Listen to a Paragon

[Maron Horonzakz]

I had done some experiments on placement of 075 tweeters. I made a special bracket to mount above eliptical horn/375. This faced curved panel. And imageing was better than I expected. I felt placing 075 in bass horn wall was flawed. Later I switched to the 2405 slot tweeter for extended highs.

[Rafael]

Hi Jan,

to answer your question:

I use a simple dbx driverack which allows all controls in time delay and c/o parameters. The EQ needed is depending on your listening room and interface with the speaker(s). With a good measurement mike, you can easily find the "big" mistakes in frequency response. Some folks want to hear generally a somehow "digital colouration" or so in these digital speaker managements. Believe me- this is not the case when you find the right alignments. There is no other way to compensate the great time delay between the drivers in the paragon. You can find the right delay time by making a scale drawing of the paragon and your listening position. The way the sound wave of the woofer has to go through the folded horn to your listening position (here about 500 cm from the speaker) is about 90 cm longer as the way the midrange driver has to go: and this is the time the 375 must "delayed". Same with the 075, the way is about 105 cm´s longer as with the woofers. As I said: depending on your listening position. I must admit that I didn´t like these digital gear at first (I was a "tube and analog man") and without the needed experience you can easily reach a total wrong result. But when done right...there´s no way back.

Regards

Rafael

[Guenter]

Hi Jan,

to answer your question:

I use a simple dbx driverack which allows all controls in time delay and c/o parameters. ........... There is no other way to compensate the great time delay between the drivers in the paragon. You can find the right delay time by making a scale drawing of the paragon and your listening position. The way the sound wave of the woofer has to go through the folded horn to your listening position (here about 500 cm from the speaker) is about 90 cm longer as the way the midrange driver has to go: and this is the time the 375 must "delayed". Same with the 075, the way is about 105 cm´s longer as with the woofers. Regards

Rafael

Like Rafael I also measure my Paragons using a impulse measuring system now so common with computers. I found that the arrival times at a reasonable listening position between 075/375 very well alligned in fact. Note that does not preven 'massive' comb filtering because of their spatial seperation. Like Rafael, however, I also noted 'significant' delays between woofer and 375. I was serious contemplating digital delays to clean this up..... was to expensive at the time I had these speakers. I guess it's doable these days. When I previously said 'soft' I was refering to lousy imaging in that the instrument placement was soft and vague. The big strong point of the paragon, of course, was the horns. Most of my friends had never heard a good horns and were blown away by this, the bite of trumbpets etc. Non horn speakers will suffer in this regards, until I heard the Yamaha NS1000's in the 80's. It is these speakers that convinced me to sell the paragon more than anything else. Now I've got my home brew system much along Widget's earlier set-up. I'm loving it again, dynamics and imaging. Great!

cheers

[Jan Daugaard]

Hi Rafael,

I've sent you a personal message.

[paragon]

What are you doing ? I´m down.

Yes, this is an old construction. Yes, there are better speakers.
But i love it. It`s an impressive, very good looking and working part
of audio technology. And nobody knows that this is a stereo speaker system ,
when i have it at home (don`t know when).

Eckhard

[Guenter]

What are you doing ? I´m down.
Eckhard

Hi Eckhard, not trying to make you feel down (if that's what you meant). Just a reality check re your purchase; don't get me wrong - if I had to spare money and the room I'd love to have a Paragon sitting in my livingroom (or a 300SL in my garage). It's a great looking speaker with an incredible 'coolness' factor (my wife has a diametrically opposite opinion - of course, what else is new) but it is an 40+ year old antique.

cheers, guenter

[Maron Horonzakz]

I understand a Paragon was in the White House when President Kennidy was there. I wonder if the Goverment keeps that kind of stuff. They keep Lincolns bed so why not a work of audio art.

[Rafael]

Hi Maron,

a paragon in the White House...interesting info. From where did You get this information ? Any pics would be cooool.

Thanks in advance

Rafael

[Maron Horonzakz]

I believe I read it in Hi Fi- Stereo Review. The magazine is now out of buisiness. The government saves everything historicle from the white house. I just wondered if they saved it or got rid of it.

[John]

As far as i know whatever is the personal property of the President can be removed by him,but any purchases or gifts to the president remains the property of the white house and the people of the united states of america. I understand that they have a storage facility that holds all the different pieces of furniture and art that has ever been part of the white house. And the president or the first lady can pick from this collection of items to use or not to while they are in control of the Presidency and the White House!!! At no time can these items be bought or sold. They are in trust for the people of the U.S.A

[Maron Horonzakz]

HHHMMMMM...If that Paragon has the 150-4 woofers they might still be OK. But if the unit had the LE 15 woofers. The woofer surrounds could be in bad shape.