Paradigm Studio 20 or 60 and what about Surrounds? (1 Viewer)

[Steve Wambach]

This is a two part question. Please bear with me
I've decided on a Paradigm solution for my home theater and I've narrowed the mains down to either Studio 60's or 20's. These would be paired with a 2200 sub. I would use this setup for 60/40 movie/music listening. I was interested in the 60's bacause I wanted to set them as large through a Denon 3801. The 20's would most likely have to be paired with the sub. I realize that the 60's don't extend down as fas as the 20/2200 combo but I thought that the 60's would be superior for 2 channel listening. I guess the big question is what is "better," a lower bass extension or a "full range" solution.
The second part are the surrounds. I'd like to use 20's over the ADP's because of DVD-Audio, etc. My speaker cables come in though the ceiling by the walls and the previous surrounds were mounted to the wall about 7 feet off the floor. I know that people have placed the 20's on stands but that is not practical for me so I'd like to either mount them on the wall or install shelves and place the surrounds on them. Since the 20's are rear ported, I don't know if this would work.
Well, I've said enough. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[John Garcia]

Backwards;
Part 2: If you use 20s as rears, and run them as small, then wall mounting them should not be a huge issue. My preference would still be to have them on stands, away from the walls.
Part 1: If you plan to run a sub all the time, then there is no need for the 60s, and having the same fronts and rears would make things very ballanced. For 2 ch music, I would definitely say 60s, with or without the sub, then you could turn off the sub for music (which is what I often do). You say 60% movies, but you could still run the 60s as large with a sub and have good results. This one really depends on your listening habits / preferences.
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All progress is based upon a universal, innate desire on the part of every organism,
to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)
[Edited last by John Garcia on September 17, 2001 at 06:27 PM]

 

[DustinDavis]

Steve,
I think even if you got the 60s you would be well-served with a sub when it comes to movie-watching. I can't imagine movies without a good subwoofer, it's just not right.
If you are OK with that assertion, perhaps a compromise would work for you? I guess you must have already figured some numbers that led you to believe that a 20/2200 combo was the same price as just 60s, but have you tried the Studio 40s? You could save the money on the 60s and get a pair of 40s for mains, 2200 sub, and 20s for rears. I have this combination right now (along with a Studio CC). IMO it's great. Yeah, you give a little on music but you sure gain a lot on movies, and you won't be without the sub on movies. Just something to consider.
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Dustin A. Davis '94
Dustin Davis for Dummies : My HT : Link Removed
"But they are useless. They can only give you answers." - Pablo Picasso on computers
[Edited last by DustinDavis on September 17, 2001 at 07:24 PM]

 

[John Cain]

The problem with wall mounting the 20's is they are rear ported, and sound like crap when pushed up against a wall.
You can get a plug for the rear port but you will lose an octave and a half on the bottom end.
I'd still take a long look at the ADP's. THX Still says dipoles for the sides, but now they say direct for rear in a 7.1 set-up.
Good luck,
-- John
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[Steve Wambach]

First, let me thank everyone for the info. There's a few things that I would like to clear up. The 2200 would be part of both configurations. The difference would be getting the 60's and setting them as large or getting 20's as smalls with the sub. The sub would only be doing LFE with the 60's. Considering the $500 price difference, 60's vs 20's, I'm trying to see if it's worth it.
What would be the minimum distance that the 20's would have to be away from the wall? I thought they were "shelf speakers."
Thanks again,
Steve

 

[Dustin B]

Why not take that $500 you are thinking about for the 60s and upgrade the pw2200 to a servo15? Mate that with the 20s or possibly the 40s and you should be a happy camper with both music and movies.
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Dustin
[email protected]
My Adire Tempest Sonosub

 

[John Cain]

Hi Steve.
Paradigm recommends at least 18 inches from any rear wall.
Now like I mentioned you can buy a port plug from Paradigm when you get the speakers, and then it can sit very close to the rear wall. And since you plan to use it as a "small" speaker anyway it will make no difference to you to lost the bottom 1 1/2 octave anyway.
-- John
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[John Garcia]

I didn't ask either, but was there a reason why the 40s were not considered? A fellow enthusiast has the 40s and I think they are quite impressive.

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All progress is based upon a universal, innate desire on the part of every organism,
to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)

 

[DustinDavis]

John,
I think the reason for that is that I misunderstood the original proposal. If he's got budget room for the 60s AND a 2200, I think the idea is you may as well go that route.
That said, if you feel the 20s and a 2200 would suffice--you'd be very, very happy with a pair of 40s and a 2200.
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Dustin A. Davis '94
Dustin Davis for Dummies : My HT : Link Removed
"But they are useless. They can only give you answers." - Pablo Picasso on computers

 

[John Garcia]

If he's got budget room for the 60s AND a 2200, I think the idea is you may as well go that route.

No doubt.

 

[Mike L-field]

I use the Studio 20/PW 2200 in my bedroom for music only. The set up is superb. The 20's are capable of playing everything down to my 80 Hz crossover setting with no problem whatever. The 2200 compliments them wonderfully. Based on my listening preferences, and my experience with this setup I say Go with the Studio 20 and save some money. Keep the sub playing for music and HT. I don't know why you would want to turn the sub off for music. If adjusted/placed carefully it can blend seamlessly with the 20s. I also have the Studio 40's used as mains and mated to a Servo-15 in my main HT/music setup. The 40s are also very very good speakers, Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll enjoy.
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[Yohan Pamudji]

I would say go with the 60/2200 combo, especially if you're picky about your music. I am, and I have a Paradigm Monitor 9 (floor standing) with a 2200. For 2 channel music I turn off the 2200 because it gets "confused" with fast bass lines, i.e., the bass starts running together, lags, and turns to mush. I don't know how much bass the 60 puts out, but the Monitor 9 puts out more than enough for music. For movies the 2200 is incredible! It shakes everything in my living room, including the room! Definitely go with the 60/2200.
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This screen has been formatted to fit your movie.

 

[Steve Wambach]

Dustin/John
When I origially went to the dealer, I was looking into a 60/2200 combination. The dealer suggested a 20/2200 solution because "they would pretty much be the same since they both would have the same crossover point." He also suggested B&W WP1 surrounds. I didn't want to mix B&W and Paradigm and it looked like the WP1's were designed for outdoor use. So it looks like a have a few combinations to choose from:
20's+20's+2200
20's+20's+Servo15
60's+20's+2200
40's+20's+2200
Mounting the surrounds would be another challenge. I could plug the ports or look into the ADP solution again. Since I anticipate alot of DVD-A, SACD, etc, I don't know how the ADP's would sound. The dealer didn't have any set up to audition. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again,
Steve

 

[Rick Radford]

I vote for Studio 40/20 and either the Servo-15 or SVS 20-39 series.
Check this: http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/003524.html
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--RR

 

[Ed C]

I'm currently struggling with similar choices:
Studio 40 or 60 fronts
Studio CC center
Studio 20 rears
SVS 20-39CS Sub.
Based on what I've been reading, I'm inclined to go with the Studio 40's however I still have some listening to do before I decide.

 

[Alan Wild]

Given the two original choices I would go with the 60's and run the small and use 20's for surrounds.
That's basically what I do today. I have 20's for surrounds, a PW2200 for a sub. My main's are actually Studio 100's, but I even run them small most of the time.
Occasionally, I switch the 100's over to large for some 2 channel music, but more often then not I run all my speakers small.
-Alan

 

[Ed C]

That's basically what I do today. I have 20's for surrounds, a PW2200 for a sub. My main's are actually Studio 100's, but I even run them small most of the time.

In this case, would the Studio 100's sound any different from Studio 40's or 60's given a common cross-over at 80Hz between small and large settings?
[Edited last by Ed C on September 23, 2001 at 10:10 PM]

 

[Luke_Y]

Quote--
"In this case, would the Studio 100's sound any different from Studio 40's or 60's given a common cross-over at 80Hz between small and large settings?"
I was kind of wondering the same thing.
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Luke

 

[John Cain]

Me 2...
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