PSB Image t45 vs Paradigm Studio 20

[drummy83]

I everyone,
I want to upgrade my fronts on my current setup which consist in:

Harman Kardon AVR 130 (55w/chanel in stereo)
Paradigm Titan V.3 fronts and rears
Paradigm CC170 center
Paradigm PDR10 sub

I hesitate between the T45 and the Studio 20.
I listened both and both are great, but I prefer the Studio 20 sound. I don't think my amp will provide enough power to drive them nicely. I just can't upgrading my amp soon, I'm still a student for the moment...($$$). The T45 seems to be really easier to drive.

Do you think my amp can handle the Studio 20 nicely?

I use my system for 85% music and 15% HT.

Any advice is welcomed,
Thank you!

 

[jostenmeat]

Get the speaker you like. No regrets.

Just don't blast it. If you hear anything funny, at all, turn it down.

 

[corysmith01]

I agree...go with the one that sounds best to you. They're both 8 ohms with only minimal differences in their sensitivity, so neither should be a challenge for your receiver. Were either 6 or 4 ohm, I'd say there's reason to be concerned, but even then, it would only be if you were really driving them. That receiver won't have a problem with 8 ohm speakers, so with that in mind, i'd make your choice solely on the one that sounds best to your ears. Good luck.

 

[jostenmeat]

cory, I see that PSB states that T45s are 6 ohm nominal, and 4 ohm minimal (and the Paradigm seems to share the same minimal, but with 8 ohm nom). I own some Image speakers, I like them quite a bit for the money! However, I've heard people say great things about Paradigm.

Ok, googled, and checked out the Stereophile measurements. The summation also states: "All things being equal, the lowish crossover frequency means that the speaker's lateral dispersion (fig.4) is wide and well controlled. This is always associated with excellent, stable, well-defined stereo imaging, in my experience. Vertically (fig.5), the speaker offers pretty much the same balance as long as the listener's ear is between the top of the cabinet and the center of the woofer, meaning that tall stands are better than short stands".

Choose stands wisely, drummy?

 

[corysmith01]

Good catch...you're right. I was going off of memory and spouting off numbers...should have checked. But yes, the T45's are 6 ohm nom/4 ohm minimum. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Seth=L]

The Paradigms are easier to drive than the PSBs, and since they sound better to you the choice should be obvious.

 

[drummy83]

I already have 30 inches stands for my Titans and plan to use them if I buy the Studio 20. They put the Titans tweeters exactly at ear level (Titans have 13 inches height). The Studio 20 have a 15 inches height, so the tweeters with Studio's and my stands would be about 2 inches higher than with the Titans. (My ears would be right between the tweeter and the woofer, as suggested by jostenmeat)

For the impedance measurements, I took a look at the Stereophile's graphs and they seem to be very similar for their minimum (around 4 ohms minimum for both). Efficiency is slightly better with the T45.

I was affraid that maybe the minimum impedance would be a bit on the low side for my amp with those speakers (my amp is rated for 8 ohms) and also that the lower efficiency of the Studio 20 would make my amp run hot to get volume out of them.

My amp drives the Titans perfectly, but I think they are an easier load to drive than T45 / Studio 20.

I now think I'll take the Studio 20. (No regrets!!!)

Thanks everyone for your advice!
(By the way, I'm sorry for the quality of my english, I'm a french canadian)

 

[fredk]

(By the way, I'm sorry for the quality of my english, I'm a french canadian)

?? Didn't even notice and I usually pick up on that stuff.

The Studio 20 is a nice speaker.

 

[3db]

Having the T45s, I can assure you that despite being 6 ohmns nominnal, they are quite easy to drive. My old Techncis G90 (SA-DX940) was by no means a powerhouse but could easily push these speakers to the 80 low 90s in a room 12x16. I don't where in the frequency band the maximum phase angle lies but I'm suspecting that its not in the bass region...thus making them easier to drive

That being said, I believe the Studio20 to be the better speaker. To match Paradigm's performance in that series , you would have to move to the new Imagine series from PSB.

Like everyone says, buy the speaker that you like best.

 

[drummy83]

I searched a lot yesterday about the Studio 20 and some owners wrote that they are power angry, but to drive them with less powerfull amp seems to only affect the bass extension.

Since I will high-pass filter them at 80hz and let the sub handle everything below, I should be able to obtain a nice result with them.

Thank everyone again,
The only remaining step is to buy them

 

[fredk]

The only remaining step is to buy them

... and come back here to tell us how they sound in your room... and post pics.

I have seen a couple of posts here from Paradigm owners suggesting you should be able to haggle the price down by 20-35% so don't forget to play hard to get with the dealer.

 

[drummy83]

Thank you for the input fredk,

My local dealer always let me around 15% off when I bought Paradigm speakers from him, but by knowing this I'll try for more. Also, I think it's gonna be easier to deal since we now have a second local Paradigm seller in the area.

I'm not ready to buy right now, I'll wait until february to buy them (big tax return ).

It's gonna be hard to wait until there, cause when I have something in mind...you must know what I mean!