Letters - November 2009
In-wall versus freestanding speakers
November 30, 2009
Editor,
I have been reading a number of reviews that seem to imply
that in-wall speakers are just about as good as freestanding speakers. Can you tell me
what the real deal is? Are they as good? Close to as good? Nowhere near as good? I need
some help before I spend the budget I have and don’t want to make a mistake.
Edwin
It’s hard to make a blanket statement about how
close in-walls are to freestanding speakers. The problem is that there are some really
good in-walls out there. There are also some marginal freestanding speakers that would not
be as good as many in-walls. At the lower price points, I actually think the in-walls can
be equivalent values. Not having a cabinet is actually a cost advantage that the in-wall
speaker has. However, as you start to go up in price, the freestanding speakers get better
and better, and they really start to pull away from what can be done with an in-wall
speaker (given its limitations of being mounted within a shallow 3.5" depth). Having
said that, there are some really huge line-array-type in-walls that are just appearing
that may close even that gap. But to more directly answer your question and to summarize:
I’d have to say that most in-walls are "close to as good" for the most
part. The in-walls are most competitive at the lower price points, and less so at the
upper end of the scale. . . . Jeff Fritz
Paradigm subwoofer upgrade
November 15, 2009
Editor,
I have an older Paradigm Servo subwoofer that I have very
much enjoyed for the past seven or eight years. I now think it’s time to upgrade and
have naturally been looking at the new Paradigm Signature Sub 25 as a possible
replacement. I read the
review that Randall Smith wrote, and wonder if Paradigm’s subs are really leading
the pack in terms of sound quality and output capability. Are they really as good as you
guys say they are? I also read your review of
the Paradigm Signature Sub 2, but I like the huge driver in the Sub 25 better than the
multiple smaller drivers.
Franco
There is no question that Paradigm is selling some
fabulous subwoofers these days. Specifically, the Sub 25, and the Sub 1 and Sub 2
subwoofers are their best designs to date.
Having read the reviews, you no doubt are familiar with
their models and what we think of their performance potential. But I guess the question
remains: just how good are they? In terms of ultimate performance capability, perhaps
their greatest weakness is also one of their principle design elements: they are still
small enough to be domestically acceptable in most homes. Could you find a better
subwoofer that comes housed in a coffin-sized enclosure? Perhaps, and I’m sure
Paradigm is quite capable of building one themselves. But the point of Paradigm's subs is
big-box performance with a small-box form factor. And in that light, these subs are world
class, without question. . . . Jeff Fritz |
