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,
That wasn't the issue. You specifically asked "How flat the speaker measured." Maybe boring to you, but many people have lauded that speaker over the past 6 to 8 years. Boring is just your opinion. Your arrogance never ceases to amaze me....
First off some speakers are designed to be used with grills.  

Secondly, I agree that flat response can be boring in a real life room.  My favorite speakers are all voiced in real rooms and not in chambers. This is why I'm not a fan of so many of the Canadian brands (totally personal choice).

Any component needs to be part of a system.  I don't like some components and never will regardless of what they are paired with.  

If you have to 'tune' with cables, then there is a problem with the system IMHO.  Give me neutral cables and get a system that sounds great to your ears.

I don’t think half of the dealers Persona’s are broke in. Paradigm will tell you 300 hours. 
All I can say that with proper cabling and with tubes somewhere in the chain the Persona’s ( I have the 5f’s) are a great speaker. Absolutely kill my previous Magico S3. 
Without a doubt out of the box with my previous cabling ( Audience AU 24 SX ) they sounded just as a lot of people describe, bright and uninvolving. With a more meaty cable loom of Cerious Technolgies graphene Matrix and a couple of months of break in this is a fantastic speaker. My friends have  Martin Logan’s CLX, Wilson’s, Merlin’s, Revel Salons and the all love the Personas.   Just have to have the right synergy.   Probably some of the finest midrange you will hear in any speaker  in its price range. I added Harmonix RF 909 spike bases and took them to another level.  This really is a great speaker. Just needs a little time and effort to get there
Ditto Benzman, we just demoed a pair of the Persona 3F at a clients house, and the results were very interesting.

We came to his house and he had a Classe Cap 2100 a very good and respected 2010? integrated amp with a Bluesound Node2 Monster Cables and a set of Dali Helicon 1. 

Decent sound but no real image width  or depth and the sound was very cloudy.

We then added a great dac T+A Dac 8 DSD and a set of real cables to the mix, bigger soundstage, greater detail.

Then we added in power conditoner and power cables and the sound of the Dali's was very good finally got a good image floating in space

Now we chaged to the Persona 3F clarity better soundstage beter but the bass on the Dali was better. 

Swapped out the crappy $300 Monster Cable with a set of Wireworld Silver Eclipse and boom sounded like a totally different system, huge soundstage, good image float, everything was improved.

Then we swapped in the Personas and the transparency was breathtaking but we all missed some of the Dali richness.

Took our a $13k Naim stack of amp/preamp and boom Personas now had deeper bass and everything was radically improved things floated in space and the midrange was richer and now they sounded like a $20k speaker not ones that sell for $10k.

Go hear the Personas with Naim it is a fantastic combo.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Persona and Naim dealers