Paradigm and Revel

Paradigm is a great company , I have owned their speakers and Anthem gear.    Good stuff.....   My current speakers are Revel M106 along with a REL R305 and it sounds excellent,  way better than a system it's size has a right to.   I'll admit they sounded a little lackluster with the first amp I used with them and at first almost regretted selling my PSB Platinum M2 which were a great speaker.  Then I picked up a pair of Quicksilver Mid Mono amps with KT 88 output tubes.   They sound huge and have great imaging whereas before they were a little anemic.   I love these speakers but as with any speaker it's a matter of  personal taste.

I listened to a lot of speakers when upgrading mine this past year.  Spent a lot of years in the industry. Bottom line, Revel F206 + good sub like a JL Audio E-110 or better, is simply FANTASTIC.  Most experienced listeners realize that virtually no speaker under $10K/pr can do the bottom octave of bass really well, so the F206 + the E-110 is an INCREDIBLE value for well under $5k.  I have experimented with a crossover point and find that 60hz to 80hz is the sweet spot for smooth seamless transition into that bottom octave!  I'm done!  I have a broad smile each and every time I listen to this combo.

Thank you Bob!

I think I just need to experience more speakers. Ultimately it comes down to listening.  I'd certainly get the Harbeth or Magicos I mentioned above if they sound great to me even just as 2 way speakers. My current Paradigm Studio 100 V5's cover the full bandwidth pretty well. They can only accommodate an 8" woofer so don't go extremely low nor are they tight in the bass at least with my tube equipment but they are a 5 way speaker.

I have not heard a paradigm I liked! I have liked all the revel speakers I have heard. IMO, the studio and salon II speakers are very very good and some of the best speakers for their price and above. 
From what I have seen at friends or in stores, paradigms are normally teamed up with mid fi equipment. Revel along with other makes usually recommend higher quality equipment 
just my opinion!

One day long ago, as a kid in summer I was sitting around the house pouting and told my Grandmother I was bored .
Now Granny only had a 2nd grade education, was born and bred in the Gorbel's of Glasgow , worse slums in Europe .
She looked at me with her gray-eyed hard as steel eyes and said," If you are bored its because you are boring" .

She said a lot of things like that, smartest women I ever met .

Well I guess you could apply this "boring" theory to many aspects of life-- books, favorite foods, etc. But one needs to avoid over-generalizing, and thinking that everyone thinks alike. I've tried many components in my system, and just cause they were new or different didn't make them better, although some were not inexpensive. And I have some components that have never bored me, and I will probably never get rid of. With the Revels, I was not satisfied, no matter what their lab results say, or even though one of the most famous speaker designers around (KV) was involved. I respect and appreciate Revels for what they are, but would never own them again.

Like most things, everyone has their own opinion, I have read articles where the opinion was that all things considered 2 way speakers sound inherently better than 3 way.  I can't remember why.

Isn’t the term "hater" a bit of an immature simplification? I owned Revel M106 speakers since they first came out, replacing PSBs. I was enamored with their smoothness and coherence. Got the itch to upgrade after a year, looking for a bigger and more exciting sound. Listened to the 206s and 208s but just wasn’t satisfied, they sounded like bigger 106s, but not that much different except for of course the better low end response. In a word, for me, they were boring. A friend had 208s as well, and I listed at his house with a very different electronics setup, but it was still the same. He also felt they were a bit of a bore to listen to. I listened to many speakers and settled on ATCs. Before the Revels my friend had Paradigms and found them a bit bright as well, but he is somewhat sensitive to brightness, and certainly system matching makes a difference. Nonetheless Paradigm makes very good speakers. My friend ended up going from the 208s to Focal Sopras. Huge difference, for the better. However, just to be clear, they are all fine speakers if they fit your tastes and are a good system match.

bob Reynolds: I totally agree that a sub can greatly improve overall bass quality even with large speakers due to room issues. I use an awesome sub with main speakers that no one would think would be used with a sub. The key is to hear great bass but no sub.

bob_reynolds, I surely am not as technically knowledgeable as many here so my question is how come some great speakers like the Harbeth 30.1 and the Magico S1 MkII sound so great? Is it the enclosure and crossover expertise? Also, if drivers dedicated to a narrower frequency band are best, how come it's not more prevalent to have speakers with numerous drivers? Packaging, crossovers? 

Last, how the heck do you use the quote function here? 

I've been a Paradigm fan since 1998 when they came out with the Studio 100s.  By the way, I still have them looking for a local sale. I now have a set of Paradigm Signature S6v3 and Studios 20v5 in a 5.1 setup, and revel F208 in a 2.0 setup.  I compared both the S6v3 and F208 in a 2.0 setup with same electronics and they both sound great.  But if I had to keep one and sell the other, regardless of price, I would keep the F208s. They are that good.  At some point I may sell the S6v3/20v5 and get the F206/M106 for my 5.1 setup.

I guess I don't understand why you see Revel as a higher end product than Paradigm. They along with Focal and many others seem to occupy a high volume retail niche. They all make excellent products in this price range. 

just can't think of paradigm being in same category as revel. if F206's are boring the system has serious issues. for two channel music i can imagine that a sub wouldn't be necessary. revel is one of the best buy's in audio today imo and i don't own any but know them well. 

A 2.5 way vs a 3 way does not mean one is compromised vs the others. There are plenty of high end 5 figure speakers that use 2 way designs. They are not compromised. Magico for one has a speaker in the $15-20K range that is a two way. Not one review says it's a compromise other than vs their even pricier offerings.

You'll have no regrets on those F206's.....

I don't think you can make a blanket statement about any speaker company. I have Paradigm Studio 100 speakers and I would not say they are bright at least with my electronics (tube integrated). I have heard Revel's comparable speakers and they sounded great. There are a ton of speaker offerings in the price range of the 85f and f206. Someone mentioned Focal. Salk and Philharmonic make outstanding speakers in this price range. You can find some very fine Martin Logan electrostats as well. Look at Vandersteen and Goldenear. Many others. Just try to audition as many brands as possible.

The Revel haters are out in force. I would take Revel over Paradigm any day, so to each their own. Paradigm are brighter speakers, so older ears might like them more. They are both good companies though, listen to both before you decide. I own f208s, and they are anything but boring. I have not heard a speaker do what they do for the price, a true bargain. 

Thank you for the input. I think with the deal Paradigm has, it would be hard to beat.

Paradigm all the way.  

Basiclaly if you want a speaker you will sell after a year or less, get the Revels.

I'd also check out the Focal Aria line -- but with that deal Paradigm is running now, those would be amazingly good for that price.  A steal really.

I would go for the Paradigms they are very good and in many ways are quite  outstanding. The image very well  and have great tight bass.

Right now Paradigm has a 20% off Deal that makes them a fantastic buy.

Troy or Dave
Audio Doctor
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