 |
Paradigm Reference Signature S8 / C5 / ADP / Servo Home Theater Speaker System
Author: Roger Kanno - www.hometheatersound.com | Source: signature.paradigm.com
Description | page - 1 2
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. |
 |
