So i spent about 3 hours at Clark Music in Latham, NY on Saturday. I listened to the B&W 601s3, Paradigm Studio 20 v3, Paradigm Mini Monitor v3. I brought music such as A Perfect Circle, Marillion, The Gathering, and Peter Gabriel. I must say i was impressed with the 601's, and even more impressed with the Studio 20's.

I had listened to the 601's before, but only briefly. When I sat down to listen to them, the speakers were only about 5 feet apart. Although they sounded good, I couldnt get a feel for the soundstage, so the salesman moved them farther apart for me. After that, i was impressed with what they could do. I dont really know the audiophile terminology, but i must say they were quite detailed, and had a sound that was neutral? not really sure how to describe it, but i did like them very much.

I then listened to the Studio 20's and was very impressed again. They were even more detailed than the 601's and had a little brighter sound to them? At least thats what my ears heard. Both speakers were powered with Rotel electronics and Rotel cd players.

I wasnt too impressed with the Mini Monitors, although they set up wasnt that great. They were sitting on a shelf and very close to the wall, which is probably why they sounded muddled to me.

Right now I am trying to decide if the difference in price between the B&W's and the Paradigms is justifiable. I could get the 601's for $400 (plus stands) and the salesman actually gave me a price of $675 for the studio 20's, which i thought was a great price. Did i hear a $275 dollar differnce though? I'm not really sure. Maybe a home audition would convince me either way.

I know there are a ton of other speakers i should listen to, but there isnt much of an offering here in this area. I listened to some Totems a few weeks ago, and although they look nice, the sound didnt do much for me and they seemed way overpriced.

I plan on going back to Clark Music for some more listening. The saleman was great, and I dont think i would have any problems getting him to let me do a home audtition. Stay tuned!!

Also, if anyone in the Albany NY area is looking for new speakers, they had a pair of Studio 40 V3's with stands for $900.