Loreleis vs. Paradigm Studio/100 v.2

ajzepp · « **on:** 16 Oct 2005, 07:31 am »

I've seen a few people mention the studio/100s in this forum and how the Lorelei's get the better of them. I currently own Magnepan MMGs and have really come to love the planar sound, but I owned studio/100 v.2s prior to that.

I think it would take a pretty special speaker for me to go back to a traditional dynamic/box design, but it seems like the Lorelei may be such a speaker. Being that the studio/100 serves as a frame of reference for me, can anyone comment in greater detail (than what has already been posted) about the differences between them and the Loreleis? Even better, any comparisons to the Maggies?

My room is 15x25 with 10' ceilings. My listening is about 75/25 in favor of HT, but when I listen to music I want it to be an amazing experience.

Thanks in advance!

bunky · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 11:05 am »

hello and welcome to the audiocircles, i have never listened to the Studio 100 V2s. i currently own the Studio 100 V3s but they are now up for sale, i liked the way they sounded when i bought them after extensive auditioning of speakers available locally at or around thier price point.the studio 100s while excellent loudspeakers are not in the same class as the Loreleis. the Loreleis are a handmade loudspeaker with only two drivers and weigh as much as the studio 100s do with thier compliment of five drivers. Paradigm builds very good drivers in house, but again they are trumped by the world class ScanSpeak drivers that reside in the Loreleis. the crossovers in the Loreleis are a sight to behold with three massive custom built Mundorf coils made of oversize 2.5 mm wire combined with world class Audyn and F&T capacitors, they are the brain of the Loreleis. these crossovers allow the bass performance of the Loreleis to defy any reasonable logic. in comparison the bass performance of the Studio 100s seems lackluster especially considering that three 6.5" bass drivers are employed per speaker.from top to bottom the Loreleis strut thier stuff with confident authority and if any other loudspeakers come close to thier performance at anywhere near thier price point i am not aware of it!....thanks....William C Waldecker III

ajzepp · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 06:00 pm »

Thanks, Bunky.....that's exactly what I was looking for. It's funny, cause I had always drooled over the 100s back when I had Paradigm Atoms, lol. Not that they aren't wonderful speakers, but I want to take a LEAP forward from them.

By the way, what do you guys use for surrounds with the Loreleis? I am a phantom center advocate, so I'm not worried about that.....but I do want to run a 4.1 system. What do you guys have in back?

Thanks again....I"m excited to hear more about these speakers

bunky · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 06:34 pm »

Quote from: ajzepp

Thanks, Bunky.....that's exactly what I was looking for. It's funny, cause I had always drooled over the 100s back when I had Paradigm Atoms, lol. Not that they aren't wonderful speakers, but I want to take a LEAP forward from them.

By the way, what do you guys use for surrounds with the Loreleis? I am a phantom center advocate, so I'm not worried about that.....but I do want to run a 4.1 system. What do you guys have in back?

Thanks again....I"m excited to hear more about these speakers

i owned a pair of Paradigm monitor 11s before i got the 100 V3s and the 100 V3s were much better than the 11s. i do strictly two channel listening but other folks here do the HT thing so they could be of more assistance. i own a pair of the Epiphany mini monitors and they sound very good and image like the dickens but i dont know how they would sound in a HT setup. it would be better for you to create a thread asking what speakers people are using in a HT setup with thier Loreleis. good luck.... WCW III

John151 · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 07:23 pm »

I have Magnepan MMG-Ws for surrounds, and I am very happy with them. They are also very reasonably priced. I have a MMG-C for the center, but I am not currently using a center because my screen (4:3 ratio) forces the center to be mounted so low that is it not affective. Good imaging L/Rspeakers can handle the center channel for HT with ease.

ajzepp · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 07:37 pm »

Thanks, guys....this forum is awesome....glad I found it

Bunky: We must have similar taste in speakers, lol. I went to the Monitor 11s before the studios, too. I actually really liked both pairs, but my tastes have evolved

John: What are you using for mains? Maggies? I actually have MMG-Ws in back, too, and I agree with you totally that they do a great job as surrounds. Like you said, you can't beat them for the price. I have a stupid room, though, in that the only place I can really mount them is in the back of the listening area. They are placed where the rears of a 7.1 system would be as opposed to on the side of the listening area. That said, they do an excellent job.

John151 · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 08:34 pm »

I have both Magnepan 2.5 (true ribbons) and a pair of Lors. In the coming weeks, I will be comparing these two and will be making a decision on which pair to keep. I know the Lors will have better base, but I am wondering if they can compare in mid and upper frequencies, and in imaging, as this is the forte of the Maggies.

ajzepp · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 08:43 pm »

Okay John, you definitely have my attention lol. I am VERY interested to hear what your thoughts are with regard to the speaker comparison. I've had my Maggies for a year now, and they seem to have ruined me for most dynamic/box speakers I've listened to since purchasing them. I used to drool over Paradigm Signatures, but when I went to my dealer to demo the larger Maggies I found the Sigs to be completely uninvolving. When it comes to the amt of time I spend with HT and music, I'm a huge HT guy....so you'd THINK that I would prefer a dynamic speaker over the Maggies.....but that just isn't true. I know there are some exceptional dynamic speakers out there, though, and I suspect the Loreleis are one example. Being German myself, it would be nice to have some German quality in my audio set-up (

), but they would have to clearly best my Maggies in terms of "presence", clarity, soundstage, and overall coolness

PLEASE post your findings on your speakers when you've taken all the time you need, okay? I'd love to hear what you end up doing.

Thanks again!

John151 · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 10:25 pm »

Will do!

byteme · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 Oct 2005, 10:56 pm »

I've got Lor's and use them as mains in my HT. Love them for it. I've partnered them with an Usher X616 center, which is PERFECT for them. For surrounds I've still got my Polk f/x500i side surrounds and RT25i rear surrounds. They're great with the Odyssey and Usher gear.

I do know someone, who uses Lors all around - for surrounds as well. I imagine this would be IDEAL for 5 channel music, but I'd think overkill for HT

ajzepp · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Oct 2005, 02:04 am »

Thanks, byte....I'm glad to hear they are awesome for HT

I wish I had the room to go to five floorstanders....that has got to be a kick ass multi-channel/HT system. My room is kinda goofy, so I'm limited in what I can do. I have some nice space for the front stage, though, so at least that's something

By the way, that quote in your sig is as true as anything I've ever read