Paradigm Signature over B&W 800 Series?

[nick.h]

Paradigm Signature over B&W 800 Series?


Paradigm

S8 Front
S4 Rear
C3 Centre


VS

B&W

803s Front
805s Rear
HTM3s Centre

I also my be looking at using 4x Paradigm S4 and the C3 Centre.

Around the same price as the B&W.

[peterS]

never been impressed by anything paradigm makes for the price.... only people who ive ever seen recomend it are sales men

[DL86]

Nothing wrong with the paradigm's. They will give you limitless dynamics and an awesome sound. I've got the studio 100's and love em. The signatures are a few steps up from the studio range and will not dissapoint. I heard it is better to run S4's as mains and use a subwoofer to produce the bass preferbly the velodyne DD series or a paradigm signature servo subwoofer.

[SteveT]

Hi Peter,

I bought the Paradigm Monitor 9's a few years ago, and I love them!! Some of the best speakers I've heard. They were a bit bright on the treble when I first got them, but that calmed down after a month or so.

[gross30]

The only Paradigm I use is the C-3 center, and it has great clarity in movies. Nice and clear, and no issues with the speaker at all. Powered by a Krell 3/250. I wouldn't hesitate to try out the S-8's and S-4's.

[chinets]

Personally I would go with B&W set up you mentioned above, and have the 804 in the rear ,as surround ,to give you the full range of floorstander bass ,rather than the lack of, in the 805s ,but the 805s will do just fine :T
I would also add a Sub: preferably ASW 855 ( No matter which way you go )
Keep us posted
Cheers

[meltdown]

Studio 100's for me, heard the B&W 800's, couldnt justifiy the cost over gain. If I were to throw money around I'd go with Quads, I like the sound of those ribbons.

[alebonau]

never been impressed by anything paradigm makes for the price.... only people who ive ever seen recomend it are sales men

jees never heard a more silly statement !



the paradigms are awesomely well made speakers. And are top notch in sound as well.

I own a studio ref cc540 centre my self.

are paradigms over b&w 800 series I dont knwo havent compared them heard them in isolation. they each have their strenghts. know plenty who dont like b&w soudn jsut as there are people who dont like paradim. doesnt make one spaker absolute trash compared to the other.

the op needs to go check speakers out for themself and decide which sounds best to their ears and with their equipment and suits best their room & surrounds and tastes.

[Kal Rubinson]

never been impressed by anything paradigm makes for the price.... only people who ive ever seen recomend it are sales men

And the many of us who own them.

Kal

[ahcryky]

never been impressed by anything paradigm makes for the price.... only people who ive ever seen recomend it are sales men

That perhaps is the funniest thing I've heard all year! I currently own studio 40's and a cc-570, I am not a salesman and have enjoyed EVERY paradigm speaker I have owned. I have auditioned many speakers at countless retailers and while the B&W's are really nice, I couldn't justify the price verses what I purchased. But I feel as with all stereo equipment audition everything you can for yourself and let your ears and pocketbook fight it out!

-jim

[Nick M]

Yeah, that was a pretty goofy statement.

Speakers are such a personal thing. I love my Paradigm Signature S4's, and wouldn't trade them for anything short of a pair of Thiel CS2.4's (along with enough amp to power 'em properly and a large enough room for them to breath).

I auditioned B&W's from every one of their lines up to the 802D, and wasn't impressed. The Paradigm Signature's (to my ears) have a tighter low end, and much more open high-frequency response. Certainly a bit more forward and alive to my ears as well. I love the sound of aluminum tweets (such as those in the higher end 'Digms and Thiels). They make string and brass instruments sound realistic beyond belief. Honestly they can put a bit of shine on some female voices, but every speaker I've ever heard has some minor faults like this. For instance, the 800 series B&Ws sound a bit too fleshed out in the lower end, and I feel like I'm listening to a speaker rather than an actual instrument when it comes to live acoustic performances (my favorite type of music). I'd even go as far as to say that I prefer different speakers for different types of music. Considering that the vast majority of what I listen to is rock/blues on guitars with male voices, I wouldn't trade my S4's for 802D's (unless it was to sell them and repurchase anothe pair of S4's that is).

I'd vote for the original poster to purchase what sounds best to him, and to go with monitors and equalized subs (such as the Velo DD's) rather than a bunch of unequalized towers. The nice thing about the S4's, is that they can hold their own for most music with their LF extension provided by dual 7" drivers. For home theater, subwoofers should be your #1 concern, as screen size and bass impact are what truely separate home theaters from actual theaters. Unless you have an extraordinarily large room, five S2's (or 805S) along with the accompanying center would be perfect along with a pair of killer subs like the Velodyne DD18's.

Good luck!

[whoaru99]

never been impressed by anything paradigm makes for the price.... only people who ive ever seen recomend it are sales men

And the many of us who own them.

Kal

:agree: (with Kal)

[Ovation]

While I ended up with Boston Acoustics speakers (from the VR-M line), my final three choices were the Bostons, Paradigm Studios and B&W (the now discontinued CM series). I would have lived happily with any of the three, and have recommended these three brands to many people. It's fine not like Paradigms (or any other brand) but such a blanket dismissal seems a bit, shall we say, "over the top".

[meltdown]

Had the Monitor 5's then the 9's, and then was ready for something a bit better. Listened to the 700's and 800's that B&W has, and their great sounding speakers, real quality, a bit pricy for my budget in that I would of had to outfit the whole room with them, to keep all things in line. Then I heard the Paradigm 100's v3, it was a no brainer. I increased the musical quality over my existing system and pocketed a few bucks to boot. Spent the extra dough on a RB 1090 and 1075. Ive always liked a sleeper, one that comes out of nowhere and surprises you, thats what Paradigm does. Quality giant killers at an affordable price. You got to know when to draw the line in this pursuit, you can get carried away. Enjoy.

[Ovation]

Those 100s are possibly the most overachieving speaker in the Paradigm lineup (price vs performance). If I had the space, they would be my choice for a two channel setup (maybe someday).

[peterS]

And the many of us who own them.

Kal

id be in denial too if i got suckered into them

[meltdown]

id be in denial too if i got suckered into them

HE HE, struck a nerve there.

[peterS]

im really not interested in bashing paradigm
but when comparing them to b&w 800s i think the sq and build quality is far superior

personally i have neither the budget nor interest in spending that much on either speaker but if i did id get martin logans

now there cheaper lines may be well worth it- i dont know nor care
i just get a funny feeling about a company that boasts they are voted number one by sales men! seems b&w focus is on r+d where as paradigms is purely marketing
I mean for God's sake the drivers arnt even flush mounted

[David Meek]

id be in denial too if i got suckered into them

That is enough of that. Any more comments like that and I'll start things with a 30-day ban. No discussion.

[ahcryky]

......

[ahcryky]

now there cheaper lines may be well worth it- i dont know nor care
i just get a funny feeling about a company that boasts they are voted number one by sales men! seems b&w focus is on r+d where as paradigms is purely marketing
I mean for God's sake the drivers arnt even flush mounted

Now I'm not gonna bash Bose, because I owned a pair and they did well for me in what I needed them for........... I know people here have their own opinions about them, but they are Flush Mounted, so does that make them better? I don't get it. I guess if you really needed a flush mounted paradigm you could get the in walls!

-jim

[DL86]

Paradigm design of the studio series purposley used a rubber compound between the driver and enclosure to reduce cabinet resosnance.

[Nick M]

I believe the drivers are not flush mounted because they are designed to be used with the grills. The grill frames have a thickness that matches the height the drivers are mounted above the enclosure face. In some B&W speakers, the grill frame actually creates a step above the face of the speaker which can cause diffractions from what I've read. Also, the above mentioned isolation gaskets to reduce cabinet resonance were also originally employed on the Signature line, and passed down to the Studio line. While I notice some midrange/midbass resonances/coloration in the Studio line with some passages, the rock-tight Signature cabinets are dead-silent.

Personally, I bought them because I like the way they sound with the material I listen to. There is nothing wrong with you prefering the sound of the B&Ws, but both companies have massive research facilities and marketing campaigns. None of that justifies statements which bash people who purchase their products.

[whoaru99]

id be in denial too if i got suckered into them

Hmmm....

That's really a shot even with the wink considering Kal is hardly your average consumer with respect to this sort of thing.

[Kal Rubinson]

HE HE, struck a nerve there.

Not with me.

Kal

[David Meek]

That's really a shot even with the wink

Yes it is, and it won't be tolerated. Kal, many thanks for your relaxed attitude. It's greatly appreciated.

[warnerwh]

The sound of speakers is very personal. It's really best to hear them yourself if at all possible. There's other options as well. Both companies make good speakers but they will sound different and nobody here can tell you which one you'll like best.

I will say that in MY opinion Paradigm will give you better sound for the money. That said I've always liked the sound of the B&W speakers I've heard but have usually felt them to be over priced. The one exception being the old 801's.

You may want to consider used as well because you can get more for your money. If you're not familiar with Audiogon.com you may want to check it out. Used speakers are just as good as new ones and about half the money.

I recommend you do more research unless you're easily satisfied. The competition is fierce and there's alot of good speakers for the money these days. If you can build them there's alot of people here very well versed on that and many designs that could be copied. That would be the best per dollar investment if you have any wood skills. If not then maybe just building your own sub which is easier.

Go to B&W and Paradigm forums if you can find them and ask if anyone near you has them so you can hear them. It's always best to hear a speaker before you buy it. Not that one is any better than the other but one may have a sound that you like much better.

[Kal Rubinson]

Yes it is, and it won't be tolerated. Kal, many thanks for your relaxed attitude. It's greatly appreciated.

Of course. OTOH, I also have B&W 802Ds and other speakers.....

Kal

[joetama]

This is like arguing which tastes better Coke/Pepsi, or the generic brands.

Some people say that generic brand tastes as good, other think it's terrible and pay the extra money for the Coke/Pepsi.

To each his own. But to my ears B&W > Paradigm.....

[meltdown]

I was so upset over this topic this holiday weekend, I went out and purchased a pair of B&W 602's. Yeah, their on the small side a bit, but the sound is great, and they fit the bill on the upstairs unit.

[alebonau]

This is like arguing which tastes better Coke/Pepsi, or the generic brands.

Some people say that generic brand tastes as good, other think it's terrible and pay the extra money for the Coke/Pepsi.

To each his own. But to my ears B&W > Paradigm.....

hehe a great analogy. I remember drpepper, not sold in this country anymore phew awefull tasting stuff hehehe

[kgveteran]

I use to sell B&W's and found that their sound was more "Amp" dependent.We ran big Krell mono's and I found the sound too harsh.Then I swaped some Golden tube 40se's and they mellowed out fine.I like em' better with tubes.

I'm thinking this was about 8 years ago and we were demoing the 802's.I liked them much better than the 801's.

I have always liked Paradigm.The older models with the textile domes sounded great for the money.MiniMK3's and the CC300 were a great match.

We have a Paradigm dealer in town and I always thought they were a great value...and had something for every price range.

KG

PS: After being part of this crowd for the past year...I'll never buy another speaker again. Way too many great designs here for the money.

[whoaru99]

... I remember drpepper, not sold in this country anymore phew awefull tasting stuff hehehe

Dr. Pepper bad? You are not going to tell me you actually like Vegemite, are you??

[alebonau]

Dr. Pepper bad? You are not going to tell me you actually like Vegemite, are you??

hehehe vegimite ? ah no we only use that for axle grease ! hehehe

[joetama]

hehe a great analogy. I remember drpepper, not sold in this country anymore phew awefull tasting stuff hehehe

drpepper is flat Pepsi in my opinion, nasty stuff, and I don't like Pepsi all that much to start out with......

[NMG]

drpepper is flat Pepsi in my opinion, nasty stuff, and I don't like Pepsi all that much to start out with......

Ah c'mon, Dr. Pepper ROCKS :B

[whoaru99]

Dr. Pepper + a bit of the Captain...

[joetama]

Dr. Pepper + a bit of the Captain...

Rum + Anything = Good......

But, that is very subjective... just like it B&W if > Paradigm....

[Kal Rubinson]

Rum + Anything = Good......

Good rum doesn't need anything else. :T

Kal

[OC 335i]

As true for most alcohol.

[Warpdrv1]

WOW what a thread deviation... hehheeh

VODKA !!!!

[Kal Rubinson]

WOW what a thread deviation... hehheeh

'Tis the season.

Kal

[mike c]

Of course. OTOH, I also have B&W 802Ds and other speakers.....

Kal

so, have you A/Bed the 802D and the Studio 100?

or can you at least give comments on both?

[Kal Rubinson]

so, have you A/Bed the 802D and the Studio 100?

Nope. Different systems in different houses. Besides, I have the Studio 60s, not the 100s.

or can you at least give comments on both?

I have. In print.

Kal

[Nick M]

I think a comparison of the Signature S8's and 802D's would be more in the same ballpark.