Absolutely SLAMMING, at this price, nothing comes remotely close!
Written: Mar 21 '03
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Pros: SLAMMING low end, resolute, clear and perfect- the best thing next to servo- Phase Alignment
Cons: At this price, none whatsoever
The Bottom Line: TOP NOTCH, and at this price, MUST HAVE. Phase-matching, superb electronics, GROUND SHAKING and ACCURATE - this sub has it all!!! 1000% recomended!
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| nick1326's Full Review: Paradigm 12" Powered Subwoofer PW-2200 |
Again, I'm getting on my soapbox and raving about Paradigm -- you can read about my current den system which includes a Denon 3801 receiver, Paradigm Monitor 7 fronts, CC-370 center and ADP-170 surround rears, wrapped up with a PDR-12 powered subwoofer. Initially, the PDR12 was in my living room - but thankfully, I've upgrade to the PW2200, because it was just too damned good to pass up, ESPECIALLY at a ridiculous price of $560.
First, I'd like to invite you to check out the complimentary reviews which go right along with the PW220 - the other equipment which makes up this system:
Denon 3801
http://www.epinions.com/content_74766192260
Paradigm Monitor 7
http://www.epinions.com/content_93361770116
Paradigm ADP-170
http://www.epinions.com/content_93363474052
http://www.epinions.com/content_93179973252
Paradigm PDR-12 subwoofer:
http://www.epinions.com/content_93184167556
I'd especially like to draw your attention to the Monitor 7s, Denon receiver and the PDR-12, since it is the other choice of subs which went along with the PW2200..
The PW2200 is yet another remarkable 12" powered-subwoofer unit built with a super-sturdy, DENSE, attractive cabinet of heavy-density MDF. The cabinet is rock solid, yet even with the aluminum die-cast baket subwoofer and its massive magnet, the whole weighs under 70 pounds - pretty light considering the amount of boom you get, and the fact that knocking on the ultra-sturdy cabinet barely produces a slight "doonk" sound. In addition to being a superb sounding sub, the unit comes with incredible electronics WHICH UNCLUDE *PHASE-SHIFT* control for sub-sat aligment- more on this later... I can't stress enough that the PW2200 stomps on many subs that are more than DOUBLE the PRICE - this is becoming a repetitive theme with ALL of Paradigms speakers... Wanna go check out those other reviews up above??!?!?
THe PW220 starts with a fantastic driver - a 12" subwoofer with a super-stiff die cast basket, dual spiders and a mineral-filler CPP cone featuring precision control ribs to literally eliminate unintended vibration or resonance AND guarantee perfect pistonic action of the voice-coils and subsequently the cone. The driver moves an incredible amount of air - it is a long-throw driver with a 51mm voice coil and a low-turbulence pole piece - again, helping secure perfect pistonic action and perfectly resolute bass tones.
The woof is driven by a tremendous-sounding internal amp, producing 250/750 watts- more than PLENTY to make the woofer pound bass and throw the listener into orbit. The sub is NOT overwhelming however, unless you turn the gain up and intend it to be - at moderate volume levels, where the sub integrates nicely (and easily) with the rest of your setup, the sub produces bass so clear and tight it is worthy of the paradigm name and its stature in the Paradigm line-up -- this subwoofer is second ONLY to the "servo" line and for the money, under 600 street price, NOTHING comes remotely close to the fantastic subwoofer - NOTHING.
The cabinet itself it crafted of a super-heavy-density wall fiber material with internal bracing- the thing feels like a tank - as if you could push it out a ten story window and watch it laugh at you as it hit the ground (though I don't suggest trying it out). The cabinet is engineered superbly - incorporating a flared-port located in perfect position to allow maximum air movement without sacrificing accuracy - THIS IS KEY*** I've seen so many subs with plenty of power and plenty of muscle, however a port takes away accuracy in exchange for more volume... As a purist, I prefer a sealed enclosure due to perfect accuracy - however efficiency becomes an issue with this configuration. Happily, this is not the case with the PW2200 - the strategic location of the port and bracing allow the ported design to offer the efficiency and power that comes standard with a port BUT helps maintain nearly perfect accuracy - as close to a servo-design as I've ever seen on a ported enclosure, with the exception on ONE other subwoofer (the Alon Thunderbolt, which costs nearly 3.5 times as much money!)
I love the Alon- and someday I'll own two of them - however for now, while I'm still a resident of planet earth, the PW2200 gives me literally everything I need - While Paradigm's SERVO series woof's may look better on paper, my ears tell me the PW2200 is just fine- in fact BETTER- and quite honestly, as close to perfect as I could ask for, especially on this budget - I got mine for only 560.00 and WOW, this thing stomps on many woofers that come with twice the price tag... HMMM... again this is becoming a repetitive theme with Paradigm - wanna go check out those other reviews up above?
The specs on the PW unit are super impressive: the sub is rated right down to a ground-shaking 18Hz, has a constantly adjustable 50-150Hz low-pass crossover built on a superbly-crafted 18dB/octave platform- the sub also has a phase-shift control feature which allows you to allign your sub-to-sat arrangement (subwoofer to satelite-surround) between 0 and 180 degrees- NICE JOB! AT LAST, a speaker company which REALIZES bass is NOT COMPLETELY OMNIDIRECTIONAL... adding a PW2200 will actually help your satelites image surround tracks BETTER- by optimizing the phase-linearity to match between drivers and placements - WELL DONE PARADIGM.
Overall, you're not going to find anything that performs even CLOSE to this sub at under 1200 bucks- accuracy, control, flexibilty and GROUND-POUNDING, SLAMMING low-transients, the PW2200 DELIVERS! And it delivers at a price so low, it is virtually impossible to not at least give it a listen, and chances are once you experience the clarity and precision the PW affords, it will earn itself a place in your home-theatre AND/OR audio system - the sub does equally fantastic in both home-theatre and home-audio (both stereo and multi-channel) because of its accuracy- AND due to its flexible/adjustable nature, the sub is relatively easy to pair-up with most any speakers you may have- the PW went especially perfectly with my Paradigm Monitor 7's and other peripherals as prescribed above, please check out the links!
Thanks for reading - this sub is really a super-star and at this price, just can't be ignored! SUPER JOB PARADIGM!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 560.00
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Epinions.com ID:
nick1326
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Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 232
Trusted by: 93 members
About Me:
Music, Motorcycles, Drumming, Surfing, the finest cigars and living life to its fullest...
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