Paradigm Persona series


I'm beginning to poke around and gather opinions and information about a "super speaker" to replace my aging Thiel 2.4s.  I like the idea of bass dsp room correction and I am a bit of a point source type imaging nut (thus the Thiels).  So among other choices I've been looking at the Paradigm Persona series specifically the powered 9H with room correction for the bass.  However I'm skeptical of the "lenses" i.e. pierced metal covers on the midrange and tweeter specifically because of Paradigm's claim that such screens "screen out" "out of phase" musical information.  The technology in the design seems superlative but I just can't get past the claim re out of phase information and the midrange and tweeter covers.  What could possibly be the science behind this claim?  It just seems like its putting a halloween moustache on the mona lisa given the fact that the company is generally a technology driven company.
pwhinson
@audiotroy

If you’re going to keep addressing me and implying I have some hidden agenda, the least you could do is spell my username correctly.

I don’t have an agenda. I simply shared my experiences with the Persona 3F speakers as compared to a number of others I listened to, in the same room, in the same location on the floor, on the same day, on my amp, with the same music, with no other variables.

You stated above: "[A] speaker with . . . a high frequency peak will sound brighter." Correct. That’s exactly what I said. This speaker has a peak at 10 kHz, and a depression in the mids, which makes it sound brighter. People should know that going in. It doesn’t mean that some won’t like that response, but I and many others in this thread certainly did not. I did not say anything about flat responses generally, nor do I believe that measurements are the only thing to consider. But measurements do tell an important part of the story.

What is YOUR agenda?

According to your last post, the Persona 3F are amazing speakers, but only after one has spent $4,000 on a new T+A DAC, thousands of dollars on a new power conditioner and power cables, and thousands of dollars on new Wireworld Silver Eclipse speaker cables and interconnects. Oh, and let’s not forget $13,000 on new Naim electronics to drive them.

What I find interesting in your post about the customer’s in-home setup is the complete lack of discussion about speaker and listening positioning, the room itself, and acoustic treatments / furniture therein, all of which affect perceived sound quality much more than ~$25,000 worth of electronics and cables.

One must only look in your signature line to see your agenda: "Audio Doctor NJ Persona [did you mean Paradigm?] and Naim dealers." Nice sales pitch. I (and I assume many others) will continue to treat your posts with the huge grain of salt they deserve. All the best.
What I find interesting in your post about the customer's in-home setup is the complete lack of discussion about speaker and listening positioning, the room itself, and acoustic treatments / furniture therein, all of which affect perceived sound quality much more than ~$25,000 worth of electronics and cables.


+1
The high end audio salesmen seem to rarely mention the most obvious, critical factors in a set up, especially if someone has a sonic issue.  Rather conveniently, instead they are happy to sell you a new cable, DAC, amp etc to "fix" the problem.   "Sound too bright?  We have an expensive cable for that!"

>>What is YOUR agenda?<<

To use the forums as an advertising tool.
Havent you read his posting history?
Prof setup is key and that obviously includes the room.

Again in the example sited above, the same room and listening postion, different equipment and cabling and the Persona speakers sounded exceptional or just okay dependong on the gear setup the room and listening position didn't change only the gear, and that was the critical take away, the room does make a difference the equipment is as important if not more so.

We are not saying that the room doens’t make a difference it does, but without the right gear the speakers will not sound good no matter what..

System one: Classe Cap 2100 Blue Sound Node crappy Monster cables original Dali Helicons sounded great, Personas better in some way not better in others.

1: Add Dac and real cabling big improvment in clarity, soundstaging.

2: Replaced crappy speaker cables with better cabling and again huge improvement.

3: Still similar outcomes the Personas didn’t sound way better than just different.

4: Switched out electronics and boom magic on the Personas.

Yes fortunately or unfortunately expensive cabling, dacs, electronics make a huge difference and can make or break a particular set of loudspeakers, and in this demo the room was the same in ordinary Living Room, no treatments etc,

Rivondale, just switching out one variable can mean that your amplifier might not sound good with a particular set of loudspeakers.

We had a client come into the shop with a Belles Aria which makes a great match with Vandy’s plays the same amp on the Kef’s and the Unision Research Primo blew it away in most areas.

It is all about synergy, when demoing just one product you must be aware that sometimes if you like certain aspects of a systems sound you may need to change your electronics, cabling, or source components until you create the right balance.

Prof1 high end audio is more like high end cooking it is finding ingredients which work to balance out each other.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ
It seems like speaker cables must have some effect.  It has been difficult for me to find a dealer where you can hear various cables to determine if there is a difference.  I am a beginner and need to learn more.

I listened to a lot of speakers before I purchased my Paradigm Prestige 85F towers.  Many sounded too bight like the Martin Logan Motion 60's and I couldn't understand why the Bowers & Wilkins dealer was so in love with them.  I thought the CM 10 and 804's lacked bass.  I just wish I had held off and not purchased my Paradigm's.  The mid's act as both a mid bass and a mid voice speaker and I think a 2 1/2 design is asking this speaker to do too much.  They sound to harsh when listening to vocals.  Now it is difficult to convince the wife I want to get rid of them and purchase the SALK Song3 Encore's.  Those are just incredible in that $6,000 price point.  He uses expensive drivers and his 4 inch mid driver really is fast and very musical.  Vocals really sound incredible and so does the bass.

I am surprised no one mentions ARCAM.  I compared the ARCAM AVR85 against an MacIntosh and the ARCAM just knocked its sock off.  Incredible detail.

As a beginner there is so much to learn and as a result I really appreciate learning from everyone here.