The new Founder Series is the first completely new speaker line to be introduced since Paradigm founder Scott Bagby reacquired the company in 2019. Paradigm Electronics, also fully acquired Anthem Electronics, and MartinLogan Loudspeakers from an investment firm, all brands that are now manufactured at the company's state of the art facilities in Mississauga Ontario.
Though it draws on nearly 40 years of Paradigm innovation and evolution from the award-winning flagship Persona range, the new Founder Series brings a host of new technologies to its driver designs, cabinet construction and even the hardware that holds it all together.
Designed, tested, engineered, and manufactured at Paradigm’s state-of-the-art 225,000 square foot facility in Toronto, Canada, the new series includes three floorstanders, the Founder 80F, Founder 100F, and the hybrid active/passive Founder 120H with ARC Genesis room correction; along with the Founder 40B standmount, Founder 90C centre and Founder 70LCR, which can be installed vertically or horizontally. The Founder Series offers anyone looking for great sound the ultimate in flexibility when it comes to system building.
"The Founders Series is a strong accomplishment for Paradigm. We are combining an iconic design, sound that has astounding clarity along with a delicate and believable realism, and a sonic impact that will send shivers down your spine," says Scott Bagby, Founder and CEO. "I am immensely proud of our development teams' devotion to produce a line that clearly exceeds all expectations."
All models are available in a choice of four artisan-grade finishes – Walnut or Black Walnut fine-quality wood veneer, and Midnight Cherry or Piano Black high gloss.
Paradigm’s patented technologies are developed completely in-house and along with obsessive attention to detail and exhaustive testing, deliver dynamic, detailed and lifelike performance that out-performs higher-priced products. Commenting on the new range, Dave Baker, Director of North American sales, said: "Pleasing both the stereo and home theatre enthusiasts, the Founder Series should serve as a reminder that exceptional audio performance does matter."
New Series, New Technologies
With its design and manufacturing facilities allowing Paradigm to take full control of every aspect of speaker design, the new series features some developments that should be highlighted.
AL-MAC High-Frequency Driver – Paradigm’s newest tweeter design is made lighter and stronger with a special combination of Aluminum, Magnesium, and Ceramic materials. It has a natural resistance to uncontrolled resonance that makes it far more accurate and responsive than other designs. It’s paired with a special Oblate Spherical Waveguide (OSW) that maintains sonic focus on the listening area. This makes it perfect for large, open-plan rooms with reflective surfaces like windows and hardwood floors.
AL-MAG Midrange Driver – Founder’s midrange driver is developed with listener sensitivity in mind. Focusing its performance where our ears are most sensitive, the cone is a 6-inch Aluminum Magnesium alloy driven with a 2-inch multi-layered voice coil and a Perforated Phase Alignment (PPA) lens. The result is unparalleled realism and accuracy.
CARBON-X Unibody Bass Driver – To maintain clarity in the lowest frequencies, Paradigm has created an ultra-stiff, ultra-strong bass driver called CARBON-X in 5.5, 6, 7 and 8-inch sizes. It’s made from mineral-infused carbon fiber and molded as a single piece to maintain control at the highest volumes. Combined with Paradigm’s patented over-moulded Active Ridge Technology (ART) surround and Advanced Shock-Mount Isolation hardware, it is both detailed and powerful.
Dual-Sync Continuous Flux Motor – Both the 90C and 70LCR models use a coaxial driver with an AL-MAC tweeter centrally mounted in an AL-MAG midrange cone profiled to match the sonic characteristics of the OSW designs in the rest of the series. Here, Paradigm’s patent-pending Dual-Sync Continuous Flux Motor solves the issues associated with drivers that have combined magnet structures, resulting in a low-distortion, high-output midrange/tweeter combination.
Cascade Fusion Bracing – In place of the traditional square cabinet geometry, each Founder Series model features a faceted enclosure, constructed from 3/4-inch MDF and 1-inch thick top and bottom insets. The bracing is fused directly into the walls of the cabinet, requiring the cabinet to be folded around the frame as a single piece. The angular longitudinal central brace forms a structural core while dividing the walls of the cabinet into non-uniform surfaces. These surfaces are reinforced by additional horizontal cascade braces in optimal locations to further prevent excess energy from escaping through the walls of the cabinet.
Advanced Shock-Mount Isolation System – To control driver to cabinet and cabinet to floor resonance, Paradigm also developed the Advanced Shock-Mount Isolation system. Special hardware with an elastomer suspension mechanically decouples the driver from the cabinet. Advanced Shock-Mount Feet on floorstanding models isolate the entire cabinet from the floor using the same elastomer to prevent any extraneous vibration from coloring the sound. The feet include hardware for both carpet and hard flooring and are adjustable from above, eliminating any need to move or tip the cabinet.
The Founder Series speaker line-up includes the Founder 40B Standmount Loudspeaker ($1,099.99 US each), the Founder 70LCR ($1,699.99 US each) that can be used both horizontally as a compact centre channel or vertically as a main stereo or surround unit, and the Founder 90C ($2,599.99 US each) full-range Centre Channel Loudspeaker. In the floor standing category, the series includes the Founder 80F ($1,899.99 US each), the most affordably priced tower model in the line, followed by the Founder 100F ($2599.99 US each), which extends the bass response. The flagship of the series is the Founder 120H ($4,249.99 US each).
The Founder 120H Floorstanding Loudspeaker features a 1-inch AL-MAC Ceramic Dome Tweeter with OSW Waveguide and patented PPA Lens; a 7-inch midrange AL-MAG Cone with a Resonance Mitigation Coupler, PPA Lens and 2-inch high-temp voice coil; and three 8-inch Ultra-High-Excursion CARBON-X Cones with Active Ridge Technology (ART) Surrounds driven by an integrated 1,000-watt amplifier. Its built-in ARC Genesis Room Correction delivers bass down to 18Hz that sounds precise and controlled in any room.
Since 1982, innovative design, advanced materials, in-house manufacturing and state-of-the-art engineering have made Paradigm an international leader in speaker design, consistently achieving the ultimate in sound for music and home theater.
www.paradigm.com
