(this is part of a larger post from another thread, but relevant to Paradigm 3F)
I found the resolution and soundstage of the Paradigms to be extraordinary. You can hear the wood of the solo viola, and the movement of cymbals when struck, the voices and locations of individual string instruments (even low strings) in ensemble, clear as a bell. I don't think it's a speaker for big bass, but that's not a huge priority for me. I like the impression of the ensemble or orchestra laid out in front of me, life-size as possible.
My only reservations were a) I don't find them terribly attractive visually, and more importantly, b)possible longer-term listening fatigue. Doubting my aging ears, I looked up test bench measurements last night. Multiple measured (on-axis) frequency responses of both the 3F (and 5F) are certainly consistent with what I heard, showing a substantial bump from 5-12khz:
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/paradigm-persona-3f-speaker-system-review-test-bench
I listened to them toed in a bit, and if you look around you'll read a bunch of reviewers/users are setting them up facing straight ahead to avoid an overly bright presentation. Apart from the brightness, I think the Paradigms are *very* stiff competition for the much more expensive Wilson Sabrina.
I found the resolution and soundstage of the Paradigms to be extraordinary. You can hear the wood of the solo viola, and the movement of cymbals when struck, the voices and locations of individual string instruments (even low strings) in ensemble, clear as a bell. I don't think it's a speaker for big bass, but that's not a huge priority for me. I like the impression of the ensemble or orchestra laid out in front of me, life-size as possible.
My only reservations were a) I don't find them terribly attractive visually, and more importantly, b)possible longer-term listening fatigue. Doubting my aging ears, I looked up test bench measurements last night. Multiple measured (on-axis) frequency responses of both the 3F (and 5F) are certainly consistent with what I heard, showing a substantial bump from 5-12khz:
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/paradigm-persona-3f-speaker-system-review-test-bench
I listened to them toed in a bit, and if you look around you'll read a bunch of reviewers/users are setting them up facing straight ahead to avoid an overly bright presentation. Apart from the brightness, I think the Paradigms are *very* stiff competition for the much more expensive Wilson Sabrina.