Musical coherence, non-fatigueing, resolution, reasonable bass given size and price

appearance when compared to more costly competition

I have listened to many types of speakers in many price ranges. I am not about to say that the Paradigms are the best speakers available but given their price they do many things very well. Other speakers may out perform the Studios in certain hi-fi areas but where the studios excell is at connecting you to the music. You get a bigger slice of the emotion that makes music something worth listening to. For me this is far more important than bass that rattles my windows or highs that only my dog can hear.

The Paradigms work very nicely with limited power (I have a twenty watt tube amp). They also are smooth enough to be listened to in the near field which helps in my incredibly space constrained house.

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listened to everything from Martin Logan CLS IIz to JM Lab Utopia to PSB Stratus Mini (every price range and design style)

Very clean sound, very warm spectrum

No for this price

I got these little speakers after shopping for Paradigm M3. Once I heard them in the shop, connected to mid-range Yamaha amp and CD-changer, I was simply blown away, and after several more days of listening to Mark Knopfler, Pink Floyed and some jazz- finaly decided to take them home. Wow! I had tried them with both JVC 8000 and Harman 210, with Monster and AudioQuest (bi-wired), with Samsung 709 DVD, and Yamaha 775. I heard sounds that I never heard before, like mixing/recording imperfections. Sound is great overall, I would recomend to use any quality sub, because bass doesn't go low enough. I will post more reviews once I use this speakers for a month or so. Also, I will try them with Paradigm 10 sub.

Resolution, clarity, pace, and detail

These MUST be matched to very good equipment

I agree with Jeorge. Brian is a little off on the price. I haven't heard the Axiom speakers so I can't say anything about them. They look like a very good design however. Brian is entitled to his own preference and opinion but it seems his biggest complaint is the inflated price. I have personally compared $1200 speakers (B&Ws, KEFs, Monitor Audios, Dynaudios, Snells, NHTs) in my listening room with the Studio 20s and the 20s kept up with them in just about every area. Perhaps some of the others are more refined in certain areas, but the 20s seemed to do the most right to the music. I payed $575 for them to boot!!! I had money left over for Lovan stands.
I can definitely see where Brian is coming from. Companies are squeezing more and more performance into less costly speakers all the time now. Look at B&W's DM303, Acoustic Energy's Aegis 1, and some of the even less expensive Paradigms; the list goes on. Heck, I'd be willing to say that the Acoustic Energy Aegis 1's will give you 80%-85% of the Studio 20's performance. I know there are better speakers (that cost more), but these Studio 20's are going to keep me happy for a long time.
I have to give them 5 stars across the board. There's no way that the Axiom's just blow away the 20s, like Brian makes it seem. I'm also willing to bet that if one were to hook the Axioms up to THE BEST gear one could definitely detect their weaknesses like most budget speakers. This is what usually separates higher priced speakers from lower priced ones. I believe I got my money's worth with the 20s. The only stand mounted speaker that I have heard that is truely head and shoulders above the Studio 20s is B&W's Nautilus 805 at $2k.

Associated Equipment

YBA Integre DT Integrated Amp
CAL CL-20 DVD/CD player
Dynalab Tuner
Tara Lab Interconnects and speaker cables

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B&W, NHT, MA ....

Absolutely realistic midrange, suprising bass for such a small speaker

Long break in time, a slight bit harsh on some recordings with some equipment.

First of all I have to say that Brian is on CRACK if he thinks these speakers cost anywhere NEAR $1200 Canadian!!

Brian, are you sure you're not thinking of the Studio ACTIVE 20's with the built-in amps?? Or were you quoting the price for TWO pairs?? You can get the Studio 20's (a whole pair Brian!) easily for $700 CND or even less if you shop around.

I'm not going to knock you for how you think they sound, that's your opinion and it's fine, but you really overshot it there on the price!

I've had mine for well over a year and I think they sound fantastic. Paired with good equipment and lots of power, these baby's really sound fantastic.

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PSB Stratus mini, B&W 602 s2, Mirage ...

Clarity...definitely. Midrange purity. Wide sound stage.
Well built cabinet (especially since I have the cherry veneer finish).

Lower frequencies or lack thereof.

I've listened to a lot of systems in my life because I've always been fascinated with hearing a true reproduction of sound. I'm especially fascinated with the clarity of voice, trumpets, and horns. What I don't like is something that's too forward or bright in reproducing the aforementioned sounds.

I bought the Paradigm Reference 20 to replace my Reference Monitor 3, which I loved by the way, in a never ending quest to attain "true sound." I've read the reviews and it seemed like a logical step moving up from the monitor series to the reference series. Some steered me away from the Reference 40, which would have been comparable in size, to the Monitor 3's, so I went with the Ref 20's.

When I first hooked them up, one thing that was very obvious about these speakers were that they needed seriously to be broken in. If you listened to them for only a short time and they are relatively new, you will not get to appreciate them as much. I can see how some can make rash judgements of these speakers based on a limited audition. Still, there's no excuse for Brian, the idiot from Ottawa, in making 2 entries with low marks...especially with the reason being he wanted to correct his original. Must not be too bright up there in Ottawa, ay?

Anyway, after the break in period, which wasn't overnight, I began to understand what all the hype was about. These speakers are fantastic for vocals. If you listen to "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole, he will sound like he's right there in front of you on a large sound stage. It's incredible. Other crooners like his daughter, Natalie, Harry Connick, Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, etc., will also blow you away.

Comparatively speaking, the Monitor 3's were also very good in it's midrange purity. However, it's highs were not up to par with the Reference 20's. It did, however, offer a greater sense of being neutral than the 20's, but that may be because I'm not use to such clarity.

Listening to the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" DVD was also incredible. Each pick of the guitar could be heard. And with my Reference CC center channel, there was a noticeable improvement over the Monitor CC350 I had before.

On the downside, the bass was definitely not up to par with the Monitor 3's. However, after filling up my stands with sand along with letting the speakers break in, this improved the bass substantially. Since I have 2 subwoofers, I did cross them over a little higher without sacrificing sound and it worked out great.

My next purchase will be the Tara Labs Bi-Wire over my existing Audioquest Type 4 to see if it will make an improvement, but I'm very happy with them as they are. Nonetheless, you can never be too happy too long.

My system:

Acurus ACT 3
Acurus A-100 Amp
Acurus A100X3 Amp
Toshiba SD-5109 DVD Player
Pioneer LD Player
Adcom Line Conditioner
Monster Interconnects
Mitsubishi 45' TV
Tara Labs Digital Cable
Paradigm Atoms for Rears
Definitive Technology PF15TL
Definitive Technology PF15TL+
Sanus 31' Metal Stands

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B&W 600i's, B&W 601, Paradigm Monitor 3

Can play loud and clear without distorting. These things weigh in at almost 25 lbs. each, a testament to their build quality and internal bracing. Except for deep bass these speakers have beautiful sound.

Brian, I hope you're happy that you've knocked the score down twice.

As soon as I heard these speakers I knew I had to have them. Right now I have a pretty modest set-up based around a Yamaha RXV-1000 receiver with excellent results. I have no doubt, however, that they could sound REALLY awesome if I had separates, but that will have to come later. I think I need to get better cables for now. I'm just using basic Monster cable, but I'm going to try Kimber's budget speaker cable and PBJ interconnects. A buddy of mine really likes Kimber Kable and I am always impressed with his system. These speakers are just plain GREAT and I am impressed with the whole Paradigm line. GREAT VALUE!!! If you're on a REALLY tight budget go listen to the Atoms. Sweet sounding little guys.

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Acoustic Research, Yamaha, Infinity, Boston Acoustic.....I auditioned many brands

Accuracy, warmth, size, appearance

for a bookshelf speaker, none.

(The review is for V.2 Studio 20's)

When I got the Paradigm's home, out of the box, plugged in and, ready to go, I nearly cried. They sounded hideous. Flat, gritty, empty. I prayed to the god of merchandise returns that the fabled "break in period" wasn't just a fiction. It's not. Be warned.

They sounded like crap warmed over for a good 15 minutes. It took about an hour for them to sound like average consumer speakers and about a day for them to sound similar to what I heard in the store. About 3 days later I was finally assured I hadn't wasted my money. I love these speakers.

I think you have to know your music preferences in choosing a speaker. I listen to Jazz, Classical, and Rock. I don't go for bass laden beats, but I like kick, I like grit, and I like texture in my rock. I like detail, and I like to hear everything. If bass is you music world this is not the review to read.

These speakers are accurate, quick, and revealing. They reproduce small features you would miss with less expensive speakers ( and probably many similarly priced ones). This can be a mixed blessing because, in addition to hearing some fabulous music, I also hear the bad mastering or poor source material in less ideal recordings. But that's what a good speaker does. Be warned.

I took several CD's with me to demo, the most revealing track was "In a Hurry" from Christian McBride's album Gettin' to it (1995). Its a fairly percusive uptempo piece featuring horns, piano, and string bass (McBride). I recommend the album strongly.

As you might expect from good small speakers the highs (cymbals, trumpet) were excellent. They were clearly rendered. They sounded very natural, and defined. They were not overly bright. Sibilance was right where it should be. Trumpets just sound beautiful.

What sold me was the strings. The string bass was real. It was warm, it sounded like a wooden instrument. You can hear the bow moving across the strings. These small speakers reproduce the detail and character, warmth or attack of strings (violin, cello, string bass) amazingly well. Yo-yo Ma's Unaccompanied Cello suites (Bach) sounds fantastic and, interestingly, so does the opening bass rif on "Californication" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (kick-a**!). Go figure.

The hard thing for me to express was how much of the character of the instrument comes through. Steel guitar sounds like steel. Cello's sound like wood and rosin. I think this has a lot to say about the accuracy of the speakers. I think they also sound "quick", no hesitancy. That's probably also accuracy.

To be fair, these speakers also have some punch and kick. The Matrix (DVD) rocks. Cake, Soundgarden, Chili Peppers are well represented.

I don't listen to a lot of vocal oriented music, but that's about to change. From Tom Waits, to Fionna Apple; Billy Holiday to Dawn Upshaw I'm re-evaluating my appreciation for vocalists. I'm hearing much more now. You can hear the performer part their lips and that adds a lot of drama to the music.

Clearly I like these speakers. I'm driving them (if you could call it that) with a failing Yamaha receiver (RX-330). Santa was good so that is about to be upgraded (Marantz SR8000?). But as the specs for the speakers attest, as do my ears, they are sensitive enough to be driven quite nicely by a low power system. I don't have an appartment that allows placement that would allow me to comment of soundstage etc. I imagine its excellent.

I thought they were pricey at the time. Now I feel they were a bargain. The faults and short comings of these speakers could only be cured by making them 3 times larger and twice the price. I doubt a better speaker of this SIZE exists for under twice the price. If you live in the low end of the frequency range, and the high end of the volume range you shouldn't even be looking here. If you love the rest of the spectrum of music, these deserve a listen.

In a departure from what seems typical for ratings (5 stars if you liked it, 1 if you could find a fault). I'm giving these 4 stars overall. Because in the world of speakers, they are not the be all end all. For small speakers, they are terrific and probably can't be beat for performance and value. For small speakers they deserve a 5 (6 even). But for speakers in general they just can't produce those subsonic vibes. Therefore, they are lacking something many find essential. Sorry. I love 'em though.

Frequency response, build quality, detail in the mids/highs, tight and tuneful bass.

Nothing major at this price point. (a possible weakness is that they are not video shielded-it is a special order additional cost option).

This review is for the studio 20V.2 which has improved cabinet bracing, more refined drivers, and reworked crossovers as compared to the 20V.1. Stereophile rated the 20V.1 as a class C, and I would venture that the new version would get a better rating (a C+?). Excellent sound for their size. Use a sub just to fill in the lowest octave, frequency spec is at 2db and there is still usable bass output in the 36HZ range. Very detailed and authentic sound-you can't go wrong here for the price. Paradigm has put out a superior product. I would give it more than 5 stars-especially for the value section.

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Boston Acoustic standmounts and auditioned many from totem, Energy, etc.

I love thes speakers, i don't know much about speakers, but all i care about is that they sound good ! And they sound GOOD, better than anything else i heard in the store ~ so that, i suppose was reason enough to get them

not enough bass... but what do you expect from speakers this size ?

Excelent speakers for the money

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my own home made speakers, which sucked pretty bad

sound vs size, Imageing, insane power handeling, clean sounding even with a pioneer recevier.

none at all.

These little speakers are amazeing for the size of them when I first heard them I knew that they were the ones, I was origanaly going to get mini monitor's but not when I put the 20's up against them, I was blown away...
Their criticly tuned cabnets allow for some serious bass to be created for such a small cabnet.
For any type of music I find these speakers can deliver the goods, personaly I listen to bands such as pennywise, gob, metallica, and they keep up like no other bookshelf I have heard yet to this date. I'm not saying that they are the best bookshelf speaker in the world but they sound just the way I want them to, and right now being only 18 they will due for a very long time. I dont think I'll ever let them go I like them to much!
I find that these speakers blended nicely with a moderate sub, doesínt have to be anything fancy it should perform very well in most applications, I only have an old Pioneer receiver bi wired to these and they sound great, exactly the way I like to hear my music.

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B&W DM-601S2, Energy Connoissur series C-2's, M&K Bookshelf-75's, PSB Stratus Mini's and Mission 781's