How do the Paradigm Monitor 9s compare to B&W's DM604 S3?

[Antoneo]

I am in the market for speakers and have decided that I need towers for the mains because decent stands + decent bookshelves = a tower price more or less. Plus towers look cooler imo. I have narrowed it down to the Paradigm Monitor 9s or B&W's 604. While I have listened to both, it was not a side by side comparison nor was similar components used (had to go to different stores). I am planning to drive em using a budget receiver such as a Denon 1802, Onkyo 600 (will have to wait till about late April), or a Yamaha RX630. Would it be a great injustice to use such "low-end" equiptment with these speakers? These speakers will go into a home theater setup that will be used more for music than movies (wierd I know).
Oh and how are the Monitor 7s and do any of you guys have any qualms with the receivers listed above? thanks for any input.

 

[EvilYoda]

I honestly think you're best off staying with this thread, since that forum's much more specialized for your specific question. I can't quite tell if that's you or not, but since they're almost identical posts, I would believe you are.

Good luck in your research anywho, maybe try some other HT/hifi audio forums as well.

 

[Antoneo]

Heh, yep thats me . I tried ATOT because there are some avid Paradigm people around here.

 

[Antoneo]

^^before I go to sleep!

 

[Antoneo]

!

 

[mithrandir2001]

<< Would it be a great injustice to use such "low-end" equiptment with these speakers? >>


No. You might find that even if you put a $10,000 amp behind those speakers you wouldn't see much improvement. Speaker placement and room acoustics have a greater effect on sound than the quality of the input chain for this level of loudspeaker. Of course, you shouldn't feed your speakers crap, but anything Denon/Onkyo grade will be plenty sufficient.

I used to own Paradigm's 11SeMkII loudspeakers. Nice, big, powerful, floorstanding loudspeakers with dual 8" drivers that could play loud and rattle the walls. I am past that stage, however, and prefer speakers with a bit more finesse. My biggest complaint about my Paradigms was their unrefined high-end...they weren't sweet or detailed. I think a tweeter can make or break a loudspeaker. The high-end wasn't bad, but it got fatiguing and I needed something a little more civil. However, the MkII are about 10 years old so I don't know what current Paradigms sound like.

B&Ws generally have a different sound. Whereas Paradigms might be a bit more oriented for louder rockish music, B&Ws are a little more neutral and well suited to a larger range of music. The downside is that they may not be as "wowish" as the Paradigms on some music.

 

[Eug]

I agree that the receiver will make little difference. Hell, I run a lower end Kenwood with my Paradigm Studio 60.

As for the speakers, when I looked I did not like the Monitor 9 as much as the Monitor 7. More bass volume at the expense of bass fidelity. I disagree that the Monitor series is aimed more for Rock music though. At least with Canadian prices, the Monitor 7 offered a surprising level of sound quality for the price when I bought it 5-6 years ago. I dunno if the current version is better.

 

[LoTecha]

I have the 9's. Pretty good speakers, you need to set them up well though. High's tend to be a little bright (been mentioned) but overall, for the money, they're great. Does almost everything right... no real faults, and they're very well built too. I haven't tried the DM604's though, so I can't really compare.

 

[mithrandir2001]

When I bought my 11SEMkII's, they were Paradigm's best speaker. They MSRPed for about $950/pair. I think they have speaker pairs now pushing $2500. Hmmm, now that I think about it, their convention line is called "Performance" and their mid-fi/uplevel line is called "Monitor". I would expect the Monitor speakers to be a step above my SEMkII...because since then, they've released the MkIIIs and now the Performance series and Monitors are positioned above them.

 

[Antoneo]

Hmm... thanks for the responses. I guess I should have mentioned the types of music/movies I like. I listen to classical (from baroque(Bach) to late romantic (Tchaikovsky)), jazz, vocals, you know easy listening stuff. I don't like rock though but maybe that'll grow on me as well . I will use them for a hometheater system as well and many of the movies are action/comedy/animation movies than anything else ie: Gladiator, Rush Hour 2, Toy Story 2, ect.

My Paradigm dealer is offering $750 for a pair of Monitor 9s and $550 for a pair of Monitor 7s. The B&W dealer is offering about $1000 for a pair of 604s. I know that in Canada, I would able to save a bundle of money on the Paradigms but unfortunately I am unwilling to leave NYC at this time. I hope I can get a better deal from the Paradigm dealer by purchasing a 5.1 speaker package.

So it is best to assume that Paradigm offers the best bang for the buck and get 'em yes?