April 2017 review of the Paradigm Persona 9H A home run for Paradigm!

I agree that we all hear differently and like different speakers and amps etc...  That's a given.  I too have heard tons of the speakers spoken about on the boards and personally have my favorites (not only Vandersteen's as some think, lol).  I was one of the first in the US to hear the 9H's (at Bernie's in Newington). They weren't burned in as it was the first stop of their US tour.  I then heard them again a few other times now as many are starting to carry them.  

They are nice, but for ME don't compete with a few of the speakers I like that cost a bit less, so they wouldn't be a starter.  I have heard them burned in and set up properly in a good room etc...  When folks ask me what speakers they should go listen to, they are on my list as there will be some who love the sound of them.  I'd own them over some of the big name speakers that are in this range and above, but there I PERSONALLY don't see them as punching above their price range. Again, that's my personal view and there are many who feel that way.  Conversely, I've spoken to a few who love them and may purchase them.  I guess that's why I like the net as I can speak with others offline about our hobby and it helps me keep an open mind on components.  

We all are passionate over some specific brands. Some, because they sell them and make a living at it. That doesn't mean they don't truly love what they are selling.  I am one of those who doesn't listen to sales folks IRT how anything sounds.  Never have and that's why I go listen to as much gear as I can.  That doesn't mean I won't start with what a dealer will say, but I can't tell you how many folks I see in stores being led around like lemmings by a sales person in auditions.  

With that said, it doesn't matter as long as people are happy with their decisions, but based on the used market, I don't think that's happening as much as it should, but that's just my opinion.  I'm glad sales guys are on the board posting. Heck, I have learned a few things about my Ayre QX5/20 by a sales guy in Chicago and I've never met him.  I've shared things with him that he didn't know and hopefully he's been able to use that info to help others when guiding them to purchases.

I think when sales people post on threads like this with strong opinions on what they are selling, there will be a large contingent who are skeptical and will call them out depending on how they purse their responses.  I do know of a few dealers who use shills to help them sell and it's too bad.  Some of us post about favorite dealers we know and use.  I post often about Rutan in NJ, but I love Mike at Suncoast in Sarasota and I have done business with Ralph at Take 5 in New Haven since opened in 78.  I love Bruce at Stereo Unlimited in SD and few can set up a system like Joe Heusi in Houston.  There are many more I like and respect and will send folks to for auditions.  Only two of the ones I mention even post on boards and when they do, there usually isn't a firestorm like this thread has become.  Just an observation and neither negative nor positive.

Dear Gabmetz, Thank you and you get it. Incidently I agree with you, we had the $120k Kharmas in our shop, as well as the Polymer Research MKX-s quite amazing speakers by the way, we also sell the Kef Blades.

Ctsooner just because you heard them at Bernies in Newington, doesn't mean anything, it means you don't like what you heard at Bernies, it doesn't mean you won't be amazed at hearing our setup or maybe not amazed but you may find that our setup is one of the most realistic systems you will ever hear and that is without first order slope speakers or you still may not like the speakers as much as your beloved Vandys. 

What I said in another post was the boss, Dave drove out to another dealer to hear the speakers and was not impressed with their setup, but he heard their potential so he took the leap of faith and ordered a set.

Everyone's setup room and gear are different, our room is 26 by 20 with a 10 foot ceiling, I stopped in to that dealer you spoke of many years ago to check out their Magico setup and I don't think they had one large sound room in their entire facility, many dealers don't. 

We are using $50k worth of T+A electronics, a Light Harmonic Davinci, $35k, a Baetis Music Computer, $15k and all Enklein cables prices vary, our room features Shakti Holographs, Acoustic System Resonators, Echo Buster Pannels and Stein Harmonizers to name a few of things we are doing to make the speakers perform optimally. 

We got a demo of the Isoacoustics Gaia and they were amazing and made a huge improvment. 

So you have to understand my point which I have made many times before each dealers setup is different we tried a lot of good electronics including Conrad Johnson, Devialet, Electrocompaniet, Thrax, Chord before we found the T+A gear was better then all the rest. 

I don't know Bernie and I am not saying he is getting the same sound better or worse then we are getting, I recommend that you finally come here and meet with Dave and myself and hear our reference system for yourself.

Your friend in NJ just purchased a Light Harmonic Davinci based on one of our setups in his home, we don't move into new lines casually, we test and listen and test.

We did compare the Davinci to EMM Labs DA2, the Berkly Reference 2 and a DCS Rossini,  and in our demo system the Davinci was much more musically satisfying. 

Troy
Audio Doctor

Paradigms were always voiced for rock , a wise market strategy.
Any of these bigger makers can make anything they want, Paradigm just wanted  to get some of the Wall St bubble money while the getting was good .

Shubert,

As per any of the bigger makers making anything they want that isn't true, the first issue is intent, the second is engineering prowess, and the third is having the budget to spend the money on R&D, just because a company is large doesn't mean they will go to the elaborate steps that Paradigm did to produce the Persona series which cost $4million dollars in R&D funds. 

Sony is a very large company way larger then Paradigm, and their reference speakers were rather tame in terms of pushing technology and they were also around $30k a pair!

The Paradigms Persona series will play whatever you want through them they are superb speakers that are  totally neutral. They will ultimately sound like whatever you use with them. 

Do they sound good for rock, yes they do as the speakers play loud with out compression, however, we play Jazz and classical on ours and they sound great no matter what is depends way more on the gear you are using and the music you are playing on them. 

The speakers have tremendous resolution so garbage in garbage out. 

Paradigm's loudspeakers have always been able to play loud and have been known for good bass and clean top end.

I would say that the lower end Prestige series is more like what you describe but not the Personas.

As per grabbing the wall street money, the Persona series starts at $7k a pair so that is what we would say affordable for a lot of music lovers who don't work on wall street. 


Troy
Audio Doctor

Troy, I understand your point. Yes, Matt loves the Davinci as well he should.  We each know how the other hears and speak often as you know.  He has great things to say about you guys. I know that who ever his sales guy is went out of his way for him.  Yes, any piece of gear will sound different in any system.  Set up is critical as is the room.  I"ve always said that.  Your set up may be the best and I'ms sure you have spent a ton of money on the set up based on what you have posted.  I'm not fighting with you or saying that the speaker isn't great.  Yes, I love the Vandersteen sound when set up properly and not so much when it's not.  I do know that I've always liked them in any of the rooms I"ve heard them so far and that's a lot of rooms.  I was like that with Avalon back in the day, but couldn't afford them at the time.  I'm picky as heck. If I have to add that much stuff to my listening room to make the speakers sound like I want them to, then I'm out.  That's not a cut as many who can afford a 30k plus speaker can afford to redo their rooms.  I don't have  dedicated room, so the Paradigms just aren't for me.  Again, not a cut at all.  

I was pulled into this thread without knowing about it or wanting to know about it, so I have expressed my views.  Will I come down to listen to your gear in your shop?  If I have the time of course I will. The next stop in Jersey for me is Matt's and then to a reviewers home (can't turn down invites to hear gear that I may never get to hear).  I love your passion for your store and your products, but to be frank (not trying to be a jerk), it just seems like you are pushing too hard.  The number one point you make we TOTALLY agree on is that folks need a good dealer who they trust. They then need to LISTEN and not sit and talk during an audition (when I do this I really after the fact that the system never drew me into the music, so I talk).  Then they need to trust their own ears and make the decisions they make.  Again, I"m not trying to put anything you have or do down as I don't want to be that guy, even though it's hard sometimes when writing opinions.  Thanks Troy.