Taco

Dealer kept touting the Paradigm Mini's over the NHT's (they sold both). Which would you get? They were selling the mini's for slightly less (but still over street - $339)

vlad

Can anybody guess which one I would suggest?

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Steve

BEC

FYI, $349.99 for Superones is MSRP. So you are paying the maximum cost for these guys. The same for the Mini's at $339. Your dealer is not cutting you even a dollar off his mark-up. You could try looking around some more. Toss in the B and W DM302 as well at
MSRP $250.

You could try listening to them at home. Dealers let you return speakers.

There's a review comparing these two speakers at www.goodsound.com. (Much thanks to
M I C H A E L for pointing this useful site out.)







[This message has been edited by BEC (edited April 19, 2000).]

pmark

I listened to them both and liked the mini's better. But if you think the NHT sounded better then get them instead!

Justin Doring

BEC: The B&W DM302 is now $300 pr. I had 4 of them and the matching center for 9 months. Excellent for music, but the center was not up to the task of loud levels. I then upgraded to 4 Paradigm Mini Monitors and the CC-350. For home theater, this was an awesome package, even though I prefered the B&Ws for music. 5 NHT Super Ones is a great package too. I like them better for music than the other two speakers mentioned as they are more accurate, but they need more and better quality power. You won't go wrong with any of these speakers. Good luck!

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"Home is where the theater is!"

BEC

As of an hour ago, one of my local dealers still had the B and W 302's at $250. I'm not aware of a new mark-up. But I haven't seen the latest costsheets for these guys either.

Yeah, the B and W 300 series center isn't too hot. Their CDM CSE(?) center is awesome! Too much for me though at $500. Maybe someday ...
Anyway, that's another thought for Taco:
you'll probably want to listen to the entire speaker package (at least the mains and center) all together. I was looking into getting some older Paradigm speakers, but they just didn't sound right w/the cc350 - sounded like separate speakers. It should sound seamless.

[This message has been edited by BEC (edited April 19, 2000).]

Taco

I knew the dealer was trying to hose me, but I think we both knew I wasn't quite ready to buy. He did say they would match other prices though, so I'm sure they will deal.

What do you guys think of the Para Reference series? I'm still kind of partial to the NHT's, but the Para center seems pretty good. When I had the NHT's (the UK version) at home, they sounded pretty good and pretty close to me existing fronts.

OK, now what about the plain Superones versus the Xu model?

BEC

Xu ("eXtended Use") is supposed to be more durable and sound the same (some people think they sound better). They're easy to wall mount, a little easier to hide. Make nice surrounds for that reason.

If a salesman pushes the durability factor, take it with a grain of salt. The superone has a paper cone and foam surrounds near the driver - materials that are a bit suspect for real long term (ab)use- especially if you live in a humid or salty environment. The Xu has a plastic outer case, but the insides use the same materials as the superone, or so the NHT service technician told me. Any extra durability is more likely related to cosmetics. (The Superones' gloss can chip fairly easily.)

They both still sound great.



[This message has been edited by BEC (edited April 20, 2000).]

svadas

In addition to the 302s, I'd toss in a listen to the PSB Image series that came out recently. However, if you tend to lean toward the NHT and Paradigm sound, you may not like either the B&W or PSB at all. I'm glad you are able to listen to them at home, that's really the best way to decide. I have found that when you are ready to buy, the dealer is ready to deal at least somewhat. Skip the XU's if you go NHT, unless you want some for the patio. Hmm...outdoor hometheater, have your own drive-in.