What’s a joke is not respecting an opinion that’s different than yours. It’s a subjective "hobby", we hear differently and have different preferences. So, if I post a lot highlighting how great Personas are that’s great, but post five bad things about Personas the forum’s a joke. Why participate in something that you feel is a joke? I’ve actually heard the 7Fs and 9Hs. I can hear why some love them, but I can also hear why some don’t.
Paradigm Persona 3 vs 5 vs Monitor Audio
I just spent a couple of hours comparing the Paradigm Persona 3 and 5. The 3 sounded very good and I was sceptical about whether the 5, for one additional speaker, was really worth 70% more. I expected it to be very similar to the 3 with some added bass. After hearing the 5, I think it offers more than the additional bass. As good as the 3 sounded, the 5 had added depth and realism, even on music without that much bass. I listened to St. Saens 3rd Symphony and Beethoven’s 7th (2nd movement) to hear the bass and Eva Cassidy, Cecilia Bartoli and Brahms Piano Trio #1 for other characteristics.
The 3 is well priced compared the competition and certainly is a good choice. If you can afford the extra $7000, the 5 is definitely better--to me worth the significant price differential.
To complicate my choice, we then visited another dealer to hear the Monitor Audio pl300ii and it’s an excellent speaker too if you like what I do--wide soundstage, good imaging, realistic rendition of individual instruments. It’s not an easy decision between the Paradigm 5 and the Monitor. To confuse myself further, I’m going tomorrow to hear the third speaker on my short list--the KEF Reference 3 which I’ve liked in prior hearings. I hope to make a decision after that.
The 3 is well priced compared the competition and certainly is a good choice. If you can afford the extra $7000, the 5 is definitely better--to me worth the significant price differential.
To complicate my choice, we then visited another dealer to hear the Monitor Audio pl300ii and it’s an excellent speaker too if you like what I do--wide soundstage, good imaging, realistic rendition of individual instruments. It’s not an easy decision between the Paradigm 5 and the Monitor. To confuse myself further, I’m going tomorrow to hear the third speaker on my short list--the KEF Reference 3 which I’ve liked in prior hearings. I hope to make a decision after that.