Great review Quadophile,Yeah you are certainly correct as for as the equipment goes.These speakers love some good amplification.I auditioned the Paradigm 20v3s at home with a 585 adcom limited audition and a Dared tube preamp.Having owned a near full range speakers(25hz tp 20khz) for over a year...I didn't expect great bass extention from a monitor.Well I was wrong ..the adcom controls the cone on these so well I was blown away with it's performance.The midrange on these speakers just rolls over you and covers my listening room!I could stand 3 feet to the outside of this speaker left or right and still locate the center image.I haven't heard many speakers that could do that!Unfortunetly they only graced my living room for 48 hrs and were sold to a friend that wanted them.But I have ordered another pair and await their arrival! The tweeter on these are smoother than I expected.Also being a fan of silk dome tweeters I find these hold their own very well.Only in initial breakin did I detect harshness but givin 15 hrs there was a big improvement.I know they will improve up to 200hrs or so like any other speaker.Accept for movies I find these sufficient for music.The bass extention is below 40 hz in my room.I can still feel the pluck of Christian McBrides bass strings..so I'am good to go!
Low level resolution and depth are extremely good with these speakers as well.That new 7 inch midrange driver is something else..very fast and clean.I'am also a fan of the Martin Logans having auditioned them recently.I find the Paradigms hold their own with depth and space,While providing a better driver integration.The speakers will disappear even in the smallest room!
The friend who bought my pair is a big fan of B&W.He admitted he was nearly speechless after getting them home and hooking them up.And said from memory they more than held their own against the 805s!A very expensive monitor.
