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April 2017 review of the Paradigm Persona 9H A home run for Paradigm!

I have been following all the contested threads about the new Paradigm Persona line of speakers and it seems that many people are having difficulties in believing that Paradigm, a company well respected for value loudspeakers could produce a product that can rival the best exotic loudspeakers on the market.

The review came out today in the Absolute Sound April 2017 issue and what my ears have told me is true, is true. 
John Atkinson, compared the Pardigm 9H $35k to the Magico S7MK 2 $58k and found that Personas to be in the same class as these highly thought of prestigious loudspeakers. I think I read on one  of the threads that a Magico owner was saying that wasn't possible!

I am not an expert, on loudspeakers, I do know what sounds real to me, and when I heard these speakers my jaw hit the floor. Stunning realism. I could almost reach out and touch the Beatles, and Miles Davis. Huge sound stage, totally transparent, and smooth, with dynamite bass. 

At this point I am torn between the Legacy Audio Signatures and The Paradigm Persona 3F which shares the same driver technology of the 9H but costs $10k, I am lucky to be working with a dealer that represents both of these awesome lines of loudspeakers. 

It seems to me that many audiophiles need to open their minds and stop being so brand loyal to the point of obsession,  and start looking at the sound, and only the sound. I know for me as a professional photographer, I have gone back and forth between Canon and Nikons, and I love them both but am wedded to neither. Why in the audio world do people have such furvor over what they buy with the belief that their product and only their product is the best? In the camera world it seems much more fluid with people changing camera brands without ever starting a written riot if someone dares to bring up another brand or question their choice. 



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nitewulf
277 posts
 
Kuppe38, yes. Actually to be honest I wasn’t expecting to like the Legacy Signatures that much. But they have this wonderful airy, open, warm, engaging quality to them. And they are very resolving as well! I was using Melody Gardot, where you could hear the sharp intakes of breath, hands sliding over the bass guitar. Persona 3Fs are different beasts, guitar tones seemed to cut through the air, they are very holographic. Sounded great with all the well recorded stuff for sure. On Waltz for Debbie all the background ambient twinkling of glasses and laughter from the audience could be heard clearly.

However, bottom end and loudness are important for me, and to that end the Signatures would work better compared to the 3Fs for me, which are just much smaller obviously. And the 5Fs are much more expensive, so...it’s a difficult choice.

The Dalis for me were good, but unsure if they’d be a significant upgrade to what I have, as well as if I actually liked their presentation as a whole. I think they’d be great for jazz, acoustic etc...but not so great with rock, electronic.

I was wondering if I could ask you specifics privately?
sfall
346 posts
 
" Sfall Audiotroy, one of Dave's buddies, mentioned on a Wilson post that the poster who was looking at Sashas and Alexias for a small room, consider demoing a pair of the Paradigm 9H and the people on that post just got hostile and nasty and in that thread, started attacking Audiotroy.

I would conclude that if people aren't open to looking and evaluating a competitive product or shoot down such an idea, their minds are made up already that their product is the best."

After reading your first post, I would have thought you would have more to go on than a story of a dealer's friend. It seemed like you had actual first hand experience, and to the point where it was becoming a problem. Anyway, what's important here is that Audiotroy survived the attack and is hopefully on a road to recovery. Best wishes to him.
mofojo
517 posts
 
Stopped by an audio store today. Won't mention the name. I asked the sales guy what he thought of the new Paradigm Personas and his answer was he would pick a different brand and mentioned Sonus, B&W, Focal because the prestige factor was higher. His words. Pretentious anyone? Said he barely listened to the Personas but what he did hear they sounded very good. Didn't ask to hear them since I was not invited to and there were people already in the demo room. He seemed more interested in looking at his iPhone anyway. Have to say they looked pretty sexy but I was suprised at how small the 3F looked in person. Not toy small but was suprised. Didn't see the bigger ones. Would still like to hear them someday. 
gpgr4blu
810 posts
 
I will not attempt to hijack this Persona thread to extol another brand of speaker, tell everyone here that they are misguided if they prefer the Persona over another speaker at or near their price range, tell everyone I know speakers costing thousands of dollars less that are better, contend  that some other speaker is better as a matter of scientific materials engineering fact,  promote the technology or sound of any other speaker over the Persona or accuse Audiodoctor of caring more about selling a brand (Paradigm) than making sure their customers get the best SQ for the money. 
These are among the positions Audiotroy advanced which got him into a pickle on a thread in which the OP asked if, based on the size of his room, he should elect to buy Wilson Sashas or the Alexias. To add insult to injury, Audiotroy advanced these positions and others (and I summarize) as one who works for a dealer that sells Paradigm.
 We should all keep our ears and minds open on this forum and always remember that speaker selection is a highly personal choice. The Personas which I have listened to one 2 occasions in different settings are fine speakers which I  correctly predicted would be well reviewed by Anthony Cordesman in The Absolute Sound.  Many who have the opportunity to hear the new Personas will agree that they are a very strong product for the $. 
I wish the best to all who prefer the new Paradigms to any other speaker within earshot. Such a choice is valid and need not be defended.
 
nitewulf
277 posts
 
gpgr4blu, could you provide a link to the thread?  As a potential buyer of speakers, my opinion is you get a lot of value for money on the Legacy Signature SEs...they are very well made, 5 driver speakers...the sound is top notch, incredibly smooth and big and resolving.  You get AMT tweeter and a mid-range, it's pretty high tech. Essentially as I compare, say the new Dynaudio Contour C20s at $5000 + $500 (for stands) or the C30s at $7500 against something like that, it screams value for money.  As for the Personas, I thought they sounded incredible, but they are pricey...I mean audiophiles spend money, but 10K is still a lot of money.

mofojo, they are small but they play pretty loud. Even the 9Hs aren't that large actually...they are very sleek and sexy.
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