Vintage Technics speakers sounds better than paradigm?

[jonh777]

Hi,


I have been reading your forums for some time, then decided to upgrade my vintage Technics SB-4 3way speakers. With my friend took various CDs and checked out Paradigm studio and signature series speakers driven by Denon 3805 direct output no sub. Sounded ok, lacking mid range (voice, piano) and no bass at all. Then came home, listened to same songs and it was more natural, clean etc. What a surprise!
Any explanations? 50$ used from 80's vs 2500$ and up higher end speakers?

Thanks

 

[Tomorrow]

I'll give it a try, but I may get beat about the head for it.

I recently auditioned a number of speakers, looking to upgrade from my JBL (snicker-snicker) S312's, J350's, etc. I thought my spiffy new friend, an HSU STF-3 needed some classy companions.

So, plastic in hand, wife in car (where theoretically wives should be during speaker auditioning), I listened and listened and listened...from Paradigm Studio to Reference, Thiel, Gallo Reference 3's, and a couple models of Aerial Acoustics. All cost MUCH more than my current beasts. ONLY the Aerials and Gallo (to some extent...though they're really fugly to me) sounded better with my music. I came home and replayed the cd's while it was all fresh in my mind. I couldn't understand why these new, pricey specimens of modern speaker technology (at least the Paras and Theils) could be put to shame by 20 year old J350's. I think it's...........................................simply that I'm used to them. They're old friends, my J350's. Harsher treble from the Paradigms hurt my head (which already hurt enough from the prices I was seeing). The Thiels were too muffled and dull. (EEK...at $4500 per?!!! Yeah.) Kef...yuck. I'm comparing these boxes based upon what I'm familiar with.

It's kinda like your spouse. She (or he) might be really taken for granted by you. But she's...comfortable...just not sexy to you anymore. So you spy some fox, great smile and amply endowed with...uh...er... nice eyes. You get interested, go give her an 'audition' and find out she has a nasal, valley-girl voice that makes hair want to grow out your ears. AND...she wants a young stud with 6-pack abs...which you never had, so you're uneasy. She's nice, interesting, sexy...but...not for you. And voila! Your wife isn't so bad afterall.

Besides all that....Technics made pretty good speakers back when.

 

[mudakas]

Very quiet in here

At least the price difference is 50 times between those speakers...

V.

 

[photodyer]

I don't have definitive answers, but I can relate. I've been listening to multitudes of speakers lately . . . many sound outstanding. However, none have made me want to just up and throw my Sterling Series Infinities in the the trash. Yes, I've heard some with tighter control, better finesse, and particularly the ability to perform at SPL's that would turn my speaks to sonic mush. But for relatively moderate use that they get in my LR, my Infinities are more than satisfactory.

I'm with rjbudz as well; I'd bet that at least part of your preference is your Technics are what you're used to hearing. Also, I'd tend to wonder whether the setup you heard was "right"; did you verify that the receiver crossover, etc. was set up correctly to run without a sub? If set up appropriate to a sub then not running one, that would explain the attenuated midrange and poor bass performance.

 

[thinkingHT]

Hmmmm......

Paradigm signatures and no bass?! If anything, paradigms usually have good bass extension. Something definitely not right there, probably wrong setup, if not its probably that you are not used to the sound as other people have said.