Paradigm V.1 vs. V.2

[juddwoods]

I've been searching for an answer without having to post, as I'm way over my head among audiophiles, but here goes...
I've been suffering for years with a Sharp HTIB. Every time I've gone to upgrade, there was something else I had to spend the money on. Now, finally, the ugly beast has died, and I can replace her with a decent system.
I have shopped around, listening to a lot of different speakers, and for the price the Paradigms to my untrained ears seem hard to beat. They handle Miles as well as Matrix. Now, a source I trust has offered me what seems like some great deals...

I can either get a pair of Paradigm Studio 60 v.2's (slightly used, but by a total audiophile i trust) with a Studio/CC and a new PDR-10 sub for a total of round $1400...

OR

A pair of Paradigm Studio 80 v.1's with matching CC and a PDR-10 for about $150 more...

I've listened to both, and they both sound great. Can anyone help me with a little advice? All things being equal would you choose a v.1 Studio 80 or the smaller but newer v.2 Studio 60? Either way, I'm gonna have to pick up some rear channels as well, and am unsure if I need to go with the same generation.

To add to my confusion, I'm also torn between an entry level 80watt/channel 5.1 Integra Receiver and a mid-level Yamaha 110 watt/channel 7.1 Receiver. The Integra seems more solid, but has less power and none of the bells/whistles of the Yamaha (which has the auto-setup tool with the mic that sounds really helpful).

Any help at all would be really appreciated. I'm suffering in a silent living room and it SUCKS.

[LEAFS264]

I can only speak for the Integra. Don't let the modest power ratings fool you. The Integra Receiver will be a better match for the two systems you are looking at. I just fried a Yamaha receiver with my 5.1 system, that was rated at 110w/per channel. And my New Integra Receiver has not missed a beat. At a rating of 90w per channel. Even my other Sony STR-DB940 did a better job than the Yamaha.

[juddwoods]

I can only speak for the Integra. Don't let the modest power ratings fool you. The Integra Receiver will be a better match for the two systems you are looking at. I just fried a Yamaha receiver with my 5.1 system, that was rated at 110w/per channel. And my New Integra Receiver has not missed a beat. At a rating of 90w per channel. Even my other Sony STR-DB940 did a better job than the Yamaha.

Thanks for the feedback! I never understand why the higher end receivers have lower ratings yet everyone says they outperform. Maybe the Ingra is worth considering. Any thoughts on the auto-setup with the mic? Seems like it would be handy but then again, could be a gimmic.

[LEAFS264]

The auto set up works better than you think!! After it is done you might need to make a few minor ajustments, but other than that it should be pretty good.

[Woochifer]

The thing about the v.1 series is that some of the early units had adhesion problems with the tweeters. Paradigm fixed the problem and replaced a lot of the defective tweeters under warranty. The only thing to watch out for would be if the speaker you're interested in is one of the early production units that did not have the tweeter replaced. The v.1 models were produced between 1996 and 1998, while the v.2 series was made from 1998 through 2003.

Typically, you want your surround channel speakers to be the same generation as the mains because the voicing might have gotten tweaked with in the meantime. In that regard, it would probably be easier to find the v.2 models simply because they were produced longer.

With the receiver, a difference of 30 watts/channel is a very minor difference, and you should not choose receivers based on the specs alone anyway. Under most circumstances, you'll listen to your sources with less than one watt of power going through them. With the Studio series, you're getting more than 80 db at the listening position with only one watt of power.

The thing with the auto calibrating functions is that they can be very useful if you don't use a setup DVD and a SPL meter to level match your system. And in difficult acoustical environments, the parametric adjustments made by those systems can help quite a bit. Far from a gimmick, the use of digital EQs for room calibration is the next advance, and the difference that it can make is substantial.

[RGA]

Personally I'd go with the 60 V2...the first series had problems and both incarnations of the 80 IMO sounded worse than the 60...Paradigm no longer makes an 80 and I think for good reason.

[Woochifer]

Personally I'd go with the 60 V2...the first series had problems and both incarnations of the 80 IMO sounded worse than the 60...Paradigm no longer makes an 80 and I think for good reason.

The "good reason" is that all of the current Studio series models standardize around 7" designs for both the mid/woofer and woofer drivers, whereas before they used both 6.5" and 8" drivers. The Studio 80 would be redundant in the current model lineup.

[RGA]

And because the studio 80 was a poor sounding speaker...you paid more for the 80 but got marginally more bass and muddy sound and for not a whole lot more the 100V2 offerred real noticable bass over the 60. The 80 was imo a worse sounding speaker by a lot to the 60 and 40 and 100.

but yes saving money buy using the same driver across a line makes sense. I wonder how long they'll keep the monitor 3.

[Woochifer]

And because the studio 80 was a poor sounding speaker...you paid more for the 80 but got marginally more bass and muddy sound and for not a whole lot more the 100V2 offerred real noticable bass over the 60. The 80 was imo a worse sounding speaker by a lot to the 60 and 40 and 100.

but yes saving money buy using the same driver across a line makes sense. I wonder how long they'll keep the monitor 3.

Doesn't matter what your opinion of the speaker was. The bottomline for Paradigm was that in order to keep something like the Studio 80 in production, they would need to fabricated a larger driver that would fit only that one speaker. Makes no business sense for them to do that. When they made both 6.5" and 8" drivers, it made sense to make the Studio 80 because the 8" drivers were used for both the Studio 80 and 100.

The Monitor 3's 8" drivers are also used in the Monitor 9. If they make a similar standardized driver size for the Monitor series, then both the 3 and the 9 would no longer have a place in the lineup.

[kexodusc]

I'd go with the 60 v.2's and then sell that subwoofer as fast as possible...get maybe $200-$250 for it, then with the $150 you save you can start looking at better sub options...(the PDR-10 is just outclassed by everything else in that system).
There's a few threads about subwoofers in this price range you should be able to find easily enough for recommendations.

Woochifer's right about the power recommendations on the receivers, you can rest assured the difference between a 110 watt/channel Yamaha and an 80 watt/channel Yamaha is negligible.
Which receiver models in particular are you looking at? Integra and Yamaha both make quality products, it's hard to pick a loser out of those, just make sure you compare apples to apples to get a feel for which offers the better deal. (And that could depend on the pricing/willingness to "deal" in your area).

[Boltergeist]

I tried an entry level Yamaha- HTR 5740 and was disappointed with the amp. It did not sound good for music at all, so it went back and i have an HK on order.

[RGA]

Doesn't matter what your opinion of the speaker was. The bottomline for Paradigm was that in order to keep something like the Studio 80 in production, they would need to fabricated a larger driver that would fit only that one speaker. Makes no business sense for them to do that. When they made both 6.5" and 8" drivers, it made sense to make the Studio 80 because the 8" drivers were used for both the Studio 80 and 100.

The Monitor 3's 8" drivers are also used in the Monitor 9. If they make a similar standardized driver size for the Monitor series, then both the 3 and the 9 would no longer have a place in the lineup.

I'm not really arguing the point -- I understand that companies make business decisions over sonic ones all the time -- And then try and convince people that the reasons are for sonic improvement - in this case Paradigm has made the beancounting decsion to get rid of the 80 and also manged to delete the worst speaker in the line - sio it was a good move on both counts.

[juddwoods]

Thanks again for all the feedback. I decided to go with the studio 60s, and after reading your responses, I feel like I made the right decision. I have gotten the feeling that my sub is a little outclassed, and that will probably be my first upgrade.

Till then, I've still got to decide on the receiver. I'm choosing between the Yamaha HTR-5790, which is up on Amazon for $530, and the entry level Integra (the DTR-4.5), which is $500. The Yamaha I've read some good reviews on, but the Integra just seems like such a solidly built component (although with only 5.1, a lower power rating, and no auto-calibration). I don't know, am I being too cheap? I want a receiver that I'm not going to want to replace in 2 years...