PSB speakers: Comparable to Paradigm??? (1 Viewer)

[Kelly Scott Rickards]

What are your opinions on say the PSB Alpha series vs. Paradigm Performance series or (better yet) the PSB Image series vs the Paradigm Monitor series????
Paradigm seem to be a benchmark speaker brand and after (finally) hearing the superlative Studio 40s, I am convinced they are great speaker brand...
I am looking to get myself a set of Swans Divas speakers in the future but my sister-in-law and my father-in-laws best friend are both looking for a "Bang for the buck" 5.1 speaker system and I'm afraid a Diva/Paradigm reference setup might be a little to rich for their blood....
Would going from the entry-level PSBs (Image/Alpha) to a comparable entry-level Paradigm (Monitor/Performance) be step up, step down?
I have noticed Paradigm speakers are next to impossible to buy online and PSB seemed like the obvious alternative...
Any help is appreciated...
[Edited last by Kelly Scott Rickards on August 10, 2001 at 03:02 PM]

 

[Saurav]

I A/B'd the Paradigm Mini Monitors and the PSB Alphas (are you sure you are comparing the right model lines?) on the same system at a dealer. They were hooked up to the two sets of speaker outputs. I listened to them for about 1/2 an hour, and they were very very close. In the end I picked the Paradigm because it seemed "nicer" to me, but not in any way that I would be able to define easily.

 

[Kelly Scott Rickards]

I will be more specific..
Mains: PSB Image 2B vs. Paradigm Monitor 3
Center: PSB Image 9C vs. Paradigm CC-370
SurroundsSB Image 1B vs. Paradigm Mini-Monitor
Subwoofer: HSU VTF-2 in either system...
Thoughts?

 

[Randy G]

If 25% off of PSB interests you, send me a private email.
Regards

 

[Seungsoo Hwang]

To add to your confusion

, I did the same thing Saurav did, but I ended up with the PSB Alpha Bs. The Minis were more brighter than I had liked, and the price difference didn't justify the performance IMO. Listen for yourself.

 

[Bob Drugan]

I'll muddy the water -
Have you given any thought to the Edge Audio 5.1 system - for the $ this speaker system is hard to beat. I design & install systems and one of my customers was interested in these. We tried them out and they were excellent - we've installed them on 3 other jobs using both the 8 and 12 " subs. The people at Edge were very good to work with - ask for Kelli Sanford in Customer Service -they also have an excellent return policy.
Here's the site www.edgeaudio.com
Good luck,
Bob

 

[David Head]

I haven't listened to the Alphas, but I did compare PSB Image speakers with Paradigm Studio series and B&W 601s. You can read my thoughts here .
The 2B and 9C both use 6 1/2" woofers, while the 1B uses a 5 1/4" woofer. I chose to go with the 3LR, 8C and 1B combination because they all use the 5 1/4" woofer, which helps with a seemless soundstage. The 3LR and 8C are identical except for tweeter placement. I'd highly recommend them.
David
[Edited last by David Head on August 10, 2001 at 09:35 PM]

 

[Ryan Peddle]

I found the PSB Alpha series to be excellent on music. But I still prefer the crispness (brightness) of the Paradigm Monitor line. I own the Mon7v2s, CC370 and used to own the Mini Monitors. Your best bet is to take whoever the speakers are for and have them listen to them. Let them decide. I did three weeks of auditioning of Paradigm, PSB, Energy and DefTech before I settle on Paradigms.
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Oops, I dropped my eardrums.
Could you pick them up for me?
[Edited last by Ryan Peddle on August 10, 2001 at 05:44 PM]

 

[Scott H]

I consider PSB to be superior to Paradigm in any comparison of similar speakers..
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[David Susilo]

My studios are currently using six pairs of PSB alpha series.
We have auditioned B&W 300 series and Paradigm (can't remember the model). While B&W has wider image and the Paradigm has 'sweeter' sound, we still find that the PSB is the most accurate of them all (tested using our own materials utilizing MOSFET amps and 20bit 48Khz recording)
However, accurate sound may not be everybody's taste.
My suggestion is:
listen to them. Even if you like Bose... so what. Your money, your ears, your enjoyment. Don't let anybody else tell you otherwise.
hope it helps

 

[Kelly Scott Rickards]

Thanks to all....