classicalguy
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 9, 2004
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You'll get very different views on the importance of listening to speakers before buying. I am of the opinion that listening to moderate priced equipment in most stores is worthless because of the poor setup. Most stores have speakers at all different angles and heights playing through switch boxes and mid-fi receivers. They play tricks by putting higher margin speakers up high and lower-margin down low, and say "see how much better that sounds"? Levels are not matched. So it's a crap shoot.
It's a different story on the high end where they set things up in a lovely room, and actually move the speakers into the same spot for comparison through the same equipment. But that's pretty rare with a $300 speaker. So, I think we have to put faith in the views of owners who have lived with the products (recognizing the problem of cognitive dissonance), and the views of professional reviewers who give great information but unfortunately say positive things about everything - no point in offending potential advertisers -- and generally don't provide much helpful comparison information.
I have never heard the paradigms v.5, but I think it's safe to conclude from what I've read that they are well designed and well priced speakers, and among the best in class. The competition would be speakers like the PSB Alpha B1, Acculine A-1s, Epos ELS-3, maybe AV-123 XLS. I would really like to read a careful comparison between paradigm, psb and acculine. I'd recommend staying away from the acculine if you don't have a sub. But with a sub, it's an interesting option.
So, probably not much helpful information since I haven't heard very many of the speakers, and none of them side by side, but I have do doubt that the atoms are good quality speakers.
At $400 the Usher S-520, the Dana 630 and the Ascend 170se are in play. I've heard the Ascends, and they sound very good. I thought they were not pretty however.
It's a different story on the high end where they set things up in a lovely room, and actually move the speakers into the same spot for comparison through the same equipment. But that's pretty rare with a $300 speaker. So, I think we have to put faith in the views of owners who have lived with the products (recognizing the problem of cognitive dissonance), and the views of professional reviewers who give great information but unfortunately say positive things about everything - no point in offending potential advertisers -- and generally don't provide much helpful comparison information.
I have never heard the paradigms v.5, but I think it's safe to conclude from what I've read that they are well designed and well priced speakers, and among the best in class. The competition would be speakers like the PSB Alpha B1, Acculine A-1s, Epos ELS-3, maybe AV-123 XLS. I would really like to read a careful comparison between paradigm, psb and acculine. I'd recommend staying away from the acculine if you don't have a sub. But with a sub, it's an interesting option.
So, probably not much helpful information since I haven't heard very many of the speakers, and none of them side by side, but I have do doubt that the atoms are good quality speakers.
At $400 the Usher S-520, the Dana 630 and the Ascend 170se are in play. I've heard the Ascends, and they sound very good. I thought they were not pretty however.