I have decided to go with Paradigm Speakers..... (1 Viewer)

[LanceJ]

Infinitys can be a bit too precise for some people, but only you can decide for yourself if you like them. FYI: my center channel is made by Infinity.

I would say Bostons are a more "fun" speaker to listen to, while the Infinitys make for a more "no nonsense" experience.

Keeping in mind I pick out speakers for myself based more on music playback than for HT use.....Bostons would be fine for HT use, but compared to speakers with more bass punch and brighter high frequencies (like Klipsch, Cerwin-Vega, certain Athenas) they aren't quite as exciting. But then again if you're like me, I don't want my ears to be worn out at the end of the movie either.

On an unfortunate note: Tweeter stopped selling Bostons so I'm not sure where you can go to hear them; Infinity's Primus and Beta series are both sold at Circuit City, so that should make it easy for that brand anyway.

FYI: I've said this before but it still happens a lot so...: if any speaker you audition seems to sound REALLY bad i.e there is no center phantom image (for stereo), the highs seems to change drastically with only small changes in listening position, or especially, its bass output seems very weak even if it has a 12" woofer, make sure the speakers are wired in phase. More and more employees at the larger retailers these days know less and less about their audio gear (their employer's fault) and wiring mistakes are very common now. And don't just trust the wire's polarity stripes or raised-ridge thingy either, because the wire could be reversed at the *receiver* end. If you suspect an out-of-phase condition, reverse the +/- leads on ONE speaker only. Or if the salesperson can't touch things like this (some stores don't allow salespeople to do such things anymore ), turn the receiver's balance control all the way over to one speaker: if the bass improves, then there is a 99.9% chance something isn't wired correctly.

 

[Blaine_M]

Trevor,

If you are very handy you could build your own. I built a pair of GR Research AV-3's that sound excellent, better than B&W's and Paradigms that cost much more........I do live in the DM area, if interested you could probably listen to my AV-3's. You are going to get a lot of different opinions on this site, but my opinion is the Studio series Paradigms are head and shoulders above the Bostons....

Blaine

 

[trevorDO]

Blaine,
I'm that handy to make my own speakers, I wish I were tough. It would be a good idea and save on money. I sure would like to listen to your speakers sometime. You name a time that works for you. Also Are the Boston VR 2 r 3's better than the Paradigm Monitor 7's?

Trevor

 

[LanceJ]

Trevor, you might want to clarify what you mean when you ask about a speaker being "better". Better is a rather ambiguous term because:

Some people won't listen to anything but electrostatic speakers because they think they are the better way to reproduce sound.

Some people will own nothing but speakers that use horns, because - of course - horns are the better way.

Some people will absolutely not own speakers that use a tweeter with a metal dome.....because soft-dome & ribbon tweeters are most definitely THE better tweeters

But for me: all the electrostatics I've heard do not reproduce rock/pop very well at all; I like most horn-loaded designs as long as they aren't too forward sounding; there are definitely some ugly sounding metal domes out there, but there are many good ones too.....from *my* point of view.

You really, really to go out and listen to speakers yourself, ANY speakers at this point, to get an idea of what's out there.

A rough rule of thumb just to give you some perspective: using a two-way bookshelf speaker with a 6.5" woofer as a common example, I would say that if you spend at least $300 on a pair of these (from any manufacturer), you won't be disappointed. These days there really just isn't any truly bad sounding ones in that price range because all the major research and development for "basic" good sound already took place decades ago (ask anyone who owns the B&W 801s sold in the early 80s or Acoustic Research AR3s from the 1970s). Nowadays it seems its mostly just subtle refinements and of course, each manufacturer's own *opinion* on what music/movies should sound like. This last part is what you need to listen for so you can decide what YOU like.

 

[Blaine_M]

Trevor,

If it's not an option for you to build them then I'd say it's probably not worth your time to listen to them, but that's up to you I guess. I agree with what Lance is saying. Really in the end it comes down to what you like and want. My first speakers I bought because I thought they sounded 'better', but as I learned more I realized they really colored the sound and weren't very good speakers, even though I thought at one time they were. Now I try to find as nuetral sounding speaker as I can. I have my first speakers without a metal tweeter, as Lance says above, I'm one of the people who arent' sure I'll go back to a metal tweeter.

Anyway, you'll have to decide in the end! If you really want to hear the AV-3's let me know, but as I said, it it's not an option for you to build I'm not sure it is worth your time.

 

[Blaine_M]

Trevor,

Go back into Audio Labs (assuming that's where you've been checking out the Paradigms). Talk to Lew, might want to call and make sure he's there before you go though. He's a good guy, talk to him about the differences. You might be correct on the Studio 40's vs the 60's, I have read that a lot of people say the 40's are the best of that line.

 

[trevorDO]

Blaine,
The problem with the 40's, I don't want bookshelf speakers, I want a tower and the 60's had to much bass and mids for me. And if I did get the 40's and the stands then I might as well have gotten the 60's. The Premier stand are $300 alone, although they are sweet looking stands.
Is Lew the guy with the pony tail?

 

[Blaine_M]

Just because they are more of a bookshelf speaker doesn't mean that you aren't getting as much of a speaker. Some people like bookshelf's better. You can get very nice stands for way cheaper than the stands in there. Check out these at PartsExpress.com...(just make sure you fill whatever you get with sand or lead)

Stands

They have a lot of other stands as well.....Free shipping also. I was very close to buying a pair of Studio 20's before I decided to build my AV-3's.

 

[AlanZ]

Trevor: The bass in the 60s can be tamed by pulling them out away from the wall a little more and/or making sure the spikes are the right fit for those speakers. I actually prefer the 40's myself, even with the expense of the stands, mainly because I feel they do a better disappearing act. It's just a personal preference. They are both good speakers, though. I've owned the 20's, 100's, and the center speaker.

 

[Blaine_M]

Are the 100's out of your price range Trevor? Actually what is your budget? You can get a pair of AV-3's built for $1500, not sure what shipping would be though... go to this web site and click on GR Research on the left, scroll down and you'll see the AV-3. The prices are listed in Canadian dollars, US price is around $1450....

http://www.rawacoustics.com/

 

[trevorDO]

I'm not sure what there price range is, but I'm sure they are.

 

[Blaine_M]

Well, I've given all the input I can......good luck with your decision......give the AV-3's some consideration.

 

[ChrisHeflen]

Trevor,
You really need to get the Studios in your house, as well as the Mon.7's. or for that matter any other speaker you are interested in.
I had Mon. 7's and loved them (actually they were Mk7se3's). I was really happy with them, but wanted to "move up" so I brought home a demo pair of 60's home and actually perferred the 7's in my room, even though in the store the 60's would wipe the floor with the them. In MY room the 7's seemed more open and airy sounding, BUT the 60's had way more bass and were a more capapble speaker that I really needed to move around the room and experiment with. I finally found a good balance and ended up keeping them. My point? The 60's, I think, are a more capable speaker and they react with my room more and differently than the Mon. 7's. Your dealer should let you take them both home so you can figure them out. They both are good speakers. Then if your not happy with either, move on to the next brand. Nothing is gonna affect your sound more than your room. No speaker will sound the same in every room. The 60's would however benefit from more power however, so maybe the 40's would be the better choice. Don't get hung up on "they're only bookshelves". Alot of bookshelves can put towers to shame. (excl. bass)
Trevor, take your time, get the speakers in YOUR room and get what YOU like, not what you think you should or are told you should like.

 

[mackie]

Yeah, don't get hung up on the floor-standers. With bookshelves and good sub, it can actually be easier to get better sound - better balance and flatter frequency response. The best placement for bass is not the same as the best placement for mids and highs. Also, if you use a crossover, you're not using the floor-stander's full frequency response, and IMO it is absolutely necessary to have a sub if your system is used for HT.

Unless you spend a lot of cash on room treatments, it'll be hard to remedy any problems with bass performance if you use floor-standers.

Also, a Hsu sub will outperform any but the most expensive floor-standers in HT in the bass department. The 100's can play down to the low 20s but they don't have anywhere near the output of a good sub.