Quote Originally Posted by sirkaien
I've started to listen to various speakers now.
Just checked Paradigm Monitor 1 1with 370 and impressed very much with its clear sound.
One of online store offered me Infinity Kappa 600 with Kappa center under $1400.
How do you guys think about these speakers?

oh...by the way, I will put HT in great room (family room + dining room) which is about 26 X 19 ft.
Glad to find you're out there listening! Your room size sounds fine for the choices you're considering, though I must ask if it has a vaulted ceiling.

When I was out auditioning speakers recently, I too was impressed with the Paradigm Monitor line. So much so, I bought a pair of their Mini Monitors. This is why I mentioned being surprised in my previous post. As I said, I fully intended to spend $1,000 on a pair of bookshelves. After hearing everything available at dealers in my area, I ended up spending a mere $400 for the cheapest things I heard.

But I feel I got the best sounding speakers in my price range. Though I it was a very tough decision between the Mini Monitors and Monitor Audio's Silver S1s. Upgrading from old speakers with ribbon tweeters, I tend to have a bias for a high end that's somewhat forward and very articulate. The S1s seemed better at this than the Paradigms. However, of all the speakers I heard, I felt Paradigm's Monitor line were the most balanced, neutral, and accurate speakers across their full range.

Be aware Paradigm has just come out with version 4 of the series, though it'll be another 2-3 weeks before they begin shipping them. The only change is an improvement to the crossover. If you're interested in the Monitors, you may be able to get a deal on the version 3 speakers your dealer has in stock. If you want an absolute match with future rear surrounds, you might want to wait on the 4s or ask your dealer to order them.

A lot has been said for the Dynaudio's line. I can't say these were among the selections I heard recently. However, I did listen to JMLab's Chorus and Cobalt lines. These are excellent speakers. The Chorus speakers were also the most beautiful looking. If I had to use one word to describe these lines, it'd have to be "comfortable." Listening to them is pleasurable and relaxing. However, I found them to be a little too laid back for my tastes, especially on the high end. That said, I've also listened to a pair of their $40,000 Utopia Nova Be speakers and found them to be the best speakers I've ever heard. JMLabs has a different philosophy to speaker design and the resulting sound is absolutely worth auditioning.

To my knowledge, Infinity has discontinued their Kappa line. Hence the big discount you've been offered. They're fine speakers, but ones many people are quite polarized about, either totally loving or totally hating their sound. Have your heard a pair? It sounds as if you're your HT system is a work in progress. If so, you should consider that when you're ready to add surrounds and a sub, you may have difficulty finding the speakers to match. Especially if you want to buy them new.