Gorgeous Reference Collection Paradigm Towers Studio 60 v3 (Reduced)

Glowingly reviewed by Stereophile magazine, and many owners past and present alike, the Studio 60 v.3 is a gracefully proportioned but simple 2½-way tower with two 7″ mid/bass drivers and a 1″ tweeter.

They boast an extraordinarily high level of fit’n’finish. Just two examples: First, the cabinet’s rubbery top grades smoothly into the side panels to provide a non-resonant surface, molding its contours to suit the tweeter’s radiation; its shape and substance resist being marred by the cocktail glasses of inconsiderate guests. Second, the two pairs of multiway binding posts are clearly color-coded and can be operated with finger force alone.

While the v.2 was an excellent speaker in its own right, the v.3 is significantly larger, and more complex, than its predecessor. A rap with a knuckle produced a sound of slightly higher pitch and lower amplitude than it did from the v.2, suggesting that the v.3 is both more rigid and less resonant. This may be due to the v.3’s more complex cabinet construction and driver mounting, as well as to the cabinet’s curved rubbery top, which surrounds the slightly protruding cowl enclosing the aluminum-dome, ferrofluid-cooled tweeter.

Other external differences from the v.2 are the v.3’s front and back ports and the very substantial, stationary brass phase plug on its upper mid/bass driver. That driver has a mica-polymer cone and a 1.5″ voice-coil; the v.3’s second-order crossover hands off the signal to the tweeter at 2kHz. The lower bass driver, which is rolled off above 500Hz, is similar but has a mineral-filled polypropylene cone. All three drivers have diecast chassis and are resiliently mounted to the cabinet to minimize transmission of vibration via any medium but air. (Paradigm calls this system IMS/Shock-Mounting.)

The aforementioned Stereophile review provided the following synopsis: “Over the years, I’ve reviewed a number of speakers in the $1000-$2000/pair range because this is where, it seems to me, the going gets tough. Speakers costing less than $1000/pair usually include serious compromises, and those costing more than $2000/pair, no matter how good they are, can be enjoyed only by the relative few who can afford them. In this range, several other speakers have outstanding and desirable traits, but no speaker costing anywhere near $1600/pair has a better integration of all performance parameters than Paradigm’s Reference Studio 60 v.3.”

Specifications:

High Frequency Driver: 25-mm (1 in) S-PAL™ satin-anodized pure-aluminum dome, ferro – fluid damped/cooled. Diecast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT™

Mid/Bass Frequency Driver: 178-mm (7 in) MLP™ mica-polymer cone, 38-mm (1-1/2 in) voice coil. AVS™ die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT™

Low Frequency Driver: 178-mm (7 in) mineral-filled polypropylene cone, 38-mm (1-1/2 in) voice coil, AVS™ die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT™

Suitable Amplifier Power Range: 15 – 200 watts (compatible with 8 Ohms)

In Room Sensitivity: 91 dB, Frequency Response On-Axis: ±2dB from 46 Hz – 22 kHz

Dimensions HxWxD: 40.5″ × 8.25″ × 17″, (102.9cm × 21.0cm × 43.2cm), Weight: 70lbs each.

Retailed for $1699 USD when new. (Current comparable model retails for over $3K/pair with tax.) Asking just $1195 for these fantastic, made in Canada Paradigm performers.