I think this is a pretty hard comparison. Paradigm doesn't make a 5-piece speaker package (to my knowledge) for $300. However, if I were to venture to guess, one could put together bookshelf speakers and a center channel speaker by another manufacturer to get close to the $300 price point. Maybe, something from BIC or Acoustic Research could come close to this price range.
I am just trying to find something that compares to them in retail stores. I know they are a bargain, I'm just trying to find out what retail speakers they compare as far as sound goes.
That is definetly debatable. I truly believe that people will hear a difference that they want to hear, that is why the market for speakers is so big and no one company is considered the best. Different speakers sound better to different people. And even more to the point no one can define what sonic equal means, it is a meaningless statement in that it is a subjective statement. I at one time thought there was no sonic equal to my Bose acoustimass setup, my opinion has since changed.
I would not, but that certainly doesnt mean someone else would agree with me. Because without a doubt there would be people stating that they did not sound the same, people would make up stories that althought they were made in the same factory different assembly techniques were used justifying the price difference. There is just as much pyschology as science in the audio industry IMO.
I definitely agree with you on the pyschology / science argument Clint - although I'm sure most of the experienced HTFORUM members here could tell the difference between a set of Paradigm vs Fluance. I mean, I easily noted an audible difference (in clarity and depth - not the tonal differences) when I switched from Polk to Paradigm.
Although, I think the real psychological part kicks in @ the expensive, exotic end - where you get maybe a 5-10% increase in performance for a 2-3x increase in price over the product before it.