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Something wrong with the Studio 100 v.2?

Through many listening secessions over the last 5 months, I've tried very hard to love the Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v.2. But the sound I heard did not align with much of the articulate and glowing praise found here on Audiogon. Nonetheless, I was determined to buy a used pair here on Audiogon, but couldn't find a realistic deal (shipping is usually a killer). You may be wondering why would I buy 100’s if the sound were unsatisfactory? Simply, I'm unwilling to spend the money required to buy a full-range speaker like the Natilus 804 or Proac 2.5, both of which I've listened to extensively and like very much. Also, I have a 6-month-old daughter and don't want to be paranoid about her banging into $3500-$4500 speakers when she begins to walk about.

So I went back to the dealer yesterday determined to buy a new pair of 100 v.2. But after listening to a variety of material for about an hour, I was again disappointed. What I heard was booming, bloated, poorly controlled bass and a compressed sound stage (front-to-back). And after about 45 minutes, serious listener fatigue crept in as well!

Here's my question: Is something wrong with my dealer's setup? If not, am I being totally unrealistic in my expectations of the 100's? What am I missing here? Are my ears broken? Help!

Here's the dealer's current setup: Denon DVD-3800 (also used Sony 9000ES), Anthem AVM 20 v2.08, Anthem MCA 50, Audioquest Coral or Anaconda (couldn't quite see), unknown speaker cables.
horn_blower

Showing 2 responses by sean

sean
6,231 posts
 
Glad you found something that you liked but didn't you end up spending more than planned ? Sean
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sean
6,231 posts
 
I can't say that i listened to these speakers under ideal conditions, but i found them to sound somewhat "jumbled" and less than articulate. By "jumbled", it was as if all of the notes being played were dumped into the speaker box, mixed up and then spit out in clumps. There was no real separation of notes or instruments, imaging was lacking and i recall a lack of "crispness" and "air" to the overall presentation. I listened to the Paradigm's at the same time i heard several different JM Labs products. While the JM Labs were far more articulate sounding, all three models that i listened to had a very "woody" or "resonant box" quality that made female vocals sound completely wrong.

Other than that, my impressions of the Studio 100v.2 were that it would work best for rock music at high levels. In order to hit those high levels and do it reasonably well, i think that you would have to have a very sizable amount of power. If this does not sound like something that will interest you, then you should probably move on. From what you've already told us, i think that you already know this deep down inside but just don't know where else to turn. Here's one hint though: trust your ears and your gut instinct. Both are trying to tell you something that you don't want to ignore. Sean
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PS What kind of music do you like, what gear are you using, etc ????
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