In a recently published review from Tom Norton of Sound & Vision, Tom raves about the Montior 11 Series 7 speaker system (including Monitor 11 floorstanding speakers, Mini Monitor bookshelf speakers and the Monitor Center 3 center channel) and Monitor SUB 12 subwoofer. Calling the system "
An immensely satisfying speaker system with both music and movies", Tom was so impressed, the Monitor 11 speaker system and Monitor SUB 12 subwoofer earned Sound & Vision's "Top Pick" awards. Below is a summary of Tom's review...
Paradigm's Offerings"
Canadian speaker manufacturer Paradigm makes a bewildering variety of
loudspeakers. Its offerings top out at around $9,000 for a two-channel
pair of Signature S8s—remarkably sensible considering the recent and
alarming inflation in high-end audio prices. But while the speakers that
make up the Paradigm’s Monitor Series 7, latest version of the
company’s long-lived, bread-and-butter line, are far less expensive,
they’re anything but an afterthought."
Looks Like
"
While the Monitor Series 7 speakers are essentially budget designs,
there’s nothing skimpy in their appearance. They’re refreshingly
businesslike, free of excess bling, and available finished in either
Black Ash or Heritage Cherry grained vinyl. The cherry on our samples
could easily pass for real wood."
Sounds Like
"
A good speaker should be equally at home with both movies and music, and
I’ve never reviewed a speaker system that glitters on one and flops on
the other. But I have heard speakers that were delightful on movies and
merely satisfactory on music—or the reverse... This was definitely not the case with the Paradigm Monitors. Together
they made up one of the most satisfying speaker systems I’ve reviewed to
date and proved equally adept at putting you in the concert venue,
recording studio, or movie palace."
Music
"
... the amount of deep bass that the Monitor 11’s three 6.5-inch woofers can pump out is amazing... the Paradigms, sans subs, could do such an impressive job of launching
me out of my chair with a hard thwack on a big drum."
"
Other bass instruments fared equally well; clean, tight, and
subjectively free of ringing and bloat. But inserting a good subwoofer
into the system, crossed over at 80 Hz, noticeably upgraded the system’s
performance on the lowest notes of organs and synthesizers; the
latter widespread in many pop mixes. It also enhanced subtleties such
as the reverberation tail of drums in ambient spaces."
"
Moving up the frequency scale, the stereo pair of Monitor 11s was
remarkably low in coloration. Well-recorded voices and solo instruments
sounded impeccable, with tight imaging, good depth, and no significant
blur or smear. Midbass was crisp...Their top end has all the sparkle, airiness, and openness I crave... "
Movies
"The music contributes mightily to the movie’s effectiveness, and the
Paradigms never let me down. Other sounds—the ambience of the throne
room, the subtle, hushed “breathing” of the wisps that lead Merida
through the forest, the active surrounds, and the clear dialogue, also
came through without a hitch."
"
And I had no complaints about the Center 3’s performance. Whether I sat
directly in front of it or off to the side, the subjective balance of
the three front speakers was remarkably similar on real program
material—even when a speaking character or sound effect moved across the
screen."
"A
ll three films are on my bass test list, and none of them disappointed on the Paradigm SUB 12... After its PBK equalization, the SUB 12
invariably pulled more than its own weight on these bass-heavy discs
with a tight, crunchy bottom-end performance."
"
With the entire system operating, the Paradigms produced a huge, coherent soundstage... I can’t imagine it sounding more impressive than did on the Paradigms."
Conclusions
"
... the Monitors were immensely satisfying on both music and movies. I never
felt the need to rush through a listening session. In fact, on both
movies and music, each session often lasted far longer than I had
planned. If you’re shopping in this price range, or even twice that, you
need to audition the Monitor Series 7."
Click here! to read the full review from Sound & Vision.
Click here! for more info. on Paradigm's Monitor Series.
