Because the room position I chose for the M-7sis was the same as…
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The listening tests didn't start out on a high note, however. I set the Mirages up pointing straight ahead, with Cardas Hexlink interconnects between the Rowland preamp and Krell power amp, and without any spikes. (I generally hold off on spikes until I'm sure of the proper positioning.) The sound was too heavy and full-bodied through the mid- to upper bass. Midrange coloration was admirably low, but the presentation was just a bit too laid-back and lacking in immediacy. The highs were gorgeous, if just a touch reticent.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, floorstanding, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drivers: 8" woofer, 1" titanium-dome tweeter, and 5" full-range rear drive-unit. Crossover frequencies: 480Hz, 2kHz. Recommended amplifier power: 50W–175W RMS. Maximum power handling: 175W RMS. Rated sensitivity: 84dB/W/m anechoic, 88dB in-room. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum.
Dimensions: 45" H by 14" W by 7" D. Weight: 80 lbs.
Serial numbers of speakers reviewed: 005435, 005757.
Price: $1300/pair (1995); no longer available (2006). Approximate number of dealers: 185.
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Sidebar 2: Measurements
JA measured the Mirage M-7si with the DRA Labs MLSSA system and a calibrated DPS microphone; he provided me with the results following my listening tests.
As expected from the auditioning, the Mirage's sensitivity was estimated at a low 82.5dB/W/m (B-weighted). Its impedance is shown in fig.1. With a minimum impedance of 4.8 ohms at 130Hz, it should be a relatively easy load for any competent amplifier to drive. With its low sensitivity, however, you should take the manufacturer's minimum recommended power (50W) very seriously. And to really get the most…
The least expensive model in Paradigm's Reference series, the Studio/20 loudspeaker is a rear-ported two-way dynamic bookshelf/satellite design, superficially identical to the powered Active/20 that JA reviewed last November. It features Paradigm's 25mm PAL pure-aluminum dome tweeter in a die-cast heatsink chassis, and a 170mm MLP mica-polymer cone in an AVS die-cast heatsink chassis with a 38mm voice coil. The crossover is third-order, quasi-Butterworth, said to be "phase-coherent." It features high-power ceramic resistors, film capacitors in all signal paths, and both air-core and steel-…
Female vocal reproduction was silky and sweet but uncolored on these speakers. The superb remastering of Janis Ian's Breaking Silence (Analogue Productions CAPP027) brought out another of the Paradigm strengths: rhythmic coherence. Linnies should have no problem tapping their toes and following the tune with these speakers—the natural integration of bass, percussion, and guitar nuances in "His Hands" had me dancing around the room.
A cult of personality
The Janis Ian recording also highlighted the Studio/20's strongest "personality" trait, and it may not be to everyone's taste. The…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) PAL pure-aluminum dome tweeter, 6.7" (170mm) MLP mica/polymer-cone woofer. Crossover: third-order, quasi-Butterworth at 1.5kHz. Frequency range: 54Hz-22kHz on-axis. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Dimensions: 14" by 8¼" by 11". Shipping weight: 40 lbs/pair.
Serial number of units reviewed: 11810/1.
Price: $650/pair-$900/pair, depending on finish. Approximate number of dealers: 240.
Manufacturer: Paradigm Group, 11-919 Fraser Drive, Burlington,…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Paradigm was quite sensitive, at an estimated 86.5dB/2.83V/m (B-weighted). Its impedance (fig.1) dropped to 4 ohms briefly in the lower midrange, but was otherwise benign. The timing of the rear-firing port is indicated by the "saddle" in the magnitude curve at 42Hz, the frequency of the lowest note of the 4-string double bass and bass guitar. Other than a small wrinkle in the traces at 25kHz, indicating the presence of an ultrasonic tweeter resonance, there are no artefacts due to cabinet resonances apparent.
Fig.1 Paradigm Reference Studio/…
Robert J. Reina wrote about the revised Paradigm Reference/20 in February 2001 (Vol.24 No.2):
The Paradigm Reference/20 has been upgraded since my original review in Vol.20 No.2. As well as a thicker front baffle, the updated version has much more cosmetically appealing softened edges on its cabinet that, Paradigm claims, improves tweeter dispersion. New damping material on the tweeter and a larger midrange magnet have been added since my 1997 review samples, as well as upgraded resistor inductors and minor crossover adjustments. It's been a while since I heard the original Reference/20s…
Robert Deutsch wrote about the Paradigm Reference/20 in May 2002 (Vol.25 No.5):
I wondered what the Quicksilver Horn Mono amplifier would sound like driving a speaker with average sensitivity, and, given its low gain, whether the preamp would have sufficient output for this type of setup. As it happened, as an adjunct to a review I was working on for Stereophile Guide to Home Theater, I had on hand a pair of Paradigm Reference Studio/20s, and I thought that using these speakers would provide a good test of the Horn Mono's performance in a more conventional system.
The results…
"I've got a great idea, RL," said John Atkinson to me one fine fall morning five years ago, as we relaxed over cappuccino and croissants in the slowly rotating editorial suite of the imposing Stereophile Tower that---surmounted by a heroic statue of J. Gordon Holt, thumb down, lip curled, great bronze cigarette glowing triode-red---rises like a Tube Trap of the Gods to dominate the downtown skyline of our round brown town of La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis. In a paroxysm of the editorial euphoria that comes upon him when he suddenly envisions page after page of…