Paradigm studio's ve. monitor's

D

df4801

Banned
Building my HT and think I will be going with paradigm speakers.
My two options are,

1) monitor 5's bookshelf, cc-370, Cs-160 (in ceiling surrounds) or

2) studio 20's bookshelf, cc-470, Sa-10's (in ceiling surround)
(costs around $600 more for the package)


This will be my first HT and it will be used 90% for HT use (ie, movies)
Do you guys think the 2nd option is worth the upgrade price?
I have tried listening to them but the environment was far from ideal.
 
D

df4801

Banned
Almost forgot, the room is large (24x22x10) and I think will get the HSU vtf3 12 inch sub.

Thanks!
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I've used 5s, 20s and 40s. The 20s don't move as much air as the 5s, but they can be driven with more power and they are more "energetic", aka; dynamic. They are also brighter than the Monitors, which is why I didn't end up buying the 40s. The midrange on the 20s is better, and bass is surprisingly similar.

What will you be powering them with?

I know a guy who is selling a pair of real wood v2 40s for a good price. Let me know if you're interested.
 
D

df4801

Banned
I was going to use a yammi 2500 or denon 3805.
So do you think the 20's package is worth the xtra $600?
 
T

tedmjr2

Junior Audioholic
My attitude is, if you can afford the upgrade, go for it.

The best speaker from your two options is the cc-470 so I'd select the Studios. BTW, nice choice of sub.
 
Last edited:
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I'd go for the Studios because you will be less likely to need to upgrade them in the near future, but if you haven't listened to them yet, you should.

I didn't say anything about the sub, because I think it's a great choice too.
 
J

jimmit

Junior Audioholic
I've heard the Monitor 5's (not the CC-370) and I own the Studio 20's and CC-470. IMO the Reference Studio package is worth the $600 price difference.
 
AVRat

AVRat

Audioholic Ninja
Additional $0.02

I'd definetely go for the Studios, and if possible the 40s. The reason being that the room is HUGE! The 40s will give you a richer, fuller sound with the additional bass driver. You could also go with either the AMS-100 or CS60R in-ceilings without sacrificing sound quality. Since the room is large, you might also seriously consider going for a full 7.1 system.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
Actually, the 20s have almost the same extension as the 40s, but the 40s play a lot more effortlessly in a large room. Same thing with the Minis and 5s. My room is pretty large, and there was no questioning that the 5s were able to fill the room more easily, so I agree, if you can swing the 40s, I would. A friend of mine has an IMMENSE room with 20s and a 470, and surprisingly, it works quite well (I still recommended 40s for him).
 
rikmeister

rikmeister

Audioholic
i vote for

you guessed it the studios. check audigon for used 40's or 60s
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
My buddy is selling some v2 40s...real rosewood, not veneer. Let me know if you're interested.
 
D

df4801

Banned
Listened to them again yesterday. Its just so hard to compare in a small room. You all were right, my room is huge, and for that reason... the dealer is telling me to get the monitor 5 or 7's. He says they will fill the room better than the studio 20's. I guess I could step up to 40's, but the budget is getting stretched a bit.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
He said $700 for the pair. Real wood came at a premium. I don't think they do it on the v3s anymore. v2s are about 2yrs old.
 
D

df4801

Banned
thanks,
sounds like a good price, but I dont need the real wood as they are going in a cabinet and the new ones are only $200 more.
 
J

jimmit

Junior Audioholic
df4801 said:
Listened to them again yesterday. Its just so hard to compare in a small room. You all were right, my room is huge, and for that reason... the dealer is telling me to get the monitor 5 or 7's. He says they will fill the room better than the studio 20's. I guess I could step up to 40's, but the budget is getting stretched a bit.
My Paradigm salesman, in essence, made the same argument to me. He said the 20's wouldn't fill my room and that I should get the 40's. We came to an agreement: I would buy the 20's and if they didn't "fill the room" I could return them within ten days (in pristine condition and with boxes and paperwork, of course) and he would give me full credit toward the 40's. So that's what I did -- bought the 20's. And once I listened to them in my home, I never considered exchanging them.

My room is a family room which is 18' x 18' x 12' and is open to other rooms, including the kitchen/breakfast area, dining room and foyer. It is a huge area; probably over 4000 cubic feet. My listening position is about 13' back from the front speakers. My family room is fairly "soft." I have large upholstered furniture and it's carpeted. My 20's fill the room/s and sound great. Of course, that's no guarantee that you'll be satisfied but you very well might be.

The 20's, though only 15" high, are very robust speakers and have good, solid bass that belies their size. Of course, the mids and highs are sterling.

Perhaps you can make a similar deal with your salesman.
 
N

Nick250

Audioholic Samurai
df4801 said:
thanks,
sounds like a good price, but I dont need the real wood as they are going in a cabinet and the new ones are only $200 more.
You may want to rethink placing your speakers in a cabinet, I would guess it would degrade your sound greatly. Of course, you could try them both in and out of the cabinet once you get them home and see how they sound. I know the studio 20s of a few years ago were rear ported so putting them in a confined space would most likely really compromise the sound.
 
T

tedmjr2

Junior Audioholic
The Studio 20 v3s are front ported. You'll be surprised how well the 20s can perform for a large room. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
 
J

jimmit

Junior Audioholic
Yes they are front ported and I have mine resting on the base cabinet of a custom-built wall unit. The base cabinet is solidly built so it's not like they're on a movable shelf which might resonate. Also, they sit far forward so that the front baffle is at the edge of the cabinet. It may be that I'm sacrificing some sound quality but it's hardly noticable; they still sound great.
 
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