Paradigm Studio 20 v.3 versus B&K DM602 S3 (1 Viewer)

[Seth=L]

Between these two speakers I am torn. I have not had the chance to audition these in the same room or the same building for that matter. I am just curious if anyone has had the opportunity and would care to share their opinion on these two speakers.

Thank you in advance
Seth=L

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Hi Seth - I've auditionned the B&W DM602 S3's, but ended up purchasing Monitor Audio Bronze Series over the DM602's. I've got Monitor Audio B2 fronts, B Centre, and B1 surrounds. Monitor Audio are very comparable to the B&W's, and you won't have to pay a premium for the B&W brand name.

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speak...4_4290crx.aspx

But then again I'm Canadian, so I can't help but support Paradigm. Previously owned Paradigm Monitor Series and I was very happy with their quality.

 

[Seth=L]

Thank you for that info. I have never had a chance to listen to any monitor Audio speakers period but if they are good it is worth looking into.

Seth=L

 

[ryan.p]

Seth I own the Studio 20 v.3's and before I bought them did a lot of auditioning to most of the Paradigm speakers. I also got to do a direct comparison on more than one occasion of the Studio 20's to the 602S3's. They are both excellent performers BUT worlds apart in how they sound. The 602's are much more polite if you will and has a lushy sound to them. The Studio 20's are much more articulate sounding in the upper midbass region and is a more agressive speaker to the extent of being a bit forward. The 602's are not nearly as articulate in the upper midbass and in fact sounds a bit bloated. The tweeter on the 602's is bit more laid back but kinda sounded a bit grainy. IMHO, the Studio 20's are a much more better balanced speaker and much more articulate and punchy sounding. Therefore, I bought the Studio 20's and have NEVER regretted it. Hope this helped. Happy hunting.

 

[John Garcia]

You would probably have to compare the CM or 700 series to get a comparable speaker to the 20s. The 602s aren't quite in the same league as the 20s, however that doesn't mean you wouldn't be happy with the 602s. I agree with ryan on all but one point - the tweeter. I don't find the tweeter laid back on the B&Ws at all, and I find the Studio's tweeters to be a bit too bright, especially during longer listening sessions - this comes down to personal preference. The Studio's midrange and bass are more "lively" or punchy as ryan said.

 

[Blaine_M]

Build a pair of these, they sound better than the DM602's in my opinion...

http://www.gr-research.com/kits/av1.htm

 

[John Garcia]

They sound better than the 20s too, IMHO. My main setup is 5X A/V-2s

 

[Blaine_M]

Yes, John is the one who talked me into building the A/V-3 pair that I built. I suggested the A/V-1 because it is a nice bookshelf that is simple to build, sounds great. Built a pair for a friend when I built the A/V-3...

http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/i/f/1141859475.jpg

 

[Seth=L]

Thank you for all the help guys. The Criterions seem like a really good deal. The only problem is that I'm not a very good craftsman and due to recent financial issue am unable to do anything. But maybe in the future, near future I hope I will be able to upgrade from my current best PSB century 600i's.

Thanx again,

Seth=L

 

[John Garcia]

They don't make the Criterions anymore, though I think you can still get them from Salk. The A/V-1 is uses the soft dome tweeter vs the ribbon (and a different midbass), and they are excellent speakers. You can buy them completely built for $750/pr.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I agree 100% The 600 series is in line with the Paradigm Monitor series. I actually preferred the Monitors over the B&W 600 series for my tastes. The 700 series would be comparable to the Studio series. Again, very different, and both are excellent. Depends on your tastes. I ended up listening to some Dynaudios when comparing these (and some other things that I really didn't like) and the dynaudios wiped the floor with both of them for my listening preferences.

 

[John Garcia]

I listened to some Dynaudio Countours not too long ago and I was pretty impressed with them too.