With a standard 5.1 home theater system running Polk Audio R50 fronts, R15 rears, an Infinity Entra Center and a Polk Audio PWS303 sub, all picked up at rock bottom prices, I had a pretty good budget setup. Upgrading the receiver a few times over the last 8 years has always resulted in a subjectively better sounding system. About 2 years back, I picked up a Roth Audio Music Cocoon MC4, which is a Vacuum Tube Preamp/Mosfet Amp based iPod dock. When hooked up to the R50s, this little amp caused the speakers to really shine in the 2-channel audio department. As a result, I began the tedious process of re-ripping my entire collection of CDs into Apple Lossless Audio format, a task that still continues today. During that time, I have started to enjoy my music collection a lot more, while constantly re-discovering it.
A few months back, I had the urge to de-clutter my entire entertainment system and focus it around music (2-channel audio), while being able to support home theater needs as well. I decided to downsize to a 2.1 or even a 2.0 setup driven by the Roth Audio MC4 cocoon. I probably should mention that all the digital entertainment at home is driven via Apple based platforms including a mac mini as a media server running iTunes, an Apple TV take 2, Time Capsule with Airport Extreme and Airport Expresses. Additional sources include a cheap DVD player and a Dish Network VIP722 DVR. The brains of my home entertainment setup have been (over time) Pioneer VSX-D812K, Onkyo TX-SR706B and Harman Kardon AVR 7550HD and AVR 3600. I started the downsizing exercise by selling off or giving away all components that would not make it to the new setup. This included all speakers except the subwoofer and the receiver.
Next, I began the hunt for my first pair of serious stereo speakers. I first started looking online for suggestions for a pair of bookshelf stereo speakers that would match the Roth Audio Tube Amp. Knowing that my likes and dislikes could be different from other reviewers, my main aim was to have a starting point and to then locate dealers and run my own listening tests. Suggestions included the Totem Mites, Mirage Omnisats, B&W 685s, Paradigm Mini Monitor and Titan Monitor and so on. Armed with this information, and a budget of $600, I contacted a couple of local dealers. I explained my music preferences, my budget and of course, that I wanted to be able to use my Roth Audio MC4 rated at 13 + 13 Watts of power. The MC4‘s user guide suggests using highly efficient speakers with an impedance no lower than 8 ohms. Both dealers said they could show me a range of speakers in my price range that might satisfy my requirements. They both also suggested that I listen to the Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5 which was, granted, twice my budget, but that they also hold up their own against speakers 2-4 times their price. So I landed up at Century Stereo in the south bay area, with the MC4 and an iPod Classic playlist full lossless audio tracks that I wanted to use to evaluate the speakers. The contenders were B&W 686, Paradigm Mini Monitor, Totem Rainmaker & Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5 in increasing order of price. I listened to each of the 4 pairs of speakers on the same day. Some guides suggest A/B-ing 2 pairs at a time and then comparing the winner with a 3rd and so on, and by the way, on different days. I did listen in pairs and moved the winner from each face-off to the next round. You will find a lot of professional reviews of each of these speakers online with measurements and the like, but at the end of the day, it boils down to the subjective question of what your ears prefer. For me, the Totem Rainmakers and Paradigm Studio 20s were the most fun to listen to. The Rainmakers were a heavy load though at 4 ohms and I could imagine the little MC4 struggling to keep up, though in reality, it did just fine. For a while, I thought the Rainmakers did better on rock, than the studio 20, but when it came to jazz, the Studio 20s shone through. I ended up choosing the Studio 20s for their ability to sound good (to me) playing rock, pop, jazz, reggae and world music. The Studio 20s also have a pretty good low end, though they need a sub for rock music. Soundstage on the Studio 20s is excellent and so is the imaging. After I spent about 2 hours doing all my listening, Doug Peterson of Century Stereo treated to an A/B comparison of the Studio 20s vs the B&W 805d at 4 times the price. Beyond any doubt, the B&Ws sound more refined at the highs, but the Studio 20s sounded almost as good for a lot less money. The Studio 20s are a very neutral pair of speakers and once they are run in, they sound spectacular.
My dealer loaned me their demo set of Studio 20s for an in home test. I ended up comparing them to the KEF iQ30s (at 1/3rd the price). What really surprised me was how close the KEFs came to the Studio 20s in some areas like imaging and tonal neutrality. However, ear fatigue set in after a while and I found that the KEF’s soundstage was not as wide, high and deep as the Studio 20s. This settled the mind, and I placed my order for the Studio 20s in Rosenut finish. They arrived a week later. I’ve now had them for about 6 weeks and I enjoy listening to them.
The Paradigms have the ability to create a very enveloping sound. They are extremely neutral, have excellent dynamic range, a very wide frequency response of 54Hz-20KHz and can handle power input from 15-150 watts. With no toe-in, the soundstage is wide and deep and extends beyond the speakers, imaging is good and the sweet spot is about 3-6 feet wide. A slight toe-in constricts the width of the soundstage, while tightening up the imaging and the sweet spot is much smaller. On many recordings, the speakers disappear, but not always. Pink Floyd’s ‘Run Like Hell’ from the Pulse CD creates a huge sound field that makes you wonder how two speakers can do so much. Depending on the need, I power the Studio 20s either with my MC4 bi-wired or with a Marantz NR1601 receiver in bi-amped mode. The MC4 has no trouble powering up the Studio 20s.
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to Paradigm’s Reference S2 speakers. With Beryllium tweeters and new woofer surround, this pair does what the Studio 20s cannot in terms of airy highs and superior imaging. That said, I know the Studio 20s are going to give me many years of listening enjoyment.
A few months back, I had the urge to de-clutter my entire entertainment system and focus it around music (2-channel audio), while being able to support home theater needs as well. I decided to downsize to a 2.1 or even a 2.0 setup driven by the Roth Audio MC4 cocoon. I probably should mention that all the digital entertainment at home is driven via Apple based platforms including a mac mini as a media server running iTunes, an Apple TV take 2, Time Capsule with Airport Extreme and Airport Expresses. Additional sources include a cheap DVD player and a Dish Network VIP722 DVR. The brains of my home entertainment setup have been (over time) Pioneer VSX-D812K, Onkyo TX-SR706B and Harman Kardon AVR 7550HD and AVR 3600. I started the downsizing exercise by selling off or giving away all components that would not make it to the new setup. This included all speakers except the subwoofer and the receiver.
Next, I began the hunt for my first pair of serious stereo speakers. I first started looking online for suggestions for a pair of bookshelf stereo speakers that would match the Roth Audio Tube Amp. Knowing that my likes and dislikes could be different from other reviewers, my main aim was to have a starting point and to then locate dealers and run my own listening tests. Suggestions included the Totem Mites, Mirage Omnisats, B&W 685s, Paradigm Mini Monitor and Titan Monitor and so on. Armed with this information, and a budget of $600, I contacted a couple of local dealers. I explained my music preferences, my budget and of course, that I wanted to be able to use my Roth Audio MC4 rated at 13 + 13 Watts of power. The MC4‘s user guide suggests using highly efficient speakers with an impedance no lower than 8 ohms. Both dealers said they could show me a range of speakers in my price range that might satisfy my requirements. They both also suggested that I listen to the Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5 which was, granted, twice my budget, but that they also hold up their own against speakers 2-4 times their price. So I landed up at Century Stereo in the south bay area, with the MC4 and an iPod Classic playlist full lossless audio tracks that I wanted to use to evaluate the speakers. The contenders were B&W 686, Paradigm Mini Monitor, Totem Rainmaker & Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5 in increasing order of price. I listened to each of the 4 pairs of speakers on the same day. Some guides suggest A/B-ing 2 pairs at a time and then comparing the winner with a 3rd and so on, and by the way, on different days. I did listen in pairs and moved the winner from each face-off to the next round. You will find a lot of professional reviews of each of these speakers online with measurements and the like, but at the end of the day, it boils down to the subjective question of what your ears prefer. For me, the Totem Rainmakers and Paradigm Studio 20s were the most fun to listen to. The Rainmakers were a heavy load though at 4 ohms and I could imagine the little MC4 struggling to keep up, though in reality, it did just fine. For a while, I thought the Rainmakers did better on rock, than the studio 20, but when it came to jazz, the Studio 20s shone through. I ended up choosing the Studio 20s for their ability to sound good (to me) playing rock, pop, jazz, reggae and world music. The Studio 20s also have a pretty good low end, though they need a sub for rock music. Soundstage on the Studio 20s is excellent and so is the imaging. After I spent about 2 hours doing all my listening, Doug Peterson of Century Stereo treated to an A/B comparison of the Studio 20s vs the B&W 805d at 4 times the price. Beyond any doubt, the B&Ws sound more refined at the highs, but the Studio 20s sounded almost as good for a lot less money. The Studio 20s are a very neutral pair of speakers and once they are run in, they sound spectacular.
My dealer loaned me their demo set of Studio 20s for an in home test. I ended up comparing them to the KEF iQ30s (at 1/3rd the price). What really surprised me was how close the KEFs came to the Studio 20s in some areas like imaging and tonal neutrality. However, ear fatigue set in after a while and I found that the KEF’s soundstage was not as wide, high and deep as the Studio 20s. This settled the mind, and I placed my order for the Studio 20s in Rosenut finish. They arrived a week later. I’ve now had them for about 6 weeks and I enjoy listening to them.
The Paradigms have the ability to create a very enveloping sound. They are extremely neutral, have excellent dynamic range, a very wide frequency response of 54Hz-20KHz and can handle power input from 15-150 watts. With no toe-in, the soundstage is wide and deep and extends beyond the speakers, imaging is good and the sweet spot is about 3-6 feet wide. A slight toe-in constricts the width of the soundstage, while tightening up the imaging and the sweet spot is much smaller. On many recordings, the speakers disappear, but not always. Pink Floyd’s ‘Run Like Hell’ from the Pulse CD creates a huge sound field that makes you wonder how two speakers can do so much. Depending on the need, I power the Studio 20s either with my MC4 bi-wired or with a Marantz NR1601 receiver in bi-amped mode. The MC4 has no trouble powering up the Studio 20s.
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to Paradigm’s Reference S2 speakers. With Beryllium tweeters and new woofer surround, this pair does what the Studio 20s cannot in terms of airy highs and superior imaging. That said, I know the Studio 20s are going to give me many years of listening enjoyment.
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