I began my Paradigm experience with the affordable initial Studio 100s and settled in with the version 2s for their smoother but still noticeable treble until a few years after the introduction of their S series.
I was able to audition the early S8s at home. During that time I made very attractive offer on a pair of well used Avalon Acoustics Eidolons and was able to compare the V2s, S8s, and the Eidolons at home.
Granted the used Eidolons were more expensive but it simply didn't diminish the shortcomings of the Paradigm presentation. What this taught me is that my listening experience was limited to - this speaker has more bass or this one's treble sparkles - which is what an affordable speaker can do. I found that system dissatisfaction and the electronics merry-go-round stemmed from these speakers inability to portray music.
So when I initially auditioned the original Studio 100's next to a pair of two way Avalon Eclipse in the store the Paradigms seemed obvious choice. Wrong! You want good controllable bass? Get a subwoofer/s, I did. Frankly, there are many LPs that sound awkward with the subs on, digital hardly ever.
To put it another way the Paradigms are a three way speaker that allowed my ear to constantly hear all three ways. The Eidolons are a three way that sounds like a single source. The Paradigms sound their best at a certain loud-ish volume. The Eidolons sound wonderful at most any volume level. The staging and depth is on a whole other level. Another surprise was that much of the electronics I had upgraded from actually preformed very well with the Eidolons even though their like microscopes into ancillary equipment. Consequently, I haven't had an inkling of upgrading any part of my core system in years.
There are a few affordable well designed speakers out there. While measurements shouldn't be the ultimate guide to choosing a speaker, in my opinion effective time and phase measurements are a must have place to begin.
Good luck with it, have fun.
I was able to audition the early S8s at home. During that time I made very attractive offer on a pair of well used Avalon Acoustics Eidolons and was able to compare the V2s, S8s, and the Eidolons at home.
Granted the used Eidolons were more expensive but it simply didn't diminish the shortcomings of the Paradigm presentation. What this taught me is that my listening experience was limited to - this speaker has more bass or this one's treble sparkles - which is what an affordable speaker can do. I found that system dissatisfaction and the electronics merry-go-round stemmed from these speakers inability to portray music.
So when I initially auditioned the original Studio 100's next to a pair of two way Avalon Eclipse in the store the Paradigms seemed obvious choice. Wrong! You want good controllable bass? Get a subwoofer/s, I did. Frankly, there are many LPs that sound awkward with the subs on, digital hardly ever.
To put it another way the Paradigms are a three way speaker that allowed my ear to constantly hear all three ways. The Eidolons are a three way that sounds like a single source. The Paradigms sound their best at a certain loud-ish volume. The Eidolons sound wonderful at most any volume level. The staging and depth is on a whole other level. Another surprise was that much of the electronics I had upgraded from actually preformed very well with the Eidolons even though their like microscopes into ancillary equipment. Consequently, I haven't had an inkling of upgrading any part of my core system in years.
There are a few affordable well designed speakers out there. While measurements shouldn't be the ultimate guide to choosing a speaker, in my opinion effective time and phase measurements are a must have place to begin.
Good luck with it, have fun.