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FS: GR Research Paradox 1 in natural oak finish (1 Viewer)

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
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2,174
Hi,

I don't think I need to say much about these speakers. If you're not familiar with them, please see the GR Research forum at www.harmonicdiscord.com, visit www.gr-research.com, and search the archives on www.audioasylum.com for more information. These are excellent speakers, period, and they've received glowing reviews by pretty much everyone who's heard them. My only reason for selling these is that I want to experiment with lower powered tube amplifiers, for which I need higher sensitivity speakers.

These speakers have been assembled by me, with the cabinets factory built and finished. I think this was one of the last (if not the last) cabinets that Danny sold in this finish. They are really well put together - all corners and edges are rounded, and the veneer is finished to a nice shine. The speakers have the series crossover, so I guess you could call them a Rev 2. They do not have the recent (in the last few months?) woofer and crossover changes. The cabinets have BlackHole5 inside.

Cosmetically these are near perfect. The only blemish I could find (please see pictures below) was some discoloration on the bottom, which seems to have been caused by the rubber on the top plate of my speaker stands (Standesign BB75AH adjustable metal stands, also for sale and will be listed soon, please email if interested). Other than that, these are in perfect condition, as you can see from the pictures (in the last photo, the black object on top of the right speaker is the camera's lens cap). The color differences are due to my camera trying to figure out the light conditions. The last picture was taken on a sunny day, and on my monitor that comes closest to the real color of these speakers.

Functionally these are flawless. All crossover components have been glued down to the BH5 so they won't come loose by themselves. I've run these speakers with the ASL Wave 8W tube amps, and in my 25'x15' room, they play loud enough for my tastes almost all the time. Cranking up Van Halen makes the amps run out of steam, but the speakers can take a lot more power than 8W.

I've shipped turntables before, so rest assured that the speakers will be packed carefully. My eBay ID is mr.ego, please feel free to verify my 100% positive feedback there.

Price: $475 o.b.o (S/H extra, buyer pays exact shipping charges, no handling/materials charge)

I'm sure anyone reading this knows that these speakers are no longer available, because Focal stopped production of the tweeter used in these speakers. Part of me wants to hold on to these until they become collector's items :) I paid ~$600 for the kit ($500 for the kit with pre-built cabinets, $50 for BH5 and ~$50 shipping), so my asking price is below my cost. I'd like to see them go to a good home though, so please email me if you're interested and we can negotiate. If you're in or around the San Francisco Bay Area and can come pick them up, I'll take the price down because then I won't have to pack them. I'm willing to deliver them within a reasonable distance too. I accept PayPal (from a bank account), money orders, checks (will be held until they clear) and cash (if you're picking them up in person).

And of course, feel free to email me with any questions you might have: [email protected]

Thanks for looking.

Saurav

Edit: Price reduced to $475

Pictures:







Edited to update image links and price.
 

Shawn Solar

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 12, 2001
Messages
763
Don't let the price fool you. I just bought a similar kit(av1+) to replace my paradigm studio 40's valued at about $800-$900. And have also seen them compared to speakers costing $2000. If I could afford them I would grab them myself.
 

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
2,174
Thanks. These speakers haven't been talked about a whole lot on HTF, but like I said, those who've heard them (or their brethren) know just how special they are. Congrats on your AV1+ purchase. I had Paradigm Mini Monitors before I built the Paradoxes, and the difference was quite staggering. The Studio series speakers are better than the Monitor series, of course, but even then I'm sure your AV1+ is quite an improvement over the 40s.

FWIW, I've heard the Dynaudio Audience 52s and Sonus Faber Concertinos (comparing bookshelves to bookshelves), and I think the Paradoxes sound better. As you said, these speakers have been compared to speakers in the $2K range. I don't have any first-hand experience with $2K bookshelves so I can't personally verify those comparisons, but comparisons have certainly been made, and the conclusions were very positive.
 

Shawn Solar

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 12, 2001
Messages
763
Actually I have not completed them:b but have been assured by Danny at Gr-research and also have heard comments from Brian Bunge that they prefered the sound over the paradigms. I think another member Martice had studio 100's which he switched for psb goldi's then replaced them with a set of danny's speakers and never looked backed.
 

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
2,174
Ah :) Well, be prepared for the sound to change over the first week or so, depending on how much play they get.
 

Michael R Price

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 22, 2001
Messages
1,591
Saurav, does this mean you're living with the HE12.1s with no problems? Has the midrange and treble improved to the level of the GR's with break-in?

Anyway, that's a great price for some great speakers, I would recommend anyone looking for high-quality small speakers to seriously consider these.
 

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
2,174
Has the midrange and treble improved to the level of the GR's with break-in?
No.

I plan to tweak the crossover a bit this summer, let's see how things turn out. I doubt the HE12.1s will ever sound as sweet as the Paradox 1s. For now, I'm happy to trade the sound quality for the increased dynamics. It's a totally different sound, which I'm enjoying.
 

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
2,174
OK, how about $500? That's less than what it cost just to get all the parts, and now the parts aren't even available :)
 

Saurav

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Messages
2,174
OK, these are still available. Lesson learnt - don't try to sell anything during tax time, many people will agree to buy it and then back out :)

Price is now $475.
 

Joe Hsu

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 2, 2001
Messages
812
damn, i didn't know these speakers were that great! I was all pumped to upgrade to Studio 40s soon, and then I read all this stuff...

Stop making me doubt myself, or at least someone sell another pair! :)
 

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