Worth much more than they charge for it.
Written: Jun 26 '02 (Updated Jun 26 '02)
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Pros: Great sound, sounds better and better as broken in. Nice finish and elegant look
Cons: Has me obsessed with listening to music and videos.
The Bottom Line: If you are a salary kind of middle class person with high end aspirations this is for you.
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| eddaytona's Full Review: Paradigm Monitor 7 Speaker |
I have recently been on the quest for the perfect mid-price home theater system. This all started when I decided to use a bonus pay check to upgrade my speakers on my 10 year old pro logic system. I went out and bought a pair of Bose 301's at the local box store. For $300+ I was very disappointed when I got them home. They just sounded weird with gaps in their frequency response. My $75 JBL's bought in 1993 sounded almost as good. This got me obsessing with sound and speakers. I returned the Bose.
Next I located a high end audio dealer near me and previewed the Klipsh SB-3 bookshelves. Immediately they sounded many times better than the Bose and for slightly more money were an instant hit. Great and clear high end. Full and natural range. Now that I heard what a higher end product could do I wanted MORE.
I bought the Klipsh KSW-12 sub after comparing to a Mirage 12" sub. The Klipsh sub is very pleasing and while not as pretty as the Mirage sub is a better value overall.
While visiting Denver I stoped at Cherry Creek Audio. If you get the chance, go visit. All high end quality stuff from affordable to astronomical. (One day I WILL own a $6000 pair of Dunlavey speakers!) Great listening rooms and a very laid back and helpful staff. They had the full line of Paradigm speakers. They were in my price range ($400 to around $1500) so I auditioned the mid range brand; The Monitor Series.
The Monitor 5 were really wonderful. Just smooooth troughout their very extended range. BTW: the photo here in E pinions shows them as a tower but the current models are bookshelves.
The Monitor 7's were even nicer sounding. Look; I am no Stereophile writer so add all that fancy jargon to my review please, I.e.: Great soundstage, etc. I was afraid, however, that the 7's, being a tower were too big for my livingroom. In any event I fell in love with the Monitor 5's. When I got back home (California) I set off in search of a dealer for the 5's. I located one nearby. He gave me a competitive price on the 5;s (the Paridigm dealers are few and far between and stick closely to the company's price sheet).
After settling on a price for the 5's he told me he had a pair of 7's that were the wrong color for his uses. He offered to sell the 7's at the 5's price. An offer I couldn't refuse. Sold!
I decided that I would use the Klipsh as rear sourround and the 7's as front L/R. I also bought a Paradigm center -- CC370-- (reviewed elsewhere on this site and I agree with the reviewers that they are the best sounding centers in the price range. The CC370 has exactly the same driver and tweeter set up as the 7's so are a perfect sonic match).
For the sound engine ("reciever" is so passe')I picked up the Onkyo TX-SR600. A wonderful HT unit that I bought after reading the reviews here and a Toshiba SD4700 DVD / DVD Audio player to drive the speakers. (I will try to review those units at a later date).
After hooking everything up and bi-wiring the 7's (definitely recommended) I awaited the first sounds. All I can say is WOW. The music just sounded so beautiful. So full and clear. So defined. So sweet and real. While the 7's get down nice and low, they matched up perfectly with the Klipsh sub. (80 Hz crossover and about a 6.7 on the gain). I realized how good they were when later that week the phone rang. When I started speaking I realized that I had the 7's cranking. I hadn't known. They were so good and sweet that even at high volume there was no listener fatigue whatsoever.
After 3 weeks I just have to say they sound better and better as they go through their break-in period.
Playing DVD's, especially in DTS, was a revelation. Between the front Paridigms, the Klipsh sub and the Klipsh rears my friends and I were ducking and covering troughout Saving Private Ryan. Twister was an intimate meteorological experience! I also highly recommend DTS audio discs from these speakers. Fab!
Finally, even though the Cherry finish is a laminate they look like wood, and the fit and finish are excellent. They fit nicely in my livingroom after all. And they are not obtrusive or overwhelming looking at all. In fact they are kind of handsome.
They sound so nice that I am breaking the bank now buying CDs and renting DVDs. Stop me before I end up like Worldcom!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): A secret
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Epinions.com ID:
eddaytona
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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