Anyone has heard the Paradigm S8 and can comment ?

Generally speaking, for high performance reasonably priced Canadian speakers, I prefer PSB or Energy. PSB's in general are more refined, sound more natural and less "hi-fi" and have flatter response. Energy sort of splits the difference between PSB and Paradigm, but in a good way. I was just listening to a pair of Energy stand-mounts in a showroom yesterday and they were stupid good at their size and price.

In the past two The Absolute Sound Editor's Choice issues (2009 and 2010), no fewer than six PSB models spanning the $279 to $6K price ranges have been picked in each issue. No other speaker vendor is so well represented.

Vpravosu

Marc Mickelson, an experienced reviewer, with both The Audio Beat and Sound Stage would strongly disagree with your comments about Paradigm's Signature line. You obviously have an anti Paradigm bias. In the May 28, 2010, Audio Beat Mickelson wrote, regarding the Signature S8 v.3:

"It's fleet, uncolored sound lends itself to timbral accuracy and harmonic liveliness, and the space a pair of S8 v3s can re-create when set up properly is in the domain of much more expensive competitors. In some ways the S8 v3s remind me of the much larger and much more expensive Vivid G1 Giyas which I reviewed a few months ago." (The Giyas cost almost $60,000)

"I've yet to hear a sub-$10,000 speaker that is better than the S8 v3 and I've heard many, many that are far more expensive and not nearly as accomplished in both general and specific ways".

I haven't heard them yet, but I intend to audition them and let my ears draw the conclusions.

Looks like the s8s are pretty darn accurate.

S8's Response
+1.92/–1.44 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz
http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/1004paradigm/index2.html

B&W 803D Response
+1.90/–3.68 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz
http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/1005bw/index2.html

Revel F52 Response
1.44/–2.37 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz
http://www.hometheatermag.com/floorloudspeakers/506revel/index2.html