Congrats! That's a heck of a good deal and I'm sure you'll love the sound quality.
I've no idea why Paradigm gets so little love on this board. I think it might be for two reasons:
1) this board certainly tends to favor internet-direct companies and Paradigm has remained a dealer-only, store brand. Certainly, the internet-direct companies have moved the needle in terms of what sort of performance is expected at a given price point. That has eroded Paradigm's value in the eyes of a lot of people, and that is fair. It's a very tough market, the speaker world. That said, Paradigm is a North American company, trying to compete in the new retail landscape while sticking by their brick & mortar retail partners, and continuing to improve and refine their products. Personally, the Signature Series speakers are some of my favorite speakers out there, period. And I'm darn impressed with the new Monitor Series 7 lineup. They're very good speakers that I think compete well in their highly sought after price bracket.
2) Liking Paradigm is a bit "boring"
They are the epitome of the "Canadian sound" that came from all the NRC research. Flat, transparent and uniform, their sound doesn't stand out in a show room or do anything to particularly grab your attention. They are in no way the "new hotness", so there's a bit of the unfortunate stigma that they just aren't "cool" because they're not a new, hip brand, and all of their designs are just tried and true, accurate, time tested models. You see? Boring
But the fact is, Paradigm's speakers almost always measure well. They sound very neutral and transparent. And they remain well built, well designed and a good value, IMO. They're good. I think you'll enjoy them. And you got them for a steal, so I think you have ever right to feel excited and I hope you get to enjoy them for many years to come!
