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Paradigm Persona B Loudspeakers Professional Review

I met Jerry Seigel at the RMAF this past October and had a quite lengthy discussion with him on audio reviewing in general. He was very nice in person and not what I expected. I never mentioned this to him, but I always felt he liked everything he auditioned.

Not so for the Paradigm Persona B loudspeakers. I won’t bore you with the specifics of the review as you can read it online, but he summed it up as he couldn’t wait for the audition to be over. The words bright and brittle kept being mentioned in the review and he gave it 2 LP’s out of 10. I have never heard these particular speakers, but I have always felt that Beryllium speakers were too bright for my taste and that is what he seems to say in the review. I am looking forward to what The Audio Doctor has to say about this as he always seems to be pushing their top of the line Persona speakers in these pages.

Has anyone heard the Persona B speakers and what do you think about them? I was actually thinking of a 3rd system in the spare bedroom with some kind of stand mounted speakers. I believe these speakers will be off my review list.
128x128stereo5
tutetibiimperes
202 posts
 
I auditioned them at a dealer in Tampa maybe 6-8 months ago and thought they were the best bookshelves I’ve ever heard, no hint of the coarseness, brittleness, or harshness he mentions.  

After getting to hear many more speakers at Axpona I don’t know if I’d still say they’re the best bookshelf/standmount I’ve heard, the Revel M126be, TAD Micro Evolution, and Raidho XT-1 are all right in a pack with it, but it’s probably still easily up in the top five.  
contuzzi
413 posts
 
That review is a complete joke.  I'm not even sure who that guy is in the first place. 

However, with your last line -- it almost seems like you're just trying to generate negative buzz for these speakers for some dumb reason.

This is the poison that is the audio industry now.  Some fool says something bad about a pair of speakers and any potential buyers don't even bother to listen for themselves.

Also, your idea that Beryllium tweeters automatically means "harsh and bright" is just so ignorant and short sighted.  Aren't you the same guy who thinks your Triton Reference speakers play down to 16hz at a decent level because the web site says they do?

stereo5's avatar
stereo5 OP
6,388 posts
 
@contuzzi....………………………………………….

I am certainly not trying to start negative buzz about the speakers. The reviewer has been around forever and from what I had read about him, he was said to be arrogant and pushy. I didn’t find that at all in my long conversation with him and that is why I mentioned meeting him. As far as putting those speakers off my list, it is because of the Beryllium drivers. I do not like any speakers with those type of drivers. To me, it is like sticking an ice pick in my ear drums.

Don’t try to turn this into something it is not.

As far as my Triton Ref speakers and Triton 1 speakers, I never said they go down to 16hz,  and I happen to like the tweeters in the speakers.  Furthermore, why are you dragging MY speakers into this?  I am interested in what others think who have heard the speakers, period.
contuzzi
413 posts
 
Why do you care if you think beryllium tweeters are automatically bad?

The Persona B are incredible.  Anyone who has heard them properly set up (and no they don’t need warm amplification) would agree.  

This reviewer obviously has an agenda, or he got a defective pair.  Maybe he is just running on a lean mixture.
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