Paradigm review

April 30, 2009

I am looking forward to the Paradigm Reference Studio 10 v.5 review. Will you also be reviewing the Studio 100?

Timothy Allen

On GoodSound! we're only reviewing the 10. On SoundStage! AV on May 1, there will be a review of the Studio 60 v.5 by Colin Smith. At this moment, we have no plans to review the Studio 100 v.5.

Grilles on or off -- again

April 27, 2009

I hear mixed things about speakers grilles. Are they supposed to be on or off?

Tyler Ramsey

I am asked this all the time and, in fact, have probably answered this a couple times before. Obviously, many people want to know, so it's worth revisiting again.

In most instances, speakers sound better with the grilles off because most grilles are more or less afterthoughts, simply added on after the fact to the give the consumer the option to use them to protect the drivers, which is a grille's main purpose. There are a few exceptions, Paradigm being one of them. They tend to design their speakers to sound the best with the grilles in place. Therefore, the grille isn't an afterthought but a critical part of the baffle's shape. To know how your speakers have been designed to sound best, you're best off contacting the manufacturer.

Overpriced?

April 23, 2009

I like your approach to "affordable audio." I have a pair of PSB Stratus Gold speakers that I bought off a friend. I know they're not new or anything, but the friend I bought them from recently "upgraded" to a really expensive pair of speakers that cost about $15,000 new. I don't want to say the name, but I have read a lot of reviews about how good these new speakers with their fancy car-paint finish are supposed to be. The thing is, they don't sound nearly as good as the Golds he sold me, at least to me. I think my friend knows it too, but he doesn't want to admit it. What do you think about this?

Mark Pytko

There's a broad assumption in audio that price correlates with performance. In other words, that more expensive components are better. That's not always the case; in fact, in my opinion, it's not often the case.

Your Stratus Gold speakers were designed by Paul Barton, one of the best speaker designers in the world. I remember that model well because one of our past reviewers owned a pair and rarely found speakers he liked better. They may be old, but that doesn't mean they're not good. Furthermore, it's quite possible that if they've been kept in good shape that they'll outperform many speakers today, even ones that are really expensive, like those your friend has now. It sounds like you came out on the right side of that deal.

Flawed finish

April 20, 2009

I bought a new pair of speakers and the finish is developing small cracks. I'm very sure that they weren't there when I bought the speakers, but now that the speakers are three months old, I'm seeing the cracks and I am pretty sure they're getting worse. I live in Florida where it's humid. Should this be happening?

Tony Stinson

No, it probably shouldn't. It's either a flaw with the way the finish was applied, or the humidity that's part of your climate is making the finish crack. Regardless, you shouldn't have to live with it. I suspect that since the speakers are only three months old, they still have a warranty that covers against such things. Therefore, either take them back to the dealer you bought them from or go directly to the manufacturer and complain.

Floor spikes

April 16, 2009

I bought some speakers that have "spikes" that go in the bottom, presumably to make the speakers more stable on the floor. The problem is that I have a brand-new house with beautiful hardwood floors and I don't want to scratch them. Any suggestions?

Timothy Whelan

Yes, definitely be careful or you will scratch your floors. I've done it myself. Luckily, there are few ways to remedy the situation.

The least expensive way is to use pennies between the spikes and your floor. I've done this plenty of times. The problem is that  depending on how heavy the speakers are, you risk the pennies leaving marks too. There are also little discs that you can get that have a dent in the top for the spike and some material on the bottom that will save your floor. I don't know exactly where you can buy these, but I have seen them come with speakers and electronics, so they have to be around. These work very well. Finally, you could look for a different type of screw-in footer, preferably with a soft surface for the floor. Once again, I don't know where you can buy them, but I have seen them come with speakers, so they have to be available somewhere.

"Am I running out of power?"

April 13, 2009

I have a receiver that's rated at 50Wpc. It sounds OK, but when I turn up the volume too much the sound gets really distorted and sounds terrible. Am I running out of power?

Gil Tremblay

By the sounds of it, yes. Furthermore, that distortion could damage your speakers. Either keep the volume low or, if you want to play louder, you will probably have to look for a more powerful amplifier to do it with.

Cheap speaker stands

April 10, 2009

I just bought some new speakers, Paradigm Studio 20s, but they need stands. The thing is, I don't have money anymore for expensive stands. Maybe in a few months. What do you recommend?

Timothy Leonard

I can certainly sympathize because speaker stands can be surprisingly expensive. I have ones here that range in price from $300 to over $1000 per pair. It's just not something that's fun to have to buy after you spend a lot of money on speakers. You're not the first to have little money left over, and you're likely not the last.

If you don't want to buy new, check the used market. Audiophiles are constantly buying and selling gear, and there's bound to be someone around who bought a pair of stand-mounted speakers at some time and got rid of the speakers but not the stands. He may be willing to let them go at a fraction of the original cost. You might even find demo units at a store.

If you really can't afford any stands, I have used a couple alternatives myself when I was stuck with no other options. I have actually stacked plastic milk cartons and placed the speakers on top of that. These aren't all that solid or attractive, but they are pretty stable. I've also used concrete cinder blocks, which worked well enough but also damaged my floor and weren't as stable as I would have liked. Basically, anything to prop the speakers up works, but getting a real speaker stand is usually best.

Biwiring?

April 6, 2009

My speakers have two sets of binding posts for biwiring. Does this improve the sound?

Tom Sizeman

Some people believe that biwiring improves the sound, while others don't. Personally, I don't believe such generalizations can be made -- it depends a lot on the loudspeaker design. To know for sure, you really just have to try.

On frequency response

April 3, 2009

I liked your article about measurements and agree that measurements are meaningful. I am wondering if you can comment on the Paradigm Reference Studio 10 frequency-response chart you included and how it correlates to the sound you're hearing. Does it?

Rick Oliver

You can gather a little bit of information from a chart like that, but you have to be careful to not read too much into one chart, particularly when it comes to loudspeaker measurements. For instance, many people make the mistake of looking at the on-axis response of a speaker, thinking that it will tell them how the speaker sounds. The on-axis measurement is taken directly in front of the speaker, often at tweeter height, and if one doesn't have much knowledge of measurements, it will seem like it tells the whole story. However, that on-axis measurement alone isn't very useful at all.

The sound a speaker puts out in a room that reaches your ears is a combination of the on-axis response as well as the off-axis response of the speaker. In other words, not just what radiates directly in front, but what radiates to the sides, up, down, etc. It's quite possible to design a speaker with ruler-flat on-axis response yet very poor off-axis response. That simple on-axis measurement won't tell you any of that. To get down to the nitty-gritty of how a speaker sounds, you have to look at what many designers call the "family" of curves -- in other words, a bunch of them, both on and off axis -- and then be able to interpret them.

When we publish the Studio 10 review, we'll be publishing many more curves that can help someone who understands how to read measurements understand a little more about how the Studio 10 will sound.