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Paradigm Reference
Signature S8 / C5 / ADP / Servo
Home-Theater Speaker System
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Description Model:
Paradigm Reference Signature S8 floorstanding speaker
Price: $5400 USD per pair (optional finishes available at additional
cost)
Dimensions: 48.5"H x 8.5"W x 20.5"D
Weight: 100 pounds each
Model: Paradigm Reference Signature C5
center-channel speaker
Price: $2500 USD (optional finishes available at additional cost)
Dimensions: 37.5"W x 9.5"H x 17.5"D
Weight: 81 pounds
Model: Paradigm Reference Signature ADP
surround speaker
Price: $2300 USD per pair (optional finishes available at additional
cost)
Dimensions: 14.1"W x 13.25"H x 7.5"D
Weight: 26 pounds each
Model: Paradigm Reference Signature Servo
subwoofer
Price: $3200 USD (optional finishes available at additional cost)
Dimensions: 19.25"H x 18"W x 20.9"D
Weight: 107 pounds |
Description (cont'd)System Price:
$13,400 USD (optional finishes available at additional cost)
Warranty: Five years on speakers, three
years on subwoofer
Features
- IMS Shock-Mount system
- Ceramic-ferrite and neodymium magnets
- Gold-Anodized Pure-Aluminum dome (G-PAL) tweeters
- Mica-Loaded-Polymer (MLP) midrange drivers
- Mineral-filled polypropylene-cone bass drivers
- Bird’s-eye maple, rosewood, piano black, and cherry
finishes
- Adaptive Dipole surround speakers (ADP)
- 1200W Ultra-Class-D amplifier (Servo)
- Closed-Loop Servo system (Servo)
- Single-ended RCA and balanced XLR inputs (Servo)
- Bass Contour control (Servo)
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For this review, Paradigm provided their top-of-the-line S8
floorstanding speaker ($5400/pair in standard finish) for the left and right mains; the
larger of their two center-channel models, the C5 ($2500 each); the ADP surround speaker
($2300/pair); and a Servo subwoofer ($3200 each). Total system price: $13,400.
They’ve got the look
The Reference Signatures look a lot like Paradigm’s
Reference Studio line, but any similarities are superficial. According to Paradigm, other
than the external appearance of the bass and midrange drivers, the tweeters’ die-cast
waveguides, and the complement and layout of the drive-units, just about every aspect of
the design and construction of the Signatures is a total revamping of the Studios.
Some of the highlights include: Gold-Anodized Pure-Aluminum
(G-PAL) dome tweeters; Aperiodic Resonance Breakup Fins on the interior back wall
of the tweeter chambers, to break up internal resonances (the midrange chambers are
similarly designed); extensive use of heatsinks to increase power handling and
reliability; extremely powerful neodymium and ceramic-ferrite magnets; and G-PAL phase
plugs in the midrange drivers. Paradigm claims that their crossovers use high-quality
components with silver-plated, oxygen-free copper wiring. It all adds up to speakers that
rely on not just a few key technologies or innovations, but in which every facet of the
design has been carefully engineered and tested.
Each 4’-tall, floorstanding Reference Signature S8
weighs 100 pounds. Its 1" G-PAL tweeter is at the very top of the front baffle; below
it is a 7" Mica-Loaded-Polymer (MLP) midrange cone, and below that, in a vertical
row, are four 7" mineral-filled polypropylene bass cones, close enough to each other
that the edges of their chassis touch. The front port is directly below the bottom bass
driver; the rear port is slightly higher, above the recessed panel that contains the four
large binding posts. The S8’s front baffle is only 8.5" wide, and its rear panel
is even narrower because the sides of the 20.5"-deep cabinet curve gently inward.
The Reference Signature C5 is one of the most substantial
center-channel speakers I have ever encountered. Weighing 81 pounds, it’s wider
(37.5") than most direct-view CRTs, and is quite deep as well (17.5"). It has a
complex driver array: the same 1" G-PAL tweeter used in all Signature speakers is
vertically aligned above the smaller 4" MLP midrange driver used in the ADP. To
either side of these is a 7" MLP midrange driver, these flanked in turn by a pair of
7" mineral-filled polypropylene bass cones, for a total of six drive-units. The C5
has two rear ports and the same high-quality binding posts for biamping or biwiring as the
other Reference Signatures.
 The Reference Signature ADP
surround speaker has two 1" G-PAL tweeters, two 4" MLP midrange drivers mounted
on opposite sides of its sealed cabinet, and an 8" mineral-filled polypropylene cone
on the speaker’s inner side, pointed toward the listener. Four large gold-plated
binding posts are provided for biwiring or biamping. Like their other Adaptive Dipole
surround speakers, the Signature ADP is designed to act as a dipole at higher frequencies
and (to reinforce the bass) as a bipole at lower frequencies.
The servo-controlled Reference Signature Servo subwoofer
has a sealed, relatively compact enclosure that curves slightly inward from front to back.
The 107-pound sub is remarkably solid. Its high-excursion, 15" cone looks like a
larger version of the drivers used in Paradigm’s Seismic subs, and is driven by a
1200W Ultra-Class-D amplifier. The connections consist of single mono unbalanced (RCA) and
balanced (XLR) inputs and a DC trigger. Adjustments include a level control, continuously
variable phase from 0 to 180 degrees, a high-pass filter adjustable from 35Hz to 150Hz,
and a Bass Contour, which boosts the bass centered at 60Hz and is adjustable from 0 to
6dB.
All Signature Reference models have removable grilles and
are available in high-gloss finishes of wood veneer (at added cost), or the less glossy
standard finish of cherry veneer. These speakers appear to be extremely well-designed,
while providing outstanding build quality, gorgeous looks, and high-quality finishes that
wouldn’t be out of place on speakers costing several times as much.
Setup
Setting up the Reference Signature system was relatively
easy; it required little adjustment to achieve optimal performance. Although the S8s are
quite large, they didn’t seem oversensitive to room placement, so long as I gave them
enough space. I placed them a couple of feet from the rear and side walls and toed them in
slightly. Due to its large size, the C5 center-channel was placed on an 18"-high
Premiere J18C stand provided by Paradigm. The ADPs ended up on 4’ stands in the usual
positions for surrounds in my room: to the sides and slightly behind the listening
position. And to achieve the best bass integration, I put the Servo along a side wall, a
little farther forward of where I usually place subs.
Reference Signature sound
The sound of the Paradigm Reference Signature speaker
system was spectacular. Not only were there few if any shortcomings, but in many areas of
performance it exceeded my expectations for speakers at anywhere near the price.
Take, for instance, the DTS soundtrack of Saving Private
Ryan. The Signatures’ clear and open sound and seemingly unlimited dynamics gave
me a renewed sense of admiration for this often punishing but finely crafted soundtrack.
The sounds of machine guns and ejected shell casings in the early scenes on the Normandy
beach were so cleanly reproduced that the sense of realism was startling. There was an
excellent sense of depth and layering in all directions; far-off voices were easily
discernible in all channels even as explosions repeatedly shook the room. In the final
battle scene, as the Germans close in on Captain Miller and his men, the bass from the
rumbling tanks totally engulfed the room while remaining tight and responsive, never boomy
or excessive.
The integration of the Signature system was amazingly
coherent reproducing my reference disc for multichannel music, the DTS CD of Boyz II
Men’s II [Motown/DTS 71021-51001-2-8]. Each voice was exquisitely detailed,
pristinely reproduced in each channel. In fact, the ADP surrounds and C5 center were on a
par with the spectacular S8s. The system gave the wonderfully recorded vocals a
spine-tingling quality no matter what channel they emanated from. A perfect example of the
seamless 360-degree soundstage was the shaker on "I’ll Make Love to You,"
which moved effortlessly from front to rear without ever changing timbre.
Although I’ve described the Signature system as
sounding incredibly clear and detailed, it did not sound lean or bright in any way. The
piano on the SACD of Diana Krall’s The Girl in the Other Room [Verve
B0002293-36] was rich and solid, and her voice had a smoky, sultry quality while remaining
finely detailed and sounding totally natural. Christian McBride’s bass in
"Temptation" was deep, the body of the instrument resonating warmly, but its
image was also tight and precise, slightly back in the soundstage.
The Signature system was extremely neutral in the best
possible sense of the word, with a transparent yet musical sound, as well as the power
handling and dynamics to easily reproduce even the most extreme movie soundtrack. And
while the Signatures could play incredibly loud without strain, they didn’t seem to
be a particularly difficult load -- my 120Wpc Bel Canto eVo6 amplifier played them as
loudly as I could stand.
Also contributing to the system’s tremendous sense of
power was the Signature Servo subwoofer, which took control of my listening room with
absolute authority. Even though it’s relatively small, the Servo never ceased to
amaze me with its low-frequency extension, lack of distortion, and sheer quantity of
output. The complex bass rhythms of the DVD-Audio disc of the Blue Man Group’s Audio
[Virgin 4 77893 9] were reproduced with incredible pitch definition and clarity, even at
ridiculously high levels -- and the "Heartbeat" test tracks from Dr.
Chesky’s 5.1 Surround Show [Chesky CHDVD272], also on DVD-A, were downright
scary. The 50Hz tone was incredibly loud yet controlled, while the 20Hz tone was just as
"loud" but extremely visceral, more felt than heard. The almost complete lack of
audible distortion was remarkable.
A unique Signature
I recently had a Paradigm Reference Studio
home-theater speaker system ($4950) in my listening room, and although it sounded
quite good, it was easily outperformed by the Reference Signature array -- hardly
surprising, considering the $8450 difference in price. The Signatures had all of the same
characteristics as the Studios -- amazing timbral accuracy, wide dynamics, smooth
frequency response, etc. -- but everything was taken to the next level and beyond.
For instance, the bass from the Seismic 12 subwoofer
($1700) that I’d used with the Studio system was astoundingly deep and powerful, but
had a slight overhang and a touch of boominess that are not unusual for a sub of even this
high a caliber. However, with the Signature Servo, it was difficult to discern any
fault with the bass, which seemed louder, deeper, more articulate, and devoid of any
noticeable distortion. The Signature Servo was even better than the massive Snell ICS
Sub24 ($2600), which, like the Seismic 12, couldn’t match the Servo’s seemingly
limitless capabilities and absolute control.
The Snell THX Ultra2 system
($8900) and the Energy Veritas system
($5400), both of which I’ve recently reviewed, presented images very well, but
neither could match the Signatures in this regard. With the Signature system, the sounds
that accompany the holographic video images that Tom Cruise manipulates in chapter 7 of Minority
Report seemed to track the images exactly as they moved across my
monitor’s screen. Only my longtime reference, the Infinity Compositions P-FRs
($3500/pair, discontinued), were able to image as accurately as the Signatures -- but in
nearly every other area of performance, the S8s surpassed even these.
Although the Signature ADP surround lacks the
user-selectable settings found on the Veritas V2.0Ri or Snell SR30THX, the pair of them
had no trouble integrating with the rest of the Signature system in my room, and their
fidelity was second to none. Coming from the ADPs, the vocals on the Boyz II Men DTS CD
were even more involving, with a clear, sparkling quality that perfectly matched the
pristine sound of the S8s and C5.
Conclusion
Paradigm’s Reference Signature S8, C5, ADP, and Servo
redefine high-end multichannel sound at a reasonable price. $13,400 is a lot of money no
matter how you look at it, but many manufacturers will charge you that much or more for
just a pair of reference stereo speakers. For that price, Paradigm provides two
state-of-the-art main speakers as well as a center-channel, surrounds, and subwoofer that
are equally remarkable. If you’re thinking of spending this much on a multichannel
speaker system, you should consider the Paradigm Signatures; if you were thinking of
spending less but can stretch your budget to accommodate the Signatures, you might find
that you can afford to own better speakers than you ever imagined possible.
| Review
System |
| Preamplifier-Processors -
Anthem Statement D1, Bel Canto PRe6 |
| Amplifiers
- Anthem Statement P5, Bel Canto eVo6 |
| Sources - Pioneer DV-45A
universal A/V player; MSB Link DAC III with 24-bit/96kHz upsampling, Half Nelson, and
P1000 power-supply upgrades |
| Cables
- Analysis Plus, Audio Magic, ESP |
| Monitor - JVC 34"
direct-view CRT monitor |
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