paradigm 9h

[u-sound]

bonjour, hello, namaste .....is there a thread about the 9h already? couldnt find one and this is surprising me.

well, i got a list about next speaker:

- 9h...........................nr1 on the list and my wife likes the look
- gauder rc7................why not, has very good reviews
- piega 711.................nr1 before i saw the h9, know and like the boss, wife said ok, Price ok
- magico 5 mk2...........everybody seems to like them, wife said ok
- wilson sasha2...........wife said NO!!!! ist only on the list because i have an offer for less than half Price

well, over the next week or so i gonna listen to all of them, except the wilsons. i ll come back and report my impressions.
however, your thoughts and impressions are very welcome!

[Mike]

The new paradigm speakers sound like the old ones in the high end. BRIGHT. No matter how hard Paradigm tries to convince everyone that their beryllium tweeter is best, it's bright. Still bright. I can't believe with all the technology in that speaker, those guys couldn't get the tweeter right - AGAIN!

If your wife said Magico S5 mk2 is good, then go for it!


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[u-sound]

thx...wow, i do like clear statements like this as its hard to read between the lines.
still going to give them a listen.....the gauder and 9h dealer is the same.

[Ritmo]

Agree Mike. I listened to them at Axpona multiple times - no bueno...

[kkfan]

thx...wow, i do like clear statements like this as its hard to read between the lines.

That's what I like about Mike: he says it like he hears it with no sugar coating.

[Mike]

That's what I like about Mike: he says it like he hears it with no sugar coating.

I do if I'm pretty sure I won't offend anyone.

I'm biting my tongue on the Rockport thread.


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[Elberoth]

I had the 7F at home (and owned S5 mk 2). unless the 9F is hugely better (which I doubt, as they only seem to differ in the bass) they are not in the same league. Not even close.

The S5 mk 2 are much smoother, sound much more natural and image better. The 7F sounded bright end edgy in comparison.

[Narayan]

I do if I'm pretty sure I won't offend anyone.

I'm biting my tongue on the Rockport thread.


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Don´t bite your tongue Mike!! Inquisitive ears want to listen to what you have to say.

[kkfan]

Don´t bite your tongue Mike!! Inquisitive ears want to listen to what you have to say.

+1



After all, open discussion, both of facts and opinions, is the purpose of a forum.

[Mike]

I have listened to Rockport speakers for years. I've always liked them, just never loved them. I always found a disconnect between the midrange and tweeter. Something my ear didn't like. But that was just me.

That being said, one thing I noticed over the years were more with Rockport owners themselves. They would buy their new Rockports, love them and then, as if almost on queue, 4 months later, start flipping amps, DAC's, cables, etc. Now, one could say that's normal as we all love to try different things (guilty as charged here!), but I noticed this specific pattern with Rockport owners. Some even sold them and moved on.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. Like I said, I always enjoyed Rockports. Heard them many times at shows and dealers, etc. There might have been that niggly trait, but nothing objectionable.

Then after more extensive listening at Axpona and Munich, it became clear as to why this might be happening: they're boring! They don't do anything wrong, but they're just, well, boring IMO. That may explain the rapid fire flipping of sources, amps and cables. Who knows?

Anyway, I don't want to offend anyone - especially Rockport owners. It's just my opinion and observation.

[Mike]

I had the 7F at home (and owned S5 mk 2). unless the 9F is hugely better (which I doubt, as they only seem to differ in the bass) they are not in the same league. Not even close.

The S5 mk 2 are much smoother, sound much more natural and image better. The 7F sounded bright end edgy in comparison.

agreed.


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[kkfan]

I have listened to Rockport speakers for years. I've always liked them, just never loved them. I always found a disconnect between the midrange and tweeter. Something my ear didn't like. But that was just me.

That being said, one thing I noticed over the years were more with Rockport owners themselves. They would buy their new Rockports, love them and then, as if almost on queue, 4 months later, start flipping amps, DAC's, cables, etc. Now, one could say that's normal as we all love to try different things (guilty as charged here!), but I noticed this specific pattern with Rockport owners. Some even sold them and moved on.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. Like I said, I always enjoyed Rockports. Heard them many times at shows and dealers, etc. There might have been that niggly trait, but nothing objectionable.

Then after more extensive listening at Axpona and Munich, it became clear as to why this might be happening: they're boring! They don't do anything wrong, but they're just, well, boring IMO. That may explain the rapid fire flipping of sources, amps and cables. Who knows?

Anyway, I don't want to offend anyone - especially Rockport owners. It's just my opinion and observation.

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Mike.

In a forum such as this, ideally, no one should get offended as long as members are sharing their opinion, IMHO. After all, that's why these forums exist.

What can cause potential offense, I think, is if an opinion is cloaked as a fact.

[Ctsooner]

Vandersteen fan warning....

I have heard the 9's many times now. I was one of the first in the US to audition when the first stop was at my local shop. I also heard them as bright and asked their US sales guy about that. He said he didn't hear that at all. I then heard them one many other occasions and they sounded the exact same regardless of the source/amps used. Just not my cup of tea.

If that is your list, I'd strongly recommend you listen to the Vandersteen 5CT's. You can have them in wood or painted in any color auto pain you desire and you can customize the grill a bit also if you want to. They will be as open and detailed as others on your list and less money. They have virtually no smearing due to the pistonic nature of their drivers and are time and phase correct. I have the Quatro's now and LOVE them. The adjustable bass on them is what has set them apart in my room. I"ve been told the room is in good shape, but I have a loss of bass problem. That bass eq has also freed up my amp and it sounds much better (was darn good before as it's an Ayre AX5/20). I know others will disagree with me, but I think Mike likes the sound of them a bit also and he's got a great ear for sound. As many know, I get around and listen to a lot of gear and I wasn't a Vandy fan until the last few years. If you can afford the 60k range, then I'd strongly recommend their 7 mk 2. That said, if you want the best bass you can get in your room, a pair of 5's with the new to be released 9 subs will smooth out bass in any room. Using a swarm of 4 or more subs (remember the Quatro on up have built in subs, so adding two more gives you 4) will allow you to smooth out 100hz down in most any room.

Just another thought for adding to the list. Good luck and keep us posted. Where do you live?

[Mechnutt]

Mike, I have to agree with you about the Rockports, boring. I heard them with VTL-MB 450 monoblocks and A Vitus preamp and was underwhelmed. I thought my system sounded much better.

[Elberoth]

Personally, I like Rockports. A friend of mine owns Rockport Atria (the small floorstander), and they sound quite amazing. Rockports (with Absolare) have impressed me several times in the past in Munich. Also this year their room (Rockport Lyra + Absolare integrated) was a stand out room for me.

[Ctsooner]

There you have it....we all like different things, lol. All is good in the world.

[steve59]

BUMP, I've never got a Magico demo so this isn't a comparison just my observation using my own system as reference. The persona 7f set up at my dealers has me sitting up nights. I initially heard them driven by Anthem's STR gear and the imaging was pinpoint in a tight really deep soundstage with intense bass I was initially impressed, but after a few songs I decided there was too much air around the instruments and vocals to be natural and tbh the imaging, while pretty cool was also unrealistic. FFW. same speakers, same room with a $5k pathos integrated driving them and a Naim dac they have in on consignment streaming. Best demo i've heard period. no sibilance, no 'added air' no miniature musicians performing, just the most natural presentation of recorded music i've heard. It's fun to watch customers grab a seat and flip out! get up walk around, check to make sure the subs are off, one after another dumbfounded at how what they're hearing is possible. Well recorded piano solo sounds like it. I play anything I can think of to try and find fault and The Pathos/persona 7f combo is amazing. I would buy it for myself.

[Randy Myers]

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Mike.

In a forum such as this, ideally, no one should get offended as long as members are sharing their opinion, IMHO. After all, that's why these forums exist.

What can cause potential offense, I think, is if an opinion is cloaked as a fact.

It is also the manner that an opinion is shared. Mike is honest, but tries to be non-offensive. He gives opinions on the products, not owners of the products. It would be nice if we all learned from him!

[Mike]

It is also the manner that an opinion is shared. Mike is honest, but tries to be non-offensive. He gives opinions on the products, not owners of the products. It would be nice if we all learned from him!

Thanks for the kind words Randy. Everyone needs to ultimately decide for themselves the sound they like the best. The speaker that sounds best to you is the best. Period. As I’ve said many times, I am much more interested in different speaker designs and topology than I am about comparing the same topology across many brands. At present, I would love to find an ESL. I’ve been demoing the MurAudio SP-1’s for the past 3 weeks. They are a very good speaker, but they are a hybrid and not a true ESL. They will be going back. Good, but I want a true ESL having lived with a hybrid for a few weeks. Man, it’s hard to get that Quad sound out of your head. But they have their challenges too. But I digress...

And let’s remember, products can change over time and evolve and get much better. Rockport has new ownership. I bet their sound continues to evolve. If anyone doubts this, just compare a Magico Q5 to an M6. No contest. The M6 is just better in so many ways (but so is the cost)....but you get my point.

[steve59]

I do wonder how much musical taste has to do with personal evaluations. I’m pulling my listing and keeping the persona 7f because I finally took some time to sit and listen to them. I’m blue collar and the other speakers in this class revel salon 1 and salon 2, Usher be20dmd are the best passive speakers I can compare them to same equipment same room. There’s been speakers that measured reasonably flat and still ruined so many recordings with sibilance or bloated bass. Efficient speakers also add a touch of realism. I’ve been to a few shows that some of the best regarded speakers sound like trash and even store demos can deceive. The persona line is at least as good as the competition that requires as much care in component matching and setup that we expect in this class.