Digital Trends

Paradigm Monitor 7 and UltraCube 10

January 4th, 2008 | by Ben Fowler

Background

The Monitor Series has been around for some time, but Paradigm has recently updated and refreshed the line-up. The Monitor series is just a step below their famous Reference products, which includes their highly acclaimed Studio series. The concept or brand behind the Monitor series seems to be high-end, high-output (read: loud) music performance that will compete with horn speakers (Klipsch is one of their main competitors). From their site: “These models compete directly with the efficiency and output of major brands of horn speakers - they not only play as loud, their sound is authentically high end Paradigm fidelity.”

The Monitor 7’s are the entry-level tower in this family, founded on 5 ½” mid and bass drivers. There’s also a Monitor 9 and Monitor 11 that use 6 ½” and 7 ½” mid/bass drivers respectively. There is no center channel or surround options in this family, but Paradigm recommends using one of their Cinema Series centers with any of the Monitor Series speakers. 

The UltraCube 10 subwoofer is part of their UltraCube line of subs. These are the subs that pack big-thrills in small packages. In fact their UltraCube “motto”, “Big bass for small space...” seems quite fitting considering the size and output of the sub. There are two subs in this family, the 10” and a larger 12”. As you would guess, the UltraCube 10 is founded on a 10” woofer.

Features and Design

The Monitor 7 tower is a 4 way speaker utilizing a 1-inch “H-PTD” dome tweeter (the material looks like metal…), a 5 ½” “M-ICP” midrange driver, and two carbon- infused polypropylene 5 ½” drivers for bass. The crossover is a 2 ½ way design. The “1/2” portion of the crossover is really a type of resistor placed in line with the bass drivers so that they don’t get any of the potentially distorting mid-range frequencies – that way they focus on just the bass, and the whole speaker can potentially be louder. The speakers are rated down to 41 Hz, which is extremely low for a speaker of this size. The sensitivity is rated at 94 dB in room. The speakers are available in three color options: Rosenut, Black Ash, and Cherry. These are not real wood, but rather premium vinyl. List price for the pair is $679 USD. 

The UltraCube 10 has one active 10” mineral-filled polypropylene driver, along with dual passive radiators. The built-in amplification boasts 1500 watts peak, 650 watts sustained. Paradigm states the low-end extension goes down to 22Hz. The cabinet is finished with the same black ash vinyl on the towers. List Price for the UltraCube 10 is $799 USD.

UltraCube 10 Subwoofer, Image Courtesy of Paradigm