TESTED: Paradigm Monitor 9 loudspeaker

REVIEW
by Neil Gader
May 21, 2009

Getting started in the high end means making some tough decisions. And they don’t come any tougher than choosing between a compact and a floorstanding speaker in the $1k range. There was a day when the trade-offs and pitfalls were well known. What a compact lacked in output and extension it more than made up for in transparency and imaging. Floorstanders, on the other hand, owned the bottom octaves and dynamics, and created a more realistic soundstage. While some of these generalizations still hold true, Paradigm speakers of Canada has obviously been burning the midnight oil to close the gap. Not a company to be constantly tooting its own horn Paradigm simply understands the obsessive R&D necessary to transform the low key into high octane.

Paradigm’s Monitor Series is the breadbasket of its basic lineup (Paradigm also has an upscale Reference line), offering a trio of two-way compacts, three floorstanders, three center channels, and a pair of ADP surround/rear speakers. The $949-per-pair Monitor 9 is its midsize floorstander—a 2.5-way, four-driver, bass-reflex design. Cabinet construction is a sturdy .75″ MDF with a vibration-repelling 1″-thick elevated front baffle. The twin bass drivers run in parallel and crossover at 500Hz. The eye-catching, low-mass, injection-molded, co-polymer midbass driver runs full range up to 1.9kHz where it passes the baton to the high-efficiency titanium ferro-fluid-cooled tweeter. A pair of large ports of the quasi-third-order resistive variety reside in the rear panel. Terrifically sensitive at 96dB, the Monitor 9 welcomes tube or transistor amps from 15W to 200W. A dual set of binding posts allows the bi-wiring option.

While there is no dearth of zippy two-way compacts in this price range, the Monitor 9 will make you think twice before falling for the allure of these small-room specialists. (See Steven Stone’s review of the Paradigm Mini Monitor V.6 in Issue 190.) The big reason: None will approximate the weight and majesty of the Monitor 9’s bass and SPL output. Its bass doesn’t quite enter subwoofer territory, but the way it plows into the upper-30Hz range transforms a symphony orchestra into a completely different (and more realistic) animal. Plucked bass viols, bassoons, and percussion really churn up some major air. You can feel the orchestra gather itself and come to life from the bottom up on the Tchaikovsky and Korngold Violin Concertos [DG]. The opening bars of Shelby Lynne’s “Just A Little Lovin’” reveal a standup bass whose presence fans out warmly into the listening room. Its character is deep and rich but not overly precise and some will wish for some added definition in this region.

The sonic personality of the Paradigm Monitor 9 leans to the darker side of the spectrum. Its midrange tends to be full-bodied with good pitch control but with a general softness and roundedness. There’s a slight recession in the upper mids that pleasantly lays the presentation back somewhat, with an edge of spotlighting in the treble. On top the tweeter is a bit dry, and some localization could be heard from the transient attack of reed instruments or in a slight nasality as Anne-Sophie Mutter bows her violin’s lower strings aggressively. Its overall balance means there are some mild subtractions and tonal deviations, but taken as a whole no critical sonic flaw really pushes the Monitor 9 off the rails. There’s an engaging excitement factor that to my mind makes up for its minor glitches. It summons up the raw interplay during the fiery Chris Thile/Edgar Meyer duet “Give Us Peace” [Sony]. The speed and attack from the mandolin and bass were electrifying, even as I recognized a heightened mid-treble emphasis that slightly exaggerated the snap of Thile’s flat-pick. Likewise when Meyer takes up the bow there’s a bit of extra sheen on top as if the bow is trying to shed excess rosin.

In terms of imaging the Monitor 9 doesn’t hold each instrument or vocalist in a vise-like grip. Fact is, the Monitor 9 is not the last word in holographic transparency—images are slightly shaded, leading edges not outlined crisply. Yet the sense of musicality is all there, without artifice. I think this trade-off is a wise choice. I’d much rather have broader soundstage information, dimensionality, and heightened emotional impact than the often over-hyped minutiae. And this the Monitor 9 does with relish. At least some of the credit must go to inter-driver coherence, not always a certainty with four drivers per side. For the most part, the Monitor 9 speaker truly sings with one voice.

SUMMING UP

The Paradigm Monitor 9 is a value-fortified speaker of the old school. It relies on balance, wideband frequency response, dynamics, and high output—credentials that never go out of style. Does it sweat the little things like a compact? More than you might expect actually. It proves once again that if you’re after a full-range high-octane musical experience there really is no substitute for “four-on-the-floor.”

SPECS & PRICING

Paradigm Monitor 9 floorstanding loudspeaker

Drivers: 1″ tweeter, 6.5″ mid, (2) 6.5″ woofers
FrequencyResponse: 51Hz–20kHz
Sensitivity: 96dB
Impedance: 8 ohms
Dimensions: 40.25″ x 7.5″ x 13.25″
Weight: 44 lbs.

Price: $949/pr.

Paradigm Electronics
205 Annagem Blvd.
Mississauga, ON L5T 2V1
Canada
(905) 696-9479

www.paradigm.com

Associated Equipment

Sota Cosmos Series III turntable; SME V pick-up arm; Ortofon 2M Black, Benz Glider Wood cartridge; Esoteric X-05, Sony DVP-9000ES; Muse Model 200, ATC SIA-150; Tara Labs Omega, Synergistic Tesla Apex, Nordost Baldur, Kimber Kable BiFocal XL; Synergistic Tesla, Wireworld Silver Electra & Kimber Palladian power cords; Synergistic Tesla Power Cell; Sound Fusion Turntable stand

By Neil Gader

My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.