I'll add my two cents on Paradigm, at least for the two pair that I have heard and owned. First was a pair of Studio 10's, I thought they were very good from day one. These were driven by a vintage Pioneer receiver, so nothing state of the art, by any means. All near-field listening, and very enjoyable. My current speakers are a pair of Signature S6's, the last version before they were discontinued. While I initially thought they weren't bad, I also was pretty sure that the old Pioneer wasn't really up to the task at hand. Most notably, the bass just seemed sloppy and not well controlled. I retired the Pioneer, and bought a Luxman L590 and couldn't believe the difference. The amp and speakers seem to match up very well, and the overall detail is amazing. I've never heard anything even remotely harsh, metallic, or fatiguing, to the point that I can only speculate that those who do must have been driving their speakers with something entirely unsuitable. Certainly I'm no expert, nor someone that has gone through dozens of pieces of gear. Quite the opposite, in fact. But I'm still pretty confident in my opinion of how good my set-up sounds. Just my opinion.
L.
L.