Great sound, incredible value!
Written: Aug 27 '01 (Updated Oct 30 '05)
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Pros: Great sound, incredible value!
Cons: Reveals the limits of the original recordings.
The Bottom Line: Great value!
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| mbasil's Full Review: Paradigm Titan Main / Stereo Speaker |
When I bought my stereo setup back in '92 I was impressed with the sound coming out of my Infinity Reference speakers. After I got a new car with a Bose sound system, I wasn't so happy with the home stereo anymore. I had a couple constraints, though -- a two year old (read: bookshelves) and I didn't want to spend a lot. So after reading the previous reviews, I was impressed by the reviews for the Paradigms (esp. the Atoms and Titans). Living in Canada, hearing the Paradigms was easy. I brought my CDs down to the local dealer. I got a baseline by listening in the car on the way. Then I listened to the Titans for half an hour in the showroom. Then the Atoms (I could only take 5 minutes, though -- no comparison -- much worse definition and bass). So I ordered them on the spot (in light cherry).
I took the floor models home for the week. At home they sounded even better than at the showroom (which impressed me because my listening room is open to the kitchen, etc.). They sounded 237.2% better than my Infinitys (I even set the tone control to flat for the first time since 1992). Even the wife could tell the difference instantly.
When mine arrived I only noticed a little more harshness than the loaners (prior to burn it. Audiophiles on this and other sites led me to expect a lot of difference. What I've heard has only been a slight improvement.) But I think they've settled down completely and just sound great.
Although I was impressed by the clarity I wondered whether they would produce enough bass (compared to the bass-boosted Bose system in my car). Then I began to notice that with older recordings the bass was just a muddy boom. But with newer (digital) recordings the speakers had plenty of bass. Also, with newer recordings I could hear the snap of the bass strings themselves (and tell whether the bass was recorded directly or through an amp). A similar phenomenon occurs with bass drums. I sat down with the wife a couple nights ago and after describing what to listen for she could tell the digital from non digital recordings, too. The bottom line is that there IS enough bass for my taste --even driven flat -- but only if it's there's in the source material (my new jazz recording sound fine, but my old Sinatra recordings and folk rock from the '70s, even if remastered, seems to consist of muddy atonal 100 HZ thumps).
All in all, I'm tremendously impressed with the Titans. Happily, my home stereo now sounds a LOT better than my car. Even running a Sony amp, these speakers reveal more about the limits of my source material than I thought possible. Further, for my money, if you're running $200 speakers from a few years ago, my hunch is that an upgrade to a $200 pair of new Titans will make a much bigger bang for your buck than a Carver amp. (I won't guarantee you won't find other things to upgrade, though -- I just had to order new Sennheiser headphones 'cause I couldn't bear to listen to my old cans after adjusting to the Titans).
BTW, it you're thinking "Titans" it might be worth listening to the Mini-Monitors, too.
UPDATE (after 6 months of listening):
I am still impressed by the clarity of these speakers. They just sound great. This is the best $200 upgrade ever!
(after 18 months)
So much for being satisfied with the bottom end. After about a year, I became a little more disappointed by the bass response, especially comparing with my Sennheiser 535 headphones. So I bought a subwoofer. I noticed that it improved the sound and level of bass in more recent recordings. The subwoofer also helped bring up the bass in the older 70s recordings to a reasonable level, though the bass is still fairly non-descript booming. but he clarity of the speakers is still excellent, outshines my car stereo, and compares well with my headphones. So I am still very happy with the Titans, though I would recommend they be combine with a subwoofer for serious audio listening.
(after 4 years)
These speakers are still going strong. I am still impressed with the sound. Their sound compares favorably with my Sennheiser headphones. And since there isn't that much improvement in recording technology since I purchased these guys, I think I'll give them a couple more years before looking for new speakers. Then I can use these for a bedroom stereo or something.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
mbasil
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Member: Mike
Location: CANADA
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I'm a middle-aged nerd. A 45-year-old white professor.
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