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Even at high volumes the speakers remained composed. With other designs sometimes turning up the wick has the presentation become congested and blurred and hard consonants in vocals grow harder and sharper. The guitars of Bill Frisell and Vinicius Cantuaria on Lagrimas Mexicanas [eOne EOM-CD-2110] were startling real, tactile and vibrant with excellent body and richness of tone and their unique playing styles were easily apparent. On a recently acquired disc of the oft recorded Respighi Roman Trilogy [BIS-SACD-1710], I was knocked out by not only the timbral richness but also the terrific degree of bass weight in the brass and strings. This is a fine recording both musically and in sound quality. John Neschling and his Sao Paolo band really blow the dust of what all too often is a tired old warhorse. Instead they display a beguiling kaleidoscope of orchestral color, textures and boundless energy.
 
Other recent favorites that showcased the S6’s talents were the Music Masters reissue of Andrew Hill’s Point Of Departure [Blue Note/Music Matters BST-84167] which was fantastic; an intriguing and deeply felt Mozart Requiem by Teodor Currentz [Alpha 178] as well as a number of Kalevi Aho symphonies and orchestral works I’ve been downloading from eclassical.com at a fiendish clip. Aho is an intriguing and challenging composer well worth exploring.


The only cause for concern I had with the Siggies was a slight lack of a few qualities I usually find only with time-coherent or single driver designs - an easy listen-into presentation and a compelling directness. It’s as though my brain were freed of some sort of subliminal processing. More importantly I hear more of the why if perhaps less of the what on my recordings. I hesitate stating this because I realize how many folks probably won’t notice such mercurial traits or are perhaps more bothered by the inevitable tradeoffs one must contend with in such designs. But then every loudspeaker today is fraught with some degree of compromise. It’s why you’ll see crossover points (or no crossover at all) and driver materials and combinations all over the place.


I’ve heard other speakers present music with deeper more robust bass and in-room presence but they were always larger and more expensive. That difference diminished considerably when I dropped in my pair of REL subs. After a bit of fiddling I obtained a seamless match which helped deliver more explicit intestinal fortitude. I regret not requesting one of Paradigm’s matching Signature subs. They look capable of rupturing internal organs or detonate small animals which might come in handy since a family of skunks decided recently to move into our yard.


I enjoyed my time with the S6. While I am quite familiar with several of their older models—I used to own the first version of the Reference Studio 60—I was curious to hear a recent model at a higher price. I am glad I did. I don’t recall ever hearing such a ravishing refined treble and midrange from a Paradigm speaker until now. My guess is that beryllium tweeter is rather special. The asking price of the S6 is entry level for many competitors and I can tell you that it’s as good as many higher priced offerings and a damn sight better than many. The only thing they won’t do is go way down low in the bass, which you won’t get in a speaker this size anyway. You’ll need the larger S8 or one of Paradigm’s Signature subs for those low pedal notes.

I commend Paradigm for doing what many might think is tilting at windmills - deliver state-of-the-art performance while maintaining high-value pricing. If this speaker retailed for $10.000,- I’d still sing its praises. To use a little Canadian hockey slang, Paradigm went top cheddar with the S6. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that most audiophiles perceive Paradigm as a purveyor of predominantly home theater products. Any show/store demos I’ve attended or what I see in their product literature has done little to alter that perception. That is unfortunate. Only a two-channel setting playing music can really begin to show off their exceptional performance. Listening to explosions and dinosaurs running rampant will tell you nothing. Hopefully this October at the Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show (TAVES) at the King Eddie, some exhibitor will set up a pair of Reference Signature S6 v.3s with a decent source and amplification. That would be sweet. If you crave tonal neutrality, speed, immediacy, tuneful punchy bass and want to hear everything on your records—good, bad or ugly—I heartily recommend you track down a pair for audition.

Quality of packing: Excellent.
Reusability of packing: Appears reusable several times.
Quality of owner's manual: Everything you require.
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Completeness of delivery: Perfect.
Website comments: An enormous amount of material including excellent diagrams and pictures. A model of its kind.
Human interactions: Professional and friendly.
Pricing: Terrific value.
Final comments & suggestions: None.
Paradigm website