Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: GR Research Paradox 1 Speakers by ChrisF

Model:	Paradox 1
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$450 pair / Kit Form
Description:	2 Way Standmounted
Manufacturer URL:	GR Research
Manufacturer URL:	GR Research

Review by ChrisF ( A ) on January 17, 2002 at 12:59:20
IP Address: 198.151.179.32

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I am going to begin by saying that this review is going to be very long so for those of you who might not want to read the entire review let me just say that I love my new Paradox-1 and my entire experience with Danny Ritchie and GR Research far exceeded my expectations.
I had spent a great deal of time on the net over the past few months searching for some new speakers to replace my Boston Acoutics VR-M50 which I thought was a fairly nice bookshelf speaker. I had begun to realize that I could far exceed the performance of my Boston's by going the DIY or Kit route so I started to look at various kits. Here on Audioasylum the merits of GR Research and specifically the Paradox 1 were being sung by several members who were all very impressed with what GR Research could do. Being a college student and on a limited budget I was certainly intrigued especially since I could get a complete kit for less than 500 dollars but I was concerned about ordering a speaker that I had never heard before. Sound and especially speakers are very subjective and how could I spend 500 dollars of my hard earned money on something that I have never heard before. I did some more research and soon realized that GR Research was a short drive to Witchita Falls from Austin College in Sherman, Texas where I attend school. I called up Danny and set up an appointment that saturday to come and see if the reputation of GR Research and the Paradox 1 was well deserved.
I arrived in Witchita Falls that saturday and pulled up to an orange strip shoping center and saw a single door with the blinds shut tightly. There was only a GR logo on the door indicating that this is the home of GR Research. I knocked and Danny Ritchie greeted me at the door welcoming me to GR Research. He started by giving me tour of his facilities which included a very nice demo room with all of his speakers, an office, anechoic chamber, and inventory areas. He spent time showing me various speakers he has designed or is designing, he showed me various drivers he used, invited me to hold, touch, feel, and basically ask anything I could think of. I could immediatly tell he really enjoyed what he was doing and he really made me feel welcome. Soon we got down to business and I prepared to listen to his Paradox 1. I gave him a CD I had burned the previous night with various tracks I wanted to use to audtion and soon the music began.
And what beautiful music it was!!! I am certainly not an audiophile and won't try to use fancy words to describe the sound but I know what sounds good to me. I have heard some nice equipment before such as Sonus Faber, Martin Logan, Proceed, B&W, etc. The first thing that struck me was how very large a soundfield these speakers were throwing out. I was listening to James Taylor and I would have sworn that he was standing on a stage right in front of me. The best way I can describe it is to say that the Paradox 1's sound WAY BIGGER than they really are. A few songs later I was listening to a Creed song with an electric guitar and drum playing and the sounds was totally enveloping around me. I was thinking to myself there is no way that those little speakers are making all of this sound. I told Danny this and then I got up and started walking around the room looking for some trick that Danny was playing on me. He had been working on some line arrays and there were some large containers behind the Paradox 1's that were playing. I thought Danny must have secretly turned those Line Arrays, it turned out those containers were filled with fiberglass to dampen the room. Danny laughed as I walked around the room feeling around looking for some secret speaker or machine that was making this beautiful music. I found nothing and I sat back down totally in awe of those little paradox 1's in front of me. The midrange is liquid and sounds so smooth that I got chills sitting and soaking in all the beautiful sounds. The Guitar sounded so real and as I sit here typing this review I am trying to think of adjectives that sum up my experience but let me just say that it was jaw-dropping. The Focal tweeter had gobs of detail but was not sharp or bright at all and the bass that was very tight and solid. Danny told me the woofer plays flat to 60hz and then drops off from there. So many speakers I have heard will attempt to play lower than they really can and the bass sounds so muddy and hurts the overall presentation of the speakers. The Paradox might not play very low but what it does play is superb.
After the Paradox 1 audition, Danny hooked up his A/V 1+ and I did another listening session. Much of the positives of the Paradox were evident with the A/V but I personally enjoyed the Paradox more. The A/V uses a soft dome tweeter and sounded very good but I just prefered the extra detail of the Focal tweeter in the Paradox. I really loved both of the speakers but in the end I just had to have the Paradox 1. I told Danny I would take a kit so he packed me up a complete kit with everything I needed and I got out of the door for under 500 dollars. This included the enclosures, drivers, crossover parts, solder, and some Black Hole 5 that would dampen the enclosure. The kit included everything I would need except for some basic tools needed in assembly and whatever I would use to stain or finish the enclosure. I walked out thanking Danny and could not wait to get the speakers assembled.
Fast Forward to Next Saturday. I was at home and began to assemble the speakers; I had never soldered before and it took quite a while to get the hang of it. The assembly process was not that difficult but took me most of that saturday which included assembly and staining the cabinets. After I got everything together, I proudly brought my new creation into the house and hooked them up. I was disapointed... They sounded flat and nothing like they had when I demoed them a week earlier. I remembered that Danny said they needed a significant break in so I left them playing and hoped they would dramatically break in over the next few days. I returned to college with my new speakers and still disapointed with how they sounded. I called Danny and he told me to bring them and we would see what was wrong them.
So a couple days later I made the trip to Witchita Falls and Danny greated me at the door. We brought the speakers inside and he made some measurements on both speakers. The impedance on both was way off so we took both speakers back into his workroom and we opened them both. Danny looked at each speakers and told me they were put together correctly; then he noticed the culprit. I had left the leads on the foil inductors too long and consequently they were hitting each other and had shorted out. He said we would take care of it and began the process of disassembling my speakers and correcting the problem. Danny and I spent at least two hours correcting the problem and getting the crossover reassembled. We got the crossover back in the cabinets but we had to let the glue dry and a few things set before we could get everything back up and running. So I left sans speakers but I held out hope that soon my Paradox 1's would be making beautiful music.
The Next Day... I returned to GR Research and we began the process of getting my speakers totally put together. Danny and I both got everything soldered down and screwed in; the moment of truth was upon us. We took both speakers and did an impedance check, both speakers measured perfectly. Danny then did a frequency response in his anechoic chamber and printed out several responses and measurements to take with me. Finally, we took both speakers into his listening room and we hooked them both up and listened to the Star Wars soundtrack. The music started and once again my jaw dropped. The music coming out of those Paradox 1's was magnificent and I could not believe that those were my speakers. He turned the lights off and cranked the volume and it was magnificent. It sounded like a full orchaestra playing the soundtrack to Star Wars, the volume was deafaning but at the same time was crystal clear. We listened to the entire song and Danny asked if I wanted to hear anything else. I told him that I had to get back to school but I thanked him for everything.
So here I am right listening to James Taylor put on a live show in my dorm room as I right this review. My Paradox 1's are making sweet music and I could not be happier. Never would I have thought that I could get this kind of sound for less than 500 dollars. It truly is a Paradox... Danny and GR Research offer a tremendous product at a price that too good to be true. Not only that but Danny is a tremendous individual who went far above and beyond the call of duty in helping me get my speakers functioning correctly. Danny spent about ten hours over three days working with me on a pair of 500 dollar speakers. Where else can you get that kind of dedication and customer service? Danny Ritchie and GR Research are truly amazing and I give them my highest recommendation. I certainly will be seeing what GR Research has to offer whenever I look for new speakers but right now I am enjoying my Paradox 1's. For those of you near Witchita Falls, Texas give them a call as Danny would be more than willing to show off his speakers and for those further away, I urge you to give GR Research a shot. I think you will be glad you did, I know that I am. Thanks again Danny and GR Research!!!
Chris Fisher

Product Weakness: Not available to audition everywhere.
Product Strengths: Imaging, Detail, Dynamic, Tonality, Cost

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Sony 30 ES Reciever
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Toshiba DVD Player
Speakers:	GR Research Paradox 1
Cables/Interconnects:	Monster Cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Various
Room Size (LxWxH):	12 x 18 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	None
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Owner
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Not available to audition everywhere.
Product Strengths:	Imaging, Detail, Dynamic, Tonality, Cost