How long before Paradigm Studio series break in???


I'm praying that these speakers get better. I've had these for only about 3 days but I'm definately not happy. What I heard in the store is not what I'm hearing now. I like my music loud but these things get messy when things get loud. Is it possible that this is just because they haven't broken in yet? Is it because I need more power? When I heard them in the store they were being fed 425 wpc via a Sunfire Cinema Grand amp. I have a Parasound HCA-1500A which is only about 205 wpc. Could this be the problem?
meech33
Hi Meech. What is your room like? It could be a case of bare walls or speaker placement. In case you already have addressed the above issues, it could be that your ears are still used to your previous speakers sound. Although I do believe in breakin to a degree, I do believe that your ears getting used to a different sounding speaker is part of the break in process.

As far as how much power you may need to push them goes, your Paradigms are not as inefficent as some may lead you to believe. They are 4 ohm speakers but they are still pretty easy to push to high levels. The culprit I would bet is your room or your source material.
I had the 20 V-1's at one time and drove them with a Dyna ST-70 @ 35wpc.
I tried them once with a 100 wpc NAD.
If you are expecting to get a "wall of sound" out of these,I doubt you will.
They are a fabulous speaker,dont get me wrong.But they just will only play 'so' loud.
Thanks for all of your feedback. I think I'll be selling these speakers pretty soon. I wwas planning on getting into tubes within a few months and I don't think these speakers are ideal for small tube power. I'm currently looking at the Coincident Triumph Signatures (94 dB). I think these will appreciate the SET amp I plan on getting.
Oh well, we'll see.

Thanks again.
If you're looking for efficent bookshelf speakers check out Reference 3a de capos. They're some of the best bookshelves I've heard.