I had the opportunity to audition these a couple of months ago. This is a great little speaker for the money. Bass is tight and dynamic. Mids are accurate. My only complaint with this speaker are the highs which roll off and make the entire presentation a bit dark. Because of this, the sound is not as open as I prefer. Then again, what do you expect at this price point? If you're in the market for a small speaker, these are a must listen.

Top to bottom, everything. Quality of build.

None

Most everything has been said here. There really is no comparison in this price range, except maybe the Magnepan MMG's(500.00). It must also be said that my all time favorite speakers were and still are the Magnepan 1.5 qr's. I think as an all-rounder, great performer, Paradigm cant be beat for the price. The build and finish on the reference series is most impressive !!!!

These speakers sound pretty darn good. I hear people make rediculous comparisons like “Compared to my Martin Logans or my Tanoy V ports these suck!” Or “When I hooked these up to my Krell monoblocks and my Z-systems digital preamp these sounded lousy!” What the hell did these people expect! What kind of MORON compares $15000.00 speakers to $450.00 booksheves!! Further, It takes a special kind of NITWIT to hook $450.00 bookshelves to $20,000.00 worth of audio gear! Would you put Sears Tiger Paw tires on your new Farrari and still expect it to handle well? Hell no! GET REAL!
In the real world, when you hook these up to a nice upper-mid level receiver or a decent preamp amp combo, they sound nice. Really nice when you factor in the cost. These things perform at levels comprable to speakers that cost twice as much.

For the sub $500 range, not much is better.

Ok, Some of you buy this product, take it home, listen to it, and say the highs are too harsh. Let me ask you a question, have you ever heard of 'Break-in'? It might help. Most things sound better after they break in.

Very neutral, very detailed, large soundstage, great dynamics, surprisingly strong bass for it's size, very well braced, very heavy for it's size.

Needs a sub for ultimate deep bass.

Audition the Studio 20's if you're looking for a practically perfect standmount speaker, equally at home whether you're playing action movies or any kind of music. My taste is very eclectic ranging from Bach to the Blues to the Beastie Boys. Coupled with my PW-2200 sub, I have a system that's full range and will embarrass systems costing much more than mine.
My speaker system:

2 Pair of Paradigm Studio 20's
1 CC Studio
1 PW-2200 sub

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio 40's, 50's, PSB Mini Stratus, NHT 1.5's.

They sound even better than they did when I posted my earlier review

None at this price or even until you get into the $1000s.

Since my last review I have upgraded to the new NAD C370 integrated and also added a M&K v75 mk2 sub. I couldn't be more satisfied with my system. The Studio 20s really respond to the power of the c370 (3 x the watts of the C340 I was previously using). I am also hearing more micro-details in my music now. Headroom is astounding. I tried adding the Paradigm PDR-10 sub to my system, but it just wasn't fast, controlled, or deep enough to integrate with the 20s and C370. The M&K sub is just awesome. It integrates beautifully with the S20s. For people looking at the Paradigm PW-2200 or maybe even the Servo 15, check out what M&K has to offer. I STRONGLY suggest this. You may end up saving money, however M&K also makes some VERY expensive subs also. I'd put the v75 mk2 against the more expensive PW-2200 any day. It has the fastest and most controlled bass I think I have ever heard and this is the kind of bass these speakers need (goes quite deep too: bass energy even at 20hz). To those using these superior speakers with entry level associated equipment, you're missing out. The dealers hooking these speakers up to so-so equipment aren't being fair to you or the speakers either. I'd suggest getting speakers in the Monitor or even Performance series if you aren't planning on using higher grade electronics and cables. You'll get very similar or perhaps better performance at a great savings. The studio series are meant to be hooked up to higher quuality equipment, whereas the monitor and performance series are made to be associated with typical mid-priced A/V receivers etc. The Studios won't hide flaws in lesser setups and recordings.

Similar Products Used:

KEF RDM2, NHTs, other Paradigms, PSB etc etc.

None

Use with NAD 701 and Velodyne HGS10. Speaker cable is multiply braided Cat 5 (home made).

The NAD maybe a little underpowered (25 watts) but it still seems to drive the Studio's fine.

Couldn't be more pleased with the overall sound of the Studio 20s given the price.

Speaker cable made a big difference and gives a warmer sound as a result. (I was using plain wires).

Clarity, Build-Quality, Value

ummmm....

Originally purchased the Def Tech 200's and was pleased with the purchase but after getting them home, my wife gave me hell about these black boxes in our country styled family-room. She drove me crazy, so I boxed them up and returned them (some fights are better not fought)and asked the salesman for something simalar in a wood finish. He introduced me to the Reference 20's. I listened to them side-by-side with the Def techs and they were definitely better, cleaner, less bright. In fact I tested them against speakers costing twice as much and these guys won.

So I brought them home and they do need a break-in period, but they are outstanding. I have read some reviewer feel they lack bass. I don't think so, I like a tight bass and I do use them with a sub-woofer. The sub is great with movies, but musicly I think they are fine either way unless you like bassy music. These speakers are soo good that when you put in a CD you've heard a hundred times in another system, they will make you stop, sit down and take notice of sounds you never noticed before.

Very Highly recommended. To get better sound you would have to spend alot more money and maybe go to electrostats and reserve a lot more floor space in that room. Don't want to go there...the wife thing again. Enjoy these!

Similar Products Used:

Defintive Tech Pro Cine 200's, Bose

Realistic midrange, articulation of detail, real bass for a bookshelf, incredible value, flawless build and attention to detail

With some passages, a bit sparkly and screechy at the high end

I demo'd these (the latest v.2) yesterday, with a Rotel RA-972 integrated and RCD-971 CD player. With those components, which are very, very revealing and crisp at the high end, these can fatigue your ears. However, with more neutral components I imagine they would be wonderful. I would definitely recommend a copper speaker cable with these, to soften the sizzle. Like many Americans, I like a realistic, detailed, if not slightly forward presentation, without components marking up the frequency range (i.e., don't prefer the "warmth" and "richness" of Rega, Arcam, etc...). Oh, the B&W's I tested were just terrible- farting bass, whispy and crispy high end, and poor build quality. I'm interested in pairing the 20's with the Musical Fidelity A3 integrated and CD player, which are supposedly very neutral (some say sterile). If you've tried that combination, let me know. My guess is that would be one terrific system!

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM602 S2

We listened to B&W 302 and 602 and some other popular UK bookshelf speakers. For the money we felt that the Paradigm Studio 20s were way ahead in terms of detail, clarity and bass response. They can be criticised for being a touch bright. The bass is definitely loud enough but not as rich as you would get with a larger speaker. These are not Thiels, my speakers of choice, but they are very good for the money. The speakers are fed by Arcam Alpha 8 CD player connected with cable talk interconnects to Arcam Alpha 9 Amp Bi Wired with cable Talk four conductor cables. After breaking in for about 18 hours the system really sings. Good imaging, delicious sound, and exciting dynamics