• AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Paradigm Servo 15v2 Subwoofer Reviewed


  • October 25, 2008

| Print Page | Adjust Font Size:

Free Home Theater Review Weekly Newsletter.

Enter your e-mail below to get Home Theater Review's weekly newsletter with the latest equipment reviews and home theater news sent directly to your inbox.


*Required

paradigm-servo-15v2-subwoofer.jpgParadigm is considered by critics, home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles to be one of the top speaker makers in the world, for very good reason.  Their excellent performance and reasonable pricing make their speakers products almost anyone can afford, while for the money, they are consistently hard to beat.  When setting up a system, particularly a home theater, a subwoofer is an absolute necessity.  It must go deep and play loud to cover the intense dynamics of film, but it must also sound good so that it can be used to supplement the bass for music listening.  The Servo 15v2 is designed to fulfill these criteria and more.  Costing $2,500 the Servo 15 is designed to mate with high-end systems and large rooms, though it could easily be adjusted to fit into smaller rooms.

When it comes to subwoofers, a lot of companies have gone with small boxes and drivers with large amplifiers to allow easy placement and good performance, but when you want the best performance, size is a must.  Paradigms Servo 15v2 is big, at about 20 inches by 18 inches by 22 inches and weighing in at 114 pounds. Some would say it's huge.  You need that kind of size, though, if you plan on putting a 15-inch-high excursion driver and an amplifier capable of putting out 4,500 watts peak and 1,500 watts continuous into the box, as well as adding all the connections and controls you could want and need including balanced and single-ended line ins, multiple power options and continuously variable phase, crossover, bass contour and volume.  The Servo 15 comes in black, rosenut or cherry finishes and will put out amazing levels of clean and clear bass, making it integrate well into audio systems, in addition to shaking the foundation for movie soundtracks.

High Points
•    The flexible controls, inputs and power settings make this an easy subwoofer to integrate into any system.
•    The massive 15-inch driver can move tons of air, making for powerful dynamic bass response for films or music.
•    The subwoofer comes in three different finishes to enable it to fit into most decors.

Low Points
•    This is a large subwoofer and might not fit, or be needed, for that matter, in smaller rooms, but if you have a good-sized room with the space for it, it will reward you in spades.
•    The lack of high level inputs and outputs can make this subwoofer difficult to integrate into a two-channel system, unless your preamp has two line outs or you want to use a Y connector.

Conclusion
The Paradigm Servo 15v2 is an amazing subwoofer, capable of putting out more than enough bass to fill even very large rooms, yet thanks to all the control options, it could easily be adjusted for smaller rooms, too.  The deep and powerful bass exhibits exceptional timbre, making the Servo 15 equally at home in a music or movie system.

Keywords

Subwoofer, Paradigm, Servo 15, Servo 15v2, Paradigm subwoofer, home theater, home theater subwoofer, Paradigm, Servo 15 reviewed

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Subscribe to HomeTheaterReview.com's Weekly Newsletter to get the latest news, reviews and insight on the world of home theater, HDTV and audiophile equipment. Subscription is 100% FREE!
*Required
Email Marketing by VerticalResponse
subscribe to rss Subscribe with RSS
Follow home theater equipment reviews and daily news via our RSS feed.
  • Comment on this article

    1
  • By mars

I have the first version of the servo 15 and the second version as well
The only thing I can say is WOW on the version 2
If you want to shake your room and neighbours, this is the sub you need!

Post a Comment

Please answer the following question (required) before posting to help us prevent Spam.


Featured Audio-Video News

Experiencing Your Dream Home Theater While On Vacation

Experiencing Your Dream Home Theater While On Vacation -

It isn't any news that the economy is in the dumps. Morphing your living room, garage or basement into the...

Latest Subwoofer Reviews

Home Theater Review 2009 Best of Awards -

For the first time, Home Theater Review com's editors have picked a select list of the best gear from many of our AV equipment categories. The winners are picked subjectively by our staff. In today's economy, value matters - this... Click for more...

Outlaw Audio ECS-10 Subwoofer Reviewed -

A major problem in the past with small and compact subwoofers was their inability to deliver strong and deep low-end to the average soundstage. Outlaw Audio's design team was well aware of this challenge when they started developing the ECS-10... Click for more...

Energy ESW-V10 Subwoofer Reviewed -

Energy is an audio manufacturer that is fairly well known for developing quality speakers at a mid-range price and now they are slowly getting into producing a more high-end subwoofer product line starting with the ESW-V10. The list price for... Click for more...

Paradigm Signature SUB 25 Reviewed -

The Paradigm Signature SUB 25 is the biggest, baddest subwoofer in Paradigm's extensive product line-up. I recently reviewed Paradigm's Studio speakers with their Studio SUB 15 subwoofer. The Signature SUB 25 is outwardly similar to the Studio SUB 15, but... Click for more...

Totem Acoustic Tribe 12-Inch In-Wall Subwoofer -

If you asked me to think of a thin and flat audio/video product, the first thing that would come to mind would be a flat-panel TV. The last thing that would come to mind would be a subwoofer. That's why... Click for more...

MartinLogan Descent i Subwoofer Reviewed -

MartinLogan's current, top of the line subwoofer is the Descent i, which replaces the Descent. The new model retails at $2,995, $200 more than its predecessor. The Descent i, is similar to its predecessor in overall design but features significant... Click for more...

Infinity Cascade Model Fifteen Powered Subwoofer -

Infinity Cascade Series loudspeakers have a distinctively appealing design--sleek and thin with curved and tapered baffles. They're so pretty that it would be a shame to mate them with a boxy, clunky subwoofer. This fact is not lost on Infinity,... Click for more...

MartinLogan Descent i Subwoofer Reviewed -

MartinLogan's current top of the line subwoofer is the Descent i, which replaces the Descent. The new model retails at $2,995, $200 more than its predecessor. The Descent i is similar to its predecessor in overall design, but features significant... Click for more...

Paradigm Studio 100 5.1 Speaker System Reviewed -

The Paradigm Studio v.5 series was introduced at CES 2009 as the fifth iteration of the Studio series. The Studio series was first introduced about a decade ago and, as the version number implies, it has been updated as new... Click for more...

Bowers & Wilkins CT 700 Series Loudspeakers Reviewed -

It didn't take me long to realize that this wasn't going to be your normal product review. Not because the product, Bowers & Wilkins' new CT 700 series loudspeaker, is either bad or wholly unique, but because, unlike other traditional... Click for more...

Latest Subwoofer Reviews

Home Theater Review 2009 Best of Awards -

For the first time, Home Theater Review com's editors have picked a select list of the best gear from many of our AV equipment categories. The winners are picked subjectively by our staff. In today's economy, value matters - this... Click for more...

Outlaw Audio ECS-10 Subwoofer Reviewed -

A major problem in the past with small and compact subwoofers was their inability to deliver strong and deep low-end to the average soundstage. Outlaw Audio's design team was well aware of this challenge when they started developing the ECS-10... Click for more...

Energy ESW-V10 Subwoofer Reviewed -

Energy is an audio manufacturer that is fairly well known for developing quality speakers at a mid-range price and now they are slowly getting into producing a more high-end subwoofer product line starting with the ESW-V10. The list price for... Click for more...

Paradigm Signature SUB 25 Reviewed -

The Paradigm Signature SUB 25 is the biggest, baddest subwoofer in Paradigm's extensive product line-up. I recently reviewed Paradigm's Studio speakers with their Studio SUB 15 subwoofer. The Signature SUB 25 is outwardly similar to the Studio SUB 15, but... Click for more...

Totem Acoustic Tribe 12-Inch In-Wall Subwoofer -

If you asked me to think of a thin and flat audio/video product, the first thing that would come to mind would be a flat-panel TV. The last thing that would come to mind would be a subwoofer. That's why... Click for more...

MartinLogan Descent i Subwoofer Reviewed -

MartinLogan's current, top of the line subwoofer is the Descent i, which replaces the Descent. The new model retails at $2,995, $200 more than its predecessor. The Descent i, is similar to its predecessor in overall design but features significant... Click for more...

Infinity Cascade Model Fifteen Powered Subwoofer -

Infinity Cascade Series loudspeakers have a distinctively appealing design--sleek and thin with curved and tapered baffles. They're so pretty that it would be a shame to mate them with a boxy, clunky subwoofer. This fact is not lost on Infinity,... Click for more...

MartinLogan Descent i Subwoofer Reviewed -

MartinLogan's current top of the line subwoofer is the Descent i, which replaces the Descent. The new model retails at $2,995, $200 more than its predecessor. The Descent i is similar to its predecessor in overall design, but features significant... Click for more...

Paradigm Studio 100 5.1 Speaker System Reviewed -

The Paradigm Studio v.5 series was introduced at CES 2009 as the fifth iteration of the Studio series. The Studio series was first introduced about a decade ago and, as the version number implies, it has been updated as new... Click for more...

Bowers & Wilkins CT 700 Series Loudspeakers Reviewed -

It didn't take me long to realize that this wasn't going to be your normal product review. Not because the product, Bowers & Wilkins' new CT 700 series loudspeaker, is either bad or wholly unique, but because, unlike other traditional... Click for more...

All Subwoofer Reviews

Latest Equipment Reviews

Mapleshade Time-Correcting Maple Bedrock Speaker Stands Reviewed -

For ages the adage with bookshelf and/or monitor speakers has always been getting the tweeter or tweeter/midrange as close to ear height will yield the best results. Of course proper placement in a room as well as in relation to... Click for more...

Mapleshade Samson V.1 Equipment Rack Reviewed -

Seemingly everyone makes an equipment rack of some form or another these days with varying degrees of success, however for best results you're better off going with a third party or specialty equipment rack. The problem with going with an... Click for more...

Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition Universal Player Reviewed -

Oppo Digital's first Blu-ray player the BDP-83 entered the market in mid 2009 to numerous accolades. A mere half year later, Oppo Digital, not satisfied with the untapped performance potential of the player, released the BDP-83 Special Edition reviewed here.... Click for more...

Parker Audio 95MK II Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Chances are you've never heard of or seen a pair of Parker Audio 95MK II loudspeakers. Because of that fact, you're probably thinking they're some sort of uber-esoteric, high-end, ultra-expensive loudspeakers from some designer's garage in Munich. Well, you'd be... Click for more...

Bel Canto e. One S300iu Integrated Amplifier Reviewed -

Integrated amplifiers have always been an effective and affordable way to get into two-channel audio. However, in recent years, integrated amplifiers have come into their own, offering performance and simplicity that even high-end separate systems have trouble matching. Case in... Click for more...

Bel Canto e.One S300 Power Amplifier Reviewed -

Stereo amplifiers have been a staple since music went from single speakers to two-way back in the day. Over the years, we've seen stereo amplifiers go from simple, manageable black boxes to over-the-top, larger-than-thou space heaters for the home and... Click for more...

OmniMount Link Series A/V Stands Reviewed -

As its name suggests, OmniMount's Link Series is a modular line of A/V stands that you can mix and match to craft the exact entertainment solution you need. You can also add on as your system grows. The Link Series,... Click for more...

Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v.5 Bookshelf Speaker Reviewed -

I've been a fan of Paradigm for years, owning and enjoying seemingly every speaker in their product line from the awesome and affordable Atoms to their flagship Signature S8s. Over the years there have been two Paradigm speaker designs that... Click for more...

Bel Canto REF 1000M Mono Amplifier Reviewed -

When one thinks of a 500-Watt mono amplifier you probably picture a large, heat sink clad hunk of steel that weighs more than the car you drove it home in and probably costs more too. What if I told you... Click for more...

OmniMount VideoBasics TV Mounts Reviewed -

You've spent the extra money to buy an ultra-thin HDTV. The last thing you want to do is hinder the minimalist look by mating the TV with a bulky wall-mount. OmniMount designed the VideoBasics line of flat-panel TV mounts with... Click for more...

Read All Reviews