Paradigm Servo 15

TOM ALLEN

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Hi all , can any of you experts tell me what I should expect to get for the above, approx. 6 years old immaculate condition,(will digout receipt & check) only used at weekends for a couple of hours. I also have a the X-30 control box, your guidance on this would really help as I'm in two minds whether to go down the Monolith route.....the Servo is a little beaut tho' (did I say little):D

Regards
 
If you have a Servo 15 why would you want to sell it to buy a Monolith :confused:
 
Well, the main reason is that it's not that good with music, and from what I've read on this Forum the Monolith is. Quite a few years ago I had the REL Q Bass, with the High Level inputs, even that Sub sounded better (IMO) than the Servo.
I suppose it could be my fault for not setting it up correctly, anyhow; I can only assume from you guys (Ian J. & Russ.Will) the Monolith isn't as good.

Regards:thumbsup:
 
I can only assume from you guys (Ian J. & Russ.Will) the Monolith isn't as good.

I disagree. I sold my Servo 15 for a Monolith and there was a small but perceptible increase in quality. Music playback is quite a lot better.
 
Could I be so bold as to ask how much you got for it.:lease:
 
£400. I think I was a little lucky though. Think they go for £350ish on ebay.
 
Thanks Sunil, It gives me a ball park figure, not had any experience with EBay, always seems to be a bit on the "Iffy" side, anyway once I've made ones mind up, I know where to start. Just one more question, how good is the Monolith with slam & depth compared to the Servo, AFAIK you can only buy direct, so nowhere to get a demo, or is that incorrect.
Thanks anyway:hiya:
 
I'd say it's slightly louder lower down. The rumbles in War Of The Worlds certainly cause more impact than the Servo 15. Slam is pretty much the same but is of a better quality than the Servo due to it's speed.
The Monolith is not miles ahead by any means, but I noticed a perceptible difference in my room. The difference may be bigger or smaller in your room. Good luck :thumbsup:
EDIT: Regarding a demo, they do only sell direct, but you might be lucky to find someone willing to give you a listen to theirs close by to Liverpool.
 
That is only my opinion; others may find different, particularly in their room. The only other person to notice the difference was a friend of mine who said it sounded louder but didn't comment on the quality. Considering he owns an Eltax sub, I'd take that with a pinch of salt!
Why is it so surprising to you Smurfin?
 
Just surprised because imho the Servo is one of the best value subs out there (or was), stonking performance. Very surprised that the monolith goes lower more than anything else....
 
Very surprised that the monolith goes lower more than anything else....

Not sure about in a domestic environment but the Servo 15 certainly goes marginally lower in school playgrounds :)
 
The Monolith doesn't go deeper but it does go louder below 25Hz, albeit by 4dB, and it does manage it with less distortion than the Servo. That last bit is surprising considering the volume limit at those frequencies is imposed by the servo's response to distortion.

As far as I can see, the specs of the two are nip and tuck for differences. The only thing I can think of that would make the Monolith a better music performer is the fact that sub 40Hz, it has much lower group delay. That's also surprising because conventional wisdom thinks that ported boxes are poor in this respect. It's not true in this case, presumably as a result of the Servo's hefty EQ in this region off setting is sealed box advantage.

I think it's easy to dismiss this comparatively misunderstood measurement, but doing it well is the one thing all alledged musical subs seem to have in common. The Monolith was better with music in my room than the Ultra which measures better in every respect, except this one.

FWIW, I still think going from a Servo to a Monolith looks like a sideways step and would invetsigate EQ before jumping in this direction. I think the performance gains would be greater as the rooms input would far outway the differences between the subs that can be found outdoors.

Russell
 
I paid the princely sum of £250 for one here, inc the cross over unit thingy - http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=501625&page=2 now if another were to get posted in the classifieds I could be tempted at half way meet even though it is a pig to get in the car

Hiya, I only started the thread off to get a rough idea of it's value, only putting feelers out. The main reason being it's not the best sub for music, but my main speakers are fine and I'll probably persevere with it's positioning. Also, the fact it's a MINTER and hardly run in, I don't think I'd let it go so cheap. I think it's delayed "Mid Life Crisis" , I'm also contemplating buying a new Onkyo amp, so somethings going wrong....just as an aside; can anyone explain how the current (Ampage) figures are calculated e.g. the 605 quotes 36, the top model is 76 amps. Now, AFAIK domestic appliances can only draw 15 amps, apart from an electric cooker being 30, love to know. Thanks to everyone for the replies, I was aware that SERVO was good, but I got the impression the Monolith was streets ahead...


Thanks:thumbsup:
 
Domestic appliances don't draw any more than 13amps max ,i think those figures are for the amps power supply output and and the not mains input.The 605 would need over 8kw of power ,the spec says 630w which works out under 3amps.
 
Hiya Bob, that's exactly my point, if the amp can only draw a maximum of 13 amps in, how can it output 36 or higher. I can appreciate the idea of a "Beasty" amp that drive inefficient speakers as NAD have been doing it for years, but how is it achieved?:lease: Mods, please move this as it's now gone off topic.
 
It's done by the power supply and it's ruddy great capcitors which act as a power reservoir for short term peak demands from transients.

Russell
 
Mods, please move this as it's now gone off topic.

I can close it for you but I'm not sure there is anywhere more suitable to move it to.

Dave
 
Hello again, well,I went away and played with the x-30 control box moved the sub all over the place and I reckon I've finally got it sorted.:D
Still more testing with films , the music however sounds 10x better; set it all up using the Eagles Farewell 1 Tour in Melbourne together with some Classical. I just hope the films sound as good or I'll be tweaking for ever!:eek: I appreciate all the comment/advise too.:thumbsup:
 

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