Paradigm mini monitors, monitor 3 and monitor 5

[Lafferman]

which one of these speakers would you say has the cleanest mids and highs i'm not lookin for bass out of them. my paradigm dealer is having a big sale so i'm going to pick up the cc-370 today since he'll give it to me for the price of the cc-270. thanks for the advice of these three speakers.

[cam]

which one of these speakers would you say has the cleanest mids and highs i'm not lookin for bass out of them. my paradigm dealer is having a big sale so i'm going to pick up the cc-370 today since he'll give it to me for the price of the cc-270. thanks for the advice of these three speakers.

It is really a toss up. All monitor speakers sound the same in the mids and highs. Where the difference is, is in the lows upto the mids. And oh ya the price. To me looks wise the monitor 3's look to bulky on stands, the mini's and 5's look sleek. If you go with the 5's remember you will require shorter stands then if you were getting the mini's or 3's. You could save some money, buy the mini's, and see if you could trade your ps-1000 in on another sub. Just a suggestion.

[RGA]

Lots of dealers have sales - get a spaker you like.

[kexodusc]

The mids and highs of the Monitor 5 and Mini Monitor are NOT identical. Especially in the newer version of the Monitor 5. Personally, I'd pick the Mini Monitor and use a sub for bass, I'm not a big fan of the Monitor 5's. Especially the newer model with the extra driver.
And like RGA alluded to, I hope you've already done some testing and aren't going with Paradigm because of the sale.

[Lafferman]

no i've done lots of listening and i really like the paradigm speakers the sale is just letting me get the monitor series instead of the performance series. thanks for looking out for me though. i listened to the monitor 5's and didn't think that the extra woofer was doing anything but make me spend more money. i have a sub that i'm happy with (sorry cam i won't trade it in yet) so i was trying to decided between the mini's and the monitor 3's. i am extremely happy with the cc-370 i know it's not the best but it's the best i can afford. these will be the last part of the system. thanks for all your speedy replies and advice.

[cam]

no i've done lots of listening and i really like the paradigm speakers the sale is just letting me get the monitor series instead of the performance series. thanks for looking out for me though. i listened to the monitor 5's and didn't think that the extra woofer was doing anything but make me spend more money. i have a sub that i'm happy with (sorry cam i won't trade it in yet) so i was trying to decided between the mini's and the monitor 3's. i am extremely happy with the cc-370 i know it's not the best but it's the best i can afford. these will be the last part of the system. thanks for all your speedy replies and advice.

Your right about the 5's, if I was considering the 5's I would be more leaning towards the 7's. In fact that is what I did get when I was sampling. But anyways, if it is the mini's or the 3's remember the 3's will go ever so slightly louder but not much, and they will also handle more power which may come into play if an amp upgrade is ever in your future. Some people will tell you to get the mini's because they have the same size woofer as the cc 370 but in reality the 3's with the 8 inch woofer will not matter at all. Looks wise the mini's look better on stands then the 3's but that is just my opinion. If you buy the mini's you should be looking at stands at about 26 inches. 24 inches will also do. If you get the 3's then you will want 24 inch stands and I recommend no taller. Also, whatever deal you work out for the mini's dollar wise, the 3's should not be more then $50 more max. If the sales guy tells you the 3's will be upwards of $100 or more , he is full of it. The 3's should be $50 or possibly less then the mini's. Good luck and let us know.

[Woochifer]

Up to you. In my previous listenings, I thought the Monitor 5 was the best overall model in the Monitor series, a lot of punch in the midbass with better extension than the Mini Monitors, and pretty good linearity in the midrange. With a subwoofer, I would listen carefully to the midrange between the Minis and the Monitor 5s. I always remembered that the Monitor 5s had better coherency in the mids, but I've never directly compared the Minis and the 5s. You should probably do a A/B comparison between the two models with the bass management set to "small" so you can hone in on the midrange without letting the Monitor 5's deeper bass extension drive your decision.