Paradigm Persona series

1. Music
The music I brought was part high-res and part Redbook CD rips (to FLAC), all things that I think sound good on all my own systems. More importantly, I know how they sound on other systems that I own or am auditioning. Finally, it’s all my kind of music. I think this is most of it.

• Brahms Trios - Vogt/Tetszlaff DSD
• Joey Alexander, Freedom Dance (HD flac)
• Ravel quartet- Sequoia String Quartet (redbook),
• Herbie Hancock - River (redbook)
• Bantock Celtic Symphonies (redbook - this piece has weird instrumentation, which makes for a fun listening test)
• Cool - Bill Charlap Trio (redbook)
• Brahms Viola Sonatas - Kim Kashkashian/Robert Levin ECM (redbook)
• Mahler songs of a Wayfarer - Jesus Schmidt & Cincinnati Symphony (Telarc, redbook)
• Mendelssohn String Quartets - Artemis Quartet (HD FLAC)
• Beethoven Symphonies - Karajan/Berlin (1963), DG high-res remastering (HD FLAC)
  

I don’t think they are particularly bright recordings as a group. All but the Charlap and Hancock recordings have great live-recorded information that allows you to hear instrument location. As we all know, location cues tend to be higher in frequency.

2. Sound impressions
My home system resided for 25 years in a room with a Steinway baby grand and frequent viola, cello, and quartet playing. I know well what those things sound like directly in front of me. I also used to do jazz gigs in my early twenties and attended Berklee College of Music. I also think I know what a big band and small ensemble sound like. Beyond that, I make no ’golden ear’ claims.

On the speakers, the word "bright" can mean different things to different people, and my ears are only a reference for my own wallet. Frankly, I struggle with the terminology people use for speakers. "Imaging" I understand, but when people start talking about "rhythm" the musician in me wants to scream BS. So we can always disagree on one of these loose adjectives.

However, I think the three separate bench tests available on line factually establish that the Paradigms would *all else equal* have a treble boost up to 5db, +/- 15 degrees to head on, compared to many other speakers. It very neatly explains what I heard, and with three separate tests confirming this sizable bump, I accept this as factual, or as close as we are going to get.

Of course, "all else" is almost never equal, which, like a high-spirited romantic partner, is both frustrating and enchanting.

I reiterate my gratitude to Dave for letting me audition. It may take more time, but I have a day job that pays for my habit! And it may be that I need an in-home audition of some things.

Dear Mr. Hofer you were a pleasure to have at the shop, and demo the Kef's and the Paradigms for you.

Love to have you come back for a more extended demo where we can show you some ways of warming up the Personas with Roon and you should also listen to the new Krell K300i it is an awesome amp with the Personas. The Krell is really warm and full bodied so you might appreciate what that combo brings to the table.

Just by making a couple of changes we can add a bit more warmth to the Personas which just might make them rich enough for you.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Persona Dealers

@ahofer Hope you post on what you end up getting. I always like to know what systems musicians listen with. I think I have great hearing but that does not mean I know what a musical instrument should REALLY sound like. Sounds like you would know this better.

@ahofer I hope you end up buying something you love and can live with for the long term. I would be wary buying something that you find a fundamental flaw with, no matter how much someone may want to sell them to you. No amount of cabling, footers, or equipment will take away a 5 db bump in frequency response. Warmth is in the lower midrange, not in the treble. That is just trying to draw attention to something else, not fixing the problem. Trust your ears, not someone else’s, and make the right choice for you.

Cmsgolf, really don’t know why you have this evangelical hatred of the Persoanas.

We are not so powerful as to make Mr. Hofer or anyone purchase anything from us that they don’t like, sorry not going to happen.

The reality is that many people here have heard the 3F really like them. Yes it is irksome that they do not measure flat, it is possible that the Persona’s engineers felt that many listeners rooms would be over damped and this would compensate the other thing is that with Anthem Room correction a flat response can be assured in the room.

Even without room corection we have found that the speakers are not overally bright in real rooms. We have several clients with the 3F in real apartments and homes and so far all of our clients have been absolutely thrilled with their 3Fs..

Also having studied meansurements on many other highly rated speakers many of them are highly rolled of in the top end, so you can have it both ways you can have a dip in treble or a peak either way it isn’t flat,

All loudspeakers have a sound and yes Cmgolf with the right tweeks we can add warmth to a set of speakers, footers, power cabling, software processing can totally change the sound of a loudspeaker.

Do you wonder why Vandersteen’s are often paired with Ayre? Could it be that Vandys tend to sound overally warm and Ayre is a bit on the neutral to slightly tipped side of neutral?

Mr. Hoffer can purchase whatever he likes but in fairness a quick demo of the Personas does not allow us the time to play with the variables that can change the way they sound in ways that can add additional warmth and alter their tonal balance.

Loudspeakers are like any other decision they all have their particular sound and all loudspeakers can be tuned to match a listeners perferences.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Persona dealers