Paradigm Signature Sub 2 User Review

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www.paradigm.com

If 10” is Fun … 6 x 10” is Mind Blowing!
I recently had the opportunity to play around with Paradigm’s top of the line subwoofer, their Signature Sub 2 v.3. After having a lot of fun doing the SVS PB13 Ultra user review, figured, what the heck, I'd use that review template and write up another!

At a CDN MSRP of $10,499.99, many including myself have wondered what exactly this thing can do and why it’s so expensive. Even if you can get it for 20 – 25% off the list rate (30% if you’re really good) it’s still well over $7,000 for a single subwoofer which would buy most people an entire system including speakers, subwoofers, and electronics! Most will balk at the price, stating that it’s either ridiculously high or that you can simply purchase X number of subwoofers from brand Y to equal and/or outperform it and that it’s not “worth” the money.

All I wanted to know was “what could this baby do!” Having experienced the Paradigm Servo 15v2 in my own room, while it was a formidable subwoofer, I was never able to say I was blown away by it. I’ve also heard other Paradigm subs in the past (PW2200, DSP-3200, etc) and have never been a huge fan of Paradigm subwoofers from a performance perspective. Well, I’ll tell you right now, this is certainly the “King of the Hill” in terms of single subwoofer solutions. Is it worth it? Well read on …


Paradigm Signature Sub 2 Specifications

http://www.paradigm.com/index.php?op...d=104&Itemid=2

The specifications on this subwoofer are nothing short of mind boggling:



I think the first time I read these specs I was shaking my head constantly. Six 10” drivers … six!? 4,500 watt plate amplifier with 9,000 watt peaks?? 230lbs!? Dual spider 10” drivers with 25.2 lb magnets!? 7hz -3db in a “typical listening room”? All this in a 24” cube … errr … hexagonal cabinet anyhow? In any event, very lofty specifications and needless to say being the subwoofer/bass nut I am, I had to get my hands on one and a family member (my brother) having recently purchased one, was more than happy to let me come play with it. He also had a 240v dedicated circuit installed for the Sub 2 (2 actually, as he plans on adding another at some point).

The Packaging



I was a tad surprised when I saw that the subwoofer came packaged in a single box. At 230 lbs, I was expecting double box packaging without a doubt. Even the box it came in seemed a bit smaller than what I recall the box was for my SVS PB13-Ultra. Having said that, the packaging material was top notch. On the bottom of the box were attached four hefty molded feet of some sort, they instantly reminded me of the “Michelin Man” for some reason!



The “foam” material inside the box was the usual heavy duty stuff that Paradigm uses to securely package all of their Signature line products (including my own S2 bookshelf speakers and C2 center channel). It’s not your mother’s old Styrofoam packaging, that’s for sure.



I was somewhat relieved the subwoofer was already in the family room and hooked up when I arrived, as I don’t think I would have wanted any part of lugging the 250lb or so box into the house in the dead of winter. As you can see the box did come with some little “handles” on the outside for easier lifting, but I can’t imagine much would make lifting a 35” to 40” wide box with 250 lbs of dead weight “easy”.

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The Grill

As you can see in the specs, the grill is not “removable”

NOTE: Due to the incredibly high power and
tremendous output the SUB 2’s grilles are non-removable

. Me being me, I had to see the drivers. Looking at the grill, it was clear that there were 4 small screws holding it to the subwoofer. Out came a little screw driver and 2 minutes later the grill was off and 2 of the 10” drivers were naked in all their glory for me to salivate over …



Admittedly being used to the 13” driver on my SVS PB13-Ultra and the 15” Acoustic Elegance drivers I used in my own DIY subwoofer setup, while the 10” drivers were certainly imposing, they still seemed, well, “small” in comparison and I was kind of snickering in my head thinking of the drivers I was used to.

The grill itself was by far the most impressive speaker grill I’ve seen. It was made of some sort of interesting composite (didn’t seem like the usual MDF anyhow), and had the added protection of a metal perforated screen protecting the drivers. I assume from the possibility of a little one poking a screw driver or sharp object into the driver itself?



The grills alone probably weighed over 5lbs each. Very nice.

The Amplifier – in a word … Wow!

The one thing that bothers me incredibly about my DIY setup is that my QSC RMX-5050 amp, while very powerful, requires a fan which I’ve modified twice now but the low drone still bothers the heck out of me. I’ve always been hoping for an incredibly powerful plate amp or fanless rack amplifier, but they have been hard to come by or overly expensive. Seeing this amplifier made me want to cry. The sheer size of the plate was incredible, as it spanned the entire height of the subwoofer and was as wide as one of the hexagonal sides. One thing that I was surprised with was that it was very, very basic in terms of functionality. At the top of the plate there was a variable phase control from 0 degrees to 180, and a variable Subwoofer Cut-Off Frequency knob which allowed one to select a low pass ranging from 35hz to 150hz or they can bypass using this knob altogether and use the processor’s bass management by turning the knob all the way to the right. At the bottom, we had an Auto on or “Trigger” choice for how one would turn it on in the system (I wish it had a simple “off” switch as well) along with a line in for the trigger, a Mini-USB input for the PBK Kit, and the choice of 2 low level inputs, being XLR or RCAs.



Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit (PBK)

The plate amp used by Paradigm has Digital Signal Processing (DSP) functionality, described as

Sophisticated mathematical algorithms “shape” response, ensuring accurate, consistent and musical bass without distortion, even when the sub is playing at the loudest level.

To make any changes to the amp, one had to use the “included” Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit, or PBK for short. The kit comes in its own box separate from the subwoofer and includes a long USB-Mini USB cable, a sophisticated microphone, an impressive boom style tripod and software CD’s (though I recommend going straight to Paradigm’s website for the latest firmware).



Any adjustments to the signal shaping are done using this kit as there are no external controls available on the amp itself outside of what was noted above.

Room and Equipment

First and foremost, the room the sub is used in is an acoustical nightmare. It’s a typical open style home where the family room (used as the main HT room) is open to the kitchen. The family room is 17x12 and it opens up to the kitchen which is 18x14, add 9 foot ceilings and you have about 4200 cubic feet to deal with. On top of that, the kitchen then opens up to the hallway which is open to the dining room and living room and, well, you get the idea. It’s a large space. Having said that, the listening position (LP) is only 12 feet or so from the sub. Theater Equipment included:

Paradigm Signature S8’s v.3
Paradigm Signature C5 v.3
Mirage OM-R2 x 4 Surround Speakers
Denon 4810 AVR
Anthem Statement A5 amplifier (powering the front L/R and C)
Oppo BDP-95 Bluray Player
Pioneer 60” Elite
All hooked up to a Panamax Power Conditioner

The Center channel is enclosed in a built in wall unit that spans the 9 feet height of the room and is about 7 feet up in the air, and not pointed downwards. The S8’s flank the wall unit and are about 12 feet apart I’d guess.

The Sub 2 is in the front left corner (replacing an exiting SVS TV-12 Ultra ported box subwoofer).

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Subwoofer Setup

As you can tell from some of the pictures, we installed some carpet slides on the bottom of the sub to allow it to slide across the hardwood flooring.

The first thing I wanted to try and do was get a close mic (half inch from the cone) frequency response of the subwoofer. So I pulled the sub as far away from the walls as possible (not an easy task, and I was starting to wonder why Paradigm only put 3 feet on the darn subwoofer at this point!) and pulled out my REW software, M-Audio Mobile Pre USB sound card, Cross Spectrum Labs calibrated Dayton EMM-6 microphone (cal’d to 5hz), then stared at the sub. Hmmm … 6 drivers … how they heck does one measure this? Given I had no clue, I simply decided to take a measurement of two drivers (top and bottom) to see if they would differ in frequency response, I didn’t think they should … and thankfully they didn’t. I connected the subwoofer to the AVR’s Front left speaker pre out to eliminate the receiver’s bass management. We then deleted the EQ file that was already loaded into the sub using the PBK software (well, it seemed to imply we erased it properly anyhow). I took a few measurements, and admittedly they looked a tad odd to me, but here it is ..



The sub seemed to roll off starting at around 15hz at 2nd order leading me to think the sub has been EQ’d to an extremely deep frequency. What seemed odd to me was that there appeared to be a rising response as the sub approached 15hz with the sub being down some 20db at 80hz vs 15hz. Almost as if there was some sort of house curve built into the sub to bring up the low end considerably.

At this point I’m not sure what my mic was doing, and maybe the REW setup was just having an off day (one of the issues I find with REW is that some days you get weird measurements and may not have realized you had done something differently or incorrectly until it’s too late!). One thing I did note was that when I put the sub back into its spot, the frequency knob wasn’t quite turned all the way to the end/Bypass position. Not sure if I had hit it while moving it back, or if it was like that all along. Hopefully it wouldn’t have caused any large issues with the measurements.

After moving the sub back into its corner position, I plugged the subwoofer back into the appropriate pre-out and selected a cross-over of 80hz on the Denon 4810, and ran a sweep at the LP.



I included the close-mic response of the sub both without a cross over and an 80hz cross over as well, lined them all up after smoothing them at 1/3 on REW, then put them back to 1/6 smoothing to show how the room was impacting the response. As you can see there is a lot of room gain below 35hz and a big null/dip at 40hz.
We then pulled out the microphone for the PBK kit, hooked it up to the subwoofer, and ran a simple 5 position measurement. I’ve now added the response to the above graphs after running PBK. While it pulled down the rising response by about 4 to 5 db and reduced the amount of the dip at 40hz by a few db and another dip at just over 100hz or so, it didn’t seem to do much else.



Here is the graph from the PBK software which only extends to 20hz (not sure if it can go lower, didn’t look into it).



Outside of the fact that the PBK graph seems to imply a perfectly flat response from 30hz to 70hz, the pre and post response curves do have some similarities (you can see the rising response in each case). I’m not overly familiar with PBK (well, actually, not familiar at all with it!) so just left it as is. I am curious, however, given that I measured in 5 different positions “which” curve the graph was trying to represent exactly? I assume some sort of averaged measurement of the 5 positions? There didn’t appear to be many other options available in the PBK software other than to measure the sub, show a target curve and save the resulting measurement to the subwoofer’s DSP.

We then pulled out the Audyssey Microphone for the Denon 4810, and proceeded to run the recommended “6 position” Audyssey Multi-XT measurement procedure and … well, somehow lost all measurements after that! Good thing I’m not paid for my write ups as I likely goofed this one up! I have a feeling the sub was still hot versus the mains crossed at 80hz as I recall thinking the REW sweeps looked odd, but as I said I must have not saved the final sweeps unfortunately.

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Listening Tests

All of the below tests were done at -5db to reference (i.e., the Denon processor’s volume control was set to ‘-5db’ db after the final EQ was done with Audyssey and all speakers were checked with my Galaxy CM-140 SPL meter to see that they register 75db while the sub registered 73/74db). I used the same few scenes I always do when doing a torture test as I’m fairly familiar with them.

Note, again, this is a completely different room than mine, and over twice as large. We’re also using Signature S8’s crossed at 80hz vs Signature S2’s crossed at 120 or 150hz at my own place, so for some of the mid range bass scenes (gun shot blasts?) I’m not sure how much these added to the experience. So comments comparing how my own system fairs against this one is a bit of a tangerines to oranges sort of thing.



Pulse - Computer Lab Scene

This scene is centered at 16-18hz or so, and the part where the woman opens the door is a true treat with a capable system. The Sub 2 was amazing during this scene. Even though it’s a “single” sub in a 4200 cubic foot room, the pressurization at the LP was as intense as I recall feeling it in my much smaller HT with the dual AV15 dual opposed subs and PB13 in sealed mode. That’s impressive to say the least. I walked over to the Sub 2 and took a look at the drivers and they were going nuts, some impressive excursion there! So, of course, I took a brief video with my Nikon D3100 that I had with me …



The sound you hear on the above is certainly not what was coming out of the sub, I'm assuming the mic on my D3100 was just distorted like crazy.



WOTW – Pods Emerging Scene

I was smiling a bit during this scene. Again, the Sub 2 chewed up this scene and spit it out as if it was nothing. I recall a few times thinking to myself “hmmm … not sure if I recall feeling that with my own setup”. The entire family room was shaking, and my brother had this huge grin on his face. There was an incredible amount of “texture” if you will to the bass with every cracking building and separating pavement. Really cool.



Flight of the Phoenix – Plane Crash Scene

Here’s what I said in the SVS PB13 review …

When the plane is spinning and they show the passengers, there is an intense “under water feeling” you get as if you’re there experiencing the immense G-Force that must happen in that sort of situation (well, that sort of likely entirely impossible situation!). Again, I recall a bit more head pressure with the triple sub setup that almost gives you a nauseous feeling, but I can’t say I was “wanting” for more at all.

In this case, I was amazed as it was easily what I recall with all 3 of my subs in my room. Again, certain parts I was wondering “did I get that same feel with my own setup?”



Open Range – Gun Shot Scene

This scene is full of “slam in your chest” gun shots, starting with where Kevin Costner blows a hole through Kim Coates head and culminates in several very nice shot gun blasts. Much of the scene is heavy in the 20hz to 40hz range, though it does get below 20hz at points (and even close to 10hz) with authority. One word. Beautiful. The shotgun blasts were slamming me right in the chest throughout the scene. Great stuff.



Transformers – Ironhide Jumping over the Woman Scene

This scene certainly had a lot of visceral impact, and again, the Sub 2 just had fun with this clip and you could feel the pressure as Ironhide rolls over the woman as well as the next Transformer shortly thereafter who does the same (can’t recall which one he was).



U-571 – Depth Charger Scene

Pretty impressive. Though part of me wonders if this scene while great at its time simply doesn’t compare to some of the more bass heavy scenes of more recent movies. The Sub 2 certainly seemed to be able to pick up every depth charge blast.



The Haunting – Broken Glass Scene

The scene where Nell (Lili Taylor) goes into her bedroom and closes her eyes and everything goes bad from there on. Some great impact when she throws something from the end table through the window and it comes exploding back in her face. The thundering foot steps as she runs out of the room after this were causing the entire house to shake like crazy.



Eagles – Hotel California – 5.1 DTS Demonstration DVD

Crossed at 80hz, this track was magnificent. The drum hits had excellent kick and definition to them. Was also great to hear the track with the S8’s and C5 upper echelon brethren of my S2s and C3. I was literally starting at the drivers on the sub to make sure they were in fact moving as it felt like much of the bass was centered right in the room.

Overall I have to say something kept giving me the impression that the subs were calibrated too hot vs the mains and not overly flat in the room. At times the bass seemed a bit over driven, and one of the reasons I kept it at -5 vs pushing further. What was amazing was the visceral impact the subs had in that room, it was astounding. If I get the chance next time I'll try and run a few more sweeps at the LP.

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Conclusion

I only wish I had more time to play with it, but it was past 1 am and I was tiring out. The amount of what seemed like clean SPL coming out of this thing was downright frightening at times. Fairly sure it was several db hot if my REW graph was correct, but the Sub 2 never seemed to falter or complain. I say “seemed like clean SPL” because unfortunately as I mentioned the acoustics of the room are terrible. There are numerous vases, picture frames, and other items on the built in wall unit and end tables which were vibrating like no ones business at times which made it somewhat difficult to ascertain whether any distortion was coming through (i.e., were all those awful sounds the sub itself or the vibrations of stuff in the house!). This is the best sub I’ve ever had the chance to play with, period and at CDN$10,499.99, it damn well better be.

Humorously enough I recalled John Johnson’s comments at Secrets about his “feet coming off the floor” or something along those lines and when I first read them I thought the comment was a “bit” over the top and rolled my eyes at it. Well, I’ll say it, there were certain scenes (WOTW and FOTP comes to mind) where the floor was shaking so hard that I actually knew what he meant.

Now the ultimate question. Is it “worth it”? I used to get involved in these debates on the forum and over the years have realized what others have as well, everyone puts different values on “worth” and it’s truly an impossible question to answer as far as I’m concerned. Those of you who know me from this and other various forums know I love bang for the buck products, the very fact I decided to DIY my subs is a testament to that. This isn't necessarily because I can't afford something like the Sub 2, I guess I could if I really wanted it, I just could never see myself spending $9k (after taxes up here) on a subwoofer and love to look for those diamonds in the rough who's performance to dollar ratio is significantly higher and add 1/2/3 of those. As for "worth", here's what I'd say... If all you had to spend on a system was say $15k, would I recommend going with a single Sub 2? No, of course not. Having said that, if I had $10k burning a hole in my pocket and wanted a proven brand name subwoofer with the pedigree of Paradigm behind it, I’d not hesitate to grab the Sub 2, or better yet, two of them just for fun!

Personally I can’t wait to see Josh Ricci’s review with full measurements over at AH. I can’t imagine how difficult a task it must have been to lug a 230lb subwoofer outside into field along with figuring out a 240v electrical supply with it. Then there’s the issue of “where to place the mic” when you’ve got a hexagonal cabinet with 6 drivers on 3 opposing sides!

Pros:
- The most incredible single subwoofer system I’ve had the pleasure to listen to.
- The best fit and finish of any subwoofer I’ve seen. It was simply a gorgeous piano black and the amplifier (anodized black I think) looked magnificent.
- The 10” drivers just looked downright mean. Interesting that they do not have the ripped elliptical design similar to the Sub 1’s 8” drivers.
- 4,500 watts in one big ass plate amp, insane! Damn you Paradigm, I want one!
- Oddly enough, size. It’s not as imposing as I figured it would be with six 10” drivers. Heck, it has a smaller footprint than my Ultra which is 27” deep if I recall.
- PBK is incredibly simple to use, well, assuming I used it correctly!

Cons:
- Price. As the saying goes, “if you have to ask the price ...” this sub is probably not for you. You could buy 4 SVS PB13’s, 3 to 4 Seaton Submersive HPs, JTR Caps, etc., which should outperform this beast. But if you need a single sub solution in a box that isn’t the size of a house and want a popular brand name, there are few (none?) that would compare.
- For $10k, I’d have preferred to see some in depth signal shaping abilities on the amp itself versus not allowing the user to have any say in the matter and forcing the use of the PBK.
- The PBK kit didn’t seem to do a heck of a lot and “forces” you to select 5 positions even if you only want to optimize one. Though I guess you could just take a measurement of the same position 5 times?

The only other con I can think of is that I spend an hour today researching 10” drivers and wondering if I could build a similar box and what the outcome would be. Then I remembered how long it took me to build the boxes I have and said “maybe not”!

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reserved 1

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reserved 2

[Jerry Del Colliano]

Very comprehensive review PBC.

How did you get your hands on this sub or do you not want to say.

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Think I mentioned it somewhere in the first post, but my brother just recently purchased one.

Steve

[Tracy Rainwater]

Very nice review Steve. I have lusted after that sub many times and wondered if it was worth its premium price tag. I was somewhat surprised at first, that it used 10" drivers. Could you imagine that thing with 12's?