I've had the Phantoms for a week now and have been playing music and watching movies much more than usual (playing the movies in a hifi VCR through the receiver).
On an absolute scale I'm generally enthusiastic and on a value scale I'm thrilled. These speakers are replacing 11 year old Infinity RS2000 speakers (back when Infinity still made a really fine speaker). It's hard to make a direct comparison since the foam surround on the Infinity drivers finally rotted away. Still, it's pretty clear these are an improvement of at least 2 levels of performance over my old speakers (as expected).

The bass is a little lacking from what I was hoping for (and I'm not big on a lot of bass), but I found nothing near this price range (I paid $360) that performed nearly as well. I found I had to look at speakers $100-200 more expensive to find some that compared (to my hearing taste). I know that part of the lack of bass comes from my JVC receiver. It's generally under powered and not as crisp as what I am now looking at for replacing it. I would expect the bass to improve, but still not be quite where I'd like it.

I compared these speakers with a variety of Polks, a Tannoy bookshelf speaker (can't remember the model), a couple of lower level B&W speakers, and the Paradigm Titans. I kept coming back to the Titans until I found the Phantoms. When I auditioned the Phantoms I had the person helping me put the Titans on top of the Phantoms and switch between the two. The difference was clear. All through the range the Phantoms clearly out performed the Titans (as they should). So, to offset the comments by the person who implied the Phantoms would not sound as nice or crisp as the Titans, I can tell you the Phantoms are clearly (to my ears) a level of performance better.

I am enjoying these speakers so much that I can now hear the limitations of my receiver and plan to upgrade it soon. I expect home theater will not be far behind.

Again, on an absolute scale these are good sounding, quality speakers. On a value scale I couldn't find anything close in performance for the price. I give 3.5 stars for absolute performance and 5 for value.

I had the opportunity to audition the new Phantom and I must say I'm disappointed. The floor-standing configuration seems to be a step in the wrong direction. The Phantom sounds like Paradigm just stuffed a Titan into a bigger box, resulting in indistinct (though sufficient) bass and a closing down of the upper ranges. My Alphas sound better.
I also listened to the Paradigm Monitor 3 using the same system (Bryston amp, Proceed electronics) and I was impressed. The Monitor 3 is harder to drive but it's a far better speaker; it had more clarity and extension in the highs and more convincing bass. The bass was at once tighter and more full sounding. I would recommend getting the Monitor 3 and putting the $150 savings into the matching stands (made by the same company).

value

grilles

Well, I finally gave in and picked up a pair. These speakers offer tremendous value - solid imaging, accurate and very warm. The only quams i have with them are that they could have more bass (nothing that a sub wouldn't fix), i wish the soundstage opened up a touch, and they could offer more depth. At this price, however, they are solid speakers. i auditioned a pair of studio 7's at the same time, but they sounded mid-bass heavy and kind of nasal in the upper midrange. i am pleased with these, and these will make great surrounds when i upgrade.

Similar Products Used:

Mirage, Paradigm Studio 7

These speakers are awesome. Extremely even response throughout. They have a great presence. They sound excellent throughout the room. Nice tight bass, smooth midrange and chrystal clear high end. I have then paired with a couple of Paradigm Atoms for the rear speakers. You would be hard pressed to find a better setup for comparable money. I highly recommend Paradigm.

The grill doesn't come off.

If you are looking for a set of speakers for less than $500, do yourself a favor and give these a listen. They are amazing speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Atoms