Floorstanding loudspeakers — Paradigm Electronics Persona 3F

The Paradigm Persona 3F is a floorstanding loudspeaker from the Persona series, the top range of the Canadian manufacturer. Every Persona model uses beryllium for both the tweeter and the midrange, a combination rarely found at this level, and the whole series is designed, engineered and built at Paradigm's factory near Toronto. Paradigm was founded in 1982 and works with Canada's National Research Council on its acoustic research.

Key specs that matter

Paradigm built the 3F as a four-driver, three-way bass reflex design. It uses a 25mm Truextent beryllium dome tweeter, a 178mm (7-inch) Truextent beryllium midrange and two 178mm X-PAL bass drivers. The crossovers are third-order electro-acoustic at 2.4kHz and third-order at 450Hz. On-axis response is within +/-2dB from 48Hz to 45kHz, and within +/-2dB from 48Hz to 20kHz at 30 degrees off axis, with low-frequency extension to 24Hz. Sensitivity is 92dB in room and 89dB anechoic, the impedance is compatible with 8 ohms, and suitable amplifiers range from 15 to 400W. Each speaker measures 112.6 x 24.1 x 42.7cm and weighs 34kg.

Engineering and use context

Truextent beryllium is produced for Paradigm by Materion in California. It is 99.9% pure with a uniform grain structure, unlike the beryllium alloys some manufacturers use. The metal is stiffer and lighter than aluminium or titanium, which pushes diaphragm break-up out of the audible band, and using it for the midrange as well keeps one diaphragm material across the critical band. Each of these two drivers sits behind a Perforated Phase-Aligning (PPA) lens whose perforation pattern cancels out-of-phase output from different parts of the diaphragm and smooths dispersion. The midrange has an Inverse Differential Drive neodymium motor and a 1.5-inch high-temperature voice coil, and the tweeter's pole piece was optimised with finite element analysis. The X-PAL bass drivers have overmolded Active Ridge Technology surrounds and tandem voice coils for long, controlled excursion. All mid and bass drivers are mounted with SHOCK-MOUNT isolation that keeps vibration away from the cabinet. Finishes are high-gloss Vanta Black and Harmony White or metallic Aria Blue and Sonic Silver.

Pairing

Modest amplifiers can drive the Persona 3F, and large solid-state amplifiers suit it as well. In home cinema the Persona C centre shares the same beryllium tweeter technology, while Paradigm's Defiance and Signature subwoofers extend the bass further.

Alternatives

The Paradigm Persona 5F is another floorstander in the Persona series.