Anyone has heard the Paradigm S8 and can comment ?

Listened (briefly) at a dealer, comparing them side-by-side with JM Lab equivalent model (size and price-wise....don't remember the model #).

Audition was brief because I (old ears) and wife (young ears) found S8s excessively bright and piercing in the highs. All it took was a minute to decide these things were death to music listening pleasure. Maybe if they were listened to WAAAAY off axis they would be tolerable, but otherwise, no cigar.

JM Labs...a fine, smooth wine that you savor on your palate as long as possible.

S8...grimacing the whole time its on your palate (and to add insult to injury...it burns on the way down).

I listened to them in our home side by side with the Studio 100 V3s we owned at the time. They were an integral improvement over the 100s, with more detail and high end smoothness. Their bass extension was also better. The soundstaging capabilities seemed similar between the two sets of speakers. The difference was insufficiently compelling to trigger their purchase, but I thought that they were a very solid and respectable speaker, with no glaring weaknesses. The final answer will come only when you listen for yourself.

From a practical standpoint, I'd certainly say that they're at LEAST worthy of an audition. They are far better than a lot of other speakers that I've heard, but they should be at their price point.

I had the exact oppisite xperience. Heard them with some Mac tube gear. No detail, poor imaging and very muddy. The room was not the greatest but, even considering that, they were bad. Much better out there for the same price.

So many different experiences. I own the S4s and find the highs to be very clean and not bright at all. Also oustanding imaging. Originally was driving them with an Anthem amp but recently moved up to a Pass X250.5.

The S8's are a fine speaker at their price point. They benefit greatly being driven by a high current amp. Listening to them with anything less will present you with a much thinner, less cohesive soundstage and a resulting tilt toward the top end.

Its all about image. Nobody buys the signature line because everyone thinks of paradigm as entry to hi end. Truth is there signature line destroys most speakers at double the price.

Everyone thinks of paradigm as entry to hi fi because they are. Paradigms are good speakers but they don't destroy anything even at their price point, and certainly not anything at higher prices. Onix Strata Mini (2,000) is IMO better than any Paradigm Studio speakers and as good as Paradigm Signature S6 or S8. Again, IMO B&W 803D is way better for music than Signature S8 v2 and B&W can be bought used for around $5,000. It is all a matter of taste, but I disagree that Paradigms are unarguably better than anything within their price range. There are cheaper speakers that may sound better and there are tons of better speakers at a slightly higher price point.

You may want to re-listen to the paradigm S8, In V2 and V3 they use the Be tweeter vs the V1 which was known for being harsh.

Ive chose the S8's over the Revel F52, B&W 803D (overrated imo) if you like b&w get 802 much less cabinet resonance, PSB T8.

Pretty good speaker, but I think theres better for the money.

Generally speaking, for high performance reasonably priced Canadian speakers, I prefer PSB or Energy. PSB's in general are more refined, sound more natural and less "hi-fi" and have flatter response. Energy sort of splits the difference between PSB and Paradigm, but in a good way. I was just listening to a pair of Energy stand-mounts in a showroom yesterday and they were stupid good at their size and price.

In the past two The Absolute Sound Editor's Choice issues (2009 and 2010), no fewer than six PSB models spanning the $279 to $6K price ranges have been picked in each issue. No other speaker vendor is so well represented.

Vpravosu

Marc Mickelson, an experienced reviewer, with both The Audio Beat and Sound Stage would strongly disagree with your comments about Paradigm's Signature line. You obviously have an anti Paradigm bias. In the May 28, 2010, Audio Beat Mickelson wrote, regarding the Signature S8 v.3:

"It's fleet, uncolored sound lends itself to timbral accuracy and harmonic liveliness, and the space a pair of S8 v3s can re-create when set up properly is in the domain of much more expensive competitors. In some ways the S8 v3s remind me of the much larger and much more expensive Vivid G1 Giyas which I reviewed a few months ago." (The Giyas cost almost $60,000)

"I've yet to hear a sub-$10,000 speaker that is better than the S8 v3 and I've heard many, many that are far more expensive and not nearly as accomplished in both general and specific ways".

I haven't heard them yet, but I intend to audition them and let my ears draw the conclusions.

Looks like the s8s are pretty darn accurate.

S8's Response
+1.92/–1.44 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz
http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/1004paradigm/index2.html

B&W 803D Response
+1.90/–3.68 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz
http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/1005bw/index2.html

Revel F52 Response
1.44/–2.37 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz
http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/506revel/index2.html