Paradigm CC370: Large and Capable Center Channel Speaker.
Written: Mar 11 '02 (Updated May 07 '03)
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Pros: Quality construction, good reproduction of voices and onscreen effects.
Cons: Large size, mediocre appearance.
The Bottom Line: See Overall Below. Leave a comment.
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| symbiosis's Full Review: Paradigm CC-350 Center Speaker |
The Company
If you’ve read many reviews about Paradigm speakers, you have probably heard a spiel like this before. Feel free to skip down to the next section if that is the case.
Paradigm is a Canadian speaker manufacturer. They do extensive research while developing their products, including many double-blind listening tests and tests in their own very large anechoic chamber. Through this research, they have determined that most people with discriminating ears prefer a accurate, neutral sound, that portrays the sound as it is, without adding excessive coloration. They make all of their products completely within the company, in an attempt to maintain higher levels of quality.
Over the years, Paradigm has become a favorite of audio enthusiasts with picky ears but limited budgets. Their speakers are almost always top contenders in their price range. Personally, I almost always prefer Paradigm speakers to comparable models by Infinity, Bose, Polk, NHT, Cerwin-Vega, Boston Acoustics, etc.
The Speaker
The center channel is the hardest working speaker in a home theater surround setup. The responsibilities of a center channel speaker include almost all of the vocals and on-screen effects during a movie. A cheap center channel will produce inaccurate voices, and unbelievable effects noises, which will lessen the ability to actually feel like the movie is real and happening right in front of you.
The CC370 is the center channel for Paradigm’s mid-priced Monitor line. This speaker normally retails for about $300, with the matching front speakers anywhere from $350 (Mini-Monitor) to about $1000 (Monitor 11.) So these probably wouldn’t normally be considered for entry-level systems. The Monitor series speakers are revealing, and will display weaknesses in your components more than cheaper speakers. I wouldn’t recommend these unless you have at least a high-current (brands like Denon, Onkyo, and Marantz) 75 watt/channel receiver or better. Such a receiver will usually start at about $500.
Appearance
The CC370 is only available in one color, black graphite. While not ugly, it is also not exactly incredibly beautiful, either. The overall appearance is somewhat boxy, although some effort has been made to reduce that by softening the corners with both the grill cover and similar looking cloth covers on the sides. The CC370 is fairly large at this price point, measuring 7-1/2”H x 22-3/4”W x 10-1/4”D and weighing about 25 lbs.
Construction
Construction seems to be high quality. All the seams are tight. The speaker weighs quite a bit for its size, usually indicative of strong materials and good cross bracing, which will reduce accuracy-destroying resonance. This is a rear-ported speaker. That will increase bass response, although you may not be able to place it too near a rear wall without causing slightly distorted bass. The speaker connections are good quality gold-plated 5-way binding posts. Unfortunately, it is not bi-wireable. The drivers are made from quality materials. The two 6.5-inch woofers are made from durable polypropylene. The tweeter is a titanium dome.
The All-Important Sound
Note: All discussion of the sound will be concerning movies using Dolby Digital surround. I prefer good old-fashioned stereo for music (less distortion), and feel that Dolby Pro-Logic is a far inferior surround format, and thus not a fair evaluation tool for decent quality equipment.
The overall sound of the CC370 is really quite satisfying. I have not yet heard an actor or actress whose voice was not very believable. Enjoying the advantages of a larger center channel, the voice of James Earl Jones is deep, grumbling, and powerful. Onscreen effects, such as gunfire, squealing tires, and explosions are very realistic. The voice matching with my Monitor 9 fronts is pretty seamless. A helicopter flying from the left side of the screen to the right side will sound the same throughout the path of its flight. The CC370 has a good frequency response range, from 70Hz-20kHz +/- 2dB, with a low frequency extension of 50 Hz. There is also plenty of power handling, and the CC370 will sound better with at least 100 watts/channel of high current power or more. The rated power range is 15-175 watts.
The CC370 is made from tough, resilient materials, and thus will require a burn-in period. I think it sounded a lot better after about 10 hours. The sound will continue to improve for most of the first year.
Reliability Issues
Most Paradigm dealers will tell you that Paradigm products carry a 5-year Parts and Labor warranty. This is only partly true. Paradigm does not cover the labor. So if they tell you Parts and Labor, it is because they will provide free labor if you take it back to their store. So if you move and cannot take it back to the original store, you might get stuck paying for labor.
I seem to have received the only defective CC-370 on the planet, at least from the other reviews that I have read. Mine was a store demo model, and I strongly feel that it might have been damaged in the store, while being played at high volumes with so-so JVC equipment. Anyway, after about 2 months my speaker developed a very muted upper frequency range. I took it in for repair, and they replaced the voice coil on the tweeter. They said it had been damaged from high volumes with inferior equipment. If so, it was not while I owned it. I respect my equipment, and my neighbors.
The problem never went away. So I took it in for repair again. This is when I was told about the Labor policy, since I had purchased it in another state. I made a long and logical argument, and eventually was not required to pay for labor. This time they replaced the crossover, and the speaker has now been working properly for several months. I hope it is fixed for good.
Overall
The Paradigm CC370 is a good value for the price. Vocals and onscreen effects are reproduced admirably. This center channel matches well with the other speakers in Paradigm’s Monitor line. Therefore, highly recommended if you plan on purchasing front speakers from the Monitor line.
Final Notes:
First, bravo to Epinions for changing this from the outdated CC350 to the CC370, which is what you would encounter if you go to a Paradigm dealer. If this review inspires you to read others, please do not downrate for them being off-topic. They were on-topic when written. Thankfully, the category was updated to the current model. The old reviews are still relevant, as the product did not change that much.
Second, Paradigms website, www.paradigm.ca, was used for accurate specifications during this review.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
symbiosis
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