Something wrong with the Studio 100 v.2?


Through many listening secessions over the last 5 months, I've tried very hard to love the Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v.2. But the sound I heard did not align with much of the articulate and glowing praise found here on Audiogon. Nonetheless, I was determined to buy a used pair here on Audiogon, but couldn't find a realistic deal (shipping is usually a killer). You may be wondering why would I buy 100’s if the sound were unsatisfactory? Simply, I'm unwilling to spend the money required to buy a full-range speaker like the Natilus 804 or Proac 2.5, both of which I've listened to extensively and like very much. Also, I have a 6-month-old daughter and don't want to be paranoid about her banging into $3500-$4500 speakers when she begins to walk about.

So I went back to the dealer yesterday determined to buy a new pair of 100 v.2. But after listening to a variety of material for about an hour, I was again disappointed. What I heard was booming, bloated, poorly controlled bass and a compressed sound stage (front-to-back). And after about 45 minutes, serious listener fatigue crept in as well!

Here's my question: Is something wrong with my dealer's setup? If not, am I being totally unrealistic in my expectations of the 100's? What am I missing here? Are my ears broken? Help!

Here's the dealer's current setup: Denon DVD-3800 (also used Sony 9000ES), Anthem AVM 20 v2.08, Anthem MCA 50, Audioquest Coral or Anaconda (couldn't quite see), unknown speaker cables.
horn_blower
i felt the same way about the 100's. i ended up buying the reference 80's and couldn't be happier with them. I prefer their bass to the 100's. Plus they're cheaper than the 100's. check them out, your dealer should have them.
Funny...I like the 9s better than the 11s 7 years ago when I first bought Paradigm. Prefer the better mids now a days with the 100s and a hybrid amp and tube pre.
Folks,
Great feedback and suggestions. Thank you very much. Went back to the B&W dealer to listen to the CDM9NT's and ended up listening the the Nautilus 804's again as well. All I could do was tap my foot and keep smiling as I listened to the 804's for nearly an hour. No fatigue and it just sounded like music. Dealer had a demo pair on sale and I took them home. Guess I just had to step up to the plate and get the speakers that sounded "right" to me. Now it's time for the amplfier.

Best,

Horn
Glad you found something that you liked but didn't you end up spending more than planned ? Sean
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