Technology, by definition, is the practical application of knowledge. When it comes to sound reproduction, no one knows more than Paradigm. When it comes to the practical application of that knowledge we’re committed to doing it better! Better measurements, better materials, better components always result in better sound … and better speakers.

While many speaker companies do not have the resources to design and manufacture their own drive units, Paradigm purpose-designs robust drivers for specific speakers.

 


 

To ensure superb consistency, our crossovers boast hand-selected precision parts.

Our high-power, high-current amplifiers with oversized power supplies and massive heatsinks deliver tremendous (and instantaneous) power output at all times.

Use your knuckles! Rap on our enclosures! As one reviewer asserted, they’re as dead as we claim in our literature! Acoustically inert high-density hardboard reinforced by strategically located radial braces limit unwanted resonances and increase enclosure stiffness. At other times, no bracing is even required on our speakers, even on our most powerful subwoofers as they pound out the deepest, loudest bass imaginable … it’s all in the design!

Custom speakers, often referred to as architectural speakers — designs hidden out of sight in a wall or ceiling (for those who don’t have the space or want a minimalist approach to music and home theater) — are growing in popularity. Again, Paradigm is leading the way in this area. When it comes to in-wall/in-ceiling speakers, there is no substitute for good design build on years of experience producing the very best sounding freestanding designs. More than 25 years of intensive research and design backed by cutting-edge technology, much of it proprietary, lie behind every custom speaker we produce. The result? Sound reproduction that rivals that of the very best freestanding designs.

Precision. Consistency. Long-term reliability. These are inherent characteristics of even the smallest Paradigm component part. Technology and design that represent true innovation in the pursuit of perfection in audio reproduction. Out of this come sonic accuracy and purity, a clean, detailed and transparent reproduction of the original performance, nothing more, nothing less.

It starts with knowledge, it ends with knowing, knowing that you’ve created a better product … an audibly better product. You hear it in every Paradigm speaker produced!

 

What is Coloration?

Every material resonates when struck or activated. This is how different materials, or for that matter musical instruments, make
their identifiable sounds or tones. Speakers should be neutral, having no identifiable sound of their own, but speakers are prone to resonances that color or alter the sound — these are unwanted and must be eliminated. In the same way the tint in a pair of sunglasses colors what you see, unwanted resonances color what you hear. They impose themselves on vocals and instrumental sounds being reproduced (see chart). Coloration compromises fidelity and hampers imaging by blending sounds together. Speakers with low coloration are timbrally accurate — they faithfully represent the timbre or distinctive character of every sound it reproduce.

Common colorations that must be controlled to ensure greater reproduction accuracy:

Shrill or Dull 
Overall sound is too sharp (shrill) or too muffled (dull).

Harsh 
Resonances in the 2 kHz to 8 kHz region make high frequencies sound grating.

Nasal 
Speak while pinching your nose. Resonance problems in the
1 kHz to 2 kHz range result in a "nasal-like" sound.

"Ahh" Sounding 
Cup your hands and place them around

Hollow 
Form a cylinder with one hand. Place it to your mouth and speak. A speaker that sounds like this has resonance problems
in the 200 Hz to 600 Hz range.

"Boxy" 
These speakers are plagued by uncontrolled enclosure resonances in the 90 Hz to 200 Hz region. Upper bass lacks clarity
and definition.

"Boomy" 
In a "boomy" speaker, sound in the 60 Hz to 100 Hz range is overblown. Bass is "bloated" and poorly defined.

 

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