i've auditioned both the psbs and the paradigms, though not side-by-side; they're actually very similar in presentation--lively-but-neutral, very well balanced throughout the spectrum, extremely detailed high end. my sense was the psbs had a bit more low end energy; the pardigms were definitely less sensitive to placement and sounded just as good near wall. for me, it's a coin flip--they're both great speakers and you won't go wrong with either. in the same price range, i'd also consider vmps rm-30, von schweikert vr4jr, revel f32/52 and proac response; if you're buying used you'll also find totem wind and various tylers.