April 2017 review of the Paradigm Persona 9H A home run for Paradigm!

Ctsooner,  I am happy to see we do agree on that. You also seem like a passionate guy who loves his gear and after reading some of your threads I agree with some of what you say.  

There are some terrific dealers out there, and some where the people are nice but their setups are just okay and others where the sound is just plain lousy. The point I was making when you mentioned hearing the Personas at another dealer was how their setup and matching equipment was totally different then ours, and perhaps you would have a different take on the speakers after hearing our setup, I also said maybe not.

Personal taste is just that, personal. I am also not saying that the Personas are the greatest speakers on the world. 

What I have said is that the speakers can and do compare with many of the best products out there and in some ways transparency and holography may outperform some of the other brands in those areas.

You have also seen how we were attacked by a certain member for saying that. 

Several members who heard the other contenders agree with us and subsequently bought the  Persona speakers.

Personally I don't care if someone likes a different product than what I am representing, what I want is for someone who is considering making a purchase find a dealer hopefully a good one and get a demo of these products and be open to exploring something new which may be better and perhaps be even a better value. 

What I said in one of the other threads, was after finding the T+A gear which was compared to the crazy expensive CH Precision gear, by the TAS you would think that some of the members would have expressed interest in finding out where they could hear that product.

To date just one guy is going to hear the T+A stuff after reading our posts, and for the record that guy is in CA for we are not benefiting.

If that was me, and someone told me there was an amp for $19k expensive but somewhat doable, that compared to $120k of very respected and very expensive Swiss gear, I know I would have been on the phone the next day to find out who in the country sold that product. 

Can you imagine how dull the industry would be if no one championed these new and sometimes better products? 

To wit if you have been following these threads you will see some of the remarkably incendiary comments directed at me and the product. 

It is this small mindedness, and brand snobbery that gets my goat. 

Since I have been going to the Audio Doctor shop since the late nineties  they have had a number of great sounding reference speakers, Dave moves into and out of brands in the pursuit of the best possible products, and I am sure if he could find a line that represents better sound quality, engineering and fair pricing he would add that line as well.

I know it seems that I am pushing hard, you would push hard, in the face of being attacked by a certain member, that doesn't like the store owner, because he dared to "sell to him at a show and that same guy is pissed at me because I invaded a Wilson thread." 

As per invading that thread, I made one comment on how the Personas would work well in his small room and save the guy $20k and I got lambasted for that, that lead to a lengthy exchange to support my position and to support my friend. 

What is refreshing to see is how we have gotten support from a number of people here who are understanding our position.

There is a tremendous amount of negativity and brand elitism shown on these threads. 

People shouldn't care what brand of gear they are using it is the sound that should matter, with that being said, what we are being guilty of I have seen other members spouting the same rhetoric about the products that they endorse, over and over again.

i look forward to meeting you at the shop someday and we can finally play some music together.

Troy
Audio Doctor

Troy , as all you did was make my point, I totally agree with you .
And I do respect your posts .

P.S. For vast majority of American music lovers 7K is an obscene amount to pay for  speakers .

Thanks Shubert.   I unfortunately have to agree with you. 

If you look at the other side of technology, every year many people will ditch their 1 year old Iphone or Android at $600-800 or more a pop and replace it with the new improved models.

If you add it up many people spend $5k and more for their phones not including the $100-200 a month to use them.

Or how many kids have $5-10k spent on video games. 

We are doing a piss poor job of getting new blood in the industry.

Troy
Audio Doctor

Troy , you are a good guy and no dummy .
I sold Audio in early 70’s for one of the biggest dealers in USA.
For example, he was biggest Sansui dealer in the world .
He also sold TV and picked some thing new on the market, Apple Computers .
I knew audio was over when a yuppy couple asked me what computer should they buy for their 5 year-old .And they cost a LOT in those days .

The huge audio sales of the 60’s and 70"s were a function of what was" cool’ at the time. it was never about the music itself .
I doubt if 10% of the American public see music as something really important in their life and maybe 2% could not live without it . In the 30’s and 40’s I grew up in, radio was it , some form of jazz was the national binding material because there was nothing else. Still it was essentially social in nature .People had no problem in 50’s switching from big-band to garbage, in a years time it was gone from the airwaves becuse this IS a mass society, not a community .
Acoustic music fans are old, a rock concert is a social event not a musical
event , if it were the latter the audience would NEVER stand up and wave
their hands in unison , reminds me of a Nazi rally . People lack thoughts of their own, the void is filled by ones manufactured for them by others .. And they don’t even know it .

Not that that list put the argument at rest but when Audiophile compiled a list of 25 best speaker of all time Paradigm signature 8s were #7 and the list actually has all the usual suspects of exotics, and thats again the older signature Paradigms not Personas. Magico and Focal brag about having Beryllium tweeters and the persona has its mid range built of that material let alone the tiny tweeter. The high end audio sales people usual line when ask for picking a favorite among two or three comparable speakers is " they are two different speakers". You don’t get an straight answer not just because there may not be one, but because they don’t want to. When money is not an issue, you WANT to pay more, for bragging rights alone sometimes. If you already have spent money enough to buy a new Porsche, on a pair of speakers, you are never gonna admit that a mid level brands speakers are better than your exotics. You can hide the truth but you cant kill it. Lies, well you know how that work.
Will post my review after getting my new Personas, after not being satisfied with the detailed audition new B&W D3s and many other "high end"  (Audio Note, anyone) products.
Currently have Martin Logan and Paradigm signatures in a Dolby Atmos set up and yes B&W 800s used to be my dream speakers and I was reviewing Focal Sopras and Revel Ultimas ( undoubtedly worthy choices ) too but these new Personas came as a game changer.