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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
bill_k
939 posts
 
With all due respect, as a dealer for Manley Labs I think they'd appreciate it if you spelled their name correctly when promoting their gear.
pwhinson OP
158 posts
 
The digital artifact is gone. I also retubed the Aesthetix Janus tube preamp with NOS RCAs from Vintage Tube Services (high recommended) which helped alot. I still believe that the Personas were simply passing along whatever was in the signal...they are that revealing and neutral. I could never make those work in my room....because I’m easily able to pull the Maggies 5 feet into the room and still put my listening position at 12 feet I’m getting a really good smooth response from the Maggies. They measure in room slightly lumpy without dsp but I would only add some very light dsp bringing down the peaks, not punching anything up but to be honest with you they sound so good without EQ that I’m likely not to do any DSP on them. I think their dispersion pattern being more a line source (figure 8 dispersion pattern) keeps the room effects down. I have alot of depth in the room but only about 2’ on either side of the Maggies. I really do think part of problem with the Personas was their wide dispersion characteristics but problem may go deeper than that. I really respected the engineering and the build quality of the Personas. With the Maggies there is a sense of tremendous coherency across the range...the drivers blend absolutely beautifully.
ahofer
225 posts
 
It seems to me that differences in speakers swamp differences in amps, and introducing the even order harmonics from high end tube amps is a difficult and indirect way to try to EQ a speaker into sounding more natural.    I'm listening to an entirely solid state signal path now (Mahler 2nd Symphony) and it does not seem harsh in the least.
jafant's avatar
jafant
20,529 posts
 
pwhinson

Excellent! Good to read that you can sit back and enjoy the music w/o any digital glare.  Happy Listening!
nabcs's avatar
nabcs
55 posts
 
pwhinson...There was definitely some incompatibility with the your room/equipment and the Personas 9H.
My room has a huge problem at 40 Hz and the DSP Arc in Persona solves that nod perfectly.
The upper octave is very even without any digital artifact (in my ears) but I know my Triode 845 and Ayon DAC helps a lot!

Good listening with the Maggies!
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