Question about Paradigms (1 Viewer)

[Nathan J]

Ok, I can get these speakers at these prices.....But I am not sure what to compare the prices to. Where do you guys buy Paradigm from??

Here are the prices:
Studio 20's $499
Micro's $134
Titan's $184

Are these a good deal?

 

[Chas_T]

Nathan,

Paradigm is sold through a controlled dealer network. There may be a few of them in your area, so it pays to shop around if you have this luxury. If you buy online, be cautious of warranty issues if this is a concern.

Living in Buffalo, how close is Canada?? Many people on this site make the drive and save a considerable amount of money by going across the border.

 

[Dan KW]

I spent 600 on my studio 20's. 499 is a good price IMO.

 

[Paul Bryan]

I was quoted ~$500 canadian for 20's... I bought 60's for $1200 CDN or ~$800 US (plus you get all your taxes back)... my closest US dealer wanted $1200 US for the 60's... Moral of the story... Make a road trip to Canada. You can beat just about any US price...

Paradigm has a dealer in St. Catherines, ON, just west of Niagara Falls...

--Paul

 

[Zak Ruck]

$490 for a pair of 20's is a very good price. The best price I can find near me is $590. IMHO, I don't think there is much in the price range that can compair to the Paradigm Studio's. Go for it, or take a drive over to Canada and pick up a pair over there. I wish I lived closer to Canada to get the great prices on them.

 

[Nathan J]

I think I might go up to Canada and check them out. I am only about an hour and 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, maybe an hour and a half or so from St. Catherines.

So is there any other speakers that compare to these in about the same price range? How would they compare to my Phase Techs?? (older PC 6.5's,*" woofer,5 1/4 mid,soft dome tweeter)

I can also get a pair of mint condition B&W DM601 S3 for $325. What should I do?
Whats the better deal?
I love B&W but I also really like Paradigms.

 

[ernie.bin]

paradigms in canada are nuts.

I paid $1500cad (~$1000US) for studio60s and a studio cc.

 

[Paul Bryan]

Keep in mind the Canada deal is best on Canadian made speakers (Paradigm, Mirage, Energy, etc...) beacuse there is no import duty upon returning to the US... Some deals can be had on B&W and other brands, and you still get the GST/PST tax back, but they are subject to import duties...

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Yeah that's a good deal still. Full retail price of $650 for the 20s w/o veneer is a steal. That price is great, go for it. Canada can be even more of a deal, but that's such a good deal as it is, I would recommend you stay with the local dealer if he's good. You'd be closer in case any slight thing goes wrong, and if they have good service etc it may be better all around. Unless they are ripping you off, I always try to support the local dealers.

 

[Nathan J]

Well, the price for the Paradigms is just from some guy I know...but they are new, never used.

As for the B&W's, What do you all think of them? Would you rather have the 601 S3's or the Paradigm 20's?



I beg for guidance

 

[Hal_J]

does your friend drive a white van? :-D

 

[Barry BB]

I have no idea how you can get studio 20's from a U.S. source for $499 but that is an unbelievably good price. But you are so close to Canada that it makes sense for you to buy them there.

 

[Nathan J]

Well, no one has said what they would rather have....the B&W 601s3 or the Studio 20's?

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Ok. I auditioned Paradigm mini-monitors, a line down from the 20s against S3 601s. The mini-monitors were 350/pr, the 601s were 450/pr. I personally liked the mini-monitors much more. It was a very easy choice because the 601s were fatiguing the moment the music started, and I found myself turnning the volume down each time i was up switching cds. It sounded as if there were more "going on," but it was un-natural, and it seemed as if some of the added detail wasn't supposed to be there, and thus it was fatiguing. I've grown very happy with my mini-monitors, and since, I've listened to the studio 20s against the B&W CDM1NT. Now, I haven't yet heard the 20's vs mini-monitors side-by side, but I could hear a significant improvement. The (surprising) results of the mini-monitors winning over the 601s obviously leads me to beleive that the 20s are a significant step up from the 600 series from B&W. However, you have such a deal that the B&W 601s are actually much cheaper, and since you said "mint" I'm assuming slightly used or from a non-dealer source. Still, that is a pretty decent deal. I would still go for the studio 20s based on my above experience, but you definitely should go listen to both, because you may like the 601s better. I know the magazine reviews drooled all over those and the 602s, which is why I thought I would end up spending more for one of those, except that I was pleasantly surprised when the 'digms won out.

So in conclusion, go listen to them, because my tastes differ, and since I had Paradigms previously as well, I may have been very accustomed to that 'kind' of sound, which may mean you will love them also, or like the B&Ws more. So don't take my word for it, go listen. Second, I auditioned the 20s against the B&W CDM1NTs (1200/pr i think), and the B&Ws won out very cleanly. Much more detail, in the mids and highs, however the bass was pathetic. It was good and tight, but it did not go very deep at all, and was not loud at all. The 20s definitely had more "rock" in them, but the nearly twice-the-price for the B&Ws means ima be upgrading to the 20s. Still, the B&Ws clearly were more detailed, and if they had been the same price I'd be getting those instead. Seeing as how you have some good 'connections' if you can get a good deal on those, you might wanna take a listen as well. That price for the 20s though is a steal from an already-great MSRP, so don't lose your opportunity either. You will be VERY happy with them no-matter, or with any of the others really.

 

[Nathan J]

Well, thanks for the reply. For the most part, I usually prefer B&W over Paradigm, but I have listened to more B&W speakers than Paradigm.....and the other thing is, The B&W's usually are the really high end models (like 8K and up) where as the Paradigms that I have heard are like maybe $1200 or so.

I am going to find a dealer that has the 20's....maybe go audition them first.


Thanks alot.

-Nate

 

[Iver]

The price you got quoted on the Micros is about 10% off list and the Titans are about 15% off list.

Some Paradigm dealers will give you the same discount. Others speak no language other than "full retail."