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Re: Yes, I have heard 47 Labs and you haven't.

Pat,

I think your comparison of the SF Cremona Auditors & your Paradigm Sig S2 is unfair. Thus the conclusion you arrived at, i.e. "I have heard the SF Cremona Auditor, which is a very nice speaker which I thought sounded very similar to the Paradigm Signature S2 but at twice the cost." is suspect at best. Why do I feel that way?

When one is attempting to subjectively evaluate the differences in a given component, whether it's a speaker, amp, CDP, interconnect etc. It necessary to keep EVERYTHING constant, except the one component you're attempting to subjectively evaluate. Thus if the room, amp, preamp, CDP and wires all remain the same and only the speakers are changed it's a good bet that any differences heard are then attributable to the speaker. This is precisely what I did when comparing the Paradigm Sig S2s to the Aliante Pinafarina Ones. However when the evaluation of two different speakers is done in different rooms, using different amps, preamps, CDPs and wires. It's extremely difficult, if not impossible to know, what differences heard are then attributable to just the speaker. Thus any conclusion reached like stating that speaker A sounds very much like speaker B but at 2X the cost, loses any credibility as well. There are just too may differences to attribute accurately which are a result of the speakers being different.

So although I believe you when you state, after you hearing the SF Cremona Auditors in a completely different room (a dealers' showroom) with different solid state amplifiers and probably different wires and CDP or TT, that you thought the SF Cremona Auditor, sounded very similar to the Paradigm Signature S2. I'd have to express being shocked if you felt that was a fair or accurate evaluation. The use of very familiar program material is hardly a remedy to the many problems raised in doing a fair and accurate speaker evaluation under such circumstances.

To your credit you admit it would be nice to be able to compare speakers directly, which I agree is very difficult if not impossible to arrange, especially when one is traveling. So I believe you're expressing your opinion based strictly one what you heard, knowing full well it wasn't a fair or accurate evaluation. I hope the day arrives when you get to make a direct comparison in your own home, between the SF Cremona Auditors or another 2-way monitor-type speaker of that caliber & your Paradigm Sig S2s. I'd be curious of your assessment of the two different speakers under those circumstances.

On another note, I understand your stated reasons for not wanting tubed amps, i.e. being related to reliability, cost, consistency, and compatibility. There was a time when some of the reasons were reasons I didn't own a tube amp as well. The idea that from the moment I first turn it on, the tubes are slowly but surely degenerating bothered me quite a bit. However once I heard a really good tube amp that all changed. Why? because once I listened to a good tubed amp (and just like with solidtstate, not all tubed amps are made equally well) I heard them get the gestalt of live music i.e. fuller, more realistic tones, the lifelike presence of the musicians and their instruments, an airer more three dimensional image and a wider deeper soundtstage that even the best solidstate amps lacked. The best analogy I can give you is this a solidstate amp projects an illusion of music thats like the best photograph you can imagine. Whereas a tubed amp projects an illusion of music thats like the best hologram you can imagine. It's just closer to the truth and so much so, that I no longer cared that the tubes are degenerating from the moment thet're first turned on. I went so far as to buy 6 prs of Bendix 6900 tubes & 10 prs of Mazda "chrome-plate" 6189 tubes, which should last the lifetime of my amp. Of course I'll still need some 845 tubes and I want the new 845M "metal-plate" ones of course.

It was really nice talking with you Pat. This was the best and most informative series of posts I've ever had with you. I'm looking forward to more of the same in the future...

Keep enjoying the music -- Thetubeguy1954

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. - Epictetus

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