Are the Paradigm Founder Series really, really good speakers?


I'm considering them as a replacement for my beloved Phase Technology PC 3.5's. I'm looking at the 80f or the 100f. 

I've listened to them but can't help but think that they sound really good but do they really sound good or just different than what I'm used to even though I'm very happy with them but feel like I want something new/different. 
todd1010

The Founder 100's are amazing, I demod them for a few hours and was blown away by them. They honestly have me 2nd guessing my Paradigm Tributes that I use for my front left/right. At ~5k for the pair its a no brainer when comparing to 10k pairs, I can see them undercutting the lower end persona models on bang for buck(the personas are better...but are they really 10-12k better?).

I'm not sure the founders center channel 90c(which I own)is better than the cc-690 v5(which I also own), the highs/mids are definitely better on the 90c but the 690 digs juuuust a little bit deeper which I notice on deeper baritone voices in movies. The 690 also has a much beefier enclosure, like 35lbs heavier over the founders. The founders is gorgeous with the grills on or off.  

I also demod the founders 40B(bookshelf stand mounts) as my rear 6th and 7th channel in my system for a month, which were replacing my studio 40 v3. They had a cleaner upper range, but I thought they were a bit underwhelming in the lower end, the studios were for sure a better all around speaker, but if you crossover at 80hz I didn't really notice much of a difference between the two, and the 40Bs just seemed quieter/smaller vs the 40s. The founders bookshelfs again were absolutely gorgeous though with the grills off. 

Hope that helps?

daaajester,The persona's are true destination speakers that thrive in a system built around them. The founder line is more affordable and will likely sound better in a multi purpose room/system.

Steve59, No disagreement from me. I listened to the 7f in their own room being driven by 1.2kw Mcintosh amps, and I forget the source(equally impressive). In a dedicated 2ch setup, for that price point they are some of the best speakers I have ever experienced, but at 26k I wouldn’t say they are worth 3x what the founders 120hs are.. or 6 times the 100f’s.

The founders line is really really impressive for its price point. You could literally have a 6 speaker founder 120h setup in 5.1 config for the price of 1 pair of persona 7f’s.

Overall: I just added the 40b's to my desk set up and have been blown away! They're paired with a Naim Uniti Atom and Paradigm Defiance V10 sub.

Bass: Bass was okay with just the pair of 40b's, but I have yet to hear any bookshelf speakers that don't cost $2500+ each that didn't require a sub in the system for proper bass response. Proper bass requires volume. The Defiance V10 was an easy addition to the system. My home theater system has dual SVS PB-16 Ultra's...so you could say bass is important to me!

Sound Quality: They sound great! Really nice soundstage too. Fills my space easily without losing any resolution or separation. I've been listening to them 4-8 hours a day as my desk and haven't experienced any listening fatigue either. I've been playing all kinds of music and enjoyed them for all of it. 

Appearance: They also look great in person, much better than in pictures. Since I have them on my desk just a few feet away from my face looks are important. Without the speaker grills they look really premium and interesting. The lower driver has a great geometric laser cut design that looks superb

Before buying I auditioned them against comparably priced Sonus Faber, B&W, and Focal speakers. To me the Paradigms were the best. 

I don't often like Paradigm, or agree with @audiotroy.

But I've demo'd the 100's a couple times now.  Easily the most impressed I've been with a Paradigm speaker in years, maybe ever.  Not perfect, but even the bass from those triple 7's - damn good.

I imagine those 120H's are awfully good.

I'm actually quite interested to somehow demo the active Legacy Signature XD and Focus XD vs the 120H.  

The founders did indeed have a huge soundstage which I like.  They are more forgiving than the Persona's also.

While my current speakers do not have active woofers, I'm pretty convinced it's the way to go in the future.

I am interested to compare soundstage size of the Founder 120H vs the Legacy Speakers. (I admit to liking a huge, almost exaggerated soundstage at times).