Paradigm Studio 60v5 upgrade...

[DaveMews]

Hi there! New member, long term audio enthusiast, getting back into things after a move to Adelaide a few years and not having a lot of my stuff down here till recently.

 

My current setup is mostly for 2 channel audio and is

 

Paradigm Studio 60 v5 fronts with matching centre

SVS SB2000 unported sub

Orpheus Aurora 1 rears

Anthem MRX-700 receiver

Consonance cd120 linear cd player (not used much these days as the digital transport from the DVD player is a nicer sound)

 

 

I will admit, from the get go, that the Studio 60's have left me underwhelmed since I got them. No amount of adjustment can make them have the level of oompf I would have expected especially on the low end. Get a nice bass mix in from the unported SVS, but I still feel something lacking.

 

Now I am in Adelaide, VAF have taken my interest now I can finally audition. Am wondering if the DC-X product is going to be a possible upgrade from the Studio 60's. or of theres another product line.

 

My music type is wide ranging, from jazz to prog rock/rock

 

 

Thanks

Dave

 

 

[Bunno77]

10 minutes ago, DaveMews said:

 

Anthem MRX-700 receiver

 

I will admit, from the get go, that the Studio 60's have left me underwhelmed since I got them. No amount of adjustment can make them have the level of oompf I would have expected especially on the low end. Get a nice bass mix in from the unported SVS, but I still feel something lacking.

 

There's why. Good for HT but not music.

 

If you search, many here start the same way with a surround amp and move on to proper 2 channel gear

 

Thomas started the same too

 

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Bunno77
addition

[DaveMews]

13 minutes ago, Bunno77 said:

There's why. Good for HT but not music.

Thanks!

 

The Anthem MRX's have always been very highly rated for musicality and detail in 2 channel? Interesting

 

My unwhelment (is that even a word lol) is in movies/HT as well

Edited December 7, 2020 by DaveMews

[BugPowderDust]

I started on a similar path. Paradigm Signature S8, Anthem d2v.

 

movies sounded great, music felt lifeless.

 

I’ve now plumbed a classe cp800 as a Pre in HT bypass mode and replaced my old power amp with a Classe CA5300.

 

i’m running most of my music via roon and I’ve also gotten some convolution curves for my room (post acoustic treatment).

 

Now the result is stunningly better than where I started. Effortless, crystal clear and just pretty to listen to.
 

From memory, the Studio’s you have are no slouch. Consider a different 2 channel Pre and consider some outboard power amplification before wasting more money on speakers.

[notsobitperfect]

I'm using Paradigm Studio 100s with an Anthem processor.....no issues with bass at all or lack of slam. I doubt the 60s would be very different - especially since the SVS will cover the low end nicely. I'm going to guess it might just be a setup issue? Did you run ARC? Sometimes ARC flattens the frequency response curve more than personal taste might prefer. You could manually adjust bass either on the Anthem or on the SVS to compensate. And as the other posters have suggested, dedicated 2 channel electronics might provide the step up you're looking for.

[Whites]

@DaveMews I had a pair of Paradigm Studio 60v5 and it wasn't until I demoed them for a sale that I realised they need a good amplifier.

 

Basically I connected them to my Pass Labs amp for the demo and was amazed at the difference a decent power amp made. The studio 60s are a great speaker, definitely see if you can borrow a power amp to try.

 

 

[DaveMews]

4 hours ago, notsobitperfect said:

I'm using Paradigm Studio 100s with an Anthem processor.....no issues with bass at all or lack of slam. I doubt the 60s would be very different - especially since the SVS will cover the low end nicely. I'm going to guess it might just be a setup issue? Did you run ARC? Sometimes ARC flattens the frequency response curve more than personal taste might prefer. You could manually adjust bass either on the Anthem or on the SVS to compensate. And as the other posters have suggested, dedicated 2 channel electronics might provide the step up you're looking for.

I factory defaulted it when I moved it from my dedicated cinema room in Sydney to my house in Adelaide, and did not run ARC again, I set it up manually (plenty of experience in calibration of audio gear)

[DaveMews]

5 hours ago, BugPowderDust said:

From memory, the Studio’s you have are no slouch. Consider a different 2 channel Pre and consider some outboard power amplification before wasting more money on speakers.

Thanks I will need to see if theres any audio stores I can borrow/buy with return demo option etc down here

[BugPowderDust]

Hunt around for a high quality 2 channel pre with HT bypass. That's the building block.

 

Try some of the following (a mix of used and new):

• Classe CP800 (I'm biased) - Great DAC / pre with sub control and PEQ
• NAD C658 - Inbuilt Dirac, sub control as well as lots of streamer functionality
• Parasound P5 / P6
• Musical Fidelity A5

Anything you look at, be careful to consider the need for a sub output if you continue to use a subwoofer. In my case, I have a MiniDSP 2x4 to multiple sub outputs of the Anthem and the Classe preamp so that both units can use both my subs at the same time.

[KRSDarwin]

 

Hi Dave,

 

+1 to the above, especially @BugPowderDust
 

It looks like your AVR has pre-outs (for you front left and front right speaker) so you can connect the pre-outs on your AVR to an integrated amplifier with home theatre bypass (or a pre-amplifier with home theatre bypass plus a power amplifier - as per diagram below).  I found that adding a quality integrated amplifier really lifted the performance of my main front speakers and allows for a TT and other inputs but retains ability for 5.1 (or more) surround sound with TV, DVD and 5.1 audio. 

 

As to an amp there are lots of great ones to choose from at various price points and some will match your speakers better than others.  I use a Musical Fidelity M6si with Paradigm Studio 100s and the results are excellent.  Second hand through SNA can be a great way to buy for value. Remember you want home theatre bypass ability in an integrated amplifier. 
 

 

Photo of our main system below.
FL and FR floorstanding speakers driven by the M6si integrated amp (slimmer silver box on right). Centre speaker,  2 rear speakers and sub (and outside speaker) driven by the AVR (big silver box on left).

Oppo (DVD, CD and SACD) (black box above M6si) connected to AVR and M6si so can play movies and surround sound music in 5.1 as well as 2 channel. Roon Nucleus (Ripped CDs, hi-res downloads and streaming) (smaller black box to lest of Oppo) connected to AVR and Schiit Brooklyn DAC+ (Silver box in middle) so can play surround sound (5.1) or 2 channel music from those sources. Clearaudio turntable connected to M6si so can play records 2 channel. Smart TV and Nintendo Switch (for our youngest son) connected to AVR so surround sound. Oh, and Oppo, Nucleus and Brooklyn connect to the Oppo Headphone amp and headphones.