Well, what else can we say about these great speakers. I purchased my complete Paradigm system in 1996 ( I think ) Its been a long time anyways. 9se, cc300 center channel, PS1200 Sub and Titans rears. Their powered by a Denon AVR 3200 and they sing as beautifully now as the day I bought them. Thought the amp in the sub went south a few months ago, I just replaced it with another great Paradigm product the DSP3200 sub. I recently went back to our local Paradigm retailer to listen to the latest version ( I think v7 ) of these speakers and let me tell you, the v7's are very good but I wouldn't trade my 20 year old v3's even for em. Like one reviewer said , It was the best audio purchase I ever made. Well I have made my fair share of audio purchase also and I would have to say the same. Wouldn't surprise me if the last another 20.

Found a pair of these in the trash...Yes...I said...In the trash...there are two 4" scrapes on the top of one, otherwise in perfect cosmetic condition...I was feeling bummed the day i found these because i'd just purchased a pair of used Thiel speakers....When I got home i realized one speaker wasn't working....Drove another hour to return these...I told my girl what happened with the Thiels which is when she says to me I just saw some audio stuff in the trash...Well, short story long....I grabbed these (along with the center channel speaker and a Denon TOTL receiver...IN THE TRASH! I figured there must be something wrong with them, but decided to give a listen....I was floored...These speakers put out a sound I'd been looking for for so long...I paired them with my Yamaha dsp a1 and all i can say is WOW!!! Im not new to this speaker thing...Ive had wharfedale diamonds, thiel 1.2s, Energy C9s, Polk Monitor 11s, dahlquist Dq20s, Onix Rockets, and PBN Montanas..(and a handful of others i can't remember......All good/great speakers....None of them had the synergy that these Paradigms have with the receiver.....All i can say is if you find a pair (anywhere) buy them....You will be extremely happy! The dual 8"ers make them rock!!!

I've owned these speakers since the summer of 1994 and absolutely was one of the best purchases I have ever made. I recently hooked them up to a Denon 3808ci receiver, paired it with a definitive technology pro 2000 center speaker and WOW gorgeous sound playback in all aspects of the speakers range. The bass is truly beautiful. No distortion, crisp clean lows with impressive response . The sound stage is seamless completely enveloping sound you feel immersed in. Came across this review site accidentally and thought I would add my two cents. Even after so many years If you can find these anywhere I would without hesitation buy them!

Extremely large sound stage, very powerful tight bass, clear and detailed highs, bi-wireability, high detail and very high sensitivity.

Extremely power hungry - look forward to getting a 100w+/channel amp.
Large/heavy, although for some that is a plus ;)
High's leave something to be desired, but that might be solved by bi-wiring/amping!
Other then this, none! Wonderful speakers.

Purchased these from a man that didn't know the model of these speakers. They are badgeless at the back, but are 9se mk3's. Pretty bomb deal. The fun just began at that however.

I paired them with my Paradigm 5se's for a 1:1 comparison. I wasn't blown away but most definitely pleased in the bottom end. Driven by a Nad c320bee, they deliver incredible sound at lower volumes. Unfortunately, the 50w c320 can't go far with them - purchasing a carver power amp for that. As i see here, they like their power like nothing else.

The highs are slightly less defined then with my original model 5se's (with vifa liquid cooled soft-domes), but still very impressive. Very slight difference, might even be the amp's fault as it's mostly noticeable at higher levels.

The bass however is truly standalone subwoofer worthy. At lower levels of which my amp is capable without clipping, the 9's murder my 5's. Although they are more sensitive (93db sensitivity - incredible). Even at low power, with +1db bass bias, these can rock a house with ease. At the very very low power levels, barely above audible - the bass is incredibly still there, ever present and balances out the sound alltogether.

As with many Paradigms of this model line (5-11 se's), the sound stage is absolutely ridiqulous. It is simply impossible to guess where the speakers are, and if your eyes are closed, a good recording could easily play with your wits. The sound stage extends way beyond your ceiling, out the backyard and inside your head. The 9's seem slightly better then the 5's in this.

Through in bi-ampability with gold-plated 5-way posts at the back, a very solid professional looking cabinet (mine are black) and an attractive price point... they hold their own against $1000 speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm 5se, Sony monitors, Realistic Mach 1.

judging from these reviews, getting a pair of these in near new shape at 120 is nothing to complain about?

Need a new amp. Fibreglass insulation is a but worrysome to me. Heard of alternatives? I think I'll rebuild the Cabinets with natural materials - mimicking the initial design of course.

Hi there, I finally just got me self some decent speakers. These things sounded very relaxed when I bought em. However, like some on these reviews (perhaps those whom seemed angry about their quality), I don't have a biamp, to run them. All I have in the way of an amp right now is an oldschool Marantz 2226B - which apparrently should not be used with these speakers.

I need some suggestions on amps at budget prices. In other words, any old biamp brands of considerable longevity which I might afford to power these from to watch for as second hand? I post this question as a response should prove pertinent to the product's use and relevance in today's market, yes?

Thanks!

Great sound, bass/treble extension, imaging, sensitivity, build quality, and overall bang for the buck. Highly reccomended.

Large (lowish WAF), a little comely with the grilles off, need a lot of power to open up despite the amazingly high sensitivity, somewhat cheesy plastic binding posts, and the fact that they're not made anymore.

I lived with these speakers for 7 years and loved every minute of it. I recently moved to some electrostas and thought I'd post a sort of parting review of these great boxes to pass on some of my experiences to the community. So, here a few of the more important things I learned during their tenure with me. 1) To really open these boys up, you need some decent amplification. I started running them with a Yamaha receiver of about a '96 vintage and loved them. After a few years and quite a bit more delving into the hi-fi culture, I thought there must be something more. I bought a Parasound HCA-1000A power amp and was positively blown away. I couldn't beleive how much happoer they sounded and how much more music they made. I have no clue what you're running them with, but the Parasound was probably pushing about 200W a side at the speaker's 4 Ohm impedance and man were they great. I think it was more the quality of the power than the wattage (as is always the case). 2) Move them out from the wall. I started with them pretty much right up against a wall and thought they sounded great. After some research, I realized maybe this wasn't optimal, so I moved them out 2-3 feet from the rear and side walls. Wow. The bass tightened up immeasurably and the overall sound just tightened up so nicely. Again, I have no idea what your constraints are, but try it if you can. 3) Lastly, I was running them with some cheesy Monster zip cord and never even really thought twice about it. Then I decided to see if there was anyhting to the whole cable thing and ponied up the cash (about $40 which is probably the best money I ever spent on my system) and bought some Audioquest Type 4 speaker cables. Again, all I could say was wow. The new high-quality wire really opened the speakers up once again and brought the sound into focus. I highly reccomend checking out AQ's product line, they are amazing. An exceptional speaker for the money. Heck, this is an exceptional speaker period.

Similar Products Used:

Countless.

Bi-wiring and bi-amping.

Flat and dull sounding.

I bought these online after reading reviews and getting input from various people who all loved this speaker. Bought them, bi-amped them, kept for about 5 months before I had to get rid of 'em. The sound was simultaneously flat and fatiguing! Replaced them with a pair of NHT 2.5s and once again the music rocked!

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.5

Incredibly balanced sound for the money, sweet highs w/o the hard sizzle of lesser tweeters, up-front and very live sounding without being too forward, moderately deep and VERY wide, solid soundstage that makes placing the speakers for the best "sweet-spot" a cinch... With an Amp/Rcvr that has a solid output stage, these speakers ALWAYS sound huge and expensive.

Must be placed out front (away from the back wall), slightly toed-in and, depending on the room, tilted back just a touch to get that "snapshot" imaging. The tweeter and cross-over point for this particular model have a tendency to make cheap (read Amp-on-Chip) receivers sound brittle, pop fuses in the Rcvr, or just blow the tweet(replacements should be bought in pairs and have the CORRECT amount of Ferro-Fluid in them for the best "matched" sound). Ash Laminate finish (black) is somewhat too rectangular and spartan... hard to sell the benefits to a fashion conscious better-half...

I've really enjoyed these speakers for years... with an average sized (or slightly larger) living room and the right placement, these speakers are so seamless that you only notice them when you're mother comes over and moves them out of the sweet-spot "...because they have dust on top...". (Okay,so I admit I'd rather listen to music than constantly dust... shoot me.) The part I really Love is how transparent they are when switching from music(mainly) over to movies(occasionally)... Listening to all types of music (read... not much RAP) and being able to serve double duty by being THE only sound source for the TV room (my XBR TV has no speakers in it...) makes these the most listened to speakers of anyone I know of. The guys are always over for the Games or Movie Night and even when my wife gets to pick a Chick-Flick, the 9seMkIII's never disappoint. I will always recommend these speakers as the easiest way to become aware of "audiophile" sound on a Moday-Night-Football and Hockey game budget... The ONLY reason I have this pair in the first place is because a buddy of mine absolutely HAD to move up to a pair of 11seMkIII's... thank heaven for "upgrade-itis" prone friends...

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titans, Paradigm Mini-Monitors, PSB Alpha's, Mirage Omni's, Thiel CS-5s, Klipsch 5's

Everything

don't match in colour, Damn, I still saved almost $450 of dealer cost new

Bought way back in 1997 Factory Seconds because the colours don't match, one speaker is a shade lighter then the other, first off who cares when placed 10 feet apart you can't even notice, and the sound is just amazing, I am running w/ yamaha MX-2 and a sweet yamaha preamp, no surround but I don't care I mainly listen to music, and WOW is it ever sweet, and the sub I have with then is a paradigm SB-120 sweet low range, works well with the power amp, but overall they are just amazing speakers couldn't beat the price. good times, with a sweet set of speakers

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm SB-120

The whole package Front porting makes placement easy Just the right size for a floorstanding speaker - the tweeter is right at ear level when sitting

Unshielded Not made anymore - But its replacement, the Monitor 9 should sound at least as good, and it IS shielded.

The fact that reviews are still coming in on a 7+ year old model tells you everything about this outstanding speaker. I'm sure it (and its siblings) was a major factor in making Paradigm an important player in the market. I can sum up the 9seMK3s in one word - balance. Smooth highs, punchy but not forward midrange, and generous but never boomy base ( a subwoofer is only necessary for HT). Imaging is superb. The soundstage is equal to all but much more expensive speakers. More than anything, there's a certain "rightness" to the sound that's hard to explain. Every time I've been tempted to upgrade, I buy some new electronics, or upgrade cabling or interconnects, and hello: they sound reborn. I just can't bring myself to say goodbye to my old friends. When I eventually do replace them, I'll find them a good home with one of my buddies, who have been envying them for the last 7 years. Whose speakers will I buy next time? Paradigm of course!P

Similar Products Used:

AR, Infinity, PSBë