Give Them Serious Consideration
Written: Sep 06 '03 (Updated Sep 08 '03)
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Pros: Quality components, rock solid sound, durable, handles all types of music
Cons: Use with 'hot' amplifier, not widely available, may be hard to negotiate price below retail
The Bottom Line: Compared to the competition, very little can touch these speakers for quality construction and musical accuracy. My rating reflects speakers in the same price range.
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| Techdude49's Full Review: Paradigm Monitor 9 Main / Stereo Speaker |
I have had my Monitor 9's (version 1) for five years now and love them. Here is my review.
First Impressions:
It's been a few years, but I recall my initial impressions were, "They don't image extremely well and one speaker came with stripped sockets for the floor spikes. They are a little bass heavy." However, I was very impressed with the cabinet construction and quality of the drivers. Placement of the speakers is very important. Keep them far away from the walls for accuracy and use the floor spikes to reduce boominess.
Musical Impressions:
Over the years my taste in music has changed a little, but the speakers have grown on me. I listen to music ranging from Tchaikovsky to the Chemical Brothers and these speakers are at their best when no vocals are present. I found female voices to shine, but the bass in male vocals were a little too strong for my tastes. The mid-range and treble are good. I've heard tighter bass, but it these are good for the price. Using a 'hot' hi-fi amplifier really makes a difference with these speakers since they tend to be more on the 'warm' side. I've hooked them up to low-fi amps and warm hi-fi amps was not very impressed with the sound clarity and imaging.
Quality:
The speaker cabinet is very solid and the cones and surrounds can take a beating. I have compared this speaker to others in the same price range and it is among the best (my rating reflects how it compared to similarly priced speakers.) I was seriously considering the NHT VT-1.2 or VT-2 systems if I had a few more dollars to spend at the time, but then I would have to audition the Reference Series speakers from Paradigm to make a fair comparison.
Summary:
The Paradigm Monitor Series still represent the best value when compared to similarly priced tower speakers. Over the years, the sound quality has remained constant and the prices are still reasonable.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 650.00
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Epinions.com ID:
Techdude49
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Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
An electronics hobbyist that loves everything except sitting in front of the television.
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