Paradigm Studio 100 vs Signature S8

[oppman99]

what about s6, do they sound as good as the s8 with a sub25? I want to upgrade to the signature line too. but the s8 cost so much. I got dual sub25 and thinking about geting a c5, either s8, s6 or s2. If they dont sound any different with a good sub then i probably get the s6 to save some $$. what do you guys think

With a good sub (or two), I doubt you'd be able to hear a difference between the S6's and S8's. They have the same sonic signature. The 8's just have more oomph at lower frequences and the sub would take care of that (assuming everything is set up properly). Before I bought mine,I was talking with a guy who had two setups, one with 8's and one with 6's. He was adamant that he couldn't tell the difference with his subs on. I do like the lower cost and smaller footprint of the 6's.

 

[oppman99]

OK...well not according to me and ALL experts reviews....apparently there is a big step up between the v4's and v5's....just to mention to the OP....

Which is why getting opinions is a good place to start, but you (meaning anyone) really should listen to gear for yourself before buying. To give an example about expert reviews, they tended to rave about the Peachtree Nova Dac when it came out. I've seen quite a few owners that are extatic with them as well. When I auditioned one, I thought it was a nice piece of equipment, but fell far short of all the hype. Not saying it is bad in any way, just not what I was looking for. Back to the Studios, even my local dealer admitted the v.5's are pretty much the same sound as v.4 (although they look much nicer). In the end, we all hear things a little differently. The only thing that matters is that we're happy with our gear at the end of the day.

 

[clouso]

Which is why getting opinions is a good place to start, but you (meaning anyone) really should listen to gear for yourself before buying. To give an example about expert reviews, they tended to rave about the Peachtree Nova Dac when it came out. I've seen quite a few owners that are extatic with them as well. When I auditioned one, I thought it was a nice piece of equipment, but fell far short of all the hype. Not saying it is bad in any way, just not what I was looking for. Back to the Studios, even my local dealer admitted the v.5's are pretty much the same sound as v.4 (although they look much nicer). In the end, we all hear things a little differently. The only thing that matters is that we're happy with our gear at the end of the day.

Well right we all must hear the gear or speakers or what ever before buying wich i do...what i meant is only to mention the OP about the fitht version of the studio series..i dont think he was asking about the v4 in his question...

 

[clouso]

Which is why getting opinions is a good place to start, but you (meaning anyone) really should listen to gear for yourself before buying. To give an example about expert reviews, they tended to rave about the Peachtree Nova Dac when it came out. I've seen quite a few owners that are extatic with them as well. When I auditioned one, I thought it was a nice piece of equipment, but fell far short of all the hype. Not saying it is bad in any way, just not what I was looking for. Back to the Studios, even my local dealer admitted the v.5's are pretty much the same sound as v.4 (although they look much nicer). In the end, we all hear things a little differently. The only thing that matters is that we're happy with our gear at the end of the day.

And also all people i know who have the v4 and heard the v5 either 60 or 100 tought they sounded better and the biggest difference they noticed is imaging and neutrality!

 

[oppman99]

Well right we all must hear the gear or speakers or what ever before buying wich i do...what i meant is only to mention the OP about the fitht version of the studio series..i dont think he was asking about the v4 in his question...

The OP didn't specify a version when comparing Studios to Signatures, but you are probably correct in assuming he meant the newest version of each since he is considering buying new. Either way, the Signatures are a big step up.

And also all people i know who have the v4 and heard the v5 either 60 or 100 tought they sounded better and the biggest difference they noticed is imaging and neutrality!

And I'm not trying to deny that the v.5's sound better to you. If you say they do, then they do. I'm just saying I didn't notice much of a difference. To really know for sure we would need to do a comparison in the same room with the same associated equipment. They are still good speakers whether they are v.4 or v.5. The real point I was trying to get across is that personal opinions are just that. There is no guarantee that mine will match anyone else's, as your responses have illustrated.

 

[champster]

ok, I thought i'm the only one that think these speakers sound horrible. Seeing all the reviewers give this 5 stars I was thinking that something was wrong with the setup.

 

[Cos]

ok, I thought i'm the only one that think these speakers sound horrible. Seeing all the reviewers give this 5 stars I was thinking that something was wrong with the setup.

It is definitely personal preference and there are a lot of people who have shared your sentiment on the Paradigms, though I am not one of them

I think a lot has to do with the setup and where you auditioned them. I had the studio 60v3's before these and for home theater they were the best my budget could afford at the time IMO.

When I went to upgrade my speakers I auditioned the following brands:

B&W CM9
GoldenEar Triton 2
REVL F206
FOCAL 826W
Paradigm Studio 100v5

- I was at Barrett's, not my local dealer, to audition the B&W and Revls. To me the B&Ws sounding like crap and reminded me of the Klipsch speakers I got right out of college.
- I liked the REVL F206 nice sounding speaker, but didn't have the low frequency "umph" which I compared directly to the Studio 100v5 as they were right next to each other (At the second place I went to audition speakers)
- I wasn't that impressed with the Focals and to be honest I didn't like its cosmetic design

I narrowed it down to the GoldenEar Triton 2 and Studio 100v5 as my preferred choices. Ultimately I felt that the GoldenEar handled music better while the Paradigm's did better with my HT testing. I tested these at my normal dealer and he had both set up correctly and I was able to hear both side by side. I do about 70% HT and 30% Music so I went with the Paradigm's and don't regret it for a second as they sound great to me, and to pretty much every professional reviewer I have read. Not to mention, the CC-690 center channel is by far the best center channel I have heard at its price point, which is ultimately why I stuck with the Paradigms.

Others may read this and think I am crazy for disliking the B&W or preferring the Paradigm's over Revl or the Focal. That's why I never take offence to others disliking my choice, because sound is so subjective and room setup is so key to making speakers sound the way they should. At the end of the day I had my cake and eat it to as I did my bedroom in all GoldenEar because I listen to more music in that room.

 

[valbuene]

Hi Forum, I would like to hear from current owners of Studio 60 vs S2/Sub 12. Question is, if my AV8801/MCA-50 will have Audyssey XT32 ON most of the time reducing the bandwidth DSP down to 20Khz, why would I want to upgrade to the S2? Does the timbre in the S2 and Belyrium Tweeters really stand out? Will the only way to take advantage of the full Range frequency of the speaker be go DIRECT MODE on the Pre/Pro 5-100Khz? Please let me know what you think.

 

[JerryLove]

Hi Forum, I would like to hear from current owners of Studio 60 vs S2/Sub 12. Question is, if my AV8801/MCA-50 will have Audyssey XT32 ON most of the time reducing the bandwidth DSP down to 20Khz, why would I want to upgrade to the S2? Does the timbre in the S2 and Belyrium Tweeters really stand out? Will the only way to take advantage of the full Range frequency of the speaker be go DIRECT MODE on the Pre/Pro 5-100Khz? Please let me know what you think.

I'm not sure why you are focused on solely the tweeter or on super-audio frequencies.

I've owned Studio 40v3, Studio 60v3, and S2v1, and the S2's are the only ones I still posses because they sounded the best (though to be fair: they are off in a front room as I'm running Salk on my main equipment now).

I doubt you can hear over 17khz.

 

[Rippyman]

You better audition the speakers before you buy them.

I auditioned the Studio 100 towers at a local dealer recently.

I thought they sucked.

I know it's probably personal preference, but you better listen to them first.

More importantly, you better audition as many other speakers as possible.

The "best" speaker is only relative to all the speakers you've heard.

Same here,

I demoed the Studio 100's and was not impressed at all. Very flat, almost tinny sounding.

Some people love them but I feel you need to demo multiple brands, and demo them all using the equipment you will be using to run them, thats key! I demoed Paradigm, Focal, B&W, James, Boston, & Klipsch.

For myself I ended up with Klipsch RF-7 II's and never looked back.

 

[Thomas Fowler]

I spent a lot of time with the Studio 100s and 20s (I owned both), and now with the S2's. I also listened extensively to the S8's. Though the Studio series is quite good, there is no question in my mind that the Signature series is significantly better. As others have noted, a pair of S2s with subs will easily outperform the Studio 100s. If you want a demo, get a copy of Ariana Savall's Bella Terra album, and listen to track 2 (or any track). She has an incredibly pure soprano voice, which on a pair of Signature speakers is crystalline and floats between the speakers. She sounds OK on the Studio speakers, but you will tell the difference right away. The Beryllium tweeters really do make a difference (note that the Be tweeters cost about $580 apiece, vs about $100 apiece for the Al tweeters in the Studio series).