I've had these speakers for about six months and am continuously thrilled by their performance. I got the rosewood finish new in box (before recent revisions) for $699/pr.- - a steal!! Rich, full but tight uncolored sound, clean (but not extremely broad) soundstage. Clear, uncolored highs. With regard to sound reproduction, I'd call these pretty honest speakers. I've been very pleased with their performance for both stereo and HT listening. If you're looking for earth-shaking bass, these won't deliver- but they go low enough to blend beautifylly with a good sub (in my case an M&K MX-125). These speakers replaced Studio 20's and did so handsomely. Just couldn't see the difference in trading up to the 80's or 100's, given I would be using a sub. Wish I could give 4 1/2 stars, but given the deal I got, I'll round up to 5.
Related equipment:
Paradigm Reference Studio 60s
CC-450 center channel
Paradigm ADP-350 dipole surrounds
M&K MX-125 subwoofer
Parasound HCA-1205A 5x140w amplifier
Harman Kardon AVR-80 receiver (used as a preamp)
Harman Kardon ADP-303 DD decoder
Panasonic A-110 DVD player
Sony CD
XLO-Pro 150 interconnects
MIT Terminator 5 speaker cables
Panamax MAX1000+ surge suppressor/conditioner

I owned these units for about two years and recently sold them. Why you may ask? For the following reasons:
I agree with the poster hear about the "Paradigm Hype" machine. They do many things right... good pricing, good quality, etc. But those desccriptions are best suited for the Monitor line. The Reference line on the other hand is very pricy for what you get. At the $USD1000 mark, there are MUCH better speakers.

The Studio line not only has a cheap finish (for this price, better finishes are a must) but does not remove itself for the "Paradigm Sound" that the Monitor series has (compressed, no imaging, boomy bass, metalic sounding highs)

If you are in this price range, you need to look at Vienna Acoustics. The Bach's are fantastic. They have the best imaging in the 1-2K price point only to outdone by Maggie's. The finish is the best looking period. Great workmanship.

Now, why did I have mine for so long? I wanted to belive that they were better sounding then they really were. I just couldn't stand it any longer and off they went. For half the price, I could get the same sound in the Monitor's.

This is not my first experience with the big P's. I owned Monitor 3's too. So, after two expereinces, I think they will not get a third unless they change their company philosophy which is higly unlikely since they are financially well off and their business model is working. They are a very good company and do fit a certain need but if you are looking to spend for the Reference Series, look harder because in that range, the real fun starts with other companies.

smooth, good imaging, bang for the buck, nice finish work on the cabinets, solid construction

details not as crisp as I like, lacks some deeper base

I have had these speakers for 2 years and listen mostly to jazz and R&B. These speakers are pretty smooth sounding but lack a little in the deep bass; I have used a B&W sub at times for added bass, but it is not necessary for most music. I have recently moved these to my home theater setup with Paradigm monior 5's as surrounds and CC350 center channel. I have upgraded to Hales Rev 3's, a great speaker at a bargain price, for my stereo system.
My associated equipment with the Paradigms has been Rega Planet CD and an NAD 7175.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm monitor 5,B&W 601's

smooth, good imaging, bang for the buck, nice finish work on the cabinets, solid construction

details not as crisp as I like, lacks some deeper base

I have had these speakers for 2 years and listen mostly to jazz and R&B. These speakers are pretty smooth sounding but lack a little in the deep bass; I have used a B&W sub at times for added bass, but it is not necessary for most music. I have recently moved these to my home theater setup with Paradigm monior 5's as surrounds and CC350 center channel. I have upgraded to Hales Rev 3's, a great speaker at a bargain price, for my stereo system.
My associated equipment with the Paradigms has been Rega Planet CD and an NAD 7175.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm monitor 5,B&W 601's

great buy, great highs, lows

none

I love these speakers. I believe that they could be priced higher and still be a great value. The bass is nice and tight, (i'm throwing out the sub) imaging is good, highs are very detailed but without fatigueing phase problems.

Similar Products Used:

b&w 603,602 paradigm monitor 5

VERY DYNAMIC WITH GREAT IMAGING

WISH WOOD FINISH WASN'T SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE! BASS FREAKS MAY FIND THEM LACKING.

AM VERY PLEASED WITH THESE SPEAKERS. GREAT IMAGING. VERY DYNAMIC-CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE KICK DRUM ON WELL RECORDED ROCK. I THINK THAT SOME OF THE REVIEWERS THAT THOUGHT THEY SOUNDED THIN WERE JUST MISSING THE ADDED WARMTH THAT SOME SPEAKERS ADD TO THE MUSIC. I FEEL THESE ARE A MORE ACCURATE SPEAKER THAN MOST. THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECREATE THE AMBIENCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL RECORDING AND MOST AMAZINGLY, DO SO WITHOUT HAVING TO SIT IN A RESTRICTED "SWEET SPOT". I USE MINE WITH A NHT SWP2 SUBWOOFER I USED WITH THE DAHLQUISTS. IT RARELY HAS TO KICK IN ON ANY MUSIC PROGRAMMING AS THE 60S DO GO DOWN AROUND 35HZ I BELEIVE .
AUDITION THESE IF THEY ARE IN YOUR PRICE RANGE.

Similar Products Used:

REPLACED DAHLQUIST DQ-10, A SUPERB SPEAKER IN ITS DAY

outstanding sound, perfect construction, solidly built, attractive look, beautiful imagery

weaknesses? yeah, right

I had monitor 7's, CC350 and ADP 350's. I just a week ago traded them in for studio 60's and studio CC and ADP's. What an improvement!! I liked the monitor series but these are in a whole different class. And they only have about 12 hours on them. The more I play them, the better they sound as they are breaking in. I am also running the PS1200 subwoofer, the Yamaha DVD-C900 DVD player, and the Yamaha RX-V995 reciever. In a while, I will add a larger amp. These speakers sound better the more good power is put to them. I am also using an optical and digital cable. The studio 60's are bi-wired and this is recommended as a low cost way to improve performance. I am using new monster cable to all speakers.

First I would like to say that I can't believe the people that bashed these speakers in their review (like Jake for instance). I have to wonder if some of that isn't propaganda to steer people away from trying a product from a company that is a competitor with a quality product, because I have to say I am impressed with the sound and overall construction of these speakers. I looked them over from top to bottom and couldn't find a flaw. The construction was perfect. I think some people just have issues in general and will take them out on anything they can. They can't be happy with anything. It isn't their nature. If I don't like a product (and I myself am hard to please), I will merely list its weaknesses and be done with it. I will also not buy a product if I don't like it! A couple of these people are angry and just can't stop criticizing. Maybe they just have a personal grudge against Paradigm because they are located in Canada. People, this is a great company with top notch research and development. Their quality control is second to none. I have researched them extensively.

There are certain things that contribute to a speakers sound. All links in the system must be high quality (amplifiers, tuners, dvd/cd player, cables, etc.). The size and shape of the room will change the overall sound quality. All contributing factors in a sound system must be accounted for or a set of speakers cannot be fairly judged. If their is a weak link in your system, a speaker of this quality will show it more because they reproduce sound so accurately. At this level, all components must be of equal quality. The type of furnishings in a room as well as its shape and size can create standing wave problems in a room. The speakers also need to be thoroughly broken in before they can be listened to criticly. The quality of the recording on the disc also obviously plays a large role.

Now to the speakers themselves. I couldn't believe how put together this speaker is. It is a solid, well constructed unit with a lot of time and thought put into it. I just got the black ash laminate rather than the veneer and they still look beautiful. I really gave these a detailed look over and found a nicely crafted piece of equipment. As far as sound, it just keeps getting better. The bass is tight (and you should run a subwoofer with a speaker of this design) to get the best and most balanced bass performance. I am sorry, but you just can't expect a 6.5 inch cone to be the largest speaker in your arsenal and have all the bass to make a perfect balance. I hear that complaint a lot too. These speakers were designed to work in conjunction with a sub and some people just don't seem to understand that. Paradigm even has a chart for recommended sytem combinations. I think the aluminum dome tweeters are less harsh and a little more accurate than the titanium domes on the monitor series. (And don't get me wrong, the monitor line up is a kick-ass group of speakers themselves, especially for the money). The midrange is very crisp and the whole speaker just seems to be free of any unwanted noises or resonance. There is definitely more and tighter bass than the monitor 7's. This is just an overall outstanding speaker of which I am very happy I upgraded to. Don't listen to what a couple cynical people had to say. Go listen to these speakers and listen to your own ears and you will hear beautiful detail and imagery. Go to www.paradigm.ca. They have a very well layed out and informative website. I am very happy with the quality control and R&D that Paradigm puts into their product. But I am especially happy with this new arsenal of speakers I have and if I could, I'd give'm six stars!

Similar Products Used:

paradigm monitor 7's

Clarity, imaging, mate well with Marantz A/V receivers

none except for cost of desirable wood veneers !

So far I have really enjoed my REF Studio 60's ! For a somewhat smaller tower speaker they are quite heavy, but are well constructed. The brass feet are very nice and the spikes, well, they are dang sharp Vern ........... I also did extensive listening to the Paradigm Monitor series, DEF Tech's, M&K's, B&W's, and Mourdant Short speakers. The monitor's didn't have the clarity and get up -n- go the REF studios brought to the table. M&K's to me were great for HT, but not music. The similar B&W 600 series speakers were out of Paradigm's league with their muffled Kevlar sound. And finally my second choice would have been the Mourdant Short speakers. They were quite nice and somewhat cheaper, but to me lacked the overall sound stage of the Studio 60's.

So far I haven't bi-wired the 60's. I kind of wanted to see if I would be able to notice a difference once I finally decide to bi-wire them. For now I am using some decent wire (Straight Wire level 4 ??). In HT they have performed very well (especially in conjunction with the Studio CC in 5-channel stereo mode)!! Musically I have no complaints. 2-channel stereo listening is great and any low bass these may lack(?) my Servo 15 subwoofer picks up with ease. I haven't seemed to pick up on details on CD's I might have missed in the past like many claim. Of course I usually don't park it when listening, but rather I am on the computer or doing dishes, etc.

Many people (including my local dealer I didn't buy from) claim these really require some amplification to really sing ! Most claim 200 to 300 wpc of amplification are really needed. I can't complain, but once I get my AMP I'll post again and let everyone know if there is a difference.

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my theater ........

32" Sony TV
Marantz SR-8000 A/V receiver
Sony 560 DVD
Denon CD player
Panasonic VCR
Paradigm REF Studio 60's mains
Paradigm Studio CC
Paradigm Servo 15 subwoofer
surrounds - to come soon
AMP - to come sooner !

Similar Products Used:

Polk Monitor 10's

I recently bought the 60's and love them.I actually planed on spending more on speakers (2k-2500). In fact, I went to demo the Studio 100's and ending up buying the 60's on the spot. I listened to Thiel 1.5's, PSB Silver, Audio Pysic Sparks, and others. I think the 60 trades off less than all of theese speakers. It may not cast a soundstage as deep as the Sparks, or play quite as loud as the PSB's, but there is a natural balance going on with the 60's, the just sound right. I have the light cherry veneer and the WAF is tipped in my favor. I recommend anyone looking at spending as much as 2k on speakers check theese out.

Wow, some weird responses down below.
I'm a Paradigm fan...superb stuff for the money. Own Studio 20's (same tweet and mid as the 60's), and Atom's for the bedroom.

I did find I had to work with them a bit, but it pays off big. I can understand a few of the complaints below (though not their exaggerations). Mismatch of interconnects and speaker cable can cause some of the problems, as well as do away with them. That made a big difference.

On my SR20's, I started with some Audioquest Quartz ICs, which is detailed throughout, and strong on bass delivery with my system; and Kimber Brown and Black (cheapest)speaker cable, before I upgraded. Yes, the Kimber made it bright, zippy, and harsh. The Atlantis cable I biwired with was alot smoother,much more bass delivery.

Room acoustics play no small part. I stuffed open cell foam plugs into the ports, and that made the bass less boomy and much more evenly extended. It also removed alot of mud that covered up a wonderful midrange. I'm not afraid to utilized tone controls for some tonal correction in relationship to electronics and environment--tipped the treble down just slightly and knocked the bass knob down to 11 o'clock. Wonderful, natural, and clear as a bell sound now.

I heard the 60's in a store and found them a little muddier than my 20's, but again, I believe in the motto "Tweak and ye shall find". I'm certain wonderful sound can be had from them. The drivers that both the 20's and the 60's use are terrific. The sound is exdeptionally detailed, imaging great, and the timbre very realistic. You can't always blame the speakers...you have to work with their potential. If you didn't like them, the shop you heard them in wasn't setting them up in a deserving manner.

4 stars sound (price no object), 5 stars value.