Paradigm Monitor 90P.

Manufacturer: Paradigm Electronics, Inc., Toronto, Canada U. S. Distributor: AudioStream, M.P.O. Box 2410, Niagara Falls, NY 14302; 905/632-0180

Price: $1,500/pair

Source: Manufacturer loan

Reviewer: Joseph M. Cierniak

I pay particular attention when reviewers as dissimilar as Tom Nousaine and Corey Greenberg both sing the praises of a particular speaker manufacturer. An ad by Paradigm quotes both of these reviewers stating their high regard for the product. Corey is quoted as being "floored by the sound" and Tom is quoted as stating that a Paradigm system will "become a legend." My compliments to the Paradigm Marketing/Advertising department in creating an ad which highlights these two dissimilar reviewers being in agreement. Okay, I'm having fun, but this praise emanating from two icons at opposite ends of the audio reviewing spectrum speaks volumes about the Paradigm product line. If there's one speaker company which seems to be doing all the right things, it's Paradigm. Add right pricing to doing right things and the result is a speaker product line which seems to cover all bases.

From mini-monitors to subwoofers to reference systems, Paradigm has something for everyone and anyone. That's 53 models in all according to a count by yours truly using the latest issue of Audio magazine's annual equipment directory as my reference. The prices range from a low of $75 each to a maximum of $950 each. Included in this product line are the 70Ps and the 90Ps, both with built-in subwoofers, and the 90Ps are the models reviewed here.

Paradigm's doing the right things covers the gamut from double-blind testing, to manufacturing almost all of their own drivers, to using their own 33,000 cubic feet anechoic chamber for testing, to paying attention to small details that help the customer. This attention to small details is exemplified by the words "UNPACK FROM BOTTOM" written across the top of the shipping box. You open the bottom flaps and facing you is a small instruction sheet labeled, "UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS." You unpack in a minimum of time without having to guess what to do next. Case in point: the instructions make you immediately aware that you should install the spike feet (taped to the bottom of the speaker) while the bottom of the speaker is facing up. This surely beats guessing wrong and opening the top, removing the speaker, setting it bottom-first on the floor, and then realizing (eventually) that down in the bowels of the shipping container are the feet -- which have yet to be installed!

Perhaps it's just me, but I can't begin to tell you the number of times in my audiophile lifetime -- both as customer and reviewer -- that two large boxes arrive, the speakers inside weighing up to 100+ pounds, and the inevitable Murphy's law takes over. If you open the top you should have opened the bottom and vice versa. I might add that the unpacking directions make a great guide for repacking the speakers properly when moving or returning the speakers to the manufacturer.

The 90Ps are no-frills speakers: conventional looking, floorstanding boxes (43.5"H x 9.25"W x 14.25"D), black, and with exterior garnish tastefully limited to a small emblem at the bottom of the grill with the word "Paradigm" emblazoned upon it in gold lettering. The cabinets are solidly built, which I confirmed by tapping the enclosure with a rubber mallet and getting solid thump sounds in response. At 70 pounds each, the 90Ps aren't lightweights, but they aren't so heavy that you need a block and tackle to move them about.

The front panel of each 90P sports a removable black cloth grille that covers the front of the speaker from the top to within 5" from the bottom. Perhaps I should say that the black cloth covers a template; cutouts in the template surround the drivers and port. Be aware: any time you see a template as part of the front grille assembly you can bet your bippy that almost without exception the speaker is meant to be used with the front grille in place. If the template wasn't an integral part of the radiation dispersion pattern then it would be far simpler and cheaper to mount the cloth over a simple frame sans a template.

On the backside of the speaker there are two sets of standard 5-way terminal posts connected together with jumper bars. The jumper bars may be removed and the speakers driven in a bi-wire or passive bi-amp configuration. Being one to keep things simple, I kept the jumper bars in place; this is the configuration most will use, i.e., one (stereo) amplifier and one set of cables wired to each speaker. What causes one to take a second look at the backside of each speaker is an AC power cord connecting to the subwoofer amplifier; the amplifier is enclosed in the speaker cabinet with only its heat sinks exposed to the outside world.

The subwoofer amplifier, rated at 140 watts, incorporates three features that Paradigm calls Powersaver auto on/off, soft clipping, and thermal protection. The Powersaver circuitry turns the amplifier on when a signal is present and turns the amplifier off when a signal has been absent for a specific period of time, which I measured to be approximately 15 minutes. A small LED (near the bottom of the front panel and covered by the grille, but bright enough to be seen through the grille) indicates the on or off status of the amplifier, indicated by the LED monitor light being lit for on or not lit for off. An annoying consequence of some auto on/off circuitry is a popping sound heard when the power is turned on or off; not so with the Paradigm circuitry, whose auto on/off functions are dead silent.

Although the instruction sheet doesn't specifically describe the functions of soft clipping and thermal protection, I feel confident in saying that the former allows the amplifier to gracefully be overdriven without going into hard clipping, while the latter will turn the amplifier off when the heat sink temperature reaches a certain critical level. In my extensive listening sessions with this speaker, neither soft clipping nor thermal protection came into play. Perhaps I should say that if there was soft clipping I didn't hear it, a possible but unlikely scenario as past experiences with various soft clipping circuitry activating has never gone unnoticed by these ears.

There is a subwoofer volume control located on the rear of the speaker. Just as with a stand alone subwoofer one has the ability to set the subwoofer bass volume for a particular room and recording. The control will boost or diminish the subwoofer bass output below 60 Hz by a maximum of 10 dB. I did some adjusting of this control, both up and down. An experiment on my part had an individual set the control to various settings. At each setting (unknown to me) I would enter the room and listen to a certain section of a particular CD containing (but not limited to) goodly amounts of bass frequencies. I noted my preferences for these various trials. My favorite listening position for the level control was at the 0 dB position of the control! My second listening preference was with the control set to give a slight boost at the +2 dB position.

Before concluding the description of the rear panel controls I should also mention that there is an optional SUB-IN/LFE-IN RCA input jack and associated level control. This input and associated level control allow the 90Ps to accommodate a Home Theater setup. Connecting the SUB-IN/LFE-IN output from the receiver or processor to this jack will increase the bass output by an amount determined by the SUB-IN/ LFE-OUT level control. This control adds to the subwoofer level control mentioned above. The two work together, so one should use the two level controls judiciously. I played with the possibility of using the SUB-IN/LFE-OUT feature but as I am just getting my feet wet in the multichannel arena and I didn't think it fair to experiment using the 90Ps as my test bed! The important thing here is that Paradigm -- in lieu of providing tweak-sanctioned krypton spikes or nonstandard-size speaker terminal posts -- has spent its money far more wisely by enabling the owner to update their speaker from conventional two-channel stereo to the (inevitable) multi-channel sound technology that is on its way folks, like it or not. Additionally, the 90Ps are magnetically shielded (Paradigm calls it "MAGNE-SHIELD") to prevent the magnetic field surrounding the speakers from distorting the TV image.

The speaker complement for the 90Ps is, in order from top to bottom, a 1" tweeter, a 6.5" midrange, and two 8" subwoofer/bass drivers. Just below the bottom subwoofer/bass driver is a 3" port, tapered at the edges to reduce chuffing: in other words, a four-driver, three-way bass reflex system with a built-in powered subwoofer. Crossover frequencies are at 180 Hz and 2 kHz. Frequency response (on axis or 0 [degrees]) is given as [+ or -] 2dB. A more real world listening specification is [+ or -] 2dB from 25 Hz to 18 kHz, 30 [degrees] off axis. Input sensitivity is given as 92 dB and impedance is stated as "compatible with 8 ohms." One doesn't see too many 8-ohm impedance speakers these days. It goes to show that when the low frequencies have a dedicated amplifier the resulting circuitry (midrange and tweeter) doesn't require the system amplifier to supply large amounts of current. Combine relatively low current requirements with a high sensitivity of 92 dB results in the 90Ps being amplifier-friendly; the power range for the driving amplifier is given as 15 to 250 watts.

Eventually, when all is said and done the real litmus test for a loudspeaker is the resulting sound. Several issues ago (#63), I did a review of the 90Ps' big brother, the Studio 100s. Most of my complimentary comments about the 100s apply to the 90Ps. Like the Studio 100s the 90Ps have no pronounced coloration, frequency dips, crossover anomalies, or cabinet resonances; moreover, with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, the 90Ps are an easier load for the amplifier than the Studio 100s.

Any differences? Yes, the 90Ps don't go as low and can't play as loudly. But let's put things in perspective. Useful bass down to 25 Hz (determined by ear using music and test signals) and sound pressure levels of 100 dB are nothing to be ashamed of or downplayed -- in fact, that's outstanding performance. Add to this that these speakers are magnetically shielded plus the SUB-IN/LFE OUT input and you have front speakers ready to go when you take the plunge into multi-channel sound.

I am not going to get into the verbiage better reserved for restaurant food or wine tasting in describing the sound emanating from the 90Ps. What more can you say than they're an outstanding example of sound reproducing capability which wasn't possible even 10 years ago, certainly not in a conventional box speaker and certainly not at this price.

The price fooled me. My first thought was that $750 was bit high for this Paradigm speaker. But when it dawned upon me (duh) that the price included the self-powered subwoofers, we were back into outstanding value for a modest price, an arena in which Paradigm has few equals.

I can't speak for anyone else, but this reviewer has a collection of CDs that I use to challenge various components being reviewed. As a reviewer, or a prospective customer, the most demanding challenge I can throw at a speaker -- a challenge which will speak volumes about the speaker's performance -- is the challenge of reproducing the human voice. If a speaker doesn't get the voice correctly then you don't have to go any further. If the voice "locks in" then you can continue reviewing the speaker or consider purchasing it.

The 90Ps did a superb job of voice reproduction. Both male and female voices were reproduced without boominess or screeching highs. Just as importantly there were no bumps or valleys in the voice frequency spectrum. Note my use of both male and female voices for determining the accuracy of the speakers. If you don't use both male and female voices as reference you're hearing only half of the aural picture. My experience (from hanging around audiophiles and hanging around places where audiophiles hang out) is that most audiophiles don't use reference CDs containing voice, and even those who do limit the reference to the male voice.

Wanting to add some substance to the claim that the 90Ps were superior to box speakers of 10 or more years ago resulted in my dragging back (110 pounds each!) to the listening room my A/D/S/ 1530s, purchased in 1983. The 1530s are no slouches, having been used for many a year by Telarc as their monitor speakers of choice for recording sessions. The first thing I noticed in comparing the two speakers was an obvious difference in the bass in favor of the 90Ps. Although both are rated to go down to 25 Hz ([+ or -] 2dB for the 90Ps and [+ or -] 3 dB for the 1530s) the 90Ps do so with more authority. The 90Ps also win out in the midrange and above, the difference not being spectacular but definitely obvious. Now for the bottom line: the 1530s were purchased in 1983 for $2,000. The 90Ps cost $1,500 and are superior in all respects. A savings of $500 (it would actually be a higher dollar savings if the decrease in buying power of the dollar from 1983 to 1999 is factored in) and superior sound speaks volumes for the advancements in speaker technology and manufacturing efficiencies that have taken place over the past 10+ years.

There is one small quibble I have with these speakers, and I do mean small. Paradigm can't be paid a higher compliment than to have a reviewer being this picky. To wit: I have always been a strong advocate of the tweeter being at ear level for proper blending of the sounds being launched from the drivers, e.g., see my review of the Polk RT7s in Issue 61. The discipline of physics teaches us that high frequency waves are very directional compared to the mid-frequencies and bass. Very simply then, if your ears aren't at approximately tweeter level the sound will suffer somewhat because the high frequencies aren't getting a straight shot at the ear's aural canal. Paradigm even mentions in the owners manual: "The most accurate timbral balance will be achieved with the tweeters approximately at ear level." My quibble? The tweeters in the 90Ps are somewhat below ear level, at least for the chairs in which I normally sit when listening to music. I would like to see those tweeters mounted 4 to 6 inches higher from the speaker base. So what did I do to compensate for the tweeter's lack of height?

Owning a very comfortable office type chair I adjusted its height until the sound of various symphony orchestra instruments was timbrally balanced, or as close to proper timbral balance as could be achieved. The easiest way to test for proper timbral balance of the various instruments -- without hiring any musicians -- was to play portions of Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, a wonderful score I might mention, and not just for children. For those that aren't familiar with the piece just about every instrument in a symphony orchestra gets a chance to strut its stuff -- even a whip! -- and make the listener aware of its sonic signature. There was no night/day difference here, folks. The ear-level sound was preferred, but I would like to have done a blind test in which the speaker was raised or lowered -- without my knowing which -- and see whether my preference was a result of great ears or great imagination. As I mentioned, getting this picky about a speaker speaks volumes as to just how good this speaker is.

Positioning of these speakers in the room requires a bit more patience than for speakers which do not contain a built-in subwoofer. Finding the correct placement for optimizing the low bass without impeding soundstaging or imaging means moving the speakers in small increments when positioning them. The subwoofer being part of the main speaker implies a slight compromise in sound, unlike a separate subwoofer and main speaker setup. How slight? Well, once I positioned these speakers correctly (at least to my ears) they became my reference speakers. They seduced me into enjoying the music and forgetting about technicalities.

Things are changing in the audio world, and as mentioned, the change is called multi-channel sound. The 90Ps have been designed with multi-channel expansion in mind; they're ready to go with you whenever you take the leap. While waiting to take the leap you have speakers which will produce marvelous sound in the two-channel format. If you're in the market for speakers, then whatever you do, do give the 90Ps a listen and hear for yourself that great sound and $ensible pricing are not mutually exclusive. I recommend them highly for both today's sound and, when you're ready, tomorrow's sound. -JMC