[Vintage-Audio] H.H. Scott Rocks With Paradigm Monitor 9!

Wed Feb 5 17:08:00 2003

Michael, 	

You are flame free - 	

Paradigm in my experience is a middle of the road speaker product. Good, but not
'real' good. More than adequate for the average listener. I am not the average
listener and make greater demands on the system.  Hence, I am also more
particular. 	

This particular pair of Paradigm speakers truly impressed me, and that says
something! I went to some high end audio shops and listened to speaker systems
ranging from $8,000 to $15,000 and was NOT impressed. I also listened to the
modern high priced tube amplifiers and was not impressed. The older high quality
integrated stereo amps with 25-50 watts continuous RMS feeding high efficiency
speakers did just as good, if not better. A friend who has the top of the line
modern gear, looked at me and said, "Duane. What you already have at home sounds
just as good as anything here. In fact, yours sounds better than most of it. Are
you going to buy any of this stuff?" I smiled and said, "Nope!" 	

There is a difference, Michael, between bass and what I call the 'room shake
effect'. The same as there is a difference between fidelity and noise. The bass
my James B. Lansing Century L-100 speakers using a 12 inch woofer with six pound
permanent magnet generate is clean, true and can rattle the china in the
neighbor's house. I have them mounted at ceiling level and shooting down to ear
level at the opposite end of the room for somebody sitting on the couch. The
room has a 60% Cork ceiling and carpeting. Many systems, and speakers, boost the
bass and what you hear is not really what was put into the recording. People
like to feel the room shake and rumble, so the manufacturers cater to that.
Accurate reporduction is not the issue, selling the product is. 	

While I do not argue that the technology has improved in both amplifiers and
speakers, on the whole, the tastes and demands of the consumers have also.
However, in the case of the consumer, I should say that their tastes on the
whole have changed, not necessarily improved. I can not in all honesty say that
a car that rolls by with bass shaking the vehicle and the same few musical
chords being repeated over and over is music or an improvement. In my opinion,
this is just noise. About as appealing to me as a Cow blowing a tuba!    	

Personal taste greatly determines what people buy, some of us have musical
appreciation and others of us do not. One size does not fit all here, for
certain. 	

DBF	

----------
From: Salmons, Michael <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Vintage-Audio] H.H. Scott Rocks With Paradigm Monitor 9!
Date: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 10:24 AM

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Lefever [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2003 5:21 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Vintage-Audio] H.H. Scott Rocks With Paradigm Monitor 9!

Phil said:

Don't listen to them too long before getting the vintage speakers! You
won't what to listen to the older speakers after you have spent time
with modern high quality speakers like these ;)

I full well expect to be flamed for a comment like this on a vintage list
but the one component I dislike are old speakers. Quality modern designs
work very well and the aging components of older speakers aren't getting
any better with time. Of course this is _my opinion_ and others may differ!

Phil, Duane, et. al.:

My two cents worth on the subject of modern vs. vintage speakers... it's been a
rare thing in my experience to find vintage bass comparable to today's speakers
unless you move into some pretty large units, and even then it has to be a very
special design (Klipsch Cornwalls, for instance, Or Altec Voice of the Theatres)
to have the ability to control bass with authority rather than just blurt it
out. Now, before you set me aflame, there are many very nice models I am leaving
out. These are just a couple I've had the pleasure to audition myself.

However, i must observe the reverse as well: it is rare to find a modern speaker
that does not deliver the very fine highs and midrange of many vintage speakers,
at least to my ears, without spending a big, big wad of dough. The exceptions to
that in my mind would be a few model of paradigms (I do not have your
discriminating ears, Duane, but I have experienced some lovely midrange
emanating from the lowly Paradigm Titans) and B&Ws like the DM-302. OK, The KEF
Cresta 2 has pretty repectable midrange, too. But I have experienced the most
ecstatic midrange by coupling small vintage speakers (my venerated KLH
satellites with full-range drivers are my current favorite) with modern
bi-ampable bass experts such as Paradigm. I simply amp the satellites and the
bass of the paradigms and (the crossover points of the models I have are
sympathetic enough) get very nice results. smooth, creamy, vibrant, alive.

Just another opinion! If I had a lot more money to spend on my hobby my results
could be very different indeed.

Michael Salmons
_______________________________________________
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/vintage-audio
List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF
** For Assistance: [email protected] ** 