Paradigm Personas anyone heard them

The 5F's are very good IMO ...but the 9H's are just stunning. when calibrated to the room, they produce so much low end information without any boom or drone.  I auditioned with my own amp (ZOTL40 @ 35w) and the synergy was spectacular.  The active woofer is a winner.  I listened for three hours ...there is so much richness and effortless fullness to the sound when the lows are present and controlled. 
And the dealer margins must be good because I was quoted a great deal - which I am now seriously considering.  Compared to other high end speakers they are are steal and probably end-game for me.

I've heard the Persona 3f and was very impressed.  Going back tomorrow to hear the 5f in comparison.  As I posted elsewhere, I will then try to decide between one of the Paradigms, the KEF Reference 3 and the Monitor Audio pl300ii.  I'm wondering how each of these will sound with my equipment--Audio Research VT130SE amp and LS22 pre amp.   Also wondering why neither Srereophile nor Absolute Sound has reviewed the Personas (A/S did review the Persona 9).  I called Paradigm for some information and learned that they soon will be offering grills for all the Persona speakers for an extra charge (important in my case for WAF).  

Dmance-sounds like you were offered a discount on the Personas.  I've had so little luck getting a discount on new high end speakers that I usually don't even ask.  Don't want to pry but I certainly would be interested in any additional information you could share. 

stebrn
i live in Canada - about 20 miles from the Paradigm factory.  i;ve waited for years to have a true high end loudspeaker company in my backyard.  Ive not heard everything - but gosh these 9H's have to be close to the TOTL Magico's ...for less than half price. 
FYI - when I was at my dealer, they corrected the speakers for the room (the speaker comes with microphone + software to program the onboard DSP). Using five separate measurements per speaker, the correction is almost 10 db of swing correction to address peaks at 40,80hz and trough at 60hz.   Look at this damn flat response!  I believe it when then say they are flat from 20hz to 20khz!

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/forum/download/file.php?id=51671&t=1

Regarding the deal ...I think most of if comes from accommodation for the CDN$/.USD$ exchange rate.  If Mr. Trump continues his shenanigans, i wont be able to afford anything from the USA.

Guys it is refreshing to see people agreeing with us on the performance envelope of the Personas, which we have been extolling for the last year since we got our display pairs and did the New York Audio Show with T+A gear and the Personas.

The entire line is very impressive and when setup correctly they are incredibily life like speakers with very holographic imaging. 

The Persona's can easily compete with most of the $60-70k loudspeakers out there. 

We have had a number of expensive ultra high performance loudspeakers over the years, from Scaena, Polymer Audio Research, and recently we tested the 9H vs a $120k pair of Kharmas, and these are all $60k plus loudspeakers, and none of these speakers were radically better different yes, but in terms of value for money, room tuning capability, ease of drive, reasonable size and weight it is very hard to beat what you get with the Personas.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

dmance, if you’re under 75 you’ll live to see the True North Brave and Free buck worth 10 times the Yankee dollar.
Or the Confederate one if they change the name .

I listened to the small Personas at The Audio Doctor's shop. I preferred them to the KEF1 speakers.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not knocking the 9H, I would love them just as anyone else, but all I am saying is that they could of easily had a 9H and 9F version (for less money).

If everything the dealer told me is correct (he seemed to know his stuff), the 7F is the "9F" as you’re describing (take the 9H speaker but with passive bass instead of the 9H powered bass). But for whatever reason Paradigm called it 7F instead of 9F (maybe to save the coveted "9" designation for their statement version with powered bass). 

I only had about an hour yesterday and spent the whole time listening to the 5F which was astounding in so many ways (Transparent audio cables and Meridian dac/pre/amp electronics). Perhaps a bit bright compared to "warm" sounding soft-dome speakers. But not bright in an etched or sibilant way... rather, open, extended, airy, and ultra-refined micro detail that never sounded harsh or irritating. Very listenable. I have a feeling this open/airy character may work well with my own Hegel amplifier (when tends to warm/neutral IMO... not a bright or edge SS sound at all) so once I save more $$ I plan to bring my own electronics to the store to do some serious listening.

I also look forward to hearing how close/far the 3F are in comparison (would love to hear the 7F which they don't have on display sadly as they go straight from the 5F to the 9H). And they also have KEF and Monitor Audio so i'll be able to hear some comparably-priced other brands that are also well regarded (would love to hear the Monitor Audio Platinum 300 IIs). 

I want bass (which the Persona 5Fs have... tight and musical... it's sublime), natural mids (which sounded to me like they could be better but I wonder how my own electronic gear might affect that), open/airy/detail (5Fs have to perfection). And one other thing I want are speakers with wide dispersion so they sound good playing even when you're in the other room or walking around or dancing... and the 5Fs do that well.

I will say that the imaging on the 5Fs was phenomenal... wide, tall, low, and deep. It was like 3D IMAX with some recordings... not only "height" in some cases, but sounds came from below... like I was in a stadium IMAX seat looking up *and* down at music that filled my field of vision... not just a left-right horizontal spread. And some recordings with depth were astonishing. For "effects" audiophile recordings (think Pink Floyd etc) they are superb. They also sounded great with Holy Cole female vocals... and her "don't smoke in bed" album sounded like I was in the presence of a performance rather than a recording.

One thing that wasn't ideal though (and I'm very curious to hear in the future how this may or may not change with room and electronics) was that sonic images were "larger than life". This included close-miked pop recordings but also was true for more traditionally mixed stereo vocal-recordings... the "IMAX" analogy works here too as it was like everything was magnified. Now, this was playing loudly. When turned low things sounded life-sized, but that's not typically how I listen personally... when turned up for slam/impact, the music got "larger", not just louder.

It's not bad per-se, just not something I've experienced before. I'm curious if others have heard this too with the personas or other speakers... basically the effect that when the louder they are played, the *larger* the soundstage images become... as if they are being magnified like a projector that's zooming to create an even larger image. It's intriguing and I think it may be because of the purity of the highs/mids that remain completely clear and distortion-free even as they are played loudly... all of the ease and detail is still there, and the brain probably sees this as "larger", not just "louder". 

Can't wait until I save some more $$ for a more in-depth audition with my own gear...

I know this is old.  I am interested in the bookshelf model and wanted to listen to them.  I found them in a local box store.  They had all models connected with anthem, but it was so disappointing listening to great speakers in an open show floor.  It was competing with loud gaming next door and store noise.  I listened for an hour but didn't really get to hear them. 

@sttt How big is the room you want put the new speakers? Any reason why you have considered the monitor and not the 3F (or any other small floor stander).

yyzsantabarbara  Persona B Speakers
I had this big long write up and I hit the back button accidentally lost all of it. I will keep this short. The room is 14 X 20, but has an entrance way, hallway and stairwell. Not easy to set up.

Anyway, the speakers sounded horrible when I first hooked them up. I almost crapped my pants after paying so much money for these things (used). Long story short, I had to change settings in my Amp (NAD T-777 V3). I was running stereo through a zone and that turned out to be a no no. I had to set a main output to stereo by creating a profile and assigning it to a preset, then assign that preset to the source; BluOS. That and adjusting speaker position changed everything.

NAD comes with BluOs which has a library of musical providers. I have been using Qbuz, Deezer and Tidal. They are free, so they may not be the 24 bit quality version.

I have been listening for a few days now and i love the speakers. I think these speakers take some time to get used to. They can be harsh, because they are so honest. These are the most honest speakers I have ever heard. They play it like it is, good or bad and the sound you get seems like the exact sound.

I have a story. A few years ago the wife and I went to the Walnut Valley Bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas. As we walked through the main thorough fair, there were two young boys who were 12 or 13 years old. They were both playing banjos. I am not a banjo fan unless its Bela Fleck, J.D Crowe or the like, but these two kids were amazingly good. They were trading licks and playing at amazing speeds.

While I was at home repositioning these new speakers and walking around the room, I walked right in front of one of the speakers when a banjo tune came on. It was so stark and realistic, the image of those two boys playing those banjos at Winfield jumped into my head. I hadn’t thought of that since we were actually at Winfield. The sound was so real, I was back in Winfield for a split second.


These speakers won’t be for everyone, but I’m sold. The clarity, the bass, the accurate sound which is completely honest of the recording is something I like. I think it takes some tuning to get it right. I also think different amplifiers may have a different affect on the sound. Not all will fit.

Stitt, BINGO!

You should hear them on way better gear, the Nad T777 is an excellent receiver we sell it but if you add a high performance intergrated amplifier into the mix your B's will really shine.

Many people don't like reality they like a candy colored version of it.

We are frequnetly at odds with other members because we preach the virtues of a system that sound musical but real, which is the sound of the Personas with a bit of softening, The NAD T777 is actually quite musical, if you listen to the same system with a Denon or Onykyo you wouldn't be so happy.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Persona and NAD dealers

driving the 7f with a Hegel h360 bass is excellent and the combination commands attention, so much information, music laid out. They really do make old tunes sound new.

The mere Made in Canada  will  make me give it a go .

The motorcycle industry is taking advantage of india wages and scale of economy so will audio? I wonder

I heard the Persona bookshelf speakers, and I was blown away, best sound I have ever heard. We were able to switch to some B&W 802d,s, and I know this is hard to believe, but the Persona were significantly smother and more transparent, a far better sound. I would love to hear the towers!!

Just like any team, the pieces  have to fit. When paired properly they are a fantastic speaker. Just have to have a basic understanding of what will work with them as far as electronics , wire and dac ( if digital). I love my 5fs in a 27x17x10 listening/chill room.  I have AKM dac. , Tube pre amp and very neutral wires.  Wonderful combo. 

Heard the 9H’s vs B&W802D3’s driven by McIntosh separates and it was obvious to me instantly, that the 802D3’s created a living breathing soundscape full of dynamics and atmosphere.  The Paradigms were analytical and devoid of any warmth at all...not organic sounding at all.  

I’ve been buying speakers used here and on usam to home demo for as long as I want with my equipment in my room. I figure once I get the pair that gets it the way I like it I can keep them or resell to get the finish I prefer. I can’t afford to choose a pair of speakers then go thru a dozen power amps just to find out the speakers will never sound like they did in the demo that I liked so much. All the new Metal drivers regardless of the brand sound very similar to me with more emphasis on speed and detail that can make them sound more like tools than musical instruments. The salon2 I had when paired with Mark Levinson was to die for, but once home with my gear they lost that midrange magic I bought them for.  The persona 7f shares that hyper detail the salon 2 has but the 7f here in my home is an easier load for my amp so I’m getting more bass which balances the presentation. There’s still more detail than “midrange bloom” if thats a thing, but they do make me want to keep listening so, for now I’m enjoying them.

I listened again and decided to buy the B&W802D3’s...just so much more realistic and dynamic compared to the Personas.

glad you found your speakers. I never heard a B&W demo I liked at all, they always sounded dull and lifeless, dark and uninvolving. Any other critical reviews I read about b&w are the opposite complaining about the peaky mids which just reinforces my belief that in home demos are the only way I can hear what a speaker will actually sound like. I think active dsp could be the exception since there’s less variables and the directivity can be managed(right?). 
We really can’t rely on other audiophiles approval for our own enjoyment, but forums can be valuable tools all the same.

Steve, you must have been in an alternate universe when you demo’d the B&W’s.

Hi Dave b. The b&w demos I’ve listened to just weren’t convincing too bad cause I was taken by the looks of the 802d xx. I’m one of those guys that liked kef over b&w and how either of them can be called‘British sound’ when they sound so different idk. So in my room the persona 7f sounds like a pair of high end kefs that actually has the bass sorted out. Here’s the thing, were on a persona thread right? I’m not on a b&w thread saying persona is better. One doesn’t have to be wrong for the other to be right.