Hi, I would like to request your opinion and recommendation with regards to these two speakers...I currently own a pair of B25s but I happen to pass by on one of the local audio shops here and found out that the studio 20v3 is on sale, most likely due to the coming of the V4, do you think that the studio 20v3 is better than the B25? I know that this question is a bit subjective but nonetheless I would like to get some inputs based on your individual experiences on the mentioned speakers....
I am planning to drop by this shop and audition the studio 20v3 but before that I would like to have some idea on what should I expect...
BTW, my gears are NAD C352 and C542....
Thank you very much, your inputs will be much appreciated...
The Studio 20v3 may lack bass punch as most of them in stores are not fully broken in. The NAD's that you have and the Studio 20's make a dynamite combo. The Studio 20's are up a notch over that series of PSB speakers. PSB makes a fine speaker but the series you are comparing lies somewhere between the Paradigm Monitor series and the Studio's in performance.
In the end it's about preference. Someone else on this forum chose B&W 600 series over Paradigm Studio's and I think the 600 series has a tough time competing with the Paradigm Monitor series. It's about auditioning and chosing what you like. Keep in mind that once you get Paradigm speakers home it takes quite a while to break them in but once done the rewards are quite gratifying.
I've heard the Paradigm Studio 20v3 and you would be VERY hard pressed to convince me there is a finer bookshelf under $1000 on the market. I think it is a truly stand-out speaker at any price.
Having said that, I have read some VERY positive reviews of the PSB Image B25. It think a fairer comparision can be made between the B25, the B&W DM602, the Monitor Audio Silver S2, and the Epos M5.
Art and I are usually in agreement, and once again, I am "forced" to agree with him :-P
be cautious about the speakers not being broken in, and if you have the v.4's available to do a side by side comparison to the v.3's, I feel that it may be worth it to see if you can hear a difference.
The v3 I've listened to must have been broken in, because they were absolutely not lacking in bass extension at all, in fact that was one of their stand out qualities from what I remember.
Has anyone heard the v4 yet? I'd be really interested in reading a review.
Art, Chris, gavin, this is actually what I was thinking, that it would not be fair to compare the B25s to studio 20s, the B25s is one of the best bookshelves under $500 while the studio 20s is one of the best bookshelves under $1000.
I am really tempted to stretch a bit on the studio 20s. I got my B25s for $472 and now the studio 20s are on sale for $622....
What are the characteristics of these two speakers? Are they leaning on the warm side, neutral or bright side? Based on my listening experience on the B25s, these speakers are neutral and occasionally touching the bright side in some materials...
But then again, I have to go and audition the studio 20s though I'm afraid that I would not be able to have a home demo and one more thing is that the shop does not carry the NAD line so no chance of hearing them with the same electronics that I have, the shop is carrying the Rega products and most likely these will be used in the demo...
Of I had to charaterize the Studio 20's I would say that the 20's are neutral leaning toward the warm side. I'm not sure how the Rega gear would sound with the 20's but my guess (as I own Rega gear and used to own the 20's and NAD gear) is that the 20's would sound better with NAD gear. Better match up...I think.