Paradigm Monitor SE Speaker System

Canada’s Paradigm offers a truly impressive range of speakers for audiophiles and home theatre enthusiasts alike.

The company makes so many speakers, in fact, that I sometimes have trouble keeping track of what’s what in the Paradigm lineup.

With luscious, hand-lacquered cabinets and

Beryllium drivers, the Persona line is the flagship offering, the luxury Persona rig ($31,000).

Fortunately, the Paradigm family also includes speakers aimed at budget-conscious listeners, such as the Monitor SE series.

As you might expect from an entry-level offering, the

Monitor SE line mostly sticks to the basics. In this case, that means simple, yet solid MDF cabinets in either a matte-black or high-gloss white vinyl finish.

Although the look of Monitor SE speakers may be basic, the line does borrow elements from the company’s pricier offerings such as an X-PAL aluminum-dome tweeter and Perforated Phase- Aligning (PPA) Lens, a metal shield that serves to protect the tweeter and, according to Paradigm, smooth output by “blocking a wide range of out-of-phase frequencies.”

The system that Paradigm opted to send me consisted of Monitor SE 3000F towers ($698/pair), a Monitor SE 2000C center channel ($199), Surround 1 surrounds ($598/pair), and a Defiance V12 subwoofer ($649). Do the math and that all adds up to $2,144—a reasonable price to pay for a system of this caliber.

Getting down to details, the smaller of the Monitor SE line’s two towers, the 3000F, stands about 40 inches high.

A 3-way ported design, its slim, 9-inch-wide cabinet holds a

pair of mineral-filled 5.5-inch polypropylene cone woofers, a single 5.5-inch polypropylene cone midrange driver, and a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter (with PPA Lens). Paradigm’s frequency response spec for the 3000F is 55 Hz - 21 kHz (±3dB). The two-way 2000C center channel features a similar driver configuration to the 3000F, minus the midrange. Dual ports are located on the back, which likely accounts for the 2000C’s 93-dB efficiency spec (the 3000F is rated at 91dB).

Both models feature a single set of goldplated multiway binding posts.

The Surround 1 surround speakers that Paradigm sent along with the Monitor SE system are a new offering that features a bi-directional driver array. Designed for on-wall mounting, the Surround 1 has identical sets of 4.5-inch aluminum cone mid- bass drivers and 1-inch aluminum dome tweeters (with PPA Lens) located on either side of its curved baffle. Paradigm suggests that the expansive, non-localised sound the Surround 1 delivers makes it a good fit for spaces with non-ideal dimensions—including narrow rooms like mine where the side surrounds will be mounted near the seating area.

The Defiance V12 subwoofer is the step-down model in the Defiance series from the X12 model ($1,299) that we covered in our Paradigm Premier series system review Paradigm Premier series system review (February/March).

Like the X12, the V12 features a 12-inch driver, a slot for an optional wireless connection module, app control, and compatibility with Anthem Room Correction (ARC).

The main difference between the V12 and the X12 (aside from a considerably lower price) seems to be a less powerful class-D amplifier (120 watts RMS, 250 watts dynamic peak). The V12’s also lacks the X12’s Active Ridge Technology (ART) surround, a driver enhancement that Paradigm says results in increased output and a 50 percent reduction in audible distortion.

Setup

To test out the Monitor SE system, I first placed the 3000F towers and Defiance V12 subwoofer in my living room stereo system. The towers were situated 9 feet apart and a foot out from the back wall, while the sub sat in the left front corner where subs typically sound best in that room.

For phase two of my testing, I moved the towers to my smallish 12 x 9 x 16-foot (W x H x D) home theatre room, placing them at either side of my 92-inch diagonal (80-inch wide) projection screen with the 2000C centered between them on a low stand. The subwoofer ended up in the front of the room positioned between the rightchannel 3000F and the 2000C, while the Surround 1s were placed on high stands at the left/right sides of the seating area.

So far, so simple.

The only setup step that required a modicum of brainpower was to download Paradigm’s Subwoofer Control and ARC apps to my iPhone and configure the V12 subwoofer for both music and movie room installations. Both apps use Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) to connect to the subwoofer.

Once a link has been made, Subwoofer Control offers Music, Movie, and Night EQ modes, along with volume, low pass filter (variable in 1-Hz steps from 30 to 120 Hz with third order, fourth order, and filter bypass settings), phase (variable in 1-degree steps from 0 to 180 degrees, with a polarity inversion setting), and Deep Bass Level (adjustable in 1dB steps from -10 to +10 dB).

The ARC app uses either your device’s internal micro- phone or an optional calibrated mic (available from Paradigm) to make

measurements that get used to create an EQ filter customized for your room.

You simply sit at your main listening seat, hold your device flat and at ear level in front of your head, and the app directs you to move to five separate positions while measuring sweep tones. Once that’s done, the filter is uploaded to the sub and you can either apply it or switch it off via the Subwoofer Control app.

Music Performance

Starting out subwoofer-less with just the 3000F towers in my living room, I first played some sweep test tones and determined that the speakers were capable of delivering usable bass down to the 45 Hz range before tapering off. Cueing up Chris Issak’s “Wicked Game” from the album Heart Shaped World, on Tidal HiFi, the Paradigms cast a wide, cinematic image, with guitars and drums spread to the left/right limits of the room.

The 3000F’s impressive midrange detail also gave full expression to Isaak’s alternating subdued and achingly crooned vocal performance.

Playing another vocals-heavy track, “Turn the Light,” a collaboration between Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O and musician/ producer Danger Mouse, the sub-less 3000F towers continued to impress.

KO’s voice was conveyed by the Paradigms with a high level of clarity that revealed the dry manner in which it was recorded.

The song’s funk beat and bassline sounded punchy and dynamic, while the keyboards, string samples, and background vocals in the chorus had a lush, and layered presentation that contrasted nicely with the verses.

Compared with the GoldenEar Technology Triton Five towers that I normally use as reference speakers in this room, the 3000Fs lacked some bass extension, along with the sense of topend dynamic freedom that the Triton Fives ($1,998/ pair) with their folded-ribbon tweeters easily deliver, but overall they held up very well for towers priced at under $700/ pair.

Adding the Defiance V12 subwoofer to the mix (for the music setup, I selected a 60Hz low pass filter and enabled ARC) didn’t exactly transform the sound I was hearing from the 3000Fs, but it did create a more solid foundation with certain tracks.

On “Wicked Game,” for example, the V12 extended the bass guitar’s low-end reach, which

made the sound more dynamic and engaging. I can’t say I heard the same instant improvement on the Karen O/Danger Mouse track, although the increase in bass output did lend the beats more of a visceral impact.

Also, I could turn the volume up at will without the worrying about the vocals sounding edgy or strained in the verses.

Movies Performance

The Monitor SE system delivered movie soundtracks with notable clarity, good dynamics, and a strong sense of immersion from the Surround 1 speakers that I used as side surrounds. Watching the Creation chapter from the Criterion Collection’s recent restoration of Terence Malick’s Tree of Life, the broad operatic swells of music (Lacrimosa, by

Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner) filled the front of the room in a dramatic manner.

And in the following scene, the rumble of bass as planets formed was powerful, yet controlled, with no flabbiness or boom—a clear contribution of ARC.

Next up, the formation of oceans, where the slush of waves from the front to the back of the room showed off the contribution of the Surround 1 speakers to good effect. When I watched the film Mother!, in a theatre during its opening week (Darren Aronofsky’s film, which many viewers, and some critics, found incomprehensible, didn’t remain in circulation much longer than week one) I was baffled but also impressed by its vivid use of surround sound.

The film takes place in a house with a circular layout, and the soundtrack dutifully reinforces the Steadicam camera’s 360-degree movement within the space.

In the early scenes, voices sounded consistently clear and were panned smoothly across the three front speakers as the poet, his wife, and their surprise guests move from room to

room chatting and challenging each other. Later, as the film’s domestic scenario devolves into complete chaos, the surround mix amps up the aggression with the addition of shouts, gunfire, and explosions. (Like I said, baffling.) The Monitor SE conveyed the dense, multilayered soundtrack with much the same intensity I recalled from my theatrical experience, with the Surround 1 speakers again serving to create a full, continuous swath of sound in the rear channels.

Conclusion

At just over two grand, Paradigm’s Monitor SE system offers strikingly good sound for the money.

When reading Thomas J. Norton’s recent review of the company’s step-up Premier series system, I was interested to see that my subjective take on its performance aligned closely with what he experienced during his evaluation. In both cases, we found the sound to lean more toward brightness than warmth, but nonetheless appreciated the level of detail and excitement that was delivered, especially on movies. That speaks well for the consistency of Paradigm’s designs, since what you hear at the entry-level reflects the performance of the company’s higher-end speakers.

In the end, my only reservation about this system would be its basic, boxy looks—to me, Paradigm’s step-up Premier series, with its curved cabinets and multiple finish options, holds greater visual appeal.

Then again, the Premier system we reviewed costs more than twice as much as this

Monitor SE 3000F-based rig, which happens to come with surround speakers optimized for a range of environments plus an appc-ontrolled subwoofer featuring the company’s highly effective ARC room correction.

If your speaker budget tops out in the $2,000 range and you seek maximum bang for the buck, take note: Paradigm’s Monitor SE system delivers the home theatre sound basics in a brilliant manner.

Specs

• 3000F ($698/ pair) 5.5 in polypropylene cone woofer (2), 5.5 in poly-propylene cone midrange, 1 in aluminum dome tweeter; 9 x 39.5 x 11 in (WxHxD); 35 lb

• 2000C ($199) 5.5 in hybrid aluminum cone woofer (2), 1 in aluminum dome tweeter; 19.75 x 7.25 x 11 in (WxHxD); 19 lb

• SURROUND 1 ($598/pair) 4.5 in aluminum cone mid-bass driver (2), 1 in aluminum dome tweeter (2); 9.25 x 8.5 x 5 in (WxHxD); 7.25 lb

• DEFIANCE V12 SUBWOOFER ($649) 12 in driver; 120-watt (250-watt dynamic peak) class-D; ported; RCA stereo

• line-level in, speaker level in; micro-USB in (for ARC and firmware updates); low-pass crossover, phase (requires control app); Paradigm Subwoofer Control app; Anthem Room Correction (ARC); Auto on/off; optional wireless kit; 16.5 x 18 x 18 (WxHxD); 42 lb

Price: $2,144 (as tested)