NRPavs Oldies but Goodies Paradigm Studio 60 v3 [1st pair] front speakers details | ||||
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Paradigm Studio 60 v3 [1st pair] front speakers - sycamore : Tower format 2.5 way speakers in Sycamore colour Stereophile review [abridged] : Written by Kalman Rubinson Dec 19 2004 : Paradigm Studio 60 version 3 loudspeakers : Introduction : The Studio 60 version 3 is a gracefully proportioned but simple 2½-way tower with two 7" mid/bass drivers and a 1" tweeter It is significantly larger, though lighter and more complex, than its predecessors. A rap with a knuckle produced a sound of slightly higher pitch and lower amplitude than it did from the v.2, suggesting that the v.3 is both more rigid and less resonant This may be due to the v.3’s more complex cabinet construction and driver mounting, as well as to the cabinet's curved rubbery top, which surrounds the slightly protruding cowl enclosing the aluminum-dome, ferrofluid-cooled tweeter Other external differences from the v.2 are the v.3’s front and back ports and the very substantial, stationary brass phase plug on its upper mid/bass driver That driver has a mica-polymer cone and a 1.5" voice-coil; the v.3's second-order crossover hands off the signal to the tweeter at 2kHz The lower bass driver, which is rolled off above 500Hz, is similar but has a mineral-filled polypropylene cone All three drivers have diecast chassis and are resiliently mounted to the cabinet to minimize transmission of vibration via any medium but air. (Paradigm calls this system IMS/Shock-Mounting.) The removable front grille consists of an open-weave black fabric stretched over a plastic frame Sound : My reference Revel Ultima Studio speakers were given a brief vacation in the next room, and the Paradigms were connected to an admittedly overkill system, that the Reference Studio 60 v.3s are unlikely to encounter in real life But they were not embarrassed, sounding very much like the $10,000 / pair speakers they had replaced: ample, balanced, and open. In fact, in overall balance, there was little to choose between the Revels and the Paradigms The latter were as full and warm as the Revels, but with excellent and spacious treble, and the stability and dimensions of their soundstage were impressive. Over the month that the Studio 60 v.3s were driven by the Theta Gen.VIII and Classé Omicron monoblocks, they were consistently satisfying with all types of music, from large orchestral and choral pieces to smaller vocal and chamber works In the details, however, I did find areas that clearly favoured the Revels. First, in the extreme bass, the 60 v.3s’ smaller drivers and considerably smaller enclosed volume could not quite load my large room (15’ by 32’, and open to other rooms) with either the pounding bass of rock or the imposing gravitas of the pipe organ, as could the Revels On “Piano Smasher,” from Blue Man Group’s The Complex (DVD-Audio, DTS Entertainment 69286-01120-9-4), the tubular percussion was just dandy, with rounded resonance, but the bottom end of the triadic piano smashes was weak compared with the Revels. Secondhand, again, only by direct comparison with the Revel’s female voices, so limpidly clear via the Revel's smaller, more sophisticated titanium midrange cone, were ever so slightly veiled through the Studio 60 v.3 The Studio 60 v.3s handled the really big stuff, such as the Berlioz Requiem with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (SACD, Telarc SACD-80627), with power and aplomb, whether in two channels or many. Their multichannel performance was particularly extraordinary : I ran the Studio 60 v.3s full-range as the main left and right speakers, aided by a Studio 60 v.2 in the center and a pair of Studio 20 v.2s in the rear The purity of the voices was never corrupted by the need to simultaneously invest huge acoustical power in reproducing the orchestra and brass bands. When I added Paradigm's Servo-15, it mostly just gilded the lily — the Studio 60 v.3s didn't need much help to sound absolutely spectacular Conclusions : I originally bought my Paradigm Studio 60 v.2s because I wanted small floorstanding speakers that had full-range sound, and they filled the bill. The Studio 60 version 3 is significantly bigger and significantly better than the v.2 Perhaps the most important improvement is in the v.3's overall smoothness and balance, from the low bass all the way to the top. This is difficult to achieve, and has been the downfall of many speakers, especially low to mid-priced floorstanders It's also why many listeners forgo deep bass altogether in this price range, preferring to go with small two-way monitor speakers The Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v.3, however, has a seamlessness and a wide frequency range that I usually associate with speakers many times its price Over the years, I've reviewed a number of speakers in the $1000 to $2000 / pair range because this is where, it seems to me, the going gets tough Speakers costing less than $1000 / pair usually include serious compromises, and those costing more than $2000 / pair, no matter how good they are, can be enjoyed only by the relative few who can afford them In this range, several other speakers have outstanding and desirable traits, but no speaker costing anywhere near $1600 / pair has a better integration of all performance parameters than Paradigm's Reference Studio 60 v.3 Specifications : -:®:- Vintage : 2004 model -:®:- Cosmetic : Sycamore colour -:®:- Design : 3-driver 2.5 way tower floorstander with front and rear ports -:®:- Crossover : 3rd order electro acoustic at 2.0kHz, 2nd order electro/acoustic at 500Hz Crossover slopes: 12dB/octave electro-acoustic network -:®:- Suitable amplifier range : 15W to 200W , nominal impedance: 8 ohms -:®:- Maximum rated input power continuous : 150 watts -:®:- Drivers : low frequency driver : 178mm [7 inch], filled polyproplene cone, AVS™ diecast heatsink chassis -:®:- Mid/bass driver: 178mm [7 inch], MLP™mica-polymer cone, AVS™ diecast heatsink chassis -:®:- Tweeter: 25mm [1 inch] PAL™ pure-aluminum dome diecast heatsink chassis, ferro-fluid cooled tweeter -:®:- Low frequency extension [DIN 45 500] : 30Hz -:®:- Frequency response : 46Hz to 22kHz ±2dB on axis, 30° off axis 40Hz to 20kHz ±2dB -:®:- Sensitivity [room / anechoic] : 91dB / 88dB for 1W / 1m -:®:- Dimensions: [W x H x D]: 210 x 1029 x 432mm -:®:- Weight: 31.75kg each - ~ 34kg each packed For sale now by email at $1,350.00 |
each extra 5kg : add $6.00 NI, $11.80 SI Auckland @ $8.75 $28 North Island @ $13.40 $50 South Island: < 2kg @ $6.9F-2 NA South Island: 30kg @ $24.30 $82 |
CASH on delivery by arrangement : Northland, Auckland buyers By bank payment : 12-3061-0161709-00 ASB name: N R PARKIN By credit card : Use option on trademe By email with secure PayPal payment : select the Pay using PayPal website link |
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