Polk vs Paradigm

[rjknbak]

I have been comparing the Polk LSI 9 and the Paradigm Studio 20. I like both speakers. I can get the Paradigm for list price of $800 and the Polk's for $600 which seems like a great deal. I am using a Nad 372 amp for 2 channel only. I have a fairly large living room14x27x9.5. I would prefer not to use a subwoofer so I have been leaning towards the Polk LSI9 over the paradigm's. The bass seemed a little better on the polks. If anyone has any input or recommendations it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[jasmit]

Can't help you on a comparison; never heard the Polks. I own the Studio 20's and am very satisfied with the bass w/o a sub. Just wanted to add that your Paradigm dealer should be able to do better than MSRP. In my experience, most authorized dealers offer anywhere from 10 to 15% off.

[N. Abstentia]

Both should have similar low freqency performance, but the Paradigms should actually go a little bit lower...probably not a big enough difference to make a night/day difference though. Are you listening to both speakers A/B or are they in different rooms...or worse yet..different stores? If anything is different, the comparison is useless.

My opinion..being familiar with both speakers..the Studio 20's will smoke the Polks all day long. They are not even in the same league if you ask me. Opinions may vary though

[kexodusc]

I have the Studio 40's. Back when I was demoing speakers, the Ls series was high on my list. I don't care Polk's lower models, but this is where they start to get serious IMO. Ignore a lot of the anti-Polk sentiment you'll hear. Anytime a company is successful, there seems to be an anti-establishment back-lash against them. Paradigm is starting to get that now too.

First off, you'll probably find that the Polk's are just way smoother in the upper range(above 3000 Hz or so) than anything Paradigm has. It's not even close, even Paradigm's Signatures aren't as smooth as these are. Paradigm's are known for being on the bright side and to many are fatiguing (not me, I like it bright and airy). The Polk's are anything but fatiguing...attribute that to the selection of the Vifa ring-radiator design (a cheap, stripped version, but a Vifa ring radiator the same). Krell uses the real thing in some 12K speakers. Rocket uses these in the very impressive Onix Reference line too, at $1500 and up.

The Polk's IMO have a bit better imaging and a bit better 3-d soundstage than even the new Studio v.3's. They're fussy to place though, I found them best with complete toe-in, drivers pointed straight at me. They don't work too well farfield in my opinion, which was a strike against these for me because of the room I was in at the time.

The problem is for whatever reason Polk really half-assed the lower midrange on these speakers and there's a bit of funny business going on in the crossover region. They cheaped out big-time on the woofer selection compared to the tweeter, and it's a real shame or they would have had a champion. Still, it's not a bad speaker at all and I wouldn't say the mid-range is much worse than the Studio's, just not as good as the top-end on this speaker, and as I said, your personal taste and opinion in how music should sound will influence your decision.

When I bought my speakers these were strongly in the running with the Studio's, and I know a few people that prefer them to the Paradigm's.

You'll have to consider that these are 4 ohm speakers, though, but your NAD shouldn't have any problems at all. In then end, it was price for a Home Theater package and the 4 ohm thing that took me to Paradigm ( I disliked some of the other LSi models because of size, but given the prices you're quoting, I believe I would have probably gone with the Polk's if I was just buying a pair of speakers.

[aimen]

POLKs ........IMNSQO

[anamorphic96]

Sent you a PM. I missed your thread so my reponse is a bit skewed since I thought you where doing HT. The C372 will be plenty and handle the 4ohm load with no sweat. So the best thing to do is go with what your ear likes. The Polks look like a great deal at that price.

[anamorphic96]

I have the Studio 40's. Back when I was demoing speakers, the Ls series was high on my list. I don't care Polk's lower models, but this is where they start to get serious IMO. Ignore a lot of the anti-Polk sentiment you'll hear. Anytime a company is successful, there seems to be an anti-establishment back-lash against them. Paradigm is starting to get that now too.

First off, you'll probably find that the Polk's are just way smoother in the upper range(above 3000 Hz or so) than anything Paradigm has. It's not even close, even Paradigm's Signatures aren't as smooth as these are. Paradigm's are known for being on the bright side and to many are fatiguing (not me, I like it bright and airy). The Polk's are anything but fatiguing...attribute that to the selection of the Vifa ring-radiator design (a cheap, stripped version, but a Vifa ring radiator the same). Krell uses the real thing in some 12K speakers. Rocket uses these in the very impressive Onix Reference line too, at $1500 and up.

The Polk's IMO have a bit better imaging and a bit better 3-d soundstage than even the new Studio v.3's. They're fussy to place though, I found them best with complete toe-in, drivers pointed straight at me. They don't work too well farfield in my opinion, which was a strike against these for me because of the room I was in at the time.

The problem is for whatever reason Polk really half-assed the lower midrange on these speakers and there's a bit of funny business going on in the crossover region. They cheaped out big-time on the woofer selection compared to the tweeter, and it's a real shame or they would have had a champion. Still, it's not a bad speaker at all and I wouldn't say the mid-range is much worse than the Studio's, just not as good as the top-end on this speaker, and as I said, your personal taste and opinion in how music should sound will influence your decision.

When I bought my speakers these were strongly in the running with the Studio's, and I know a few people that prefer them to the Paradigm's.

You'll have to consider that these are 4 ohm speakers, though, but your NAD shouldn't have any problems at all. In then end, it was price for a Home Theater package and the 4 ohm thing that took me to Paradigm ( I disliked some of the other LSi models because of size, but given the prices you're quoting, I believe I would have probably gone with the Polk's if I was just buying a pair of speakers.

Do you have the same opinion of the V3 Studios compared to the LSI's now ? I found the the new tweeter more laid back and smoother compared to the V2.

[kexodusc]

Do you have the same opinion of the V3 Studios compared to the LSI's now ? I found the the new tweeter more laid back and smoother compared to the V2.

I think Paradigm did a good job at refining the Studio line in the V3. Usually a new version isn't a big change but this time I think the improvements were more noteworthy. However I can't say I heard much difference with the tweeter. To me the most obvious improvements were more substantial anyway, better imaging and a wider soundstage and a tighter bass response...I didn't get the sense that the treble was any smoother in my demo's. I think Paradigm's designers like brighter speakers anyway, most of their lines have always been relatively bright compared to some competitors.

That said, it's not like the Studio's are bad at the top end. Just that the LSi's are better. I guess it comes down to preference, I'd rather a better midrange and an average high frequency performance than the reverse, maybe that's Paradigm's approach? I think there's more important information below 3000 Hz.

Tough call on whether the v.3's would be better than the LSi9's. I'm trying not to be biased because I went with Paradigm, but I think the Polk's are easily a match for them, and personal taste will decide in the end.

[RGA]

Which one do you like better. I know the Studio20V2 without a sub would not make me happy for the price because it lacks bass so does the 100V3 for that matter which is very one note. If you like the Paradigms why not get a used set of 100V2 (more bass than the V3 and to me sounds better to boot). The new tweeter is perhaps a bit more laid back but the sound is highly uneven in the midband and noticably coloured (100V3) the 20 is basically a less bass version.

I would not discount bass even if you have to take some box resonance because lacking it can become fatiguing. Since you're wanting 2 channel I'd skip both of these speaker lines - I heard the big floorstanders the LSi 25 or 35 (I don't recall the number) but they had the side firing woofers which I have yet to hear work convincingly whether it was from Snell or NHT to me it's undeven and or boomy.

There are plenty of speakers in the $600.00 - $800.00 range that I would take over either of these by the numbers McSpeakers.

[nightflier]

I would not discount bass even if you have to take some box resonance because lacking it can become fatiguing. Since you're wanting 2 channel I'd skip both of these speaker lines - I heard the big floorstanders the LSi 25 or 35 (I don't recall the number) but they had the side firing woofers which I have yet to hear work convincingly whether it was from Snell or NHT to me it's undeven and or boomy.

I auditioned a pair of NHT T6's at a friend's house and I thought they were very impressive. The bass was infinitely configurable too. The reason this post caught my attention is because I came very close to purchasing the LSi15 mini-towers for my father.

Kex, I found the LSi9 to be just as you described it. What turned me off was the quick roll off of the bass. In all my experience with Polk speakers, I have to say that's a company that has screwed up the bass on just about everything I've heard. From their crappy subs (wich really should just be called woofers, not subwoofers) over the last ten years to their new Monitor line (which for what they are is very good if you ignore the anemic bass). I was hoping that the LSi15 and 25 would rectify that. I guess that's not the case and that w/o a sub from another company, the LSi9's are just not worth the money.

Now if only I could afford one of those Krell's, cause that tweeter is quite good...

[RGA]

I auditioned a pair of NHT T6's at a friend's house and I thought they were very impressive. The bass was infinitely configurable too. The reason this post caught my attention is because I came very close to purchasing the LSi15 mini-towers for my father.

My problems with the NHT's though revolve and have always revolved around their treble. The Snell B-Minor was one of the most expensive examples of this design and a Stereophile Class b speaker -- it was also atrocious sounding--to me anyway. For what it's worth I didn't find the Polk to be any weaker overall and it was a fraction of the price. And certainly I didn't think the Polk I heard was "bad" just a little more disconnected than usual -- and as you may or may not be aware one of my gripes is a lack of cohesiveness - a great many very highly touted speakers fall into my non-cohesive gripe zone. I don;t cre if it uses the best technology and drivers ever made -- if it sounds like drivers it has failed. I still have not found many very tolerable three way designs -- and a subwoofer to a two way is a three way.

Interestingly the Hi-fi Choice blind listening panels noted some of my gripe as well --

"However, perhaps because there's quite a wide physical separation between the low-set bass and the high-set mid/treble, the two don't quite seem to glue together with total coherence. Rather it's more like the character found with separate sat/sub systems."
http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=2650