Speakers or Turntable upgrade

Diary of a hack audio hobbyist and the Paradigm ethos. Studio 100 v1 and v2, S8 owner.

Sit about three or four feet in front of one of your Studio's. With music playing listen for each driver.

If you can distinguish each driver that's exactly what's wrong with Paradigm's core design.

Within minutes of installing with, at the time, far more expensive used Avalon Acoustics Eidolons right next to the Paradigm's I couldn't distinguish the Avalon's individual drivers without placing an ear very closely to each of them. Coherence.

Along with coherence far better phase and time performance. Even my family could immediately hear the difference. 

Like a poor subwoofer setup you simply don't understand the audible difference until you compare things first hand and usually in your own home.

Despite my decades in this hobby, countless brick and mortar and audio show auditions I simply didn't know what I was hearing. Now I can easily hear systems with questionable time and phase attributes. I still need to get up close to hear a coherence issue. 

I have first hand experience with only two speaker manufactures who's products you might be able to find used within your budget. Vandersteen, Treo's and possibly Avalon Arcus. Clearly, there may be many more. 

Absolutly crawl test your room for the optimal subwoofer position and performance. All the best. 

Just my opinion, but since I’ve just gone through my 11th set of speakers looking to achieve that perfect sound I can tell you this. New speakers and I mean modern speakers are going to sound much different then the older classics or than what you’ve been listening to for years. Probably going to be a lot more revealing and depending on the quality of your source material you may not like what you hear.      
Keep in mind much of that classic rock stuff was not recorded very well and new speakers will not fix bad recordings. I can’t stress enough take your time, listen to as many speakers as you can with your vinyl or whatever music source you use. If you can “in home trial”, even better. Just realize the honeymoon of new speakers can be short lived and can have you listening to music that sounds good on your speakers but not be the type of music you like.  

Both....shop harder... ;)

Do you like the way your system sounds? No way I can put myself in your place, but if you are happy with the presentation, then upgrading your turntable, and especially your cartridge will reveal more of the substance of the music within your existing system, providing a better version of what you already have. If you change speakers, there is a real possibility it will lead to additional changes as you try to get everything in harmony again, or not, you just don’t know until you start down that path. If you want to keep things familiar but with more incite, upgrade your turntable/cartridge. If you want to embark on a new and perhaps different adventure in sound, get new speakers, but start saving for the next upgrade afterwards. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'll be honest, I've never been in love with the Paradigm Reference Studio 100's.  I got them used back in 2018 because my Ex Wife decided to make me pick between a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Sigs or my upgraded Klipsch Chorus II's.  I kept the Klipsch, and she took the Vandersteen's.  Everything has a story.

The Paradigms were the best thing available on Craigslist at the time which is how I ended up with them.  They've always been a bit fatiguing to me.  Some people say that about Klipsch, but I can listen the Chorus II's all day long.  It's probably due to them having new Crites diaphragms in the tweeter and midrange horns as well as completely new Crites crossovers with film caps.

One thing I will say about the Paradigms is that they play LOUD effortlessly being driven by my 200 watt/channel Rotel.  I do like to crank it up, but not usually to that level.  I remember liking the Vandersteen, and I think they would be good now that I have an SB3000 sub to pair with them.  I'm just not sure I want to go back to that 360 degree wrap around sock.  Our home has pets and I remember the Vandersteen being hair and dust magnets.