Paradigm Persona Series--New Flagship Models!
 

Link to specs, photos and short review of the Paradigm Persona Series--new top of the line with beryllium tweeter, new beryllium midrange, and active amplification and advanced equalization for the woofers in the floor standers.

Paradigm Persona Series Loudspeakers Preview & Demo | Audioholics

http://www.audioholics.com/tower-spe...speakers/image

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/imageh...1f0fbb8987.jpg

Wow, never liked Paradigm looks. But, the above looks splendid. IMO.

I got to hear the TOL speaker the first day it was out, so it wasn't nearly broken in. They were very nice and have the chance to be outstanding,but at this price point there are a ton of competitors from Vandersteen to Wilson to (fill in the name). I posted thoughts on the other thread about this speaker. The only hybrid powered sub is the largest one. the other floor standers are passive. I'm excited to hear the hybrid again soon after it's fully broken in. It's not the typical Paradigm sound that's for sure and personally I feel thats a good thing. I have owned Paradigm speakers in the past and have given a pair to my daughter who loves them.

Heard the 9H .Awesome!!!

I just auditioned the Paradigm Persona 7F and B Models. I love this series. Impressive. Paradigm is in the game.

[IMG]http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...4/IMG_2216.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG][IMG]http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...4/IMG_2217.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]
[IMG]http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...4/IMG_2228.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...4/IMG_2229.jpg[/IMG]

I auditioned the 9h's again for a few hours. They are nice sounding speakers, but honestly I don't get the cost. I realize it's a Paradigm thread, but I honestly feel my Quatro's are much better overall. More revealing, more natural highs, clearer overall, more realistic sound stage. The 9's do have outstanding bass. I think they've done a great job there. I'm not the biggest fan of the room correction either. I heard it smooth out many parts of the spectrum. They were very noticeable, however I also feel it puts a spec of a veil on the sound and as this price point, that should be the opposite for me. Was it the best speaker in his store? Yes, it was. It was better than the top of the line Meridian (also not a favorite of mine) and it blew away all the Focal Sopra's and again, it wasn't even close. I'd like to hear it agains the 20k Legacy and the Vandersteen Quatro (14k) and Vandersteen 5ct at 30k or so.

Again, it's a wonderful speaker and those who get it will be very very happy. I just listen to a ton of stuff out there and didn't fall in love for the cost. It does have much more detail than the similarly priced Wilsons (which to me lack true inner detail compared to most high end speakers).

Heard the 7Fs last month. They are truly an amazing speaker.

Until the experience faded from memory, my Signature S6s were a bit disappointing.

I making future plans to pair a set of 5Fs with a McIntosh MC452 power amp

Vince - did you ever get the opportunity to do the 5F/MC452 listening? Am thinking I might seek out a pair of 3Fs to throw into the mix for my next speakers. Compared to the other smallish towers I'm looking at they are quite price competitive.

The new Paradigm Persona speakers are excellent, many choices, and they pair well with Mac. Interested in your experiences. I recently moved from the Signature 8Sv3 to the 7Fs and have been delighted with the change. Attachment 52061

Beautiful!
I'm thinking of moving from my S6v3s to a pair of either the 3F or 5F.

Will you be able to give them a try-out listen with the MC452s? Hope so, you will appreciate their quality.
Enjoy and let us know what you decide.

I recently auditioned the entire range (bookshelf all the way to 9H) and will be going back for another listen in the new year. I have a complete B&W theater and find myself listening to music more often so I'm setting up a new 2 channel system. I wanted to try a different type of sound compared to what I already have and I'm not fond of the new D3 range from B&W.

My dealer had setup a variety of speakers/components for me to try, paradigm was not on that list. By chance one of the rooms had the bookshelves already setup so at some point I decided to have a listen... I didn't get the hoopla online and found them disappointing. I asked my dealer if it was worth listening to the towers in the range and he said definitely so we tried those and I'm glad I did.

Absolutely stunning all around, all the way from the 3F to the 9H. For me the winners are hands down the 3F and 7F, especially since I would be mating with external subs. The only negatives for me would be that they are a bit on the bright side so long term listening might prove fatiguing but that could be all down to the room and placement. The other negative is a minor cosmetic one and that is that I find the base and feet don't quite match the rest of the look, something feels off to me but that has nothing to do with the sound quality.

Finally, I have to wonder if something was up with the bookshelves because they didn't sound a thing like the rest of the line. I'll go back for another listen and am leaning towards going for the 3F!

I, too, was quite impressed with the new Paradigm Personna line. Be very, very careful when listening to the 7F, or before you know it . . .

I know myself too well and I think I should not demo the 7F at all otherwise it's going to be a very expensive start to the new year. How are you enjoying the MC gear with the Persona?

Before purchasing, I enjoyed excellent listening sessions with the Persona 5F and 7F and B&W 802 D3 all paired with the MC452 and C2600. Great combinations, but my preference were the 7Fs. The music was more alive and engaging. The soundstage and dynamics were enhanced like lifting a veil off the others. In the home, on my system (built for HT), including Stillpoints (they work), they were a big step up from my previous Paradigm S8 v3s. The bass in the 7Fs are absolutely terrific. Now I’m working on adding some Mac components to greatly enhance their 2-channel potential to greater heights.

Thanks for the response. I’m contemplating using McIntosh gear with the speakers so I’m glad to hear it works well. I won’t be able to stretch to something like the Mc452 and Persona’s as I also want a crossover/room correction system (MEN220). I’ll try the 3F with subs and the 7F without subs and see which one does it for me. Alive and engaging is a good way to describe their sound.

Enjoy your listening session. I put my sub aside when enjoying 2-channel listening of HiRez music with the 7Fs, because it is not needed.

After spending a couple of hours listening to the 9, 5, and 3 playing through Bryston gear, my preference is the 5F.

I heard the 7Fs about a year ago in the same listening room but had nothing else to compare them to other than a pair if S6 v3s, which they utterly destroyed.

Why do so few dealers carry these speakers especially when there are so many anthem/paradigm dealers out there...Every thing I read on reviews and the forums is so positive, yet they are so hard to find.

I auditioned the 7's @ RMAF earlier this year. I thought they sounded great. They were well balanced, not tipped up like older Paradigm speakers I've heard. Very tuneful bass as well. Very solid price/performance.
Tom

I have not heard the Paradigm Personas paired with Bryston, only with Mac amps (MC452) and the C2600 and C47. The 7F paired especially well with Macs (especially with the C2600) and the McIntosh smooth and musical sound quality. These speakers are a bit more open than the B&W and seemed to compliment the Macs.

They are quite a step up from the previous Signature line. I have not heard the Paradigm Personas paired with Bryston, only with Mac amps (MC452) and the C2600 and C47. The 7F paired especially well with Macs (especially with the C2600) and the McIntosh smooth and musical sound quality. These speakers are a bit more open than the B&W and complimented the Macs. A joy to hear.

I have not heard the Paradigm Personas paired with Bryston, only with Mac amps (MC452) and the C2600 and C47. The 7F paired especially well with Macs (especially with the C2600) and the McIntosh smooth and musical sound quality. These speakers are a bit more open than the B&W and seemed to compliment the Macs.

My "local" dealer did not bring them in. Said that Paradigm did not make him a good enough deal to put them on his floor. I'm not that fond of my local dealer. For me, he is his own worst enemy.

It is unbelievable that there is only one dealer for these speakers in the entire NYC area...I am in the Albany, NY area and no dealers near me either. Seems like Paradigm is making the dealers actually display this line in order to sell them. If they are required to have the 9H on the floor that is quite a sizable investment.

I am located in London Ontario and have to travel 1+ hour to get to a dealer who has Personas.

I remember my sales guy saying that
Paradigm wants dealers to have display models. My dealer has 3s and 5s in their listening room.
In comparison, when the Signature line was in production my dealer had either the S6 OR S8 on the floor at any given time.

Unfortunate circumstances. My dealer has the 7F, 5F, 3F, etc. Lucky for me only 10 mins. away.

Unfortunate circumstances. My dealer has the 7F, 5F, 3F, etc. Lucky for me only 10 mins. away.

Dixon, have you heard with Mcintosh gear? I have heard the 3f them at a dealer when I was in Florida with the Anthem STR and the soundstage and clarity was unreal...a little harsh at the top end, the dealer said the Anthem Room Correction (which he had not run at the time) would clean it up. The dealers nearest me (Boston and NYC area) do not have MC gear...I am almost 100% sure I want a Ma8900 or Ma9000 integrated to go with the speakers. I also have a Lyngdorf RP1 I will use for room correction.

Yes, I have heard the Paradigm Personas (9F, 7F, 5F) with McIntosh amps and pre-amps but not with the integrated units. With the Mc units I heard, they paired extremely well with a musical, smooth and engaging sound. In fact, I purchased the 7Fs. If there is any way to put them together for a listening audition, I think that would be the way to go, especially if it is possible to audition a couple of Personas for comparison.

My dealer told me these are quite a hard sell at the moment due to pricing and brand perception. The 10 to 15k bracket is really crowded and even more so with speakers like the new Magico A3.

I was under the assumption music is sort of a personal/solo hobby but apparently brand names matter quite a bit to some of the shoppers. Regardless, I hope the line does well and those within this price range go audition them!

I heard I believe the 5F at Axpona last month. They were driven by the new Anthem amp. Sounded pretty good. In the same room was the ML 13's driven by the new replacement 601 mono amps. They sounded even better in my opinion. I cant remember the source other than it was digital not TT. Either way I thought that room was one of the best sounding at the show.

2 Channel: Bricasti M12 DAC & M28's Mono's Black / Aurender N10 Black / Treatments: RPG BAD ARC panels (F, S, Bass Trap & R walls)
Speakers: Martin Logan CLX ART (Dark Cherry) w/30# weights / 2-ML 212's Subs tuned w/PBK
Grounding: Nordost QKore 6 (2-M28, 1-N10, 1-M12, 1-QB8, 1-Router) / 8' Earth Ground Rod / Bricasti M12 w/Acoustic Revive RGC-24
Nordost: 5-QV2 & QK1, 2-QX4 / 12-TC Kones, 27-Sort Fut & 28-LIft / O2/V2 Pwr / O2: SC, Digital & XLR's / H2 Network / V2 RCA Sub's
Misc: Mini iPad / Furutech GTX-DNCF / LED lighting / Aurender AMM / Lovan Rack / SR Quantum Blue Fuses & Black Box
Media Rm: ML: 13A's, 2-Descent i's, 6-Vanquish, Focus / Parasound: 3-A23 &1-31 / Entreq SM /65" LG 4k OLED / Anthem AVM60/ Nordost Tyr 2

I'm not surprised you liked the ML better. I've heard them so many times in so many set ups and they are just a very bright speaker that lack a bit of coherency. Even a dealer I know who sells them feels the same way. We all like different things, so I understand those of you who love them. That's awesome, but for a lot more folks they are a pass.

Just a ton of competition out there right now.

It is a mystery to me when some of you say that Persona 9H is a bright speaker. It is true that mine are powered by a SET 845 Tube Amp, but I can say that they are not bright...the sound is transparent, but free from fatigue with a fantastic midband !!

We I’ll hear differently. Everyone I know who is hurt them feel that they are bright and harsh on top. So I know I’m not the only one. I’ve heard them in a few dealer show rooms with various pieces of equipment. Paradigm is also known to have bright speakers. But to some that’s the a Luer. I own a pair of inexpensive ones that my daughter uses at school along with the paradigms subwoofer that they love for their rap music and rock.

When you put them up against a Vandersteen Quattro or many other speakers in the 14-35k range I personally feel they don’t measure up at all. Again, my view and others I am close with who have heard them. We all listen differently as we own Vandys, Magicos, Wilson, Verity, Audio Physics and Zou Audio speakers.

Also one high end horn system. I was with a very high end dealer two months ago who felt even stronger than I do about them. All the matters is that you and the other owners love them in your systems. I personally never mind when others don’t like what I own. Happens plenty. Plenty of great options for all.

A little prejudiced, but I understand your point. For me every Magico I heard are dull and lifeless.
I had many speakers in my room. Marten, TAD and my previous speakers were a Rockport Cygnus ...fantastic speakers, but in my room and setup the 9H are better at half the price.

Have you ever had a Magico in your room?

Never...only heard at shows and at the Portugal dealer. But probably you never had a Paradigm Persona in your room, I suppose.

Normally Paradigm Persona are paired with Anthem Amps in shows...not the most musical partner I believe, but with a low powered tube amp the Persona 9h will shine...96db sensivity is perfect for this low powered amps.

We are all prejudice. We have passion for what we enjoy. Bright to me, is fine for others. Incoherent is not even noticed for others. Visa Versa. Makes audio a ton of fun for sure.

I also have yet to hear anyone's DSD that I can't hear. I just feel that it hasn't been close to perfected yet. In time it will get to teh point where you won't hear it quite as much as you do now, but it's there for sure to my ears.

There will be no way it gets better unless companies push the envelope and use it in their speakers/amps, so I applaud the Paradigm folks for doing that.

As I said, I have owned Paradigm's. I felt they were also bright, but that was a trade off at that price range that I took. Their US sales team has always been nothing but professional with me and I do like them.