Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 vs, v.4

Hi Bob,

I have a Denon AVR 3805 - that about it, starting to build a system, you like the 60's better then 100's

I though since the 100's we the next step up they would be a better set of speakers?

Gregg: In what size of a room will you be setting up this system? Are you a rocker...or do you prefer a jazz trio? Bob makes some good points about bang for the buck but please tell us more about your preferences. I had a set of 100 V3s about 4 years back and they did some things very well...but speakers are like fine wine...each has it's set of virtues at the cost of some other characteristic(s). Your first set of serious speakers in this hobby will suck you in and make you happy; deciding which ones to buy five years from now will drive you crazy. Have I gone over the edge?

Mdrummer makes a good point about room size. With their considerable bass output the 100s could easily overload a room that's not big enough. Also, you'll need to sit a good way back from the speakers so the sound from the multiple drivers integrates properly.

Getting a good deal isn't everything. Much more important to get speakers that will mesh well with your room. I liked the 100 v3s quite a bit when I had them in my system. I found they had a very full midrange but overall were a very good speaker. I think you could do a lot worse than starting with the Studio series -- just make sure you don't overdo it.

Just realized I answered this purely from a 2-channel audio perspective since we're not in the home theater forum area. Considering this looks like it'll also be used for home theater I think the idea of mating 60s with a sub makes a lot of sense (you'll need a sub for HT anyway, regardless of which model you choose). You could get the 60s (or maybe even the 40s or 20s) and something like a Hsu STF2 subwoofer and potentially be much better off overall. You'll have deeper and even more impactful bass for movies and probably a better and more full-range bottom-end foundation for music as well. Plus you get the flexibility to place the sub where bass can be optimized for your room -- something you can't do with tower speakers alone.

I'd let your budget determine which version to purchase. Yes the v4s probably offer some improvements, but I highly doubt you'd be unhappy with v3 or even v2, and if it allows for less financial stress or even a better subwoofer you might be better off. I'm thinking for the same money as the 100s you could do the 40s with something like an SVS sub or 2 Hsu subs (if room allows) and have some pretty serious full-range performance for both music and movies. The possibilities are endless, and maddening.

Best of luck.

Hey all:

Thanks very much. I have a very lage room. But even so I'm never going to play them LOUD. So from the threads it looks like V.3 will good enough.

How much better would the sound quality be on the 100's with a good sub Vs. the 60's.

Thanks again

I assume you mean the 100s vs. the 60s with a good sub? I'd say if you're using a sub you could save yourself even more dough by going to the 40s. Anyway, since the 40s, 60s, and 100s probably sound quite similar from the lower midrange on up, I would think a good sub properly dialed in would give you a better foundation for music and movies than the 100s. There are a lot of variables in there, but not many speakers can produce the bass a decent sub can, and that includes the 100s. And you don't necessarily need to play music/movies loud to hear the difference. Good, deep, tight bass can improve what you hear throughout the frequency spectrum even at lower volumes, and using a sub also frees your Denon up to use all its power for the critical mid/treble range that may also improve overall sound quality.

If it were me an I had a very large room and was on a budget, I'd go with the 40s and a very good sub or two good subs. Of course you could also do the 100s and add a sub or two later. Like I said before, the possiblities go on and on...

Are you using these for home theater or for music only? If for using them even partially for HT you're going to want a sub anyway, so I'd go for the 60's and a sub; or since you can get the 100v.3 for the same price, I'd probably get those and a sub. I have the 60's (v.2) in my HT setup and they're great speakers. I cross them over at 80hz and use a sub for the low frequencies. If you were to use your's the same way, the 100's may be overkill as Bob R. points out.

I have the 60s ver 3. I listened to the ver 4s and didn't hear a big difference. I assume that the 100s are the same way. I am not sure how much power your amp has. The 100s (and even the 60s to an extent) are power hogs and won't work with most recievers without a seperate amp. My 60s worked just fine with a pioneer elite 100x7 watt reciever but heard vast benefits when I upgraded to a seperate rotel 200x2 watt amp. For HT I think the 60s with even a basic sub would sound better than 100s. For 2 channel music I would like the 100s V3 with a $500 amp over the 60s + sub. I personally don't think its worth it to spend extra money on the V.4s but V.5 is a different story...

I liked the series 3 over the series 4(owned the 100v.2 v.3 and heard demo of v.4) And I think Paradigm makes some great stuff, despite some bad reviews on this site. The fact is Paradigm speakers can be a litle harsh with the wrong equipment. Regardless of what you may have heard, the 100 v.3's are very revealing, they will really let the garbage recordings come through. More then lots of more expensive speakers Ive owned. Personally, Id find some warm equipment to tame the tweeter, and you will be in hi end heaven. I would go for the 100 v.3's with a sub. I know most say its overkill, but I just find it sounds better even crossed over(and can be crossed over lower!) and also by the time you buy nice stands, how much have you really saved? If you have the room, go with 4qty studio 100's and you wont believe your home theater and muti channel audio sound.

I agree with most the comments here, especially those concerning the differences between the 40's, 60's and 100's. When I was originally putting together a two-channel/home theater system I auditioned the 60's and really wanted to go that direction. I ended up with the 40's - they had 95% of the 60's performance at about 67% of their price. I never regretted my decision. I used them with a Servo-15a sub and the combo was dynamic for both music and movies. I sold the 40's a couple of years ago when we moved and could not fit them in our new family room cabinets. I now use 20 v.3's in the home theater and a pair of 100 v.4's in a dedicated two-channel system. I've never noticed a big difference between the v.2's, v.3's or v.4's. They are all great speakers. The 100's work great without a sub for two-channel. For a home theater/two-channel combo you will not go wrong with any from the 100's all the way "down" to the 20's.