Paradigm Persona series

ctsooner,
I agree with your post. I’ve listened to Paradigm 7Fs and didn’t care for them, but I can understand why some may love them. I just think it’s silly for Dave to keep repeating how Paradigm’s benefit from the "right" components being connected to them. All speakers benefit from the "right" components being connected to them.

(this is part of a larger post from another thread, but relevant to Paradigm 3F)

I found the resolution and soundstage of the Paradigms to be extraordinary. You can hear the wood of the solo viola, and the movement of cymbals when struck, the voices and locations of individual string instruments (even low strings) in ensemble, clear as a bell. I don't think it's a speaker for big bass, but that's not a huge priority for me. I like the impression of the ensemble or orchestra laid out in front of me, life-size as possible.

My only reservations were a) I don't find them terribly attractive visually, and more importantly, b)possible longer-term listening fatigue.  Doubting my aging ears, I looked up test bench measurements last night. Multiple measured (on-axis) frequency responses of both the 3F (and 5F) are certainly consistent with what I heard, showing a substantial bump from 5-12khz:

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/paradigm-persona-3f-speaker-system-review-test-bench

I listened to them toed in a bit, and if you look around you'll read a bunch of reviewers/users are setting them up facing straight ahead to avoid an overly bright presentation.  Apart from the brightness, I think the Paradigms are *very* stiff competition for the much more expensive Wilson Sabrina.

@ctsooner 

You are correct.  Troy and Dave (no shocker) think they are one of approximately 5-6 dealers in the country that know how to set-up a speaker and experiment with electronics.

Call them what you will, bright, detailed, accurate etc.  That's what they are.  NO one said they were bad speakers. In fact, I'm sure they measure quite well. Accurate, uncolored etc.

They are fast, they are very detailed.  If you like that, they are a heck of a speaker to audition.

But the bottom line is they are very much on the bright/accurate/fast/detailed end of the spectrum.

Though, I'm sure some isoacoustics footers, and uber expensive cables will warm them right up. ;-)

So ahofer heard the Personas at Audio Doctor and still found them bright. Apparently, there are no dealers in the country that can tame the brightness. Maybe Audiotroy can chime in here and blame his hearing for the perceived brightness. When I have heard the Personas, they have sounded bright to me as well. 

When I heard the 5F with a Lyngdorf 2170 it sounded rather bad. I really wanted to like the Lyngdorf and it was more the reason I went to that demo. I excluded the amp section of the Lyngdorf by going preamp out to a Simaudio 860A amp. We had to do some sound degrading RCA to XLR conversions but nevertheless the sound was very agreeable to me and that is the reason for me to purchase the Persona 3F. I will not get  the Simaudio amp I demoed but something lower priced with similar sound characteristics.

I have heard a lot of speakers, being close to Los Angeles, makes this easy. So it is not like I do not know what is out there. Different strokes.