Sorry folks. I have to weigh in for the S8s. Their FR is ruler flat. I also agree with the comment above that the S8s sound best with the right equipment. I drive mine with ARC tube equipment and they sound terrific.
The S8s have been reviewed by many respected reviwers, e.g., Mark Mickelson, over the years and the S8s have garnered terrific reviews and high grades. Don't be fooled by price. Paradigm custom designs and builds all their components, except cabinets, in house to their exacting specs.
Paradigm also drops a ton of R&D into the S8s, which gets spread out over a huge product line. I doubt other "specialty" manufacturers can possibly achieve the same economies of scale.
I do NOT find the tweeters hot, maybe because I use ARC tube equipment. I concede that equipment synergy is important, but don't blow the S8s off just because of price. Many a reviewer has stacked the S8s against speakers costing multiples more. Also, Steven Stone did an "unscientific" survey of the top 25 speakers last October. The S8s came in #7, which is damn impressive considering the competition, some of which costs in the 6 figure range.
Finally, I acknowledge that the bass can drop off a bit, but I supplement my S8s with a Paradigm Servo sub woofer. Trust me folks, it has caused me tons of marital problems because pictures fall of the walls and dust shakes out of the ceilings, especially when playing Norah Jones.
It's your choice and I respect that one has to trust their own ears. All I say is that close your eyes and forget the price. Then listen with a little intellectual honesty and don't feel guilty if you wind up spending less. As usual, just my humble opinion.
