my search for speakers ends.. got the Paradigm Titan Monitor

[mpw]

I just got the rates for ADP 390 as 45k and the cc390 as 35k. With these prices I am dropping my idea of Paradigms. Buying surrounds for the cost of FS seems a bit ridiculous.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

sud,

contact rahim at the den 9892524664 in mumbai for a cross check on prices.

the cc390 is a humungous center. the cc290 is 25k and cc190 is 13.9k

mpw

 

[mpw]

Hi friends,

Listening to "The Sweetest thing" by U2 on my system which has recently undergone a few changes :-

a. re positioning of front speakers so that they are a lot farther apart
b. Modified my stock Pioneer DVDP 410 - the output stage - for a better o/p ( you will find a thread on this on this forum )
c. Connected DVDP to Stereo amplifier and AVR via split RCA connectors.

The sound is different for sure.. do i like it.. i think i am beginning to feel the DVDP outputting better treble and more base for sure..

Connecting the DVDP to the stereo amp directlyt is much better than thru my previous method of using the AVR pre outs.

Akshay repaired my remote control for the stereo amp too and i realised for the first time.. the Philips FA931 stereo amp volume control is motorised !!

I think with all this in place only one more thing remains... want to put white sand in the speaker stands and experiment.

Also.. need to play a movie and use the Ezset on my AVR and see hoew things go.. but thats for another day.. will try and play as many albums as i can tonite and enjoy !!

regards,
mpw

 

[rana_kirti]

hi mpw,

congrats on ur purchase and u seem to liking and enjoying them to thats wonderful... i'm considering the titans too and would like you to share a few things as the titans are not available to demo in delhi...

1. i see you went through a lot of speakers from ur audition list. Can you remember how you found the PSB Image series as compared to the titans...?

2. what room size are u using them in ?

3. are you planning on adding a center and surrounds later on...?

4. i read in the specs these have a 7 1/2 driver. Would you call the titans a mini 9 or a mini 11.

Would you call the titans be a regular size bookshelf, a large bookshelf or rather a mini floorstander....?!?

will appreciate your inputs.....

cheers ;-)

 

[mpw]

hi mpw,

congrats on ur purchase and u seem to liking and enjoying them to thats wonderful... i'm considering the titans too and would like you to share a few things as the titans are not available to demo in delhi...

1. i see you went through a lot of speakers from ur audition list. Can you remember how you found the PSB Image series as compared to the titans...?

2. what room size are u using them in ?

3. are you planning on adding a center and surrounds later on...?

4. i read in the specs these have a 7 1/2 driver. Would you call the titans a mini 9 or a mini 11.

Would you call the titans be a regular size bookshelf, a large bookshelf or rather a mini floorstander....?!?

will appreciate your inputs.....

cheers ;-)

=====================================================

Ranaji,

My thread is embellished with all the informmation you seek. Kindly do take the time to go thru them as the thread has been kept uptodate with much love & patience so others may read also. I have uploaded pictures too.

a. Compared to the PSB Image B25.. i plumped for the Titans.. solely because they had a larger mid/bass driver. My room size is in the thread. BTW, I heard the Atom Monitors and went for the Titans .. figured the sound signature would be the same roughly.

b. Would i call the Titans a Mini 9 or mini Monitor 11 ( well.. would you call cheteshwar pujara a mini rahul dravid ? ) - well thats unfair on the Titans.. they do their job quite well at the prices they sell for.. so cant say.. But can tell you this much a floorstander is a floor stander ...

I see from many posts etc.. that you are yet to decide on the speaker you want.. just go by your budget and ear and pull the trigger.. a speaker is a speaker afterall.. that my 2 unsolicited bits of input for you..


regards,
mpw

 

[mpw]

hi,

looking at Fran Elite's post on a thread today which refers to the SE200 sub which he uses in a stereo setup. The SE200 must be a really nice sub.

I tried this expt today with my setup. Thru the AVR i "OFFed" the rears and the center was ready to play. The subwoofer crossover was at 60Hz ( set in the AVR ).

Listened to Dire Straits and Enigma ( the lost ones ....which Fran Elite also did ) and i found a substantial improvement in lower bass thump.. wow.. i like it.. and now i am wondering if i could get to sample more subwoofers ( many members refer to "musical" subwoofers ). The JBL CSS10 is the one i have been hearing to for quite sometime now and therefore i have no frame of reference to compare the "musicality" of a subwoofer..

Would love to hear similar stereo setups in Mumbai / Navi Mumbai..

Now i will revisit more vocal oriented / midrange oriented stuff and see how these sound like.. weather the Titans are really free up to focus more on the upper bass / mids and highs while leaving the lower bass to the subwoofer..

Welcome comments and suggestions..

PS : havent got around to sand filling my speaker stands yet.. not getting much time from work etc.. Maybe sometime in march..



mpw

 

[mpw]

Hi,

Just an update.. got a Marantz SACD 7001 today. Now i have 3 strange bedfellows.. the Marantz SACDP, the Philips Integrated amp and the Paradigm Titans. I say strange not because the music is not good but i have never heard anyone having this combo before..maybe it is how it is meant to be for me.

For sure the SACDP outguns my modded DVDP ( just briefly heard for 15 mins ) but later i will have a more detailed listening session with some hindi, western, rock etc.. and let you know my views.

For now.. i need to look at some nice cables and interconnects to replace my current ones. I dont know if the cables will make a difference.. or am i just shooting in the dark ?

any advise ?

)

regards,
mpw

 

[rikhav]

Hi Mahesh
Congrats on your new CDP

I think you should leave the cable upgrade after you decide on the amp.

 

[srinisundar]

Hi,

For now.. i need to look at some nice cables and interconnects to replace my current ones. I dont know if the cables will make a difference.. or am i just shooting in the dark ?

regards,
mpw

No advise from my end since i am also learning and watching but for sure the cable makes the difference. Today also I experienced and felt it.

Regards

 

[mpw]

Hi Mahesh
Congrats on your new CDP

I think you should leave the cable upgrade after you decide on the amp.

------------------------------------------------------------

rikhav,

after emptying may rather small wallet on the cdp.. now i think the amp upgrade is in the distant future. Infact the more i listen to Philips, the more i am liking it ( ie unless something drastic happens ) I have my eye on a NAD but i dont know.. when that will happen.

I am in half a mind to close the For sale thread for the Philips amp which i have put up.

I am looking at the VDH Clearwater and the VDH D300 III interconnects as my final bit of spend for this year atleast.

what say you ? or is something cheaper available as these are quite costly.

rgds,
mpw

 

[rikhav]

Hi Mahesh
For speaker cables you can try out Draka. The 4sq mm is for around 120/- a mtr. or Mogami which is around 400 to 500 bucks a mtr.

These are quiet cheap then the VDH's and other similar brands. So in case if they dont work for you its not a big blow.

Mogami cables are quiet praised by many senior members. Pace Electronics at Andheri used to stock it but I am not sure if they still carry it

For IC's you can go the DIY route with VDH cables, There may be some VFM options with factory termination but dont have any proper information

 

[mpw]

hope to pickup the audioquest sidewinder interconnect for about 3k. The speaker cables are already AWG 12 and so i will change them only if i need to.

My current interconnects are el cheapo.. not worth mentioning. Hoping for even better sound though not too much.

rgds
mpw

 

[mpw]

finally.. plugged in the Audioquest Sidewinder IC linking the SACDP to the Stereo Amp. Will wait for a a couple of weeks before i post an opinion.

Got the sidewinder from Dubai Audio.. quoted price AED 265.

regards,
mpw

 

[mpw]

digging out this thread after a long time and with a reason..

last few weeks i have been wondering ( given my largish hall where i listen to music ) weather the Titan Monitors can be bettered. I always wondered ( and wished !! ) for the Tiutans to have maybe a 3 inch midrange to flesh out the mids.. and then maybe the bass extension could be even better. ( Not that there is anything much to complain about ).

I was quoted MRP of 30k for these few years back and with this as a background .. i heard few speakers ( incl today ) :-

a. Hari's TL speakers - very nice mids and good bass. Sweet high end. ( cost maybe approx 40k ?? ) . These are bottom "ported" speakers.

b. Monitor 9 V 7.. heard today at The Shop Andheri. This was partnered with CA CDP and Denon 710 stereo amp.. i think the partnering was not too great and i was not too impressed with the sound interms of the lower freq and even in the mids. I thought the new tweeter design made the highs bit more sweeter ( less sharper ) and maybe more folks will like this ( esp those who complained of the v6 models being harsh ). Maybe this deserves one more audition with me lugging my NAD. The speakers are rear ported. Quoted price 60k

c. Monitor 7 v 7.. also heard for a brief while today.. i thought better mids.. same highs as the Monitor9v7 but i think this is good for smaller-medium rooms. Quoted price 48k.

d. Polk Audio RTiA7 at Viola - with marantz CDP and marantz 40W amp.. was too bright. But i liked the construction of the speakers especially the weay the rear ports and protected with a plastic "protrusion" which also helps maintain about 5 inches from the real wall by default. was quoted 49k per pair MRP.

e. Klipsch RB62 i think.. was again too bright ( at viola ).. quoted proce Rs 60k..

Note : all opinions are to my ear only.

f. heard the Monitor 7 v 6 at FM Shaiju's place quite some time back ( paired with denon 2311 AVR ). I quite liked it..

I wonder if the v6 speakers from paradigm are better than the v7. maybe i need a better place to audition than The Shop. There were frequent interruptions with the proprietor always on the phone.

I think what i am looking for is a 6.5 inch ( or 7 inch ) bass driver + 5.25 inch mid bass + 1 inch tweeter.. i think this would be a good combo and i am not finding something like this which is supposed to gell well with the NAD C356. Any inputs ?

Also.. given that a pair of decent FS will cost about 65k to 70k.. how much of an incremental improvement should i expect in the sound.

Just this evening i was thinking.. the Titans are not bad at all..not bad at all.. given the price..

Just maybe a Studio 20 ( a BS .. the price of a FS ) coule be considered..

Also.. whats a voice coil ? does the size of the voice coil have anything to do with better midrange ?

Look forward to your chipping in..

regards,
mpw

 

[anm]

you should audition psb T5, T6.

 

[avidyarthy]

@ mpw .......

You are writing nothing bad about Hari's TL speakers ... stating everything to be 'good'. Why not get them if everything is falling in place?

OR ... is mpw a 'brand conscious' being too?

 

[mpw]

avid,

nothing wrong in being brand conscious. I am not under any pressure to "be different".

I liked Hari's speakers but the setup on which i heard it could have been better. I understand the MAC went there an hour later with a better source and amp and the speakers really shined. I wished i were part of that too ( but unfortunately nobody told me though i had spoken to denom from hari's residence too. Maybe you were aware of it too. ).

But its ok.. just that .. i will be more firm with my opinion on Hari's speakers when i get a change to listen to them on a better setup with my CD's and music that i am familiar with.

In the meantime.. am looking to audition and have fun along the way.. knowing that my Titans put up a worthy fight to many contenders.

regards,
mpw

 

[mpw]

you should audition psb T5, T6.

anm..i have already auditioned the T5 and T6. I was amazed with the T6 but the quoted price is too high. Am looking at something cheaper. The T5 is cheaper and magma says he likes the T5 better than the T6 as it is sweeter.. but my living room is size is about 400 sqft and i dont know if 5.5 inch drivers will do the trick.

But the PSB's go well.. no doubt..

The other thing is that maybe mentally i wish to stick to Paradigm ...as far as possible.. dont know why.. kind of like them.

Maybe if i get lucky i may be able to visit the US in July and might pickup a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's ( budget and WAF depending ).

regards,
mpw
Mumbai

 

[Hari Iyer]

avid,

nothing wrong in being brand conscious. I am not under any pressure to "be different".

I liked Hari's speakers but the setup on which i heard it could have been better. I understand the MAC went there an hour later with a better source and amp and the speakers really shined. I wished i were part of that too ( but unfortunately nobody told me though i had spoken to denom from hari's residence too. Maybe you were aware of it too. ).

But its ok.. just that .. i will be more firm with my opinion on Hari's speakers when i get a change to listen to them on a better setup with my CD's and music that i am familiar with.

In the meantime.. am looking to audition and have fun along the way.. knowing that my Titans put up a worthy fight to many contenders.

regards,
mpw

Hi Mahesh,
Back from vacation this week and putting things in order. If you want to compare the Titan monitors with the TL FS with my setup you can get your monitors to my home this weekend.

As mentioned earlier, i will be refurbishing my existing mass loaded classic TL with a new exo-linear TL (called as ATL in the forum) and this could happen around the 1st week of July. The design is already frozen and i am waiting for a reasonable carpenter who can do a good balance of cost and quality. If you are keen to carry this to you home, you can do so before i start the finishing part (you will have to arrange for all logistics). It will have a more simple cross-over than that used with Atish's TL FS and enhanced design concepts for the Aluminium dome tweeter which i will be testing with this design (i would not want to test this with Atish's design as modification would have been difficult later). I will want to try a much lower cross-over frequency to have a very open mid-range and detailed highs. The acoustic roll-off of the tweeter will be used to its advantage in this design which was not so in the case of Atish's design. Let's see how both of them fare.

Cheers,

 

[Hari Iyer]

avid,

nothing wrong in being brand conscious. I am not under any pressure to "be different".

I liked Hari's speakers but the setup on which i heard it could have been better. I understand the MAC went there an hour later with a better source and amp and the speakers really shined. I wished i were part of that too ( but unfortunately nobody told me though i had spoken to denom from hari's residence too. Maybe you were aware of it too. ).



regards,
mpw

Infact even i was not aware that Denom is going to carry a Marantz CD player and Sansui amplifier for auditioning the ATL FS else i would have asked you to wait too and we could have had one more opinion. The source and amp idea i think was a last minute decision due to which their visit to my residence also got delayed.

 

[denom]

avid,

nothing wrong in being brand conscious. I am not under any pressure to "be different".

I liked Hari's speakers but the setup on which i heard it could have been better. I understand the MAC went there an hour later with a better source and amp and the speakers really shined. I wished i were part of that too ( but unfortunately nobody told me though i had spoken to denom from hari's residence too. Maybe you were aware of it too. ).

But its ok.. just that .. i will be more firm with my opinion on Hari's speakers when i get a change to listen to them on a better setup with my CD's and music that i am familiar with.

In the meantime.. am looking to audition and have fun along the way.. knowing that my Titans put up a worthy fight to many contenders.

regards,
mpw

Infact even i was not aware that Denom is going to carry a Marantz CD player and Sansui amplifier for auditioning the ATL FS else i would have asked you to wait too and we could have had one more opinion. The source and amp idea i think was a last minute decision due to which their visit to my residence also got delayed.

mpw, Hari has written exactly what transpired! I requested Hemant if I could take his amp & CDP for this demo @ last moment post which everything got delayed. I even requested you to wait for a bit longer but you could not. So don't think it was all pre-planned :lol:
Hari himself was surprised that I brought the amp & CDP

BTW, our meet is long due, lets catch up next week...