Paradigm Persona series


I'm beginning to poke around and gather opinions and information about a "super speaker" to replace my aging Thiel 2.4s.  I like the idea of bass dsp room correction and I am a bit of a point source type imaging nut (thus the Thiels).  So among other choices I've been looking at the Paradigm Persona series specifically the powered 9H with room correction for the bass.  However I'm skeptical of the "lenses" i.e. pierced metal covers on the midrange and tweeter specifically because of Paradigm's claim that such screens "screen out" "out of phase" musical information.  The technology in the design seems superlative but I just can't get past the claim re out of phase information and the midrange and tweeter covers.  What could possibly be the science behind this claim?  It just seems like its putting a halloween moustache on the mona lisa given the fact that the company is generally a technology driven company.
pwhinson
@csmgolf 

Agreed.  Tried saying the same thing.  Amazing how defensive owners of a speaker feel.  If you like it, good on ya.   

As for Dave and Troy... well... you may have learned by now they are never wrong and can magically tune any speaker with all sorts of magic only they understand.

Or, you know, one can buy the speaker they really audition and like, and then maybe make subtle changes (which is all that in most cases is really possible) once they have them home.

I've owned really bright speakers, tried chasing with amps, sources etc.  No thanks.  Doesn't mean they are bad, in all cases someone else bought them.

I had some klipsch palladiums, they are really quite good - but too lean for me and too bright.

Drummer bought them from me, always uses a sub and LOVED CYMBALS.  For him, they were awesome.




Ok. Let’s all agree that the Personas are on the bright side . Numerous test show the bump in the upper registers. Easily fixable   I knew my amps and music server/dac where on the warmer side . Tube pre. Good to go. 
I just swapped out the Audience Au 24sx that where on the lean side with a cable with a little more meat
I previously had Magico S3 that where lifeless. 
Much easier to tame a little hotter speaker and still enjoy all the good things it brings than to try to liven up a boring speaker
Yea, I was commenting on your finishing with aeriel 6 being all that. If a speakers bright but clean, not sibilant or spitty and the repercussion is added detail and imaging i'll put some treatments on the wall at the first reflection point and enjoy the show, but if it isn't clean the deals off. I found the personas tweeter to be clean and extended. 
What I find so facinating is the villification of the Personas from certain posters  here,  because they have a bump in the high end vs the scores of  other high end loudspeakers which have a pronounced dip in the top end. 

So therefore a speaker which is bright is bad but a loudspeaker that has a rolled off top end is not villified or pronunced being  bad for sounding dull?

Lets remember that a high hat or cymbol crashes, if you reproduce those instruments  without having the realisim of what those instruments actually sound like and make them sound unnaturally smooth is that better reproduction? 

In terms of what benzman and a few others have said, you can add asorpative material, or use components which are warmer to tone down a speaker which is perceived as bright but how can you add detail to a speaker which is rolled off?

The sound of the Personas when setup correctly is pretty special are they for everyone don't think so, but when played with the right gear they sound more like a $20k speaker for the $10k 3F and the $35k 9H can easily compete with a $58k pair of Wilsons. 

We would also question Rivondale's testing methodology who says that is Schitt amplifier is good enough to drive the Personas, what cables were used, what source? There is so much more to setting up a world class sound system then arbittarily trying amp A with speaker B, maybe with his Schitt amplifier a dac or source change might have been required.

We would welcome anyone in the area to visit our shop and hear our setups with the Personas.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ


I agree with audiotroy. There are negative posters whos reference are vandersteen. Of course they will think the paradigms are bright if they use vandersteen. Night and day difference when comparing these two speakers. The vandersteens sound like a blanket is covering the tweeters