My two cents...


Okay, so I'm debating "upgrading" from my paradigm studio 20's to studio 60's. I went down to the shop that I've been working with to do some a/b testing tonight and came to the conclusion that the studio 60's stomped the 20's in terms of bass performance and therefore I'm going to pull the trigger on the upgrade, but that's not the point of this post. What suprised me most was how horrible they both sounded compared to my own studio 20's. I totally understand why people think these speakers kind of suck. Both models mid to high frequencies sounded really bad compared to mine, and that's being nice. It's funny because when I mentioned to my salesperson how they sounded so much better with my amp/pre-amp, and cables he looked at me and said that these were actually hooked up to a good amp. Paleease! Just makes me feel better about my rig since I have $1600 in my amp/pre-amp, cd player and dac vs the $4000 he was trying to sell his amp/pre-amp, cd player for. Night and day difference. All the headaches, research and late nights on the gon actually paid off. I must extend a thank-you to all you who have helped guide me with cable selection, speaker placement, components etc., and most importantly, knowledge. I've come along way since starting 8 months ago, and like with most things in life, the more you know, the more you realize you don't know, but still, I'm learning also that it's maybe more about the journey than the destination. It's just nice to know also that where I'm at ain't bad at all!
b_limo
More than anything, I think it is the placement that affects the speakers the most. The amp/preamp is also a factor - but you have optimized your setup to your room. There are few dealers with multiple speaker setup that do that in a demo room. I had this experience when purchasing the Parasound A21 amp. I took my modest NAD integrated to the dealer and used it with the same amp that the A21 was connected to. The A21 was better, but not that much. Once I got a new one home, that is when I "really" heard it in full glory.
So, components at the dealer's place may be fine. It may be the setup and the room.
And yes, do post your system pics.
B_Limo, I had both Studio 60 and 20. Studio 20 had annoying frequency hump around 120Hz that is most likely multiple of bass reflex tuning frequency.

It is a matter of synergy. Aluminum dome tweeter was very revealing. It became unbearable with open sounding class D amp and Benchmark DAC1. Hyperion HPS-938 that I bought next is warm, sweet sounding in the same system. Both Paradigm and Hyperion are great speakers in their price ranges but synergy is a must.