Already seen some good reviews for these here. I recently acquired a pair and have been pleased. The base response is excellent. Soundstaging is quite good for a speaker in this price range. Mid range is a bit lacking, and I've heard that bi-wiring might help this. I haven't tried it yet, mainly because I was just recently able to convince my wife of the validity of $100 + speaker cables. Now I have to explain why I need another pair :-) Rock and Jazz are very nice through the 7's, and classical seems fine (at least to me, others find them cold). It comes down to taste (heard that a milion times) but I really feel that they are quite a bargain. I got mine dirt cheap from a place that was dropping the Paradigm line (no problem with Paradigm, just had too many speaker product lines). You should be able to get a good deal on them almost anywhere. Overall, a great entry-level speaker.

everything

a little muddy

I have owned these speakers for @5 yrs. now and I still love them. I was originally gonna buy Cerwin Vegas' but a friend in the industry said I should try these "real" speakers. I'm glad I did otherwise I probably would have never gotten out of the "mass market black hole".
They sounded great right out of the box and they continue to do so. I think they have a great balance. Maybe a little muddy but not anything you can't work out with placement. I have a bright room, I think, so the "mellow" top end that others here have found gives me a good balance. I am driving them bi wired, with an old Phase Linear 400 amp that I got for free, and I hate, but they sound great through it and in control.
I do wish they had a bit more of the front to back imaging but maybe I don't have them far enough out from the back wall (12").
I have a friend that brought over his Studio 40's and they didn't have the bass and seemed too bright in my room. They did seem a little more tight and they bettered mine in the mid-range. In his house however they sound excellent and the brightness is not an issue so I figure it's the room.
Like I stated before, I really have enjoyed owning these speakers and they will be extremely hard to let go of when it comes time to up-grade. They have become like two faithful old friends that continue to do their duty when ever I need them to. (whoops, maybe that was too sentimental but hey I don't have a dog).
They are a great product and if you ever come across them give them a listen.

heavy, well built, solid, good crossover networks, beautiful looking drivers (rear side of driver), nice soft dome tweeter. high power handling

lacking mid, imaging is not great on older amplifiers,
great imaging on new amps, even if the amp is a kenwood.. :P

I purchased these speakers about a year ago at a local pawn shop, they had one problem with them, there was a hole in the suspention, i repaired it by melting a patch over the hole, they look great again, 80 dollars was a steel if you ask me. these speakers are currently briged with a pair of paradigm titans.
they are running @ 3.5 Ohms,
the amp is puting well over 200RMS to each side.
running on a couple year old sony ES amplifier.
Being briged makes the speakers sound awsome,
VERY BRIGHT, great imaging, great mid. and i have 3 subs perfectly matched to these speakers,
so they can push lots of power when they are given proper signal.! :)
if you find them for 350USD, or Cheaper, listen to them!

Similar Products Used:

JMLAB, PARADIGM TITAN,

I have had mine for over two years, and I found that they are an excellent value for the money. I bought them for 540 for a pair in 1996. The only thing that disappoints me is the treble, which is usually weak compared to the midrange and the base, which is why these speakers only get a 4.

Bass, power handling, clear highs

Nothing significant

I've owned my Paradigms for over 6 years and I have yet to get the urge to replce them. I got them right out of college after spending several months looking for the perfect speakers. The 7se stood out from the rest of the Paradigm line to my ears - it was more focused and "bright" (I use that word as a compliment) while the others seemed warm and dull. Take this into consideration, though - I've been to a few too many rock concerts and anything resembling a golden ear has been pounded down my eustacean tube, so I need a slightly forward speaker.

I brought them home to a 45 watt Onkyo receiver, and they rocked the house good and hard. I graduated to a 200 watt B&K amp, and they still rocked, though after extensive A/B testing, I couldn't really tell a difference between the amps. I ditched the B&K and got an NAD, and most recently a Yamaha 5-channel receiver. I've ben hard pressed to find fault with the speakers in any configuration.

They handle rock music with aplomb, while maybe not being as accurate and sweet as one might like for classical. In a medium sized room, they work wonders. They are in the open now, with an open foyer and a connected dining room and kitchen, so they are a little weak in the bass due to the volume they must fill.

Still, wthin their niche, they are (were - old model now) an absolute steal. I listened to enough over-priced snotty gear and overblown mass-market junk to know that I found the right pair. My other system has gone thorugh the Vandersteens and the Mirage 7si, while the Paradigms have stayed put. Nuff said.

Similar Products Used:

Mirage M 7si, Vandersteen 1b

Overall tonal balance.

Minute details.

I have owned this set of speakers for 3 months and I am very happy with my purchase. I previously owned a pair of Paradigm 5seMkII's. My complaint about the 5seMkII's was the muddiness of the midrange. They had an 8" mid and the midbass was overpowering. I really like the 7seMkIII's. They provide better detail and clarity. The imaging is solid and the overall tonal balance is near perfect (at least for a speaker under $1000. I am currently powering the speakers with a Yamaha RX-v795a receiver (85x5). I am looking for a good quality amp to push these speakers a littler harder and bring out better detail. I can truly say that at levels higher than normal listening the speakers never miss a beat. I have to push the receiver to the point of clipping before I ever hear any audible breakup. I would definately recommend buying a used pair. Given the price I paid, this is, no doubt, a 5.

Yamaha RX-V795a Receiver
Yamaha CDC-575 CE Player
Sony Dual Cassette
Proscan PS8680Z DVD Player
Proscan PSVR73 VCR
RCA Dolby Digital Satellite Receiver
Paradigm 7seMkII
Paradigm CC-300
Paradigm ADP-150
Paradigm PS-1000
Audiostream biwire speaker cable
Various interconnects - Monster, IXOS, Street Wires

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm 5seMkII

The full bass and clarity of sound

midtones

With a nice amplifier (Cambridge Audio A-500) and bi-wiring I got a marvellous sound, deep and clear at the same time.

I bought these speakers a year ago. They are in fact, what has made me so crazy for audio. They are only about $600 and sound great. Paradigm is known for great value in speakers, and I think this speaker is another example of that. These are full range, and I'd only suggest using a subwoofer for home theater purposes. This speaker sounds especially good with rock, jazz and blues. Clasical comes out pleasing, but its not what I listen to 90% of the time. I couldn't a find a speaker in my area at this price that came close. These offer a spacious soundstage and open midrange that I rarely encounter in full-range tower speakers in my price range. After buying these speakers, I upgraded to Parasound separates, and my HCA-806 coaxed a bass response from these speakers that was surprising considereing the driver and enclosure size, as well as cost. Needless to say I am very happy with these speakers, and they have pushed me into audio enchantment. I have upgraded much of my system since their purchase, but I am still very content with the 7se's. BTW, I have mated these with a cc300 center and plan on using a pair of MiniMK3 as surrounds (they are a close match in the mid-bass to treble freq.) for home theater

These speakers are wonderful. I set out to buy a new system, my old one having been destroyed under suspicious circumstances, and was looking for a pair of speakers in the $400-$600 price range. My final choice came down to the Paradigm 5semkIII's at $499, the 7semkIIIs at $599, and the JMLabs Microns at $625.
The 5semkIII's were very nice, but the bass was a little boomy--I decided it would probably be better to spend the extra $100 on the 7s. The Microns were astounding speakers in terms of imaging and clarity. However, being bookshelf speakers, they lacked a little on the bass side. (Incidentally, I think the NHT Superones also compare favorably with the Microns at $300 less. Except, the Microns seem to be a little warmer at somewhat less bright.)

The 7ses won me over with there full-range and extraordinary dynamics. These speakers can produce mega amounts of sound with excellent clarity, imaging, and sound stage. The bass is tight, quick, and deep, really deep. The midrange is clear and sweet. The tweeter provides clear high notes without being at all bright. These speakers do really well on accoustic music, rock, blues, jazz, and movies.

All in all, they have a very rich, full sound that can fill a room. The dynamics are simply wonderful, the imaging very good, and they produce a pretty broad soundstage. Their deep, rich bass, has lead some to comment on the richness or "fatness" of the speaker, despite the high quality of the bass. It comes down to personal preference.

One last thing that is especially nice. I do not expect to go the home theater route any time soon, but these speakers really do justice to a movie sound track. The can really produce those low, ambient sounds that can draw you into a movie.

I think these speakers are definately worth looking at for anyone looking in the price range.

excellent tonal quality, tight bass, efficient, hard to beat for twice the price

may seem dull in the highs depending on the amp

i really like these speakers. they have far exceeded my demands. i started out with a sub-par kenwood receiver and still had nice sound. after upgrading to a sony es, i find that these speakers produce more than i ever imagined. i believe i would consider another receiver/amp upgrade before a speaker upgrade as i believe these speakers still have more to produce.

Similar Products Used:

klipsch, cerwin vega, eosone, cambridge