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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
benzman's avatar
benzman
425 posts
 
Nice review. Unfortunately 4 days are certainly not long enough for proper break in. I am assuming they where new?  The Personas need 300 hrs per Paradigm and I can attest this to be true. 
Beryllium takes a long time to settle. I would like to see measurements 6 mos later.  
The owners are the only folks who know how good these speakers can be.  And yes with their fantastic transparency the addition of tuning footers, the changes in cabling has a tremendous change on the speaker.  Little bit of work but well worth it in the long run. 
contuzzi
413 posts
 
No need for any kind of “tuning footers” or anything like that. If they’re sounding bright, you need to get them positioned properly and acoustically treat your room. Things like ISO acoustic Gaia’s are nice and all, it the higher end more inert speakers like Personas don’t benefit from them much if at all.

Raising them off the ground a little would have the same effect. Any kind of “mod” to a Persona is completely unnecessary.
pwhinson OP
158 posts
 
@yyzsantabarbara What kind of music do you listen to?  Classical, jazz? pop?
nabcs's avatar
nabcs
55 posts
 
Benzman is right...Persona 9H need at least 300h of burn in. When I received my Personas 9Hs the mids were a little congested and highs a little hot. But after 3 months the improvement was amazing!
I do not listen to classical music, but jazz and alternative indie rock, and now the sound is scary real ... the singers are in the room performing for me. I drive the 9Hs with a SET Amp (845 tubes...50 wats Class A), and maybe this amplifier adds the natural warmth the speakers need, I do not know.
benzman's avatar
benzman
425 posts
 
"No need for any kind of “tuning footers” or anything like that. If they’re sounding bright, you need to get them positioned properly and acoustically treat your room. Things like ISO acoustic Gaia’s are nice and all, it the higher end more inert speakers like Personas don’t benefit from them much if at all."

Sorry I was not talking about brightness. That was gone with break in and a cable change. I sure nobody is using the rubber feet that come with. The Combak Harmonix 909 tuning footers takes these speakers to a new level in my system. I am on a crawl space with hardwood flooring and maybe it is just my floor but they do an amazing job of tightening up the bass and improving the focus of the midrange while taking the tweeters to a new level of delicacy.     
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