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Paradigm Servo 15v2 Subwoofer Reviewed


  • October 25, 2008

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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

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  • 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!

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