So here is my update:
I went to the showroom today to audition the B&W 685 S2 and the Paradigm Studio 20 V5.
The show room did not have a dedicated listening room for bookshelf speakers (their cinema room is for HT speakers only). So basically the speakers were played in the open showroom was was very big, I could guess the squarefootage.
B&W 685 S2:
Condition: Brand new out of the box
Build: seemed well made, could see the damping material through the front port. Knocking on the sidewalls made a slightly hollow sound, so it seems the box is made of a relatively thin MDF sheet.
Aesthetics: Looks a pretty plain, but elegant. Just a standard rectangular box with a yellow woofer
Sound: Bass was passable, nice midrange. The tweeters mainly were not as crisp, but had a metallic whine which was more obvious when I heard their sound from the side (with tweeters not pointing at me), I dont know whether this was just because they were brand new. The tweeters higher volumes did sound a little harsh to me without being super crisp. Both the drivers in general felt like they were being strained and were operating at their limit. Overall, though the sound was okay at low to mid volumes (with a lack of upper frequency crispness) it was sounding too strained when cranked up a little.
Paradigm Studio 20 V5:
Condition: Showroom demo (was told has not been broken in as it was never actually connected to an amp. But was just on display for about 6-7months). Its a piano black finish with no signs of wear on any part of t he speaker.
Build: Between the B&W 685S2 and most speakers I have own so far, I have not held anything as well built as these. Knocking on the sidewalls felt like knocking on a concrete column, no signs of hollowness.
Aesthetics: Looks a little funky with the oval cabinet and the drivers with a prominent silver look to it. The flamboyant drivers can be hidden though with the black netted cover.
Sound: Bass was better than the 685s, I wouldnt say it was as good as floor standing speaker (But again I was auditioning both in a very large open room) but it was still giving me a little hit in the chest with drum kicks. Mids seemed a little less prominent compared to the 685s, but that could just be because of the tweeter. The tweeter on this this is again the best I have personally heard (I havent heard too many audiophile grade speakers by the way). The tweeter is a little overpowering but very crisp and was not feeling strained at all at high volumes. The highs were the most prominant part of this speaker, it was a dramatic difference. It was smooth but at the same time it also had the sharpness to produce the plucking of the guitar string, and making it sound metallic like it initially should and then the smooth tone of the actually guitar.
Since the Paradigm is a floor model which was never sold (these guys are authorized B&W and Paradigm audio dealers) they said they would give me the full 5 year warranty.
As for the price they are giving me a good discount (I live in a small town in Texas, so I doubt these guys can move enough highend gear as compared to big cities) so they Paradigms will end up costing me about 350$ more than the B&W 685s at full price of 699$. Originally the Paradigm Studio 20 V5s are listed at about 700$ each.
I would love to hear you all's inputs on this, I personally liked the sound of the Studio 20s, but I would still like some recommendations or things I may be overlooking.
I will be pairing them with a Yamaha A550 receiver, that I'm thinking of, as it is a good budget end receiver that I can start off with till I can afford to get a nicer Arcam or Nad receiver. Plus it will leave me some headroom purchase a TV
(I just have a computer monitor right now lol)
