TOWER SPEAKER REVIEWS

Darryl - thanks for the entertaining write up on the Persona's. It was as amusing as it was insightful. The Persona's are certainly beautiful to look at, and now, based on what you wrote, equally as beautiful in the sound they recreate. I may never afford a Ferrari or a Megayacht, but these luxurious speakers might someday be possible to own. (And I probably would get more use and wife approval too, then from the former two.) Bravo to Paradigm.

It's great to dream of spending hours in the rapture of driving a Ferrari Le Ferrari, or for that matter carefully listening to every nuance of the Persona system. Sadly they will remain in my dreams.
Meanwhile, I will continue to work towards the purchase of $65,000 Mustang Shelby 350R and $8,500 Goldenear Reference Towers.
You keep on dreaming, while I rumble through the twisties in my Shelby.
Thereafter bring down my blood pressure as I listen to my music on my Goldenear Reference system.

it would not a very good anchor make

I foolishly made some comments prior to auditioning the Persona 3F (see my July 29 stuff of dreams comments).
I spent an hour transfixed with arm hair raised listening to the sheer transparent sound of Paradigm's Persona 3F.
My children are now in their 30's so no chance of me getting much for them.
Oh well, there's always the Lotto.

Whether it's the fancy room acoustic compensation circuit or the actual performance of the loudspeakers, there'a couple things I'd like to mention:

1) In answer to your comment below: Perhaps you've never heard many other $10K + loudspeakers. Start/try the superb KEF 'Reference 1's.

" What can I say? There are damn few speaker systems that I’d consider selling my children—or myself—for medical experiments to acquire."

Solid point. Point taken

#2) Some journalistic investigation integrity would have revealed that the actual drive-units (of the Persona line) is actually -and almost proudly claimed by Paradigm itself- are screwed into the baffle board with 'self-tapping' wood-screws, as opposed to the far more sophisticated method of 'bolting-in' -to a specific torque specification no less. In a $10,000. plus loudspeaker ?

Consider the driver mounting technique of (by many accounts brilliant) Q Acoustics 'Concept 500' loudspeaker valued between $5-10K, or in fact the aforementioned KEF REF-1's -secured with 6-8 threaded bolts (within a highly advanced baffle board composite including a steel plate which the co-incident mid/tweeter is firmly secured !

At $10-$30K/pair, it wold be prudent for a reviewer to respect the sheer expense and do a thorough investigation before waxing poetic on subjective interpretations -with no reference to competing models.

You can, you must do better -for readers.

peter jasz