Paradigm cinema 70CT vs Def tech procinema 600 vs energy take classic 5.1

hey guys,

I have been to 2 places to audition 4 different speakers today and the results are as follows:

Place 1:

Speakers auditioned: Paradigm Ct90, Def tech Pro 800 and Anthony Gallo Nucleus Micro

First up i heard the Paradigm Ct 90..... they were really good but a bit on the warmer side and the bass wasnt super but not bad... overall they were pretty good.

Secondly the Def tech... they were slightly brighter than the Ct 90 and the bass was slightly better but overall there wasnt much of a difference between the two.

Lastly i heard the Anthony Gallo and they were shit compared to the previous two.

Since there really wasnt as much of a difference between Ct90 and pro 800 i wud choose Ct 90 considering the value for money. Also the shopkeeper told me that the Ct 90 were new and wud open up after 100 hrs of listening.

Place 2:

Auditioned: Wharfedale Moviestar 70+ and Paradigm Ct 90

Here again the moviestar 70 were a tad brighter than the Ct 90 but once again overall i cudnt find much of a difference in them... the detail in both speakers were equally good.

I must add that all the auditions were done at a low volume (+25db) just to know how much detail i can get at regular listening levels... I didnt do movies on any speakers....

Now i'm really confused abt which of the 2 to go for.
Once again i must mention the prices here.

1610 + Wharfedale moviestar 70+ (barely used demo) - 42.5K
1610 + Paradigm Ct 90 - (60-62K)

I dont mind spending the extra 20K for the Ct 90 provided it is really worth it and incase there is more to it than what my ears picked up....

Experts pls help me with this choice...thanks
 
Try audition the energy take classic 5.1 also. You shld spend 20k more only when you see a min 50% quality improvment than the otherone.. Otherwise just save that money and buy another gadjet you like...
 
Hi end audio is continous journey. It is very easy to get bored with your system. No matter whatever be the level of equipment you have, you always tend to look for improvements.

On your statement when you say you dont have patience, Without patience you could very well end up wasting money.

Try read thru the forums.

"Hence i've decided on a good 5.1 setup which i shud enjoy for 5 years w/o getting fatigued."

5 years is a long time. If you are looking for that period of non improvements then you spend more time analysing the system/budget. It is more so for Music lovers. For Music reproduction you need better speakers, amps, cables etc.

Thanks avidyarthy,

i know that the sound quality of a good set of FS/BS will not be matched by satellites... but as i mentioned i have renovated my room always keeping the satellites in mind.... also I wud prefer to buy the entire set of speakers/amps/subwoofer at one shot and forget abt it for atleast 5-6 years.... cos i dont think i'll have the patience to search for separate pieces one by one...

Hence i've decided on a good 5.1 setup which i shud enjoy for 5 years w/o getting fatigued.

@ sarvesh.sharma: i auditioned them both at The Sound Factor and i found the Paradigm better than Def tech too!!
 
Hi end audio is continous journey. It is very easy to get bored with your system. No matter whatever be the level of equipment you have, you always tend to look for improvements.

On your statement when you say you dont have patience, Without patience you could very well end up wasting money.

Try read thru the forums.

"Hence i've decided on a good 5.1 setup which i shud enjoy for 5 years w/o getting fatigued."

5 years is a long time. If you are looking for that period of non improvements then you spend more time analysing the system/budget. It is more so for Music lovers. For Music reproduction you need better speakers, amps, cables etc.

thanks pdhanwada,

U r absolutely right when u say u need to look for improvements in a system....however u cannot change ur speakers every yr or couple of years...generally someone like me wud prefer to invest in a good set of speakers and then forget abt upgrading for a few years....

Hence the confusion about which one will be good atleast for that period...i wudnt want to buy sth which i start disliking in a year or so.....

out of the options i have stated, which ones do u recommend?
 
Try audition the energy take classic 5.1 also. You shld spend 20k more only when you see a min 50% quality improvment than the otherone.. Otherwise just save that money and buy another gadjet you like...

unfortunately there is no way i can audition take energy classic cos nobody here in pune has it.... the shopkeeper who sold his last piece of energy classics told me that paradigm ct 70 & 90 are better than the classics.... donno how far this is true...

so i finally have to choose between wharfedale moviestar 70+ or ct 70/90.....
 
unfortunately there is no way i can audition take energy classic cos nobody here in pune has it.... the shopkeeper who sold his last piece of energy classics told me that paradigm ct 70 & 90 are better than the classics.... donno how far this is true...

so i finally have to choose between wharfedale moviestar 70+ or ct 70/90.....

Check this thread. Pavanhifi bought it for 25k and he is from pune.PM him to know more.

http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/11175-speakers-denon-790-aka-1910-a-2.html
 
hehehe ..... you seem to be going through the same pain which I endured in January this year! Makes me happy, me being a 'sadist'!

Ok, lets start from the basics yet again .......

1. Note, you can't get everything from a single package. Means, if the speakers are good for movies, then, possibly, the music output might suffer and vice versa. It is always a compromise that you have to settle for. But, it is YOU who has to decide what is the right balance. No one else's ears would be of any help.

2. Check out the Paradigm and Moviestar with movies now, and see the difference.

3. Ruggedness: This was an important criteria for me. Agreed, in my case, the speakers were to be installed at a height ... it is 8 ft from floor level, tilting downwards. But, I was more interested to have them 'metal' bound. In case of my speakers, it has an inbuilt ash coloured aluminium perforated/pored speaker guard. In the last 5 months, I have not found any dust settling on them. Yes, I do have to 'dust' the speaker tops with some cloth piece once a while to rid of the settled dust. This is quite unlike my Sony FS in the other room. It has fabric speaker guards, just like most other speakers, and require a vacuum clean quite often in Delhi environment.

4. Speaker weight: The Moviestars are quite heavy .... solid MDF built ... as compared to other satellites. Luckily the heavy gauge plastic mounts supplied are strong enough to sustain their weight and also, provide tilt down-side ways at most angles. I have said most ... and not all, mind you. Check, whether the Paradigm speakers are supplied with such an effective contraption.

5. Finally, PRICE ...... if, you find there is not much of a difference, then price rules.

6. The Moviestars were quite on the 'bright' side when 'virgins', and now with near 200 hours on them are really burnt in. They are softer and warmer now ....... but still a wee bit brighter than my old Sonys.

7. YOUR choice of music: that too is important. If you are into vocals, then a warmer set up would be better. If your choice is intrumentals, hard rock etc. then a bright speaker would do more justice.
 
I was exactly in same situation few months back. After deciding that I want to buy the 1610 AVR I auditioned the Paradigm ct70, Energy take classic and Wharfe MovieStar. But finally after a lot of listening and reading on these forums I decided to go for the Wharfedale Diamonds. Like you, even I wanted to do both movies and music (50:50 for me), and for music the satellites are no good. I can almost guarantee that you will want to change your satellites after a few months when you start listening to music on your setup.

The Wharfedale diamonds are an excellent choice for those on a budget but want something better than satellites. And they pair up extremely well with the Denon 1610. The bookshelves (9.1/9.2) are reasonably sized and can be mounted on the wall if required. Both are front ported so not a problem.

After a lot of deliberation I bought the following: Wharfedale Diamond 9.2 (fronts), 9.CS center and 9.DFS bipolar surrounds. These go extremely well with the 1610. And the whole set + 1610 cost me 60K. Am yet to buy a subwoofer, but the 9.2 fronts have plenty of bass and I don't really miss a subwoofer much.

You are most welcome to visit my place if you want to hear my setup. PM me if interested.
 
thanks pdhanwada,

U r absolutely right when u say u need to look for improvements in a system....however u cannot change ur speakers every yr or couple of years...generally someone like me wud prefer to invest in a good set of speakers and then forget abt upgrading for a few years....

Hence the confusion about which one will be good atleast for that period...i wudnt want to buy sth which i start disliking in a year or so.....

out of the options i have stated, which ones do u recommend?

That is the only reason I would recommend you to buy couple of speakers and a good amp + preamp or an integrated. We cant upgrade speakers every year or two.

I had and Still have my Enery take5.1 from 1998 with me now. I had used them for a 6 months or so, lost intrest on them for mUsic. SInce then they sitting idle. FOr music they dont do too well. Though they are ok for HT not suitable for Music. As someone suggested, buy some bookshelves plus an amp like Norge + whaferdale floor standers.

I guess it is the same with any of the Paradigm beginner ones too. If selecting Paradigm I would suggest you to Audition Studio 20. They are good ones.
 
wow,

u guys really pushing me over the edge to take the plunge for BS/FS.... i havent done much research in this category but how are the Q Acoustics 1010i / 2000 series?

What else do u guys suggest in the sleekest BS category that sound great (lol..still cant accept big bookshelves... might have to hunt small ones which i can still hang on the wall)

Could someone also comment on the Klipsch quintet synergy III...i cud call for these for $520-540 bucks from US... they come w/o a subwoofer...maybe i can match them with a sub from here...

cheers!
 
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There is one option ..... I too had checked out ...... but it was'nt a VFM for my requirements ...... the French 'Focal' on wall speakers ... available on 5.1. It was costing @ 60 - 65 K versus 28 K for the Wharf satellites.

Very very impressive.
 
Vishal ,

Why sleekest (you are not gonna carry them in pocket are you :p) . Believe me they dont look good next to the TV . You need a decent size bookshelves to give you nice HT setup looks ...... Try audition some bookshelf speakers...


Wharf 9.x
QA 1010i/2000
Monitor Audio BR
Paradigm Monitor Atom
Tannoy F1

Good Luck
 
In terms of sleekness, I found the Martin Logan the sleekest (Also the best sounding) but it would depend upon your budget. The QA is also quite sleek, the rest in the list are a bit hefty.

Other sats you can look at are the KEF eggs.
 
In terms of sleekness, I found the Martin Logan the sleekest (Also the best sounding) but it would depend upon your budget. The QA is also quite sleek, the rest in the list are a bit hefty.

Other sats you can look at are the KEF eggs.

any idea how much the martin logan and QA 2000 cost?
 
hmmm.. the martin logans look quite good... anybody heard them and has an opinion abt them.... i hope they dont turn out to be as disappointing as the anthony gallos.

btw can someone tell me where its possible to audition them in Pune?
 
vishal,

why dont you look at Paradigm Atom Monitors ( Rs 16K ) or Paradigm Mini Monitors ( RS 23k ) as fronts.

Paradigm CC190 ( Rs 13k ) as center and take a surround ( JBL Control One - Rs 7k) _ sub JBL EP150 ( if you like a nice thump ) or the JBL CSS10 ( if you like boomy bass for movies etc.. ) ( Rs 27k ).

The most critical are the fronts and the center. I understand paradigm has a dealer in pune ( find out at [email protected] )

You may like to put your bookshelves on speaker stands and to see how they look please visit my thread on the Paradigm Titan Monitor. I have put my opinion on the various speakers i auditioned.

Paradigms are lively and a bit forward souding. I like the sound. Maybe you will like it too.

Else.. if you have budget issues or decor issues.. i suppose the CT90 or the Energy Take Classic can be good for movies. But if you like your music for an hour a day then look at bookshelves too. And if you are really into music, then FS will come into play.

One of the better spealers i looked at was the Dali Lektor 1 ( about Rs 23k ). I did not go for it as my room size is much bigger. Maybe you may like it. Its a really good looking front ported wall mountable bookshelf type speaker.


regards,
mpw
 
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