The Paradigm Studio 20's are incredible. I've auditioned a ton of bookshelf and towers and these blow them all away. The series II go for $750 retail now but still worth the price I think. If you live in an apartment, townhouse or smaller home they're great!

well-defined bass, despite the size

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These speakers are just awesome. The speakers deliver a very well-defined bass, although it could be a little deeper. I will probably add on a subwoofer. Why not a HSU VTF2?

Midrange, tight bass, detailed clarity on classical music

The infamous break-in period

My heart sank when I plugged these puppies in for the first time. They sounded dreadful. I was prepared for that, having read reviews about how long it takes to break in the Studio 20s. Out of the box, my Paradigm Mini-Monitors blew them away. The Studio 20s sounded harsh and gave off an odd hiss. Ick.

So I plopped a CD of Bach organ preludes and fugues in the CD player, hit the repeat button, turned the volume to a medium level, left the room, closed the door and went to work. After eight hours, the speakers sounded better (but the cats were emotionally scarred). After eight days of doing that (not Bach all the time, of course), the speakers sounded very good. Now, after probably 400 hours of play time, I'm ready to call the Studio 20s an excellent speaker -- and a bargain for the price.

I love tight, accurate bass, and the Studio 20s provide that. It's not booming bass. If that's what you want, look elsewhere. But for my musical tastes (80 percent classical, 10 percent jazz, 10 percent rock) these are perfect. The speakers disappear in my little listening room (about 12 feet by 12 feet) and the soundstage with Audioquest Type 6 cables and now with Audioquest Midnight is superb. These speakers sound excellent at all listening levels. The balance and accuracy in the midrange is stunning. Be sure to place them on some decent stands.

I think my Studio 20s still are breaking in, though. Soprano opera vocals still sound a touch harsh. My "test" track, a particularly high Mozart aria, doesn't come off as smoothly as I'd like (or as smoothly as my Mini-Monitors can do after a year of use). But each week it improves. Fascinating!

And I've experimented with biwiring (all Audioquest: Type 4, Type 6 and Midnight) but the results didn't please me. I'm pretty pleased with my present single run of the Midnight cable, but I'm saving up for some pure silver runs from Pure Silver Sound.

The rest of my system:
NAD C740 receiver
NAD C520 CD player
Pure Silver Sound interconnect

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Mini-Monitors, Bose 301 (when I was a youngster)

clarity, detail, imaging

bright sounding during break in period

I currently own the paradigm mini monitors and was thinking of upgrading. I went to my local hifi shop to listen to the Studio 20's. I was very impressed by the amazing sound that these little speakers could produce. However, while there I also listened to the Studio 40's. These speakers seemed to be a lot stronger in the midrange then the 20's. So, I think that I will save up a little more money and go with the 40's. However, the 20's are still an excellent speaker in terms of sound quality and value.

Similar Products Used:

mini monitor and Studio 40

Clarity, smoothness, imaging, midrange

None at this price point

These speakers are amazing. At first they sound a little bright and also thin, but after break-in of about 50 hours they sound beautiful. In comparrison to KEF RDM2s at about twice the price, the imaging is not quite as good, but the KEFs are imaging kings. However the Studio 20s have more bass- a lot more actually (Can easily blend with a sub- not sure why people say they can't?). That's the only real trade-off I hear between the two speakers. The studio 20's imaging is still very good though. The KEFs bring voices forward more which I really like, whereas with the S20s singers seem a little further away with less separation from performers in the background. Really a matter a preference I think.

Midrange (upper and middle) is right on par with the KEFs. They sound nearly identical in this respect. Midbass is much more defined with the S20s. Though the tweeters of the s20s are metal, they are just as smooth as the KEF's silk domes. Amazing!!! The S20s are a little more crisp, but once again this is a preference thing. I kinda like the crispness, though it may be less "real" than the KEF's soft domes.

I'm not sure why people think the S40s have better midrange. They use the same identical parts and X-over (2 1/2 way not 3 way). The only difference is the implementation of another 6 1/2" driver for bass reinforcement. Perhaps this creates an even fuller sound that people perceive as part of the midrange, which is actually more like midbass and bass.

In conclusion, anyone in the process of buying $1200 speakers should definitely listen to the S20s and even the S40s (if you want more bass). 5 stars all around for incredible value and outstanding sound for the price.

Associated equipment:

Premier stands- filled with lead shot ( I recommend these as they are part of the speaker design and work very well with the system, however they do cost $175 a pair).
Target rack filled with sand
NAD C340
NAD 514 CD player/transport (w/ Audioquest Sorbothane feet)
MSB LInk DAC (w/ Isopods)
Kimber 4TC
Kimber Silver Streak from DAC
Kimber Digital X
Kimber PBJ between amp and preamp (replacing with Pure Silver Sound Jumper very soon)


Happy Listening

Similar Products Used:

KEF, NHT, PSB, Monitor Audio, etc. etc.

Excellent value, solid construction and pride of ownership

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While on a business trip to Watertown, NY, I came upon the
Happy Ear Stereo. The Happy Ear was closed that Sunday, but Fred Feldman the owner happened to be there and demonstrated
Paradigm Mini-monitor speakers for me. I was immediately impressed with their sound. Musical, emotional, and fun describe their sound. Their price was a steal. He further recommended that I listen to the Paradigm Reference Studio 20v2 speakers. More of the same excellent musical sound was produced by the 20s. My business trip lasted three weeks and I spent my free time hanging out at the Happy Ear enjoying good music and talking to Fred about music. This gave me an extended demo of the speakers, which sealed my decision to purchase the 20s. I met a good friend in Fred Feldman. If you are near Watertown, NY look up The Happy Ear Stereo and Fred Feldman. He is a great guy selling super products.

Similar Products Used:

Mirage 490i