What is next after Paradigm Studio S-40

I haven't heard the 12L, but if it's a better than the nice 11L, and has a great midband than I certainly agree with Phasecorrect, as the 11L is almost as good as the Spendor S3/5 in many ways.

Kinima G4 from Zetagcorp.

I would put the Quad 12L in the same breath as SPendor and Revel monitors...not as dark or forgiving as Spendors...more in common with the uncolored, high definition sound of Revel...but a very open, coherent, and dynamic midrange...and less than half the price...Quad 11Ls are very nice for smaller rooms...I would also agree with Subaruguru...if you are going to upgrade...might as well do it right

The Paradigms' failings to me are always about an inherently second-class midrange. Top octaves can be tamed with positioning and room treatment, and bottom octave is a function of that plus the size you buy. No quarrel with Paradigm's bang-for-the-buck bottom end, as MDF is essentially free in Canada, and they make good woofers.
I started my search a few years ago with the 20 and 40, and quickly became enamored of better midrange drivers, especially when care in pair-matching is well-performed.
For under $2k the two favorites of mine are the Spendor S3/1p for a warmer spectral tilt (casual listening, lively room, FM and HT...and women!), or the Revel M20 for a more linear, high-rez spectral tilrt that demands better components. At paradigm's price-point they just cannot pair-match and still give you that much bass, and again , their forte is NOT a super-pure midband like Spendor, Harbeth, Revel, and a few others I'm sure other guys will mention. Depends what you want. Rock the house? The Studio 100. Sublime tonal honesty? Look elsewhere....

Try Studio 100..Paradigm is really good..if you have better electronics they get better all the time..also it depends on how much money you have..VMPS RM-40 is also good but more expensive than the Studio 100..

Martin Logans!
Happy Listening

The "zingy" highs can be easily cured with a good amp. I have heard harsh highs from the 100.2s before but mine are sublime - more perfect than I could have hoped for actually. Called dumb luck - the deciding factor in audio ;). Arthur

I would have to agree...the studios are hard to surpass...let alone for the money...they are surprisingly transparent...I would suggest Maggies with the Bryston which my dealer has and is a killer combo...but if you already have stands with the studio 40s...I would suggest sticking with a full range monitor...the only real weakness of the Paradigms is their treble can come across a bit "hot" for my tastes...for a smoother presentation...Quad 12L, Von Shiekwert vr-1, Reference 3a di Cappos....etc...all use fabric tweeters...and avoid the "zingy" sound of metallic tweets...

Definately try the Studio 100.2s if you have the room. I am simply amazed by them - best purchase ever in terms of quality of sound and value in my system. I cannot get enough of them. BTW, I wouldn't wait for the MUCH more expensive new versions. Good luck! Arthur

The paradigm studio 40s are great speakers, and I suspect you'll have to move up quite a bit to better them. I recently upgraded from a pair of them to a pair of Tyler Acoustics Linbrook monitors. This was indeed an improvement in the areas you mention but not as huge a difference as one might expect. Still, the more I listen to the linbrooks, the better I like them so I do recommend that you check them out. BTW, I've always used a sub with both the paradigms and the linbrooks which does help them out considerably.

I would move up to the paradigm studio 60's 80's or 100's. 60's would give you a bit more bass due to the size of the cabnet

the bryston/paradigm combo is a perfect match....i would play around with the front end cd player.