"I genuinely dig the sound of Paradigm's new noise-isolating headphone and its noise-canceling brother" - Technology Tell on the H15 & H15NC

When Dennis Burger stopped by our booth at CES 2014 and we showed him our upcoming H15 and H15NC headphones, he was intrigued and made it very clear that he'd love to audition them once available. So when the first models became available to us, we sent Dennis one of each model for review (even before they hit store shelves). Below is a summary of his findings, (though we encourage you to read the review in full)...

Dennis Burger of Technology Tell reviews and compares the H15 and H15NC.

H15

Sound that Sparkles
"My sense of style is not one that anyone would or should aspire to. So when I say that I’m not exactly wild about the design of Paradigm’s new H15 on-ear headphone, you should salt that observation to taste before imbibing. But when I say that I genuinely dig the sound of Paradigm’s new noise-isolating headphone and its noise-canceling brother, hopefully that observation carries a little more weight." 

"I feel pretty confident in saying that the sound of the H15 isn’t going to be described as “dull” by anyone. There’s oodles of high-end sparkle here, and... I’m still hearing plenty of useful energy from the H15 all the way up into the 16kHz range (and all the way down to 20Hz)... it has the effect of giving the headphone plenty of presence."

"Oodles of high-end sparkle"

"My favorite tunes with the H15, though, tend toward the Girl Talk/Fatboy Slim end of my musical preferences. Throw in something like “Gangster Trippin’” and you’d swear these headphones were voiced specifically to sound amazing with that track—the way its low-frequency extension rocks the bottom end, its forward midrange thrusts the vocals and instrumentation right into the middle of your noggin, and its high-end puts a razor’s edge on the track."

Quite Comfy
"...it’s a quite comfy headphone, with a really snug fit, good noise isolation, and even if swiveling cups don’t really make it any more compact, they do help to assure solid noise isolation."

"Both headphones feature detachable cables, which... are amongst the least microphonic I’ve ever heard."


H15NC

Good Looks
"It’s amazing how much of an impact the little things can have, but the presence of grey die-cast detailing on the H15NC makes all the difference for me in terms of looks... the H15NC wears its price tag proudly, and yet at the same time, it carries over all the elements that make the H15 so comfortable to wear."

Sound that Sparkles... Even More!
"Amazingly, the active H15NC doesn’t sounds radically different from its passive little brother. Its bass is a bit warmer and more forward, which has the effect of evening out the sound even more. As such, I tend to prefer it with a wider variety of tunes."

"The presence that comes through in Abigail Washburn’s tunes in there, with an added weight and clarity to the bass that makes the higher frequencies sparkle all the more. For all its forward midrange and rich bass, the H15NC is capable of generating quite a dynamic range of spaciousness..."

"Major props to Paradigm..."

The Advantages to Paradigm Noise-Cancellation
"Here’s the weird thing about the sound of the H15NC, though: engaging the noise-cancellation results in virtually no perceptible change in its audio quality. Major props to Paradigm for that. The tonal balance remains practically unchanged (like, seriously, you have to A/B for ages and really strain your ears to hear any difference at all), which is a nice surprise for an active NC headphone. Virtually every other active model I’ve heard sounds perceptibly different with the switch on and the switch off (if they even continue to deliver sound when off, which some don’t)."

"That may have something to do with the fact that the H15NC’s noise cancellation isn’t anywhere near the most aggressive I’ve ever heard. [Two unnamed models] did a much more thorough job of combating environmental noise across a broader range of frequencies. But, then, there’s the fact that both sound absolutely terrible with music."

"...wears its price tag proudly"

"The H15NC is mostly effective at canceling only low frequency noise, and I really wish I’d had a chance to try it out on a flight, but I put it to the test against lawnmowers and suburban traffic, and really dig the way it removes the rumble, if not the whine."

"Another peculiar (much appreciated, but peculiar!) thing about the H15NC is that its noise-

cancellation doesn’t result in that disconnected, puffy-headed feeling that so many NC headphones give me. When I say that the noise-cancellation circuitry has no discernible effect on the audio, I don’t mean just in terms of tonality—I mean you really can’t hear it, unless you turn your tunes completely off. Or feel it, for that matter. Low frequency noise just seems to magically poof out of existence, without making you feel like you have a head cold."

"One other thing that sets the H15NC apart from other noise-cancelling headphones is that it doesn’t rely on store-bought batteries. The unit charges via a USB cable in a little over an hour, and on one charge I’ve been putting the headphone through its paces for the better part of a week now, with no need for a top-off."

The Verdict

H15 or H15NC? ...
H15NC: "...even at a hundred dollars more, it feels like more of a value. I like the styling much better, I like the sound a good bit better, and the noise-cancelation—although, again, not the most aggressive I’ve ever heard—knocks out most fatiguing environmental noise frequencies, while still allowing you to clearly hear voices and even approaching cars, if you wear them out and about. And most importantly, it does so without impacting sound quality in the slightest."

[H15NC] "...even at a hundred dollars more, feels like more of a value."

Click here! to read Dennis' full review on the H15 and H15NC.

Click here! from more info. on Paradigm SHIFT headphones and to buy online.

"...by far, the best-looking stand-mounted speaker Paradigm has ever made, and to my ears is their best-sounding" - Doug Schneider, SoundStage!

Recently, we published a blog post summarizing a teaser Doug Schneider of SoundStage! Network had written about his out-of-box experience with his review set of Paradigm's 30th Anniversary Inspiration speakers, called... Today's Inspiration, Courtesy of Paradigm. Though it was obvious Doug had a positive first impression, we had no idea just how much he would come to love the Inspiration speakers. Now, the full review has been published and we are simply delighted with the outcome - even earning a SoundStage! Network Reviewers' Choice award!

Though this may seem like quite the lengthy blog post, it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the depth that Doug has gone into in his review, so we highly recommend that you read the review in full. For now, here are some of the great quotes... 
 
Tailored and Limited
"...it’s obvious that Paradigm remembers their roots and has designed these two models for aficionados of two-channel sound. But they won’t be available for very long..."

"The Reference 30th Anniversary Inspiration and Tribute are being produced in limited editions at Paradigm Electronics’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Because Paradigm is so vast an enterprise, they’re able to make almost everything for their speakers in-house: cabinets, crossovers, drivers, and various other parts. Having such resources at hand and not having to rely on off-the-shelf parts allows their designers to tailor specific components to the needs of each speaker design -- not insignificant when attempting to design a certain level of build, styling, and performance to a particular price. Evidence of this approach shows up everywhere in the Inspiration’s design."

Jewel-Like Finish
"The 30th Anniversary models come in only one finish: Dark Garnet Gloss. The finish is special -- in low light it looks like high-gloss black, but in brighter light it glows a deep red. Hands down, it’s one of the best-looking finishes I’ve seen from any company, and gives the modestly priced Inspiration luxury appeal. The phrase that continually popped into my mind was jewel-like."

"Hands down, it’s one of the best-looking finishes I’ve seen from any company"

Vivid Image
"The Inspirations had no trouble placing a vivid image of his voice at the center of the stage, in the right size, ample dimension, and with so much detail that I could tell that he was this close to the microphone."

"Insofar as soundstage size and image specificity went, the Inspirations nailed it all, and then some."

Clear and Clean Highs
"The Inspiration’s highest highs sounded as clear and clean as those from some of the best speakers I’ve heard, including ones costing multiples of its price. Because of their lively highs, the Inspirations... have the most natural, neutral, and pleasing balance when listened to not directly on the tweeter axis, but about 15-30° off axis (depending on room acoustics)."

"highest highs sounded as clear and clean as those from some of the best speakers"

Bass Outstanding
"Overall, the Inspirations sounded weighty enough, punchy, and well fleshed out, so I suspect most listeners won’t be left wanting a subwoofer unless they’re real bass freaks or will be using these speakers in a home-theater system, where ultra-deep bass is pretty much mandatory to get the most out of soundtracks."

"There’s usually a pretty direct relationship between price and bass quality and quantity: you pay more, you get more. Considering the Inspiration’s price, the size of its cabinet, and the diameter of its midrange-woofer, I found the depths it was able to reach wholly satisfactory, and the quality of that bass outstanding."

"the depths it was able to reach wholly satisfactory... quality of bass outstanding"

Audiophile Dictionary Defined
"All of this qualified the Inspiration as a strong performer. What made it sonically special was its clarity, which in my audiophile dictionary encompasses such terms as transparency, openness, resolution, detail, and maybe a few others."

Rock Solid from Bottom to Top
"I heard/saw an astoundingly clear view into the recording, with a width and depth of stage that was extraordinarily easy to discern, images that were rock solid in space, and musical nuances that were a snap to hear, from the bass through the highs. Forget about trying to hear into the recording, imagining a credible soundstage, picking out subtle cues -- it was all just there, in grandly stark relief."

"...from about 50Hz up, the Inspiration offers a crystal-clear view into recordings that, to my ears, is unmatched at the price." 

"... a unique and highly appealing speaker that's tough to beat at the price."

Unique and Exclusive
"The beautifully built 30th Anniversary Inspiration is, by far, the best-looking stand-mounted speaker Paradigm has ever made, and to my ears is their best-sounding and their highest-resolution..."

"What’s probably more important is this: In terms of appearance, build, and sound, as well as the exclusivity offered by a limited edition, and the cachet of custom features, the Paradigm Reference 30th Anniversary Inspiration is a unique and highly appealing speaker that’s tough to beat at the price. If all that doesn’t make a product special, I’m not sure what does. If what I’ve described appeals to you, consider ordering some Inspirations before it’s too late."

Click here! to read Doug's review of the Paradigm Inspiration.

Click here! ...

for more info on the 30th Anniversary Inspiration and Tribute.

Now Shipping! H15 & H15NC On-Ear Headphones

Click here! 

for more info. on the H15 and H15NC or to buy online now.

Jeff Fritz of Ultra Audio recommends Paradigm's Atom Monitor as one of Select Speakers He'd Buy

Jeff Fritz of Ultra Audio

Soundstage! Network Editor-in-Cheif, Jeff Fritz, writes an opinion piece on the Soundstage! Xtreme (www.ultraaudio.com) area of the site called What I'd Buy. 

"...these lists I compile are, by definition, limited to the types of products I like enough to pay for with my own money.

In the piece published on June 1, Jeff focused on loudspeakers under $15,000.

"My recommendations for loudspeakers costing less than $15,000 are of models that can be used in spaces that range from the small to the very large. Some of them distinguish themselves in subtle ways, performing very specific tasks at the highest levels, while others are great all-around speakers that almost anyone can be happy with. Most will easily beat, or at least compete with, speakers costing much more than $15,000."

 Included in Jeff's 'What I'd Buy' speakers under $15,000 list is our very own Paradigm Atom Monitor.

"The Atom is real high end at a real-world price"

"It all starts here. For your $398 you get a speaker conceived and engineered by one of the most respected brands in the industry, the Canadian giant Paradigm... Think of it as the entryway to something really good, produced by a solid manufacturer. The Atom is so much better than what you’ll hear from the brands that make the cheap speakers sold at big chain stores that you’ll be amazed. Their strengths are that they sound robust for their size, and natural in terms of tonal balance. The Atom is real high end at a real-world price."

Click here! to read Jeff's full list of recommended speakers.

Click here! for more info on the Paradigm Atom Monitor.