April 2017 review of the Paradigm Persona 9H A home run for Paradigm!

Thanks Shubert.   I unfortunately have to agree with you. 

If you look at the other side of technology, every year many people will ditch their 1 year old Iphone or Android at $600-800 or more a pop and replace it with the new improved models.

If you add it up many people spend $5k and more for their phones not including the $100-200 a month to use them.

Or how many kids have $5-10k spent on video games. 

We are doing a piss poor job of getting new blood in the industry.

Troy
Audio Doctor

Troy , you are a good guy and no dummy .
I sold Audio in early 70’s for one of the biggest dealers in USA.
For example, he was biggest Sansui dealer in the world .
He also sold TV and picked some thing new on the market, Apple Computers .
I knew audio was over when a yuppy couple asked me what computer should they buy for their 5 year-old .And they cost a LOT in those days .

The huge audio sales of the 60’s and 70"s were a function of what was" cool’ at the time. it was never about the music itself .
I doubt if 10% of the American public see music as something really important in their life and maybe 2% could not live without it . In the 30’s and 40’s I grew up in, radio was it , some form of jazz was the national binding material because there was nothing else. Still it was essentially social in nature .People had no problem in 50’s switching from big-band to garbage, in a years time it was gone from the airwaves becuse this IS a mass society, not a community .
Acoustic music fans are old, a rock concert is a social event not a musical
event , if it were the latter the audience would NEVER stand up and wave
their hands in unison , reminds me of a Nazi rally . People lack thoughts of their own, the void is filled by ones manufactured for them by others .. And they don’t even know it .

Not that that list put the argument at rest but when Audiophile compiled a list of 25 best speaker of all time Paradigm signature 8s were #7 and the list actually has all the usual suspects of exotics, and thats again the older signature Paradigms not Personas. Magico and Focal brag about having Beryllium tweeters and the persona has its mid range built of that material let alone the tiny tweeter. The high end audio sales people usual line when ask for picking a favorite among two or three comparable speakers is " they are two different speakers". You don’t get an straight answer not just because there may not be one, but because they don’t want to. When money is not an issue, you WANT to pay more, for bragging rights alone sometimes. If you already have spent money enough to buy a new Porsche, on a pair of speakers, you are never gonna admit that a mid level brands speakers are better than your exotics. You can hide the truth but you cant kill it. Lies, well you know how that work.
Will post my review after getting my new Personas, after not being satisfied with the detailed audition new B&W D3s and many other "high end"  (Audio Note, anyone) products.
Currently have Martin Logan and Paradigm signatures in a Dolby Atmos set up and yes B&W 800s used to be my dream speakers and I was reviewing Focal Sopras and Revel Ultimas ( undoubtedly worthy choices ) too but these new Personas came as a game changer.

One things also stands out to me.  Often when any of us talks about how great our gear is, we will talk about how great a reviewer thinks they are.  Personally, I've known many reviewers over the years and some I respect and like. Even if my tastes are different than theirs, I get to know HOW they listen and can sift through that to figure out what my thoughts may be on the product.  

What I like about the personal audio folks is that their reviewers will say what they paid for the product or if it was given to them for free or at a steep discount.  That said of all the guys I know (many) who review there, they are as honest as the day is long.  They will point out where the compromises were made by a dealer.  They point out good and bad and let you make your choices based on that.

That used to be the way things were in the 70's.  The Absolute Sound never had to run ads. You just paid and got a neat little 'magazine' every other month or so I think it was.  Then all of a sudden other 'hi end' magazines came in and there were ads taken.  You couldn't find really negative reviews at that point.  Also, brands that didn't buy ads in various mags wouldn't get reviewed much of the time.  Some reviewers care about the hobby as well as the customers.  Fremer comes to mind as do a few others.

One of the reviewers, Tom Gillet used to drive me nuts.  He's a creative writers, but he also is the Audio Cheapskate, Sam Tellig (Gillet spelled backwards).   I laughed when he left Stereophile a couple of years ago and went public about how advertisers would pay for ads and they could get good reviews. Again, not ALL reviewers are like that, but this is why you never see a bad review in that magazine or any of it's online sites.  Heck the ad manager of Stereophile is/was Atkinson's wife.  

Again, some folks I personally like and respect, buy all too many I don't, but that's just me.  Reading this thread made me think about that.

This is why it's so important to go audition at a few places an figure out your flavor. What do you like? Dont' let a dealer talk during the audition constantly.  Listen and trust your own ears.  Afterwards, you can invite the dealer in and get their thoughts.  Listen with them and have them point out all the things they love about the product and why you should buy it.  Just keep in mind that you are the one who has to listen to it daily, lol.  I'm sure everyone already knows all of this, but it never hurts to read it again.