Paradigm Studio 60 or B&W DM603 S3? (1 Viewer)

[JustinP]

I'm about ready to begin to upgrade my current speaker setup by selling the Bose AM6 I currently own and replacing them initially with some quality mains. I've basically limited my choices down to either the Paradigm Studio 60 (although I've heard many people have a preference for the 40's) and the B&W DM603 S3. I'm planning on eventually purchasing a sub, center, and rear channels, but my budget dictates that I'll have to wait on those for quite some time. I'll be powering the new mains with my old receiver, a Yamaha RXV595 (70Wx5). Currently, I use my speaker for about a 60/40 ratio of music to HT. I've had the opportunity to listen to the Studio 40 in a showroom and was very impressed with the performance, but I thought I'd ask for some opinions from the forum.

Thanks,

Justin

 

[Ned]

Both are good buys in this price class but they have different "sound". Don't rush into the purchase though since you'll be using just the mains for awhile. Make sure you like the center and surround speakers that go with the respective speakers and if possible checkout some other brands to get a better idea of what's available. Your receiver will run any of these fairly well even without a subwoofer.

 

[Bob Cal]

Like Ned said don't rush into anything and listen. I just purchased the Studio 60's after going back and forth betweeen the Studio 40's and Studio 60's. Both were the same price once you purchased the stands for the 40's. I must say it was a hard decision. I like the open sound of the 40's and there was a noticeable difference between the 40's and the 60's. I went back to the dealer a few times before I settled on the 60's as I found it more suited to my listening taste. It was only a personal preference, and I am sure I would have been happy with the 40's as well. I listened to a number of my own cd's that I was farmaliar with and this is when I settled on the 60's.

The dealer said they sell 3 times as many 40's as 60's.

Take your time and bring in some of your music. I am also in the process of upgrading my receiver, so I got the dealer to play the 40's and 60's through the Denon receiver that I most likely will be purchasing later.

Anyway good luck.

 

[JohnThompson]

FYI - Many (myself included) prefer the 602 s3 to the 603 s3. The 602, although a bookshelf, has the larger midrange (the one in the 604 s3), and it makes a HUGE difference. You will probably want to consider a sub if you go with the 602.