I didn't mean to. Really. It just happened.
I had no intention of buying anything today. Just a casual visit to a local dealer to poke around and kill time. And I end up walking out with a new pair of speakers. How did this happen? Let's examine.
I currently own a pair of B&W DM601 s3's. They were my first "real" speakers as I've only been involved with this hobby for a little less than a year. Good speakers to my ear. I hear a lot of people who think they're overpriced. Overpriced insinuates they cost too much for what you get. I disagree. Pricey? Yes. Can you get something as good if not slightly better for a little less money? Sure. But at $450 a pair, they seemed reasonable and I've been happy with them. However, and this is a big however. One day came across a Paradigm dealer and listened to the Studio 20's (I stick with bookshelf speakers). Wow. That's all I could say. They sounded amazing. However, I don't pull down a lot of cabbage and at $800/pr, knew they were out of my league. No big deal. But I did think about them. A lot. But, I just couldn't bring myself to drop the coin.
Then today happened. I stopped in to the Paradigm dealer and what sits there on the floor in boxes? A pair of recently returned Studio 20 v.3's. The purchaser bought them, had 'em for a week, then returned them to upgarde to Signatures. Lucky him. My mouth watered. "How much?" I wondered. Talked the the dealer. He said "lemme see what I can do" and walked away. Came back with a price of $600. $200 less than their sticker. Plus, I hear Paradigm is doing an across the board mark up as of 2/1, so potentially more saved based on this increase. I made the dreaded call; the wife. Her response? "Well, at $200 off, that's a no-brainer. Get 'em." Did I mention she's the best woman on the planet? So there you go. I am now the owner of a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's and couldn't be happeier.
I've read a few posts lately of folks really admiring the Paradigm Studio/Marantz combo. Lucky for me, my receiver is a Marantz SR8400. I hooked 'em up and immediately loved the sound. Since I had no intentions of getting anything, I obviously still had my B&W's. With 2 extra stands and some extra cable, I was able to do a little a/b with the 601's and the studio 20's. Pretty significant difference. I never really noticed how pronounced the midrange was on the B&W's. Not in a bad way. But when I'd go back and forth bt. the 2, the midrange always jumped out with the B&W's. Is that a pronounced midrange for the B&W's, or a recessed midrange on the Paradigms? I dunno. But I do know I prefer the studios. Also, there is significantly more bass output with the studio 20's? How, I don't know. The driver is only slightly larger than the 601's. The cabinet is much larger, so perhaps that also adds to it. I can honestly say that at low to moderate leverls, I could listen to the studio 20's sans subwoofer and be perfectly happy. They sound that good. Also, I've often heard the term "boxy" about some speakers and never really understood that, or pretended to understand it, being as I'm relatively new to the hobby. But now I think I do. If I had to characterize the main difference when switching back and forth, it would be that the B&W's sounded more "boxy." Maybe I'm assigning the wrong attribute, but that's kinda what it sounds like.
One thing to keep in mind is that I am in no way bashing my B&W's. I still consider them great speakers and were this deal to not come along, I'd still be proud to call them my mains. However, the studios I feel are that much better...as well they should be at nearly 2x the price. Seeing as I got them at $150 more than I paid for my 601's, I feel like I got a good deal. They sound great to me and that's all the matters in the end.
Just wanted to share my excitement.
