Paradigm Owners Thread - Page 881

How much

Tributes: $6,000/pair

Inspirations: $2700/pair,
Commemorative Inspiration Stands: $1000

Wow

I put 50% down on the Inspirations ways back in Sept. I gave up and got the Sig 2's.

How about trade for some new Sig 2 v3:cool:'s?

I am still waiting :-/

Spoke to my dealer and he said shipping starts Feb and I should expect them mid feb.

Hahaha . . . Like I said, they're hard to come by in my area.

I'm looking for v4 anyhow, but thanks.

I heard end of Oct, then Nov and then Dec, so i said the heck with it. I really liked the looks of the Inspirations.

I
I know what you mean. If I don't get them by end of Feb, I just might do the same as you.

I already have something that's been working well for me so I've been able to wait but my patience is running low now.

Definitely. If that's a serious offer, drop me a PM.

I don't mean to say it would be a even trade.

Monitor 7

Help, what's the difference between series 7 and v5. I found a deal for v5 @$320/pair USD. Is it worth it? Unfortunately I cannot hear it

They changed the way they look . I believe the 7v5 was the first monitor 7 with the 5.25" driver. I would let others chime in but if in good condition, they seem like a good buy.

I've heard it debated that the Monitor 7 v3s / v4s were the best "bang for the buck" Monitor speakers of their respective versions. With the change to v5, that honour went to the Monitor 9s.

Then again, $320 isn't much money. Then again, with a bit of patience you could probably find some M7v3s for around the same price and, IMO, you'd have a better pair of speakers.

Tough call...

May I add my 2cents to this, similar and prior discussions regarding version numbers of the Paradigm line of speakers.????

I am a retired dealer of over 25 years formerly located in West Babylon, New York. The dealership was named AudioVisions. We primarily offered higher end electronics ( Theil, Paradigm, Bryston, Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, AudioQuest, Tara Labs, VPI, Oracle, SOTA, Cambridge, (at one time Infinity), Martin Logan, Rotel, Denon and a host of other brands which came and went.

For the most part our clientele came from the New York Tri-State area ( New York, Conn., New Jersey and a few other states).

Paradigm was quite diligent in insuring dealers didn't infringe on other dealers territories. Should a customer inquiry reach customer service it was always directed to the closest dealer to the inquiring customer. Sometimes this may have been several hundreds of miles..... In this case, mail purchases were OK.

We took on the Paradigm line with the introduction of Version 2 and did very well with it. Then the snow ball began........Canadians produce very good speaker products: PSB, Focus, Mirage, Energy, Dalhquist, Hansen, Totem just to name a few. So the race was on....

Paradigm moved to the Version 3 series which was and still is quite good. But, they then focused on the higher series of speakers and along with that the retail prices. They were no longer bargains. In fact today, there numerous brands on a case by case basis dollar for dollar, can and will outperform many of the ver.5 and Ver 6 models. The problem is finding a dealer which carries both.

My Suggestion is to listen to the top of the line Ver. 3 & 5 of the monitor series.... You will save 1000's and give up very little sonically. Frankly, the sweet spot in the Paradigm line is at the bottom to the middle.

I can state unequivocally, that I sold many more Thiel 2.3's 3.6 & 3.7's than anything in the upper end of the Paradigm line! And the price difference sometimes was nothing to complain about!.

I would buy "Good-Very Good" used Version 5's before I plunk down hard cash on the "7' series and avoid the Signature series entirely!

I have never seen a hungry Paradigm dealer let a qualified buyer walk........

You must qualify the dealer 1st! They will ask about cash or Charge (2-3%).... Demand that you have a pair set up in your home for a few days...(leave a deposit). Nail down (shipping-delivery in writing ! If they give you crap.....walk! Find another dealer, call them....get a name, set up appt. and tell them you coming a long distance.....are the models available to hear? in Stock? Believe me, you will get the speakers for a good deal and they will stand behind them.

Keep your mouth shut about the deal.......Don't want to ruin a good thing for your friends!

That's enough of advice from me......... oh, let me give you a idea of what it costs the dealer...... ( just for inventory.... #30-35% below list price, plus shipping, there may be dealer discounts for bulk purchases between 30-60days- Dealer gets 2-5% lower price. Dealer overhead 15-20% toward discounted cost.

so if the list is $1k per spkr... dealer may pay $700 cost plus $30 each shipping, plus incentive 2-5% or $14-$35, then you add overhead or $105 - $140.... So as you can see there is not much to play around with on newer models or less costly versions.....Hope this helps;).

for the people that like the monitor 7/9/11 tower speakers. would you say that they can blend well with a cc-690? thanks.

Hey ginivino, well put. Nicely done.

So having been in the industry for so many years, let me pick your brain if that is ok. Can you share some thoughts on how the Monitor line has changed from version to version. More specifically, I am interested how the v1 or v2 Mon 9s stand in all of this. So this is when Paradigm had 8 inch drivers on the Mon 9s before they changed it to smaller drivers and basically renamed Mon 9s as Mon 11s now I think. If memory serves, v1 v2 Mon 11s were original Mon 9s with a powered sub right?

Also, I just had a chance to listen to 2 setups at a local box store. Setup 1 was a $900 LR + $2000 sub. Set up 2 was a $800 LR + $800 sub. Both sounded horrible to me. Certainly not as good as a similarly priced Monitor setup from the v1 and v2 days. Am I imaging this or are current speaker prices very outrageous for what you get. Note these 2 setups were not Paradigm

Thx.

Isn't that the point I was attempting to make in my comments? It's not that speaker MFG. improvements have stopped. It is that the smaller companies are catching up because of the sharing of knowledge.

Thus companies which ceased to exist at this level 5-10 years ago are now in the fray. I was luke warm on the Monitor series for years.. Frankly, I prefer the PSB line in that price range. If I was doing just a Paradigm Studio ... I would go with the Atoms & Mini monitor and a HSU sub. The Construction between the "REfrence and the Monitor series is materials....not technology..... You could bring home the Best Vandersteen @ $50k.... but if you have crap electronics, cables and front end your system WILL sound different.....just different...not better.

If you could get vintage Monitors floor standing V3's or 5's and a good sub... you should be sweet.

I am looking to sell my Studio 100 v4 speakers along with the center cc-690 v4. Does anyone know the going rate for used v4 speakers in pretty good condition (no dents or scratches anywhere).
Also I am looking to upgrade to something higher end and smaller in size, so as to not compromise on sound quality but at the same time free up real estate in the family room. Any suggestions? I already have the ADP-590 wall mounted for sides and rear. Just need the front 3 replaced with something smaller and with great sound. Also for sale will be the Parasound Halo A21 and A51 amps. I will be listing them in the classifieds.
Edited by malcolmp6 - 1/19/13 at 1:35pm

WENT INTO MY FILES FOR SOME HISTORY:

1ST OF WHICH, IF YOU WANT TO BUY OR SELL GO TO "AUDIOGON.COM" . Pay the membership fee THEY ARE A EXTREMELY RELIABLE SITE, CASE CLOSED...NO DISCUSSION HERE!

OK, here's the news:

Studio 100 (2x8" woof) released 1996
Studio 100 ( 3x7" woof) " 2004
Studio 100 ( 2x7" Woof) 1st --V2 1998
Studio 100 ( 2x7" woof) now= v3 2004

Version 5 is out ( maybe)

There info is right out of the Audio Blue Book......I would sell your stuff at firesale prices and go listen to PSB.... Hope this helps

Hey ginovini,

Do you have any info on those v1 v2 Min 9s?

Monitor 7 v2/3/4/5/6... I know they are good deals (used) but without auditioning how do I know if they will sound as good or better than the series 7. Hmmm guess I'm not taking the risk.

Just got a quote from a store for the series 7 12% off for an open box... $792 deal or no?

Which to purchase?

I have been wanting to get a pair of surrounds to finish my 5.1. I have two options and not sure which is the best for the system I have. The local guy is saying option 1 is the way to go.

Option 1: 1400.00
2 monitor surround 3
1 monitor sub 10
1 PBK

Option 2: 1600.00
2 ADP-590 surrounds

I have:
Studio 40 v2 LR
Studio CC v2.
Studio PDR-12 sub
AMS-300 for back surrounds
Yamaha Aventage 2000.
Size of basement HT room 24 x 12 x 8

I like the idea of adding a 2nd sub but wonder if the 590 are really worth the money compared to the monitor 3 plus a sub.

Which would you suggest Option 1 or 2?

Thanks for any feedback.

Neither. I'd sell the PDR-12 (which isn't actually a Studio-series sub), buy a pair of gently-used Studio 20s for surrounds, and put the remaining $1,000-$1,200 into a good sub or two. Options include:
- PSA XV-15 ($799, shipped) or XS-30 ($1,149, shipped)
- Dual SVS SB12-NSDs ($1,149, shipped)

@ddbrook, why not just add Mon to rears and push low end to PDR. Why do you need to add another sub? Option 2 has no sub. Decide on sub later, save some money and enjoy the gear. If it's for movies, the rears are not that critical. I would just pass the Mon 3 bass to the PDR 12.

I have Monitor 9`s v5 with a CC-290 & also Monitors 7 v7 with a Center 3. To me the the newer version sounds better. A friend says the older version sounds better.

The monitor 7 for the pair?

Throw down 700 cash and see if they will budge. My local store quoted me $749 for a pair of new Monitor 7's

Impressive and very neat /tidy..... IMHO, oooohhhh those wall and corner reflections..... IMHO, you should have continued the rug into the corner and use sound absorbing panels on those side walls... Will cut down the reflections immensely!

Also, you should think about a draw string drape or curtain to kill the slap off the back wall.......all of this cost almost nothing and could be made yourself for about $200 and the sound reflections are dealt with ( IMHO )

Otherwise very nice looking room....... Good luck with it.

$700.00 FOR A NEW PAIR.....SNATCH THEM UP!!!!! VERY GOOD PRICE, JUST MAKE SURE WARRANTIES ARE IN FORCE.

GET THE SERIAL #'S AND CALL PARADIGM TO FIND OUT WHEN THEY WERE ASSEMBLED..... you DON'T WANT TO BUY FACTORY RETURNS!

bowmah, thanks for the feedback. We watch mainly movies. I had a budget of 1500 and I wanted the 590's for side surrounds as it seems people here really like them but they went over what I wanted to spend. He put option 1 together and at the time seemed like a good deal. Would spend the extra cash if I thought the 590's were really worth it. I can get a pair of monitor surround 3 for 600. So I'm thinking of just getting the mon sur 3 for my side surrounds and I like how you think, save some money and enjoy what I have.