Paragon brand?

[greystoke144]

:confused: Hi! I'm a new member to site.Without trying to stir things up,...I wonder if anyone has experience with the "Paragon" brand speakers? I have 2 minds about these efforts-1#- They're tall,heavy,w/2 8" woofers behind metal grills and a tweeter on top that is
hidden behind louvers-about 3 1/2 ft. tall-9X9" sq., seems to be what I assume a bass reflex type 'cause of port on bottom front and is covered with that grey flannel 'Fender -like'
material they used with their m series combos etc. They have some weight to them and they reproduce sound that suprisingly kicks butt in the mid range and highs. With my aging ears,after I listened to them after a pair of JVCs that "flabbed" out on me, my eyes were opened. And 2# - Are these speakers a knock-off brand along the lines of the infamous "White Van" offerings? The 'cheesey' stick-on Paragon logo is'nt a comfort and I hav'nt been able to run down the provenance of these; However, I did'nt outlay a lot of cash for them and they sound damn good at a lot of input levels.-[I recently scored some Bose 501s...and wonder also, what you think of those]?
Greystoke

[topspeed]

If you're happy with them, who cares what we think? It's your money.

If you really feel a need to feel comfortable about your purchase, just do a search for Bose on this or any audio site. The prevailing opinion will become readily apparent.

Satisfaction comes from within. Enjoy your new toys!

[Woochifer]

The only Paragons I'm aware of are the old Paragon series that JBL made from the late-50s until I think the early-80s. This sounds suspiciously like a white van brand, since they tend to use knockoff soundalike names like Dynalab, Dahlton, Denmark, Acoustic Image, Acoustic Monitor, Audiofile, etc.

How did you get these speakers in the first place? Knowing the origin would go a long way towards answering your question. When you say that you "scored" a pair of Bose 501s, that seems like an indication that you're shopping for bargains rather than listening to speakers and buying the ones that are most compatible with your listening habits and preferences.

[greystoke144]

The only Paragons I'm aware of are the old Paragon series that JBL made from the late-50s until I think the early-80s. This sounds suspiciously like a white van brand, since they tend to use knockoff soundalike names like Dynalab, Dahlton, Denmark, Acoustic Image, Acoustic Monitor, Audiofile, etc.

How did you get these speakers in the first place? Knowing the origin would go a long way towards answering your question. When you say that you "scored" a pair of Bose 501s, that seems like an indication that you're shopping for bargains rather than listening to speakers and buying the ones that are most compatible with your listening habits and preferences.
Woochifer...Paragons were aqquired in a pawn shop. They impressed me by their solid construction and looks - 2 10" in a 4 ftx1x1 enclosure with a grey fabric covering reminiscent of late '80s Fender combos and cabinents. They have metal grills covering the 2 mid range 10" speakers vertically orientated with a louvered tweeter above both and a 1 & 1/2" port on bottom. 50 lb.s #1. I know what you're saying and I'm guilty as charged-[I always rated speakers by looks and woofer size and brand name],but,#2., I was desperate and the price was right-[200.00Can.] AND when I got home and hooked 'em up,I was flabbergasted! - Mainly because of the midrange and highs that were 'night and day' comparitivly with the 12" JVCs-Wow! Now, it could be that I've just never experienced good speakers....Naah! - Which leads me to the 501s. - I'm paying them down, so I hav'nt listened to them yet, but I'm open to comments about them. They're Bose 501 series lV and because you were correct in assuming I went for brand instead of listening 1st.; Do ya think I'll be disappointed - taking the cost-[375.00 Can.] and cond.-[practically new in orig. boxes]-[godamn stapled grill is a cheesy piss-off] to alternative better buys?
I, if I was still impressed by size, could kick myself for letting a pair of Cerwin Vegas-[15" woofers,4x3x3', 80 lb.s each] escape me at 275.00$ Can.-the pair! Oh well, old habits die hard.
The "gist" Woochifer is: Paragons?...Puzzling, because of construction and sound. The only indication of questionible quality is a cheesy glued-on "Paragon" metal logo; and white van efforts never showed the qualities of these as described. And as for the 501s..."guilty as charged"; but I could really use some info[sympathy]!
Greystoke
:D

[greystoke144]

Woochifer...Paragons were aqquired in a pawn shop. They impressed me by their solid construction and looks - 2 10" in a 4 ftx1x1 enclosure with a grey fabric covering reminiscent of late '80s Fender combos and cabinents. They have metal grills covering the 2 mid range 10" speakers vertically orientated with a louvered tweeter above both and a 1 & 1/2" port on bottom. 50 lb.s #1. I know what you're saying and I'm guilty as charged-[I always rated speakers by looks and woofer size and brand name],but,#2., I was desperate and the price was right-[200.00Can.] AND when I got home and hooked 'em up,I was flabbergasted! - Mainly because of the midrange and highs that were 'night and day' comparitivly with the 12" JVCs-Wow! Now, it could be that I've just never experienced good speakers....Naah! - Which leads me to the 501s. - I'm paying them down, so I hav'nt listened to them yet, but I'm open to comments about them. They're Bose 501 series lV and because you were correct in assuming I went for brand instead of listening 1st.; Do ya think I'll be disappointed - taking the cost-[375.00 Can.] and cond.-[practically new in orig. boxes]-[godamn stapled grill is a cheesy piss-off] to alternative better buys?
I, if I was still impressed by size, could kick myself for letting a pair of Cerwin Vegas-[15" woofers,4x3x3', 80 lb.s each] escape me at 275.00$ Can.-the pair! Oh well, old habits die hard.
The "gist" Woochifer is: Paragons?...Puzzling, because of construction and sound. The only indication of questionible quality is a cheesy glued-on "Paragon" metal logo; and white van efforts never showed the qualities of these as described. And as for the 501s..."guilty as charged"; but I could really use some info[sympathy]!
Greystoke
:D

Perusing 1st. post...I guess they ARE 8" ers not 10", but dimns. are close enough.
Greystoke

[N. Abstentia]

Paradigm + Aragon = Paragon?

Nice!

[Woochifer]

Woochifer...Paragons were aqquired in a pawn shop. They impressed me by their solid construction and looks - 2 10" in a 4 ftx1x1 enclosure with a grey fabric covering reminiscent of late '80s Fender combos and cabinents. They have metal grills covering the 2 mid range 10" speakers vertically orientated with a louvered tweeter above both and a 1 & 1/2" port on bottom. 50 lb.s #1. I know what you're saying and I'm guilty as charged-[I always rated speakers by looks and woofer size and brand name],but,#2., I was desperate and the price was right-[200.00Can.] AND when I got home and hooked 'em up,I was flabbergasted! - Mainly because of the midrange and highs that were 'night and day' comparitivly with the 12" JVCs-Wow! Now, it could be that I've just never experienced good speakers....Naah! - Which leads me to the 501s. - I'm paying them down, so I hav'nt listened to them yet, but I'm open to comments about them. They're Bose 501 series lV and because you were correct in assuming I went for brand instead of listening 1st.; Do ya think I'll be disappointed - taking the cost-[375.00 Can.] and cond.-[practically new in orig. boxes]-[godamn stapled grill is a cheesy piss-off] to alternative better buys?
I, if I was still impressed by size, could kick myself for letting a pair of Cerwin Vegas-[15" woofers,4x3x3', 80 lb.s each] escape me at 275.00$ Can.-the pair! Oh well, old habits die hard.
The "gist" Woochifer is: Paragons?...Puzzling, because of construction and sound. The only indication of questionible quality is a cheesy glued-on "Paragon" metal logo; and white van efforts never showed the qualities of these as described. And as for the 501s..."guilty as charged"; but I could really use some info[sympathy]!
Greystoke
:D

Pawn shops are places where starving musicians dump their gear when the realities of having to make a living catch up with them, NOT the best place to find decent sounding audio gear. The stuff that you're describing sounds exactly that. Big boxes covered in gray fabric with metal mesh grilles sound more live concert monitors, designed to play loudly and play efficiently, than something designed to sound best in a home environment. Rugged construction does not correlate to sound quality, it just indicates that the cabinet can withstand abuse.

If your basis of comparison is a set of 12" JVCs, then you should do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon at a decent audio store (the demo rooms at Best Buy and Circuit City do not count) and listen listen listen. If these Paragons meet your needs, then what does it matter what we all think? If the Bose 501s represent the type of sound that you like, then it doesn't matter one bit what anybody else's ears say. Going into pawn shops and buying speakers that look substantial and don't cost a lot does not answer the questions that you're asking. Only by listening and assessing for yourself whether or not the sound quality matches your preferences is the only solution.

[SRO]

...a review in Stereophile in the early to mid 90's for this brand. I believe it was a 2 way (or perhaps 2.5 way )"MTM" design. Since it was in Stereophile, it was probably not an inexpensive speaker. I never actually saw them, and it was the only speaker I ever saw anything on from them. Anyway, you may want to check Stereophile's archives and see how far back they go.