This probably the longest I have took to make a decision in picking my next set of speakers. (Thank you Covid-19) . I ended up lowering my budget to 10K for my Fronts because I wanted to put a little more into other areas. What I have found from extensive testing, is that there is significant diminishing returns once I hit the 10K and over mark (probably even less than 10K).
I sold off most of my GoldenEar (T1s, Aon2, Superstat 3s, SCXXL, T7s, ) As I stated in beginning the post, I am starting from scratch.
- I agree that the Revel Salon2 the best I heard and a steal on the used market, but at this point I needed a smaller form factor and aesthetically pleasing.
- I really liked the Sopra 2's even had a local who had them so I could demo. Beautiful Speakers in white, but a tad on the big size and required upgrade in amps to accommodate the not so efficient speakers
I went back and demo'd the Paradigm Persona 5F, again I really liked them a lot, but then decided to test the 3F just for comparison.
- Outside of stronger bass on the 5Fs, there was almost no audible difference to my ears.
- I like the smaller form factor and finish and after spending about 45 minutes listening to as many songs as I could through at it, came away impressed.
- Excellent soundstage and detail. I did not find their beryllium tweeters to be bright or fatiguing.
- His demo room was almost identical size to my HT which was nice. He did pair them with McIntosh Amps, I will be using my Halos. The "boomyness" of the bass was nonexistent which put them back on the table.
- I think the 3F with Separate Subs would be a much better use of $$ vs the 5Fs.
I have read the reviews, Paradigm is polarizing on some forums, and yes there are a lot of other options out there, but at the end of the day, they had the least amount of compromise on sound for the decreased budget and new vs used. I will be placing my order
PROBLEM: After making a decision, My current dealer who I bought my first Studio 100s and my Goldenears from, no longer is a Paradigm dealer.
I visited his competition, but not sure if the new place will match the deals/discounts I have received, which is only fair considering I have used my current dealer since 2002.
I am open to suggestions on Paradigm dealers. I am based in IL, but since I already know the model, open to dealers people have had success with.
Regards! (sorry for long message)
