[Xcited1]

I had a listen to the Paradigm setup, and they were lovely.


But since then I have seen the JBL northbridge series, and on paper they seem a lot better for less money.


There has to be a catch.


Has anyone listened to them in comparison? All the threads on here seem to be positive.


I mean 3 way vs 2 way for a start.

 

[Xcited1]

bump


any opinions?

 

[filecat13]

Can you be more specific on which Paradigm set up you're referring to? Was it the complete On Wall set up or just the front and center speakers?

 

[Xcited1]

same as in my last post


monitor 7 front, atoms rear, c370 center.

 

[tonygeno]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xcited1 I had a listen to the Paradigm setup, and they were lovely. But since then I have seen the JBL northbridge series, and on paper they seem a lot better for less money. There has to be a catch.

There is a catch. The catch is you can't judge speakers on paper. You need to listen to them. And then the hardest part is to trust your ears. That's the real catch.

 

[whaat]

I don't have enough experience hearing the Paradigms to compare (just a bit of in-store listening -- nice stuff). I have JBLs in my HT and am very pleased with them. Yes, as long as you stick to the 3-way Northridges (E50 for example), you should also be pleased.


You need to hear them in person and preferably with the same reference music that you auditioned the Paradigms.


Even better, if you can get the stores to agree, you might consider auditioning both sets at home, side-by-side, and return the "losing" set. This is by far the best option as loudspeakers can sound completely different at home than the in show room. That's one advantage that brick-n-mortar stores have over internet stores.

 

[loopy]

a 3-way speaker is not always better than 2-way.

 

[Xcited1]

And why not loopy, give me some idea of what to look for in the jbl's.


I will be testing at a different store, but am going to make sure my source and receiver is the same.

 

[loopy]

it just all depends on how they work their x-overs. a 2-way speaker with a high quality x-over can sound just as good as a 3-way. don't be lured into the 2-way vs 3-way stuff. that's the wrong approach. you listen to the speakers, and decide which sounds better to your ears.

 

[mgfred]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xcited1 But since then I have seen the JBL northbridge series, and on paper they seem a lot better for less money. There has to be a catch.

A difference between them is that the price of Paradigms is regulated by a tight set of dealer networks and rigid control on discounting.


The JBLs are sold in greater quantity and have better discounting options.


I had the same dilemma, $ for $ I couldn't resist the JBLs and I have not regreted it once.

 

[Xcited1]

yeah Im thinking the same, but havnt heard the JBL's yet.


for me the yamaha's (515 series) sound a lot more impressive than the paradigms. Which is what most people I have spoken too have suggested.


another one Im throwing into the mix is the b&w series even though they are more costly. Will give them a listen too.

 

[mgfred]

Xcited1:


Check out the JBL prices at this online store:

http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com/


I don't know much about the vendor, however they sell the speakers for the same price that I get them directly from JBL using the corporate discount the Harman Kardon gives us at HP.


You may want to try to listen to the JBLs at Best Buy, just remember that the setup there is dreadfull in that it is wide open to the entire store and really not a good demo.


I've got E50s as side and rear surrounds and the EC35 for the center and the E250P as the sub right now. I'm waiting till later this month to get my E100s for the front to complete the 7.1 setup. Right now I got some big old Fishers with 15" woofers in front.


Using the pricing at Best Price (same as my corp discount), you can get $2850 worth of JBLs for $1650 and I'll tell ya, that's a deal that's hard to beat. The E50s as surrounds are incredible!

 

[F355]

are you referring to the northridge E series?

i loved it, but MAKE SURE you go for a nice beefy receiver to make them sing. some receivers like the denon 3803/3805 and the HK " el beasto" 7200 allow you to biamp the spkrs by sending the front left and right signal to the second zone out.

its not active biamping, but for those anna nicole woofers, more power, clean power, is always welcome.

mushroomhead, paul oakenfold, led zeppelin, tool, they all bring the house down with these spkrs.

all the best

 

[ChrisWiggles]

You can't go by anything on paper.


You *HAVE* to listen to the speakers.


Ways and such have nothing to do with the overall sound (well not really that you can judge just by knowing the ways, etc).


There are speakers costing thousands of dollars that are still small two-way speakers. But they sound incredible. IMO, the paradigms are superior here, take a listen to the JBLs, that's the only way to know.

 

[filecat13]

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisWiggles You can't go by anything on paper. You *HAVE* to listen to the speakers. ...IMO, the paradigms are superior here, take a listen to the JBLs, that's the only way to know.

Yes, by all means listen. Either speaker does a good job. Whereas ChrisWiggles prefers the Paradigms, I'd go with the JBLs.


He has more posts than I do, but he lives in Seattle.


I have fewer posts, but I live in LA.


So the only way for you to choose is to listen for yourself.

 

[Cam75]

Quote:

Originally posted by Fred Krampits Xcited1: Check out the JBL prices at this online store: http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com/ I don't know much about the vendor, however they sell the speakers for the same price that I get them directly from JBL using the corporate discount the Harman Kardon gives us at HP. You may want to try to listen to the JBLs at Best Buy, just remember that the setup there is dreadfull in that it is wide open to the entire store and really not a good demo. I've got E50s as side and rear surrounds and the EC35 for the center and the E250P as the sub right now. I'm waiting till later this month to get my E100s for the front to complete the 7.1 setup. Right now I got some big old Fishers with 15" woofers in front. Using the pricing at Best Price (same as my corp discount), you can get $2850 worth of JBLs for $1650 and I'll tell ya, that's a deal that's hard to beat. The E50s as surrounds are incredible!

Just an FYI, that site is not an authorized JBL online retailer, which means no warranty. Im about to order these myself, as I have the Studio Serios S312ll's up front, and the S Center ll.


Anyway, its the same price, and free shipping at www.jr.com, and theyre and authorized e-tailer.

 

[mgfred]

Quote:

Originally posted by Cam75 Just an FYI, that site is not an authorized JBL online retailer, which means no warranty. Im about to order these myself, as I have the Studio Serios S312ll's up front, and the S Center ll. Anyway, its the same price, and free shipping at www.jr.com, and theyre and authorized e-tailer.

Cam75:


Thanks so much for this post. I just bought 2 E100s to finish my 7.1 configuration from them. I was getting the same exact price through a employee purchase plan my company has with HK, but with free shipping thrown in, you just saved me about $50-60!

 

[John F. Palacio]

It's NORTHRIDGE (No 'B")

 

[Prozakk]

Paradigm, easily.


I compared the 3 way Northridge to the Mini monitors & Monitor 5's in my home.


Result...like I previously stated: Paradigm, easily.

 

[Xcited1]

I didnt get to hear the JBL's


I auditioned paradigm monitor and studios with B&W 600's. The 600's got my vote and my money.