Soundstage, Vocals, Bass.

A little harsh in the treble range.

I went to my dealer to audition the Studio 40’s and was amazed
by the great sound of these speakers! The system used was a
Rotel 985bx integrated stereo amp (100 watts per channel)
and a Rotel 971 CD player. The sound was musical and
had an excellent soundstage, detail and sense of space.
The bass was punchy, but balanced. The sound reached
out and grabbed me. The midrange was, to my ears,
marvelous. The treble was a little bright, but there was
no harshness. After listening to my test CD, which
contains music from Horowitz, MegaDeath, Sonny
Rollins, Willie Nelson, Van Cliburn, Buddy Rich,
Etc…. I was amazed at the way these speakers
handled anything I threw at them. Both male and
female vocals where lovely. I also listened
to the B&W Nautilus (model???) that is about
the same size but sells for $2000.00US and I
think the 40’s have them beat – and have them
beat for $1000.00 less! Go hear these speakers!
Yes, I bought them (and the amp and CD player)
and put the whole system in my bedroom. It fills
The room with glorious music.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, JBL

Solid performance, size is nice and price is closer to fair than any other speakers I found

Needs a good stand

The speakers are wonderful. They are crisp clean and have superb range for bookshelfs. I actually found that when these speakers where paired with a good tight accurate sub they sounded cleaner than the studio 60's. They have a great image and solid stage. They are picky with placement... especially height!! I had them about 8" too high; moved them down and made a world of difference. Cant wait to get center channel and ADP's. Just waiting to make the money first.
I continue to hear nuances and effects that I had not picked up on with my prior speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Infinities, b and w, and KEF

Value, soundstage, clean highs, smooth mids

None at this price

These are Stuido 40 version 2s.

I auditioned all of the above mentioned speakers against the Paradigm Studio 40s and I can tell you that it was an easy decision--especially at the price I paid: $799. The B&W 602s sounded almost too "flat" with a fair soundstage. The 603s produced better bass but still sounded "flat" to me and lacked the spaciousness of the 'dimes. I actually prefered the cheaper Paradigm Monitor line over the B&W 6 Series: the 'dimes produce a wide, dynamic soundstage that puts "distance" between intruments. This effect is personified by the Paradigm Reference line. Everything I liked about the Monitor line was accentuated in the Studio line.

I would like to echo the sentiment that these speakers require a lengthy break-in time. Out of the box they sound a bit harsh and lack the tight bass I heard in the store. I left mine playing all day at varing volumes with my 5-disc changer playing varing styles of music (i.e. bassy stuff, crisp stuff, female vocal, jazz, classical, rock, etc.). Now that I've given them plenty of play-time (almost 100 hours), they sound as good as the ones I auditioned in the store with tight and surprisingly robust bass, vivid highs and smooth mids. I put mine on 24" Premier stands filled with lead shot. I'm using good ole Monster XP cables but I plan on biwiring them next month with DH Labs silver. I'll keep you posted.

I haven't used them extensively for home theater, but I would presume that a sub would be necessary as these speakers don't provide that everpresent THUMP in most action/adventure flicks.

Overall 5 stars for value. My God, they deserve ten stars! Overall 5 for sound reproduction if you're planning on buying a sub; otherwise save up and get the Studio 80s or 100s. I live in an apartment so these are perfect. Oh, and my financee loves 'em if you find yourself in a similar situation and need great sounding speakers that aren't Bose. Please audition these if you're looking for an excellent bookshelf speaker at a killer price.


My stuff:
Yamaha 795a Receiver
Yamaha CDC-775 CD Player
Paradigm Studio 40 v2 mains
Advent surrounds
Monster XP cables
Esoteric interconnects

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602 and 603, Paradigm Monitor 3 and 7

Great top end sound for a bookshelf speaker and bass response is not bad at all for a bookshelf speaker!

None that I have found so far

I have had this speaker in my system for the last two weeks and every time I listen to it I am simply amazed! Great transparency with tremendous tonal and midrange clarity.

Of course a bookshelf isn't going to have the same bass response as a floorstanding speaker but the Studio $0's provide ample bass for a natural reproduction of the sound.

These speakers will remain a mainstay in my reference system for years to come.

My other audio gear includes:
Premier J 50 Speaker Stands
Bryston 4B ST Amp
Rotel RC 995 preamp
Rotel RCD 885 CD Player
Audio Research Dac 2 and
All Tara Labs interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Looked at Bookshelf speakers from B&W, Energy, PSB, Dynaudio, Mirage and many others.

Clarity, accuracy and overall sound quality for the price.

Extended bass is weak. Imitation wood veneer doesn't look like real wood.

For me it was a toss up between the Studio 40 and 60. The 60 had better extended bass but the midrange didn't sound as good and it cost more. The only other speaker I listened to that had a similar level of clarity and imaging was the Totem Mite (small bookshelf) but it had no lower midrange or bass.

There are better speakers out there than this so I giving it a 4 in the overall rating, but they cost more. Since it is a best buy in the sub $1000 price category I'm giving it a 5 in the value rating. It is the most accurate and best sounding speaker I listened to under $1200 Can ($756US). Price paid was $850 Can ($535US).

Similar Products Used:

Compared to other products from Paridigm, Totem, Energy, PSB, B&W in the sub $1200 Can. category.

I've had the Studio 40s for little over six months now, and can confidently say that I am happy with my purchase. After listening to a number of other speakers (B&W, M&K, NHT, Def. Tech among others) I originally decided on the purchase of a pair of Monitor 7s. Luckily, the my local store had just received a set of Studio 40s. Needless to say, the Studio 40's were significantly better than the Monitor 7s.

The sound staging is excellent and the mid and high ranges are well defined. Bass extension is a bit lacking, but that is expected with bookshelf speakers. The speakers did sound a litlle bright initially, but were fine once broken in. The Studio 40s excel at both musical reproduction and home theater, a combo hard to find at this price range. I have them bi-wired using Audioquest 6+ and powered by a Rotel 965. I am sure dedicated amp would only enhance their sound.

Clarity, imaging, overall detail. Beautiful cabinet.

A little shy in the vocals; needs a good sub to really shine. Requires stands

I got mine in the light cherry finish. A beautiful, well-constructed cabinet. After a 40-hour break in, imaging and soundstage is reproduced well. Detail and clarity is second to none. These speakers will bring out the most miniscule nuances of any music (or faulty equipment).

Before deciding on the Paradigms, I also considered the Monitor Audio Silver 5s. These are great speakers, but to my ear, the Paradigms just seemed to have a bit more treble detail and presence.

The biggest complaint is the somewhat laid back vocals. I was really impressed with the B&W DM 602s vocals, but the B&W was lacking the high frequency smoothness and clarity the Paradigms produce. The B&Ws bass output was not all that impressive either.

The bass output is OK, but if you are planning on using these for HT, I recommend a good subwoofer. I have my Paradigms matched up with an ACI Titan II subwoofer. This combo brings music and movies to life. I have been going through some old CDs and replaying some DVDs and (not to sound like a cliché), but I am hearing things in the music passage I’ve not heard before, a new level of clarity and presence.

I use my Paradigms for both HT and music. With the matching Paradigm Studio CC center channel, HT never sounded so good. Effects seamlessly pan across screen with the greatest of ease. You can hear every single detail in the soundtrack…Awesome.

I’m sure there are better speakers out there, But for $1000 I think the only speakers on the market that would satisfy me are the Paradigms and the Monitor Audio Silver 5s. And you see which ones I went with. I am not in the least bit disappointed.


Associated Equipment:
SonyES STR-DA50ES
Panasonic DVDX-410
Sony CDP-C735 (as transport)
Paradigm Reference Studio 40 (mains)
Paradigm Studio CC (center)
ACI B-Flat in-walls (surround)
ACI Titan II subwoofer
DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 bi-wires to mains and center
DH-Labs D-75 Digital coax for DVD
Hisago Fiber Optic for CD
Streetwires Musica 500 interconnect to subwoofer (surprisingly good bass detail)

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio Silver 5, B&W DM 602, PSB Stratus Mini & Bronze, Boston Acoustics VR series. Various Infinity and JBL models.

BI Wiring Great Finish

The Paradigm Studio 40 v.2
is one of the best speakers for the money. Great Bass and mid-range.
These speakers are great for music and home theather. I have them matched up with the Paradigm Studio CC and the Studio ADP's
Go and check these speakers out. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Well I've been listening to these speakers for a few weeks now and feel I can give an honest evaluation. I have to say that they are pretty incredible. My Mini Monitors, as much as I liked them, are downright feeble compared to the 40's. Everything about the 40's is better. The imaging is astounding, the highs are smooth yet sparkly, and the midrange is extremely accurate. The bass is very good for the most part, but it can get a little boomy, although not as boomy as the MM's. This is partly because I only have my speakers about 12" away from the wall. The only thing I don't like about the 40's is that they're merciless when it comes to revealing mediocre recordings--my MM's were much more forgiving. OTOH, when you put on a really great recording you will be richly rewarded.
One side note: I tried biwiring these speakers and was shocked to come to the conclusion that they sounded better to me with a single cable. All my connections were correct, but it just sounded more fatiguing to me with just a slight improvement in imaging. Maybe my Kimber Kables 4PR aren't the right cables to biwire with or maybe it's my receiver, my room...who knows, maybe it's me. Anyway, I'm very very happy with my purchase.

Everything about this speaker

They aren't free

I went down to the Paradigm dealer to test out some monitor 7's, as I wanted to upgrade my front channels from the Titans I currently owned. I was sold on the Monitor 7's and out of curiosity, I asked to hear a Studio 100. I knew I could not afford the Studio 100's, but I really wanted to hear them. While listening to the 100's (they were simply marvelous, by the way) my dealer told me his favorite speaker in the Studio line was the 40. We hooked them up and did a/b tests between the Monitor 7's and the Studio 40's. I was blown away by the difference. I am a fan of acoustic jazz, and these speakers were perfect. The bass was so tight and fast. Just truly exceptional.

When my dealer told me they were just $125 more per speaker, I had to have them. They were just too good not to take home. Can you tell I'm happy?

Similar Products Used:

Bose Acoustimass 5. Paradigm Titan