Yamaha 3200 and Paradigm Studio 100 (1 Viewer)

[Ken Janisse]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering, I have read many posts about the Yamaha and Paradigm combo not being that good. My 3200 actually sound very good with the Studio 100s.

I noticed though that many people have said that you need an seperate amp with output greater than 200 wpc in order to drive these speakers properly.

Is there anyone who has the Yamaha Paradigm combo that is happy with it? Just want to hear from some fellow owners of these 2 products...

Many thanks...

 

[Levesque]

I was using my RX-V3200 with Studio-40 all around + Servo-15 for around 4 months, and the sound was really good. I was really surprised because everyone was telling me against this "bright" association. But the new Yammies are less bright than the one some years ago. This sound would have satisfied me for years...but a friend brought a Rotel amp at my place to show me a "new world"... And it was too late...I was convinced...(next time I will lock the doors and leave him outside LOL)...
I just went the separate way last week with a Rotel RMB-1095 (5x200w) and WOW!! The soundstage is awesome!!
I'm not saying the RX-V3200 didn't delivered, but with the Paradigms, I really prefer the Rotel sound. I just didn't know what I was missing...
I hope I'm not pushing you in the separate way, but if you can, ask a dealer (or a friend) to bring back home a Rotel or a Parasound amp (or any good amp), and just try it...
Or else, you will live with the dreaded "what if" syndrome...
And if you ask the question, it's because
your subconscious knows he wants a separate amp to drive your new toys!!

 

[ChristopherS]

I am going to agree with Lévesque on this one. I recently upgraded to the Studio 100's and I am powering them with a Bryston 4B ST. The sound is amazing. These speakers really come alive with both proper placement (six feet from a wall) and a powerful amp.

Look on the bright side, now you know your next upgrade.

Chris

 

[Ken Janisse]

Wow, maybe I should go and listen to such a setup. One thing I notice with my current setup. Last night I unplugged my sub and ran just the Studio 100s and listened to a few CDs. A lot of people rave about the 100s bass ability. I however noticed that the bass was not all that powerful. Would going to an amp increase bass output?

I also have read that the 100s are actually 6 ohm speakers and dip to about 3 ohm at certain frequencies. My receiver seems to drive them without getting hot so I would assume that I am OK?

Thanks again...

 

[Holadem]

I have a Denon 4802 and am thinking about upgrading my to the 100's this fall. The Denon outputs 145W I believe. I hope it will be enough, I really would like to avoid the amps...

--
Holadem

 

[Martin Rendall]

Ken,

I'm not saying that you are doing this, but a caution: don't mistake a bass boost with the subwoofer and a flat response from the 100's.

Martin.

 

[itai]

ken
the paradigms might be "bright" compared to some speakers, but imho, they're laid back, neutral.
a freind of mine's running a set of mission m74's with his rvx1000, and theyre extremly bright and forward.
compared to that the digms are quite the oposite.
i have mine (60's) driven by a "warm" 3802, and i'm looking to brighten this somehow. not enough kick!...
a 2ch amp might serve you well im sure.
the 100 will actually sound different (beter!), and you can search for a deal on a used quality brand amp, for instance.

 

[Ken Janisse]

Thanks for your replies everyone...

Martin, I can see your point about bass boost and flat response. Again tonight, I turned off my sub and just listened to the 100s on their own. When I cranked up my receiver to about -25 on the volume scale, I was getting about 89 dB on my SPL meter. I noticed too that the bass increased and was more noticeable than at lower levels (makes sense I guess). In my case my sub (pw-2200) is hooked up to the sub-out jack on the receiver and my xover on the sub is set to the highest setting. As a result, I do get quite a boost in bass for frequencies below 90 Hz. Maybe I am confusing bass boost for the flat response of the 100s, very good point.

Itai, I actually have never heard a Denon and Paradigm combo. I understand that the Denon is much "warmer". Could you tell me what this means? I always thought that it meant there was more emphasis on bass rather than midrange.

Lévesque, glad you like your setup! How would you describe the difference in sound since you went with the Rotel? Do the speakers just play louder or did the sound actually change?

All in all, I am very pleased with my setup now. I did have an H/K avr5 (35 wpc) until I got the Yammie. I have noticed a HUGE difference in sound between those two!

 

[Martin Rendall]

Just to elaborate on my point a bit, many people set their sub up to be a few dB hot - that is, maybe +3dB to +5dB higher than would be right for a perfectly flat response curve. This makes sense to do for a number of reasons, such as compensating for human hearing with low listening levels, or for highly compressed source material (read: most pop CD's published today), to accomodate strange room variances, or just plain because they like it more.

But if you do that, then you'll get the boosted bass at whatever volume you listen too, and pretty soon, you'll learn to expect it. Then, when you A/B with full range speakers on LARGE, they'll seem deficient.

Not to mention the interference you can get with two bass sources. Positioning becomes way more key than with a single bass source.

Martin.

 

[TerryHenson]

My 3200 is powering PSB Silveri's with a VTF-2 sub. The PSB's are 4 ohm, the rears are 6 ohm. While the Yamaha is 8/4 ohm switchable, I've left it at 8 ohm and there's never been any overheating problems. Because I've set all my speakers to small, I thinking those PSB's aren't drawing as heavy a load than if they were set to large.
I'm very satisfied with this combo and can listen comfortably at near reference without fatigue. I'm not interested in separates, don't tempt me, don't come over and show me.
Terry

 

[itai]

ken
im no audio expert, so im just using this common phrase,
but, the yamaha has a more "treble" sound than the denon.
the denon isnt adding bass, but hasnt got the forwardness of the yamy, it is detailed too, and quite less "painfull" to the ears, just my comparision between the 3802 and the rvx100 i did.
i found this combo a bit too laid back for me, though very good, but lacks something.
i think the 60's are part of it, they're supposed to be very laid back speakers, and together with the denon, you get that.

 

[Ken Janisse]

I just noticed that Yamaha's own line of speakers are 6 ohm. So I would think that their receivers are then capable of driving 6 and maybe 4 ohms OK.

I guess I am just getting caught up in some of the professional reviews I have read regarding the Studio 100s. Some articles (like Stereophile) say "a good 4 ohm amplifier should be used with this speaker" and "this speaker should present a moderately difficult load for most amplifiers" etc. Then other articles say kind of the opposite, such as "should be a benign load on most receivers and amplifiers".

Last night I played some bass heavy CDs such as Tony Z (blues) at a level of 90 dB on my SPL meter. I ran this music for about 1 hour and the Yamaha got warm but not warm enough for it's fan to kick in. When I had the 2200 and did the same test, the fan kicked in after about 10 minutes to cool down the unit. I'm glad I went with the 3200 as I feel it has more power behind the watts (even though it is only 20 more watts than the 2200). I just don't like the idea of running a receiver "hot".

 

[Levesque]

The sound with the Rotel is different then with the RX-V3200 alone. The soundstage has really improved (close my eyes and can really know where the singer or instruments where when recording the track). The sound is more "laidback". What I mean is that the sound coming from the tweeter is more "soft", less harsh at high volume, and less aggressive, more define.
I've played films that I know very well, and ear things that were not there before (like the sound of a drop of water from the sweating Denzel in John Q).
And, yesterday, my slow combustion stove installer and 3 guys working for him where wowing my sound when installing the stove. They were guys I didn't knew, and DVD-Audio music was playing in the background (Riding with the King). I surprised them all standing in front of my system, listening. Then they ask me how the sound was so clear and rich. That was the exact words. They represent the average Joe-6-pack, and give you an idea of the quality of the Rotel - paradigm combo sound.
AL