Paradigm Signature S-2, S-4:Good, bad, indifferent

Hello TheChair, others,

I noticed that your last post was in spring '05. It is now late autumn '05, and I'd like to hear what happened with you and the Merlins you purchased, in comparison to the Revel M22s and Paradigm S2s.

I'm getting ready (again...sigh) to try to upgrade my Revel M20s. I groan at the thought of it, because in the past yr to yr-plus, it's been the one still standing after long B&W 805 auditions, and in-home purchases of up to 3+ months at a time, of Dynaudio Special 25 and ProAc 1SC, side by side with the old M20 pair. And, trust me, I know about break-in periods and room positioning, etc... (I still have the ProAcs for sale, by the way).

In the end, what it has always come down to, as one sagacious audio Solomon once said, is the midrange. The midrange is where we live in human hearing, and it's where most of music happens. That's why bass and treble are called "the extremes" :) Once a speaker gets the midrange right, it's sometimes tough not to love, or at least mightily respect it, no matter what else its faults.

And so it is with the Revel M20s, a less-than-absolutely-transparent speaker with perhaps (perhaps...) too fulsome bass for its given size and overall voicing/tonal/frequency balance, and not the most sophisticated treble purity (though nicely laid back in the soundscape). But very, very nicely done midrange. It's been the one I've kept until now.

I've been wondering if the M22s are a true step forward in the areas of transparency and high freq delicacy, or if it's just another case of audiophilia nervosa incrementalism which, in the real world, wouldn't be worth the trade-up. It terms of pure number specs, (which sometimes don't mean a hill of beans), the M22 is actually a few cycles less extended at the bottom than the M20, but with what looks like a nicely voiced roll off curve.

After reading this forum started here in April, I'm now wondering about the Merlins, and the Paradigm Sigs. (Funny how you'd originally talked about the Signature S2 versus the M22, then came back later and gave the M22 the edge over the S4, not the S2. Could you clarify, please?)

Have you been happy with your Merlins (and specifically, which model did you buy?)

Thanks much!

I auditioned the 4's and 8's extensively and ultimately bought the S8 suite for a combo system like you. The 8's in my opinion bettered revel f50's and tiel 7.2's if you like a full range sound. The 4's are little bit of a problem because Para sends that one woofer a lot of bass and it can be overcooked easily. If you crossed them over high though, you'd be OK. IMO they should have sent that woofer less like many other companys do. The 8's are awesome.

I've owned the S2 and just sold in favor of trading up to S4's. I love the sound and IMO bettered the Studio 20 by a wide margin. Others get caught up on the $$ increase in the Sigs. To my ears I hear a big difference in sound quality and quantity over the Studios. Their apprearence is obviously better. Another reason for me upgrading to the S4 is I just love their looks on the J-stands. I'm using with a sub, so I'm not worried about over-driving them.

I bought Ttowntony's S2s and they arrived today. I'm using a Cal Audio Labs transport > Benchmark DA, Pathos Classic One MKII biwired to the S2s with Audioquest Cobalt. They sound great, much smoother and more neutral than anything I've heard this size!

I'll be happy to update you on my experience, with these disclaimers. My sonic memory of my original audition experience has faded some, as you can imagine. And I've never listened to the M20's.

I also need to point out that I haven't heard a Revel I liked except for the M22. People tell me it has the same tweeter as the F32, but it sure didn't sound the same. Something is different inside. The F32's tweeter was too shrill for my ear, and the highs didn't blend in with the midrange. And in small to medium rooms, I could detect which drivers were producing which sounds. The same goes for the flagship Revel or the near-flagship... I can't remember which one. (Sort of Revel's answer to B&W 800's or 801's or 802's.)

The Paradigm S4's and S2's excelled in dynamics and bass extension for their size and price. There isn't much difference between the two other than bass extension and loudness. I would call them good speakers, and wouldn't be ashamed to own a pair of either. But as you say, the midrange is paramount and the M22 beats both rather clearly in this regard, and the small B&W's by a mile. The M22's also were quite balanced and coherent over all frequencies down into the low 50's, high 40's range. They played Led Zeppelin quite well... the pounding drums and electric bass sounded more like real instruments than from any other small speaker I have heard. I don't remember imaging as being the Revels' strongest suit, but it was there, and the setup may not have been best to evaluate this characteristic. I would call the Revel M22 at least a very good speaker, perhaps excellent in some respects.

My Merlin TSM-MX's are altogether different. They make no pretense of going for the "bottom octave," as Bobby P. puts it, but are geared to do music in their range more purely than anything else their size and price. To my ear, they do. You have to get right up on them... like, inches away, to detect which driver is producing which notes. There is a seamless handoff between tweeter and the mid/bass driver, and I have yet to hear a more coherent team of drivers and internal electronics. The tweeter is smooth as silk. TSM's are balanced in their intended range. They image like crazy. They make the smaller B&W's midrange sound muddy and boxed in. No comparison. They are excellent.

M22 vs. Merlin TSM-MX? M22's will have the edge in power handling capacity, bass extension and dynamics, and in loud "rocking out." I think the Merlins would win in every other respect. They make me enjoy listening to music. I have no desire ever to hook up my B&W CDM 1NT's again.