioned that sinking feeling, and I can totally sympathize. Most of us have felt that before. Keep working on placement and room treatments (even informal ones like rugs or pillows and stuff).

Even go thru basic stuff like wire polarity.

You've got very good speakers, so just keep learing and things should fall into place. Above all, don't think you need to go spend thousands more just to get decent sound. You've already spent all you need to spend. A new processor might sound .05% better than what you have.

Hey Mike describe your room.... do you have any room treatments or carpet in there, was the room you demo'd carpeted and had room treatments...

If you have alot of bright surfaces in your room, the speakers will certainly not sound their best, proper setup is important, where breakin is not really necessary IMO, maybe for a few minutes, but not a long period of time...

+1 if the room where you heard the demo was well treated, then you're up against the demo room, not needing new equipment.

There is one audio place in my town where the guy pays a lot of attention to room treatments and nearly anything the guy plays sounds pretty darn good. I remember years ago going to his place and hearing holographic sounds and going home to my house and realizing how much poorer my system sounded - and I had studio 60's at the time. I didn't realize how much the room and placement in the room effected the overall system. My attitude at the time was - hey, I spent a bunch of money here, I should just flip the switch and enjoy. Little did I know that the room and speaker placement has a great deal of effect on how everything sounds. One thing I did when I started to discover the effect of room&placement was I took the speakers and an integrated amp and tried them in many of the rooms of the house over a series of weeks. I experimented with different placements in those rooms, too. It was very educational, and helped me achieve a better sound in the room that was the actual listening room.

3. Dolby Digital vs Dolby True HD. Right now I'm running my system with a Marantz SR-8200 and that receiver does not have the ability to play Dolby True HD or DTS MA. While I'm sure the difference between Dolby Digital and Dolby True HD is debatable, I'm wondering if that could be a contributing factor as well.
I don't think it is Debatable at all . Dolby Digital is compressed. Dolby True HD or DTS MA is NOT. TRUE HD or DTS MA sounds way smoother and way Better! No contest!! If you don't notice the difference between Dts Ma or True HD vs. Dolby Digital , then your system is lacking, in my opinion .

So, I am looking at buying my first set of Paradigms for my dedicated home theatre/media room. The room is ~12.5' wide and ~17' long (with no back wall, so it goes further back than that in an L, but the HT area is that big).

I am looking at the Monitor series. Would the cc-290 be sufficient for the centre?

If so, would the Mini's be good enough for front and rear? Or would you go Titans in front?

I wanna do 7.1, so for the sides would you go dipole ADP-190, or just stick with Mini's for the side as well? I have no experience with dipoles and have only had a 5.1 setup in the past.

I'll likely be matching it with a Denon or Pioneer avr in the $900-$1000 range, prolly the AVR-890.

I am off to audition some stuff in the next few days, just want to go in equipped with a good idea of where to start to keep the sales guys in check...

If you have a room size of medium-ish proportions and want the Monitor Series (Paradigm's best, IMHO, cost vs. performance line is their Studio v.5 Series, but they are definitely more money-- I listened to a lot Paradigms over the years when speaker shopping and went with the Studios myself) then I would move up to the Monitor 9 or 11 towers and (unless you want to try an acoustically transparent screen and projector at some point and can go with another matching tower for the center) go with the CC-390 center (never skimp on your center speaker). Then the ADP-390 for the sides and the Titans for the back speakers using wall mounts (or for the best set up for both movies and multi-channel music get two pairs of Titans and wall mount them with something like Omnimounts; you can get them with side clamps if the Titans don't have key hole plates).

Movies and music are mixed with direct radiating speakers, not dipoles and not bipoles. It's how you place them that's the key. Widescreen Review uses one of DTS's preferred 7.1 speaker layouts and they seem to think it's the best compromise for home theaters. They would like that to be the default speaker configuration for sound mixing for home theaters with 8 channels, and the layout consumers should go with too.

http://www.dts.com/Consumer_Electronics/Home_Theater/~/media/CFD1137CD6174A3F959CF16C5DB3F924.ashx

You may want to get a receiver that has 7.1 channel pre-amp outputs and then upgrade to outboard amps later on from Emotiva, Parasound, Outlaw, ATI, Rotel, etc. so you'll get cleaner, more robust sound and more headroom than a receiver's power amps can ever possibly deliver.

I use Blue Jeans Cable bundled analog audio interconnects between my receiver and my outboard amps, their 10 gauge Belden speaker wire, and their HDMI cables for digital a/v signals. Well shielded with quality Belden wire. They're nothing pretty, but you pay for performance more than looks. You'll save a hell of a lot compared to boutique wire brands, and don't get me started on Monster Cable! :D

Do not go with Paradigm subs. I would go with an HSU or SVS for the best bang vs. buck.

Hey guys. Just looked through all your responses. Thanks for the feedback! I made several tweaks over the weekend.


To calibrate it correctly you'll need a Sound Pressure Level meter. You can get one from Radio Shack. Then you set your AVR's volume control at "0"dbs and using the internal test tones adjust the levels for each speaker so that the SPL meter reads 75db with the meter at your listening position.

Thanks for the tip! I went to my local radio shack on Friday and picked up the last remaining sound meter they had. Rushed home and calibrated my fronts and center channel. You were correct. Setting everything at 0 db was nowhere near what it was suppose to be. I managed to get all three within the 75-76 db range. Though I must say I didn't notice any kind of difference with the sound after calibrating my system.

I also picked up two rolls of electrical tape which I'm using to prop up my center speaker so that it's angled more towards my ears. This made a very slight improvement.


Bare floors ain't helping your sound either. Can you put some area rugs down?

Tried this just last night. I moved my coffee table into my bedroom so that there were no obstructions between me and the speakers. I took my comforter off my bed and placed it on the floor (to my girlfriend's horror) in front of my system. Listened to the same scene from a Blue Ray (Transformers) both before and after doing this. Didn't notice a difference at all.

your prepro is the Heart of your system $4700 is a one time purchase for sonic bliss + its modular upgradeable hardware/ software.

Hmmm interesting point. I don't see how this is a one time purchase though. Right now, Dolby True HD is considered the best format which uses HDMI. But what happens when something better comes out that uses a completely different cable/input? The AVM50 won't have that "new technology" when it comes out, therefore forcing you to buy a new unit should you want the latest and greatest. I don't see how it would be a "modular upgrade" in that sense. Again I'm new, so I'm totally willing to admit I could be missing something here. Would you mind elaborating on this?

I'll tell ya that the AVM50v with ARC will make things sound 100% better...

Would you say the preamp would make more of a difference than a new, more powerful amp?


1. Break-in time. I felt there was some break in, but not night and day. Mainly effecting the high end, smoother now.


I felt the same way. I've got about 10-12 hours of break in time now at moderate volumes. Hardly anything compared to the 100-200 hrs or so needed (imo), but I doubt this will change things drastically.

2. Bi-wiring. I biwire mine with 12/4 cables, mainly because of the long cable runs from my amps to the speakers. Don't look for a major improvement doing this.

I'm still waiting for my straightwire symphony IIs. Hopefully bi-wiring my center channel will help open it up.

3. Dolby Digital vs Dolby True HD. Just last week I picked up my first BD player, the Oppo BDP-83. Comparing DD fed digitally to a Rotel receiver being used as a pre-pro, and Dolby true HD with a multichannel analog preamp, I heard differences, but it wasn't like going from the old dolby surround/pro-logic to DD.

My thoughts are the same.

4. Amplifier power. This is where I think you can make a major improvement. I started out with a Rotel 1055 receiver (75 wpc x 5). Upgraded later to seperate Aragon amp (200wpc) big improvement. recently switched to Mackie FR1400 proamps (300+ wpc) better yet. Speakers really came to life.

I saw Transformers 2 last night and was absolutely blown away by the sound. The opening dialog of Optimus Prime was just Godly. The very definition of power itself.

After walking out of the theatre I started thinking about getting as much power as I possibly can for my system.

So I was thinking if getting three Emotiva XPA-1s over a XPA-3 for the mains and center would be worth it. Is three 500 watt/channel (8 ohms) mono amps overkill for the Paradigm Studio 60s and CC-590 center? Or does the adage hold true even in this case that more power = better regardless?

5. Receiver set-up. I use my Rotel receiver now as the pre-pro. The best way I found to find the right crossover settings for my room was with the Room EQ Wizard PC program, with mic etc.

Did you find that this made a significant difference?

jkhome is using REW

(Room EQ Wizard (http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/rew-forum/11707-room-eq-wizard-rew-information-index-links-guides-articles-stickies-please-read.html)) which is a free program that will allow someone to use this program to test the response of the speaker and subwoofer integration together in your room...

Thanks Warp! Was just about to ask where you could find such a utility.

Amp Power - Give your speakers as much power as you possibly can afford, even pro amps will be a significant upgrade source of power, just as clean as most boutique amps could provide for a fraction of the cost...

Any thoughts on my three XPA-1s vs an XPA-3 dilemma?

Dude, you do not need new equipment to make those speakers sound good. Your Marantz is more than adequate. You may be having speaker placement problems, or your receiver 'tweeks' as you called them may be set up incorrectly.

There are so many modes on these receivers that you may have something engaged that you don't know about. Get to know the manual for the Marantz as well as you can and try to get the most basic setup you can and go from there. For example, you could just try getting a basic "direct" setup going with just the two speakers and no sub just to keep things ultra simple. Those speakers should sound really good on their own.

You mentioned that sinking feeling, and I can totally sympathize. Most of us have felt that before. Keep working on placement and room treatments (even informal ones like rugs or pillows and stuff).

Even go thru basic stuff like wire polarity.

You've got very good speakers, so just keep learing and things should fall into place.

Above all, don't think you need to go spend thousands more just to get decent sound.

You've already spent all you need to spend. A new processor might sound .05% better than what you have.

Wow, very interesting take. I wish it were that simple. But in general it just feels like my system is weak. After performing several tweaks on the Marantz and going through the manual several times, adding blankets to my floor, spacing the speakers far apart (tried that last night as well), I'm still hearing NO difference at all. My thinking is that I'm just lacking sufficient power and a quality pre-amp.

I got a response from my dealer just now when I emailed him my frustrations last week:


I'd say that your experience is being shaped by your source. Your Playstation is a very technologically advanced system, however it certainly lacks the resolution to be able to convey the subtlety your speakers are capable of reproducing. I cannot emphasise how important this will be to the overall experience.

Any thoughts on this? Is the PS3 really that bad of a Blu-ray player? Heck the main reason I got it was to play Blu-rays as I'm not much of a gamer.

Hmmm interesting point. I don't see how this is a one time purchase though. Right now, Dolby True HD is considered the best format which uses HDMI. But what happens when something better comes out that uses a completely different cable/input? The AVM50 won't have that "new technology" when it comes out, therefore forcing you to buy a new unit should you want the latest and greatest. I don't see how it would be a "modular upgrade" in that sense. Again I'm new, so I'm totally willing to admit I could be missing something here. Would you mind elaborating on this?



Would you say the preamp would make more of a difference than a new, more powerful amp?
the hardware is upgradeable(that includes completely different cable/inputs)

http://www.anthemav.com/NewSitev2.0/AnthemProduct/AVM30_40_50/Literature/Downloads/AVM50v_DS.pdf

Yes the preamp would make more of a difference than a new, more powerful amp

I'd say that your experience is being shaped by your source. Your Playstation is a very technologically advanced system, however it certainly lacks the resolution to be able to convey the subtlety your speakers are capable of reproducing. I cannot emphasise how important this will be to the overall experience.

Any thoughts on this? Is the PS3 really that bad of a Blu-ray player? Heck the main reason I got it was to play Blu-rays as I'm not much of a gamer.

Lacks the resolution? I'm not sure I agree with your dealer on his claim. No matter what subjective opinions exist, under the same conditions, you won't hear much difference, if any, with lossless audio b/w Blu-ray players. I also have a PS3 and I like it. I tried a Panny BD60 to see if there would be a difference with bitstreaming the lossless codec but to my ears I heard no improvements. In the end, I returned the BD60.

the hardware is upgradeable(that includes completely different cable/inputs)

http://www.anthemav.com/NewSitev2.0/AnthemProduct/AVM30_40_50/Literature/Downloads/AVM50v_DS.pdf

Yes the preamp would make more of a difference than a new, more powerful amp


I also agree that a new preamp will make a much larger impact on your system here, but is contingent on which preamp you were to choose here...

Them Anthem with ARC fixed problems other processors don't have the capabilities of fixing... You may get the same help from something like an Integra 9.9 but I think only if you used the extra features of Audyssey with the PRO kit...

You could look at getting a used AVM50 or D2 with ARC but looking at what they are talking for upgrade prices, would leave me a bit sour and just go straight to the newer model.

After walking out of the theatre I started thinking about getting as much power as I possibly can for my system.

Does the adage hold true even in this case that more power = better regardless?


You don't need more power. The only thing that will make a difference is treating the room and/or getting an incredibly expensive preamp that has a good room correction circuit. So, in either case, you're really just talking about fixing the room.





[the playstation] certainly lacks the resolution to be able to convey the subtlety your speakers are capable of reproducing.

Any thoughts on this? Is the PS3 really that bad of a Blu-ray player? Heck the main reason I got it was to play Blu-rays as I'm not much of a gamer.

That's ridiculous. Don't pay any attention to it.

You don't need more power. The only thing that will make a difference is treating the room and/or getting an incredibly expensive preamp that has a good room correction circuit. So, in either case, you're really just talking about fixing the room.





I agree with this 100%....

Fix the room first....

What about exchanging the 590 for the 690? The improvement going from my v3 570 to the 690 is huge. I was surprised you opted for the 590 in the first place when the 690 is clearly a better match with the 60's.

J.

I agree you've got room issue's, the best thing i ever did to my home theater room was add accoustic panels to my walls and ceiling, 12 in total. I bought the material from ATS accoustics and built them for about $16 a peice. If you clap your hands and hear any ring at all your audio will suffer. Now mine is dead as can be and the sound is so much clearer and dynamic. A blanket isn't sufficient to absorb any thing but the very very high frequencies, i don't remember exactly how thick, but it takes about 12" or so of fluffy fiberglass to absorb as low as 2" of compressed Fiber board. I'm sure you know the mirror trick, every 1st reflection point is reflecting the sound back to you milli seconds after you heard it from your speaker, causing audio mud!

I just found this thread again after several years. Good stuff here.

My original surround was 60v2 fronts, CCv2 (no numbers) center, ADPv2(no numbers) surrounds, and a JBL rears with a PDR-12 sub, all except the JBL purchase around '02. Since that time I purchased 100v4 fronts and 690 center and moved the 60s to the rears.

Am I missing much but not updating the surrounds? If I had to update would it be better to update the sub?

I just found this thread again after several years. Good stuff here.

My original surround was 60v2 fronts, CCv2 (no numbers) center, ADPv2(no numbers) surrounds, and a JBL rears with a PDR-12 sub, all except the JBL purchase around '02. Since that time I purchased 100v4 fronts and 690 center and moved the 60s to the rears.

Am I missing much but not updating the surrounds? If I had to update would it be better to update the sub?

Get a new sub first. An HSU or SVS would be a good starting point.

Mike Bradson,

You have room issues. No doubt about it. Getting a really expensive pre-amp isn't going to solve much IMHO. You're better off getting an Onkyo Pro 886 pre-amp and good power amps and working on sound treatments for your room. You'll be changing out your pre-amp in a few years, but quality amps will last a long time.

Parasound amps are very good. Their New Classic 5250 five-channel and 2250 stereo amps (250 watts/channel) are quite impressive for the price if you don't care about using balanced XLR connections. Their upgraded Halo line is very, very good if you can spend the money on their big bruisers and want XLR.

Check out Bryston amps, B&K amps, Anthem amps, etc.

Can you return your cables? You seriously don't need those boutique brands. You'll get quality Belden cables from Blue Jeans Cable. Are they pretty? No. But, you can get 10 gauge speaker wire with quality copper at a very good price. That's what I use. Plus their HDMI and analog audio cables. Terminate the speaker wires yourself, and if you want to make them pretty then get some plastic mesh material for audio cables and some heat shrink tubing to pretty them up. It's not hard to do and not expensive.

You will save a bundle and could probably put the difference towards acoustic room treatments.

You will need area rugs all over your theater room, not just in front of the speakers.

I would also swap out the 590 with the 690 center if you still can. That was good advice. The 690 sounds more robust and clearer and matches their towers perfectly.

Can someone tell me where (what country) that Paradigm speakers are manufactured?

The cabinets are fabricated in China, but I'm not sure where the drivers, components, etc are made...probably China, too. :(

J.

The cabinets are fabricated in China, but I'm not sure where the drivers, components, etc are made...probably China, too. :(

J.

I thought Pdigm had their own factory in Canada?

I thought Pdigm had their own factory in Canada?

I'm sure they do their R&D and testing and likely the assembly/wiring at their facility in Ontario, but the v5 cabinets are mfr'd in good ole China. The drivers and crossovers et al are hopefully not from China, but who knows...

J.

The cabinets are fabricated in China, but I'm not sure where the drivers, components, etc are made...probably China, too. :(

J.

Are you talking about the Studio V5? The speakers are Made in Canada.

While I can believe the cabinets are Chinese crafted, the drivers of the Studio are Made in Canada if you look closely at the label on the driver itself.
Paradigm still maintains a large manufacturing facility in Toronto.

Click on the flickr from Glennqnyc
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennqnyc/3334460444/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennqnyc/3334460424/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennqnyc/3250760293/sizes/l/

Not sure where the Cabs for the new Studio's were manufactured, but the Signature cabs were and always have been outsourced from Denmark....
Though there may have been changes since they were acquired by Shoreview Industries in Sept of 08....

http://www.shoreviewindustries.com/portfolio/port2.htm

In the Past Paradigm has always manufactured its own drivers inhouse, but with the changing economy, who knows where things have gone

Are you talking about the Studio V5? The speakers are Made in Canada.

While I can believe the cabinets are Chinese crafted, the drivers of the Studio are Made in Canada if you look closely at the label on the driver itself.
Paradigm still maintains a large manufacturing facility in Toronto.
I knew that the cabinets were made in China and I didn't say that the drivers were also Chinese-made, I just suggested that it was a possibility (because EVERYTHING, including the frickin' apple juice that our kids drink comes from China). Good to hear that at least one source (or two) says otherwise.

J.

Sorry but I find that a disappointment, I try to avoid buying products made in China. Too many faulty just-about-everything comes from there that I think my money is better spent on other products. I just asked a dealer tonight where the Studio 100's were made because I'm interested in a set, he claimed Canada.

I might be wrong, but my dealer indicated that the cabinets were fabricated in China. The speakers themselves (regardless of where the rest of the components are manufactured) are assembled in Ontario. I don't know if this holds true for earlier versions (see Warpdrv's earlier post), but that's what I was told. Certainly disappointing...though it stings a bit less when you see how beautiful the cabinets are. The cabinets are pretty sweet...reminds me of the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 hand-rubbed lacquer...very satiny and even. However, I wonder what jackass in which country attached the feet...:D

J.

Thanks for the reply Dan.

If you have a room size of medium-ish proportions and want the Monitor Series (Paradigm's best, IMHO, cost vs. performance line is their Studio v.5 Series, but they are definitely more money-- I listened to a lot Paradigms over the years when speaker shopping and went with the Studios myself) then I would move up to the Monitor 9 or 11 towers and (unless you want to try an acoustically transparent screen and projector at some point and can go with another matching tower for the center) go with the CC-390 center (never skimp on your center speaker). Then the ADP-390 for the sides and the Titans for the back speakers using wall mounts (or for the best set up for both movies and multi-channel music get two pairs of Titans and wall mount them with something like Omnimounts; you can get them with side clamps if the Titans don't have key hole plates).

I swung by my local Paradigm dealer today.

Oh, the agony... They have Studio 40 v4's on close-out for the same price as Monitor 9s.

The guy in the shop said the Studio's 40s (large bookshelf) would better the Monitor 9s (tower) any day.

Is this true? I did not have time for a demo but I have heard the Monitor 7s and was very impressed (Monitor 7 front, monitor mini rear, powered by a Denon 4xxx AVR).

The problem is what to use for rears and center if I go for the Studio 40s. They have Studio 20 v4's as well, but they are $300 more than the Monitor Mini's, which considering I was going to go for 7.1, means $600 more.

Furthermore, the smallest Studio centre, CC490 is $200 more than the huge cc390, and it looks so small compared ot the monster 390...

Given my budget constraints, I can either spring for:

a full 7.1 system consisting of: Monitor 9's for front, cc390 for centre and Monitor Mini's for side and rear

or

a 5.1 suystem consistig of: Studio 40's for front, CC490 for centre, and a single pair of Studio 20's for rear

Opinions?


You may want to get a receiver that has 7.1 channel pre-amp outputs and then upgrade to outboard amps later on from Emotiva, Parasound, Outlaw, ATI, Rotel, etc. so you'll get cleaner, more robust sound and more headroom than a receiver's power amps can ever possibly deliver.


The same store had the Pioneer SC-05 on sale for $500 off. I was looking at the Denon AVR-3310 or AVR-1910, the Pio is priced between the two, but appears to be of similar calibre to the 3310 with 130W per channel (vs the 1910's 90W). Would this be a good match for either set of Pardigms?

Considering that there is very little native 7.1 content and the Studio 40's are in my opinion a big step up from the Monitor series in general that is where I would go. FWIW I have the 100's so there is a bias here for the studio line.

Sorry but I find that a disappointment, I try to avoid buying products made in China. Too many faulty just-about-everything comes from there that I think my money is better spent on other products. I just asked a dealer tonight where the Studio 100's were made because I'm interested in a set, he claimed Canada.

As I said, the label on the speaker says MADE IN CANADA so it's not like the dealer is lying to you. The drivers (the moving bits) are indeed Made in Canada as well. What more do you really need? Paradigm is one of the few companies that still does manufacture their own parts in Canada in their large manufacturing facility unlike practically every other speaker company

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/3646/46201850.jpg (http://img79.imageshack.us/i/46201850.jpg/)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7564/90870784.jpg (http://img530.imageshack.us/i/90870784.jpg/)

The cabinets themselves might be made in China, but I've never seen a cabinet of this shape and quality that doesn't come from China.

Given the number of reports that people received non-working Studio right out of the box, it might not be a bad thing if the speakers were entirely made in China. My brand Studio V5 speakers I received were defective and were returned. The second pair looked a bit sloppily assembled as well.

Thanks for the reply Dan.



I swung by my local Paradigm dealer today.

Oh, the agony... They have Studio 40 v4's on close-out for the same price as Monitor 9s.

The guy in the shop said the Studio's 40s (large bookshelf) would better the Monitor 9s (tower) any day.

Is this true? I did not have time for a demo but I have heard the Monitor 7s and was very impressed (Monitor 7 front, monitor mini rear, powered by a Denon 4xxx AVR).

The problem is what to use for rears and center if I go for the Studio 40s. They have Studio 20 v4's as well, but they are $300 more than the Monitor Mini's, which considering I was going to go for 7.1, means $600 more.

Furthermore, the smallest Studio centre, CC490 is $200 more than the huge cc390, and it looks so small compared ot the monster 390...

Given my budget constraints, I can either spring for:

a full 7.1 system consisting of: Monitor 9's for front, cc390 for centre and Monitor Mini's for side and rear

or

a 5.1 suystem consistig of: Studio 40's for front, CC490 for centre, and a single pair of Studio 20's for rear

Opinions?



The same store had the Pioneer SC-05 on sale for $500 off. I was looking at the Denon AVR-3310 or AVR-1910, the Pio is priced between the two, but appears to be of similar calibre to the 3310 with 130W per channel (vs the 1910's 90W). Would this be a good match for either set of Pardigms?

Hello,
I read your post and I think the quality of the studio line is far supperior to the Monitor line. I have A pair of Studio 20's V.5, and a cc490. They trully are amazing speakers. I woud definately go with the 5.1 system over the 7.1.

I agree that the studio line is much better than the moitor line. After many trips listening to speakers I just bought new towers and i auditioned a set of Klipsch RF-82's next to some Paradigm monitor 11's and the The monitor 11's sounded like they were tiny, almost no imaging or dynamics compared to the Klipsch, my wife and I both greatly disliked them from the first blah sound, but the Sudio 100's sounded very very good, imaging and dynamics were great, we still thought the klipsch imaged a little better with a little more detail, so that's what we bought.

And now my Paradigm Focus bookshelves and 270 center have been moved from my HT to the living room.

[QUOTE=1canuck2;16743958]Thanks for the reply Dan.



I swung by my local Paradigm dealer today.

Oh, the agony... They have Studio 40 v4's on close-out for the same price as Monitor 9s.

The guy in the shop said the Studio's 40s (large bookshelf) would better the Monitor 9s (tower) any day.

Is this true? I did not have time for a demo but I have heard the Monitor 7s and was very impressed (Monitor 7 front, monitor mini rear, powered by a Denon 4xxx AVR).

The problem is what to use for rears and center if I go for the Studio 40s. They have Studio 20 v4's as well, but they are $300 more than the Monitor Mini's, which considering I was going to go for 7.1, means $600 more.

Furthermore, the smallest Studio centre, CC490 is $200 more than the huge cc390, and it looks so small compared ot the monster 390...

Given my budget constraints, I can either spring for:

a full 7.1 system consisting of: Monitor 9's for front, cc390 for centre and Monitor Mini's for side and rear

or

a 5.1 suystem consistig of: Studio 40's for front, CC490 for centre, and a single pair of Studio 20's for rear

Opinions?

You should get the 40's and then try to find a v4 CC590. This will be a better match for the 40's than the 490 will.

Mike Bradson,

Not sure if you have tried this (it seems like you have tried everything else) but have you played with the settings of your PS3?

Make sure your Audio setting is set to LPCM instead of Bitstream. (Assuming you are using an HDMI cable from PS3 to your receiver). Let your PS3 do the decoding instead of the receiver. Then try to set you receiver to Straight PCM if you have that option. Also, check to make sure "Dynamic Range Control" is set to "off" instead of "automatic".

This is what I have done since my receiver is a bit old. Try that and see what happens.

[QUOTE=1canuck2;16743958]
You should get the 40's and then try and find a v4 CC590. This will be a better match for the 40's than the 490 will.

A better match looks wise or a better match timbre/driver/soundwise?

Aren't the drivers the same between v4 and v5? Unfortunately this store has not v4 centres left.

Last month I purchased a pair of Monitor 11s with a CC-390 centre.

I have been very pleased with the 11s sound quality at lower levels, but when I try to squeeze some juice into these puppies at higher levels it gets harsh.

My receiver is a Yamaha RX-V1600 and it goes backwards in volume: somewhere from -80dB -> 0dB -> +1...etc.

It seems to sound really nice up to 0dB but when I get to about 2dB or 3dB it distorts. Is there anything I can do to get it louder without the distortion?

My current configuration are the Monitor 11 Fronts, CC-390 Centre, Old Cinema 110s for the Surround & Rear, PS3, Yamaha RX-V1600.

Thanks!

Hi UncleCheese,
I too have a pair of 11's. They are powered by a Yamaha RX-V659 and I have had them pushed into the + numbers and they do not distort at all. I've had them this loud for an AC/DC Live at Donnington DVD in Stereo mode and they sound fantastic...no distortion at all.
You may want to rerun the YPAO tweaking it with an spl meter.
The 11's are biamp capable maybe you need to go that way as well.
Good luck and keep us informed.

Kai,

Do you have a power amp for your 11s? Or did you mean the 11s are bi-wire capable? I have run the YPAO quite a few times. I think I will take your advise and invest in an SPL meter though.

My receiver is a Yamaha RX-V1600 and it goes backwards in volume: somewhere from -80dB -> 0dB -> +1...etc.
It doesn't go backwards in volume. It is with regards to reference level, which is 75dB. So when you're at -10 it means that at 65dB...that is if you have your system set up properly. You'll likely need an SPL meter (Radio Shack item) unless your Yammie can finagle it with YPAO. You have the AVR send "pink noise" test tones hat you measure with the SPL meter and when you get the signal from each speaker up to 75dB, you zero them out using the channel trims. It's a crude and primitive way of leveling out the channels and getting everything normed to reference level, but it works. The auto-eq and room correction features like YPAO, MCACC, ARC, etc vary with their capabilities, even from model to model, so an SPL is a good place to start.

J.

It seems to sound really nice up to 0dB but when I get to about 2dB or 3dB it distorts. Is there anything I can do to get it louder without the distortion?

That's clipping that you're hearing and it will damage your AVR and your speakers if you're not careful. You need more amplification and the "dB" reading on your AVR is irrelevant.

J.

Are you talking about the Studio V5? The speakers are Made in Canada.

While I can believe the cabinets are Chinese crafted, the drivers of the Studio are Made in Canada if you look closely at the label on the driver itself.
Paradigm still maintains a large manufacturing facility in Toronto.

Click on the flickr from Glennqnyc
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennqnyc/3334460444/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennqnyc/3334460424/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennqnyc/3250760293/sizes/l/

you are right . my dealer was just at paradigm in canada and sent me the most amazing photos of there whole operation . the equipment they had was unreal they might have cabinets out sourced but the pictures i saw told me most was done in house . my dealer and i aLso talked for a bit and gave me a full run down on how amazing it was at the paradigm factory . i will post some pics if i saved them from his e-mail .

bert

meant bi-wiring...but that would not help your situation. you have plenty of power.

Ok time for some pics.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2243.jpg

So here's my set up so far. As you can see, bare hardwood floors with bare walls. Definitely not the best for a home theatre.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2253.jpg

Here's a shot from the couch where I sit. I have a wooden coffee table in front of me which probably isn't helping either.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2235.jpg

Here's a shot from the right side. You can see I have my desk (also wooden) next to my system. I'm guessing it's proximity could be affecting the sound as well.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2222.jpg

From here you can see my front door and a bit of my hallway that leads to the bedroom. Again more bare walls and floors.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2240.jpg

And finally, here's a shot of my CC-590 with my A/V components below. PS3 on top of a Monster Power HTPS 7000 (left side) and my cable box on top of my Marantz SR-8200 (right side). I put two rolls of electrical tape underneath the 590 to act as feet to angle it upwards towards my ears. (Otherwise it's practically facing my coffee table which is right in front of it.)

Any comments or suggestions based on these pics? I was thinking of spacing out the mains a little further apart to improve the soundstage. Though I'm a bit limited as my desk is on the left side of my system.

Also, I spoke with my dealer and he agreed to come to my place this Friday and demo a few pieces of gear. He's bringing a Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD and some acoustic panels. I'm also trying to get him to bring over a pre-amp/amp (most likely Anthem AVM50 & MCA50), though he said he did have to check with his boss first.

I'm really looking forward to trying out difference components to see what really makes the biggest impact.

Best of all, my dealer said this kind of service normally costs $100, but he's going to do all this for me for free :)

Will report back my experiences once we're done on Friday.

Uber thanks for all the feedback gents. You guys rock!

Ok time for some pics.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2243.jpg

So here's my set up so far. As you can see, bare hardwood floors with bare walls. Definitely not the best for a home theatre.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2253.jpg

Here's a shot from the couch where I sit. I have a wooden coffee table in front of me which probably isn't helping either.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2235.jpg

Here's a shot from the right side. You can see I have my desk (also wooden) next to my system. I'm guessing it's proximity could be affecting the sound as well.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2222.jpg

From here you can see my front door and a bit of my hallway that leads to the bedroom. Again more bare walls and floors.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af186/MikeBradson/IMG_2240.jpg

And finally, here's a shot of my CC-590 with my A/V components below. PS3 on top of a Monster Power HTPS 7000 (left side) and my cable box on top of my Marantz SR-8200 (right side). I put two rolls of electrical tape underneath the 590 to act as feet to angle it upwards towards my ears. (Otherwise it's practically facing my coffee table which is right in front of it.)

Any comments or suggestions based on these pics? I was thinking of spacing out the mains a little further apart to improve the soundstage. Though I'm a bit limited as my desk is on the left side of my system.

Also, I spoke with my dealer and he agreed to come to my place this Friday and demo a few pieces of gear. He's bringing a Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD and some acoustic panels. I'm also trying to get him to bring over a pre-amp/amp (most likely Anthem AVM50 & MCA50), though he said he did have to check with his boss first.

I'm really looking forward to trying out difference components to see what really makes the biggest impact.

Best of all, my dealer said this kind of service normally costs $100, but he's going to do all this for me for free :)

Will report back my experiences once we're done on Friday.

Uber thanks for all the feedback gents. You guys rock!also see if he could bring a 690

you are right . my dealer was just at paradigm in canada and sent me the most amazing photos of there whole operation . the equipment they had was unreal they might have cabinets out sourced but the pictures i saw told me most was done in house . my dealer and i aLso talked for a bit and gave me a full run down on how amazing it was at the paradigm factory . i will post some pics if i saved them from his e-mail .

bert

Yes, please post them if you can find them. It's alway interesting to see the assembly lines, facilities

also see if he could bring a 690

Is the 690 really that much of a difference from the 590? Unfortunately he doesn't have a demo 690 in the store or one in stock so he can't bring one over for me to test out.

you are right . my dealer was just at paradigm in canada and sent me the most amazing photos of there whole operation . the equipment they had was unreal they might have cabinets out sourced but the pictures i saw told me most was done in house . my dealer and i aLso talked for a bit and gave me a full run down on how amazing it was at the paradigm factory . i will post some pics if i saved them from his e-mail .
bert

This would be really amazing to see. Hopefully you saved the pics!

[QUOTE=519audiofan;16745579]

A better match looks wise or a better match timbre/driver/soundwise?

Aren't the drivers the same between v4 and v5? Unfortunately this store has not v4 centres left.

Can anyone chime in on this? I need to know if i should hunt hard for a v4 centre or whether the v5 centre will match the v4 front and rears nicely.

Thanks

Also, I spoke with my dealer and he agreed to come to my place this Friday and demo a few pieces of gear. He's bringing a Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD and some acoustic panels. I'm also trying to get him to bring over a pre-amp/amp (most likely Anthem AVM50 & MCA50), though he said he did have to check with his boss first. I can tell you right now (after looking at your room pictures, which are great BTW), put those acoustic panels in another room and listen critically for 20 minutes. Then bring them in and listen to the same recordings. Forget the amps, acoustic panels are the way to go.

I can tell you right now (after looking at your room pictures, which are great BTW), put those acoustic panels in another room and listen critically for 20 minutes. Then bring them in and listen to the same recordings. Forget the amps, acoustic panels are the way to go.


+1

Acoustic Panels can be done tastefully....

Check out this site they have some really beautiful and cool looking panels, http://www.3dsquared.com/index.html also there are some places that will allow you to have your own choice of art printed, whatever you choose....

[QUOTE=519audiofan;16745579]

A better match looks wise or a better match timbre/driver/soundwise?

Aren't the drivers the same between v4 and v5? Unfortunately this store has not v4 centres left.

A 590 will be better match in terms of looks but more importantly sound wise. In terms of looks the 490 is 7 inches less in width than a 590 so it would look too small in my opinion. In terms of sound, I think a 490 would not be able to keep up with the 40s. The 490 uses a 3.5" mid range and 5.5" woofers compared to 4.5" midrange and 7" woofers on the 590. The 490 is designed for the new Studio 10 and 20 speakers not something the size of a 40. I went through this same process between a 590 and a 690. I felt the 690 would be over kill so I found a 590. Here is a pic of the 40's matched with a 590 to give you an idea of how they will look. Soundwise I am very impressed.
Even if you can't find a v4 590 go for a v5 590. It will be the better match.

Thanks for the reply


In terms of sound, I think a 490 would not be able to keep up with the 40s. The 490 uses a 3.5" mid range and 5.5" woofers compared to 4.5" midrange and 7" woofers on the 590. The 490 is designed for the new Studio 10 and 20 speakers not something the size of a 40. I went through this same process between a 590 and a 690. I felt the 690 would be over kill so I found a 590.

The dealer has the 590 as well, which is the one I am more interested in, its just a v5, whereas the other speakers are v4s. This means its also quite expensive compared to the close-out pricing on the v4s


Here is a pic of the 40's matched with a 590 to give you an idea of how they will look. Soundwise I am very impressed.
Even if you can't find a v4 590 go for a v5 590. It will be the better match.
Awesome, thanks for the picture, they do look well matched.

So how hard should I hunt for a v4 590? The v5 is curvy looking - so you couldn't sit your TV on it :) and I'd read that the change in cabinet
shape made a change in sound. I am no audiophile, but would have to assume this change is subtle at best, so the v5 centre with the v4 fronts should still work well. I am going spec crazy reading everything, but it does look like the v5 590 has the identical woofer and tweeter to the v4 40s, with the only diff being the midrange drive (4.5 in vs 7 in but the same as the v4 590):

v4 Studio 40
25-mm (1 in) G-PAL™ dome, ferro-fluid, die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT™
178-mm (7 in) S-PAL™ cone, 38-mm (1-1/2 in) voice coil, AVS™ die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT™
178-mm (7 in) mineral-filled polypropylene cone, 38-mm (1-1/2 in) voice coil, AVS™ diecast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT™

v5 CC-590
High-Frequency Driver(s): 25-mm (1 in) G-PAL™ dome, die-cast heatsink chassis, ferro-fluid cooled, IMS / SHOCK-MOUNT™
Midrange Driver(s): 115-mm (4-1/2 in) S-PAL™ cone, 25-mm (1 in) voice coil, ferro-fluid cooled, AVS™ die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS / SHOCK-MOUNT™
Bass Driver(s): Two 178-mm (7 in) mineral-filled polypropylene cones, 38-mm (1-1/2 in) voice coils, AVS™ die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS / SHOCK-MOUNT™

Thanks for the reply



The dealer has the 590 as well, which is the one I am more interested in, its just a v5, whereas the other speakers are v4s. This means its also quite expensive compared to the close-out pricing on the v4s


Awesome, thanks for the picture, they do look well matched.

So how hard should I hunt for a v4 590? The v5 is curvy looking - so you couldn't sit your TV on it :) and I'd read that the change in cabinet
shape made a change in sound. I am no audiophile, but would have to assume this change is subtle at best, so the v5 centre with the v4 fronts should still work well. I am going spec crazy reading everything, but it does look like the v5 590 has the identical woofer and tweeter to the v4 40s, with the only diff being the midrange drive (4.5 in vs 7 in but the same as the v4 590):



I wanted the v4 590 because it was flat and cheaper than a v5 model. I am old school and like a big square box rather than a curvy cabinet. Once my gear is moved downstairs the plasma will hang on the wall not sit on top of the CC but the basement has to be finished first :)
I called 3 places with a couple hours of me and all had a 590 demo model at a good price but this was back in April. I would start calling around. The place where I bought was the same place I bought the 40's a few months earlier. The salesman said typically a CC demo gets played very little compared to mains in dedicated audio rooms because someone comes in and listens to a few select scenes of a movie and then moves on. Good luck

Audiogon.com search for "Paradigm"

There is a .v4 590 on there...

Damn, its sold. Plus it was USA only and I am in Canada. I should drive to the factory and see if they got one...

If you're in Ontario then you could try East Hamilton Radio. They had a demo for 600 bucks back in April. The other place I called was Live Wire in Windsor. They had a demo for $750. The other place you might try is Gibby's in St. Catherines.

Don't rule out the 690 if you have the space and $$. I have 40s and a 690 (all v4) upfront on my system(20s in the rear, with a Servo v1 on the front left/right through a SMS1, and a Sig Servo on LFE), and it's reaaaal nice! It(the 690) IS one big speaker for a center, though...

Any comments on whether a Pioneer Elite SC-07 would do the job for an S4-C3-ADP1 setup? I am helping my dad upgrade his HT and want to get the best speakers possible in his budget, so am trying to save a little elsewhere. I can get a an SC-07 for around $1000, but am also looking at Integra 9.9/Onkyo 906 or Yamaha 3900. I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-01 myself, which I like, and so I am somewhat familiar with MCACC and thus leaning towards the SC-07. However, if I am going to be getting such nice speakers, would it be silly not to get some decent separates? If the incentive is enough, I could maybe push my pops to go above budget (although he is not much of an audiophile and thinks what I am doing already is a bit much!)

Also, as far as subs go, my installer has recommended a Paradigm Seismic 10 (2 if we could afford it), but I am thinking about getting maybe two HSU VTF-3's instead of the one Seismic (or getting just one HSU now and add another later). I have a VTF-1 and was impressed with the quality and value. Any comments on this?

I know I am asking AVR/Sub questions in the speaker section, but the 5.0 setup is the common denominator here and wanted some advice from paradigm people. Feel free to take me down a notch and tell me what's what. I am here to learn. Thanks.

Any comments on whether a Pioneer Elite SC-07 would do the job for an S4-C3-ADP1 setup? I am helping my dad upgrade his HT and want to get the best speakers possible in his budget, so am trying to save a little elsewhere. I can get a an SC-07 for around $1000, but am also looking at Integra 9.9/Onkyo 906 or Yamaha 3900. I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-01 myself, which I like, and so I am somewhat familiar with MCACC and thus leaning towards the SC-07. However, if I am going to be getting such nice speakers, would it be silly not to get some decent separates? If the incentive is enough, I could maybe push my pops to go above budget (although he is not much of an audiophile and thinks what I am doing already is a bit much!)

Also, as far as subs go, my installer has recommended a Paradigm Seismic 10 (2 if we could afford it), but I am thinking about getting maybe two HSU VTF-3's instead of the one Seismic (or getting just one HSU now and add another later). I have a VTF-1 and was impressed with the quality and value. Any comments on this?

I know I am asking AVR/Sub questions in the speaker section, but the 5.0 setup is the common denominator here and wanted some advice from paradigm people. Feel free to take me down a notch and tell me what's what. I am here to learn. Thanks.

With the SC-07 can you add an amp to it at a later date to drive the mains as a way to stay in budget now? A two or three channel amp would be fine upgrade at some point to drive the fronts.

As for the sub you did not say what size the room is but take a look at the Velodyne SPL series.

I emailed Paradigm about the SC07 powering my Studio 100s, CC690, and mini monitors. Their response was that the SC07 would power the system with ease for most moderate levels of listening, but recommended 200 watts plus for "reference" level audio. I know some guys powering the Polk LSi system with it and they all gave it glowing reviews, which says something since the LSi's are notoriously difficult to power by an AVR alone.

Yes, please post them if you can find them. It's alway interesting to see the assembly lines, facilities

+1 I think a lot of people here would enjoy those!