About The Paradigm Founder 120H Speakers
Despite the high efficiency of the Paradigm Founder 120H (Hybrid), when we say hybrid, we don't mean it gets great gas mileage. No, we mean it has a 1,000 Watt amplified bass section that does the "heavy lifting" for you. Since Paradigm's engineers designed the 120H from the ground up with its own amplification for the bass, they could perfectly tune the output as a system, giving a higher performance in a smaller package than would typically be possible. The 120H also takes advantage of the incredible ARC Genesis room correction system that takes real-world measurements in your room to tune the bass response for your specific situation. This is indeed next-level bass performance that allows your amplifier to concentrate its energy on the critical midrange and high frequencies. The 120H offers truly uncompromised performance in a very reasonably sized package.
Founder is no ordinary loudspeaker. Paradigm have treated every part, large and small, as if it were the most crucial piece of the whole. Every component has been thoroughly researched, designed, engineered, and tested. Not only are the drivers completely new, so is their mounting hardware, the cabinet's internal structure and shape, and even the feet. By leaving no element unaddressed, Paradigm's designers & engineers have created something that is much greater than the sum of its parts.
Precision
When we say "precision" we mean the nuance, detail, and realism that is achieved when a speaker "gets it right." Founder series includes many new advances in design, materials, and engineering to provide class defining levels of performance.
Aluminium Magnesium Ceramic (AL-MAC™) High Frequency Driver: Any high-performance speaker driver (in this case, the tweeter) must be both very strong (to prevent distortion), and very light (to be agile, responsive, and accurate). This quest of design and engineering has led the industry to try many different exotic materials. Some of them found practical application and many did not. AL-MAC is Paradigm's unique blend of Aluminium, Magnesium, and Ceramic materials; each of which contribute to the end goal of greater accuracy and realism. Their special properties contribute to the final product which is not only strong and lightweight, but embodies a natural anti-resonance to ensure the tweeter doesn't just sound good "on paper" but truly sounds incredible in the real world. Cutting edge technology, with real benefits, in practical applications - this is what the Founder Series is all about.
Aluminium Magnesium (AL-MAG™) Midrange Driver: Similar to the goals Paradigm had in mind when developing the AL-MAC tweeter, AL-MAG was conceived to bring the same elevated level of performance to the area where our ears are the most sensitive, the midrange. If you have ever read a speaker review, the midrange typically gets a lot of attention, and rightly so. By nature, human hearing places an emphasis on things like voices so that we know when we're interacting with someone familiar. Think about how instantly recognizable your favourite recording artist or actor's voice sounds. Paradigm's goal here was to have the midrange driver sound as realistic as possible. After all, isn't that why you have a nice audio system? To make it sound like, "you are there?" With AL-MAG technology, Founder series comes another step closer.
Three Ultra-High-Excursion CARBON-X Unibody Bass Drivers: The foundation of our listening begins with the lowest frequencies. In pursuit of ultimate clarity, Paradigm developed new technology, high performance bass drivers for use in the larger floorstanding models of the Founder Series. These drivers use a single-piece cone construction for added strength, especially at higher volumes, with the lowest possible mass to ensure every detail can be heard clearly. Combine this with Paradigm's signature ART Surround, and Shock-Mount technologies and you get a bass driver that's both detailed and powerful, as it should be.
Control
Packing incredible technology into a speaker means nothing if the benefits don't reach your ears. By addressing every component, Paradigm's engineers have made sure that you can hear the results of their hard work in any environment.
Oblate Spherical Waveguide (OSW™): Paradigm's research into the evolution of modern home interiors led them to create the OSW™ Waveguide. This uniquely shaped part is used in Founder's tweeter and midrange drivers. By maintaining sonic focus on the listening area, less sound bleeds to the sides where it can be coloured by reflective surfaces. This makes Founder perfect for large, open-plan rooms with reflective surfaces like windows and hardwood floors. OSW™ gives you better sound where you want it, and less distracting sound where you don't. Real solutions for real life.
Perforated Phase-Aligning (PPA™) Lens: To protect Founder's tweeter and midrange driver cones, Paradigm developed the Perforated Phase Aligning (PPA™) Lens. Not only does it look beautiful, it ensures that all frequencies reach the listener's ears at the same time. This adds to Founder's realistic and precise presentation. It also makes them ideal for listening from farther away without losing sound quality and detail to the room.
Cascade Fusion Bracing: Speaker cabinets should be seen and not heard. To ensure that the driver's output is entirely uncoloured, Paradigm developed Cascade Fusion Bracing. This proprietary manufacturing technique utilizes a reinforced and sealed longitudinal brace with cascading supports, which serves as the cabinet's foundation. The 'skin' or 'sleeve' is then wrapped and fused to form an ultra-rigid grid-style enclosure, free from unwanted resonance and vibration. You have to un-hear it to believe it.
Advanced Shock-Mount™ System: To lower distortion and further maximize driver performance, Paradigm have created the Advanced Shock-Mount System™ for both the driver mounting hardware and the cabinet feet. Drivers are mechanically isolated from the front baffle and feet are decoupled from the enclosure. That way, no vibration is transmitted from driver to cabinet, or cabinet to driver, or between the cabinet and the floor. The feet can even be adjusted from above, without moving or tipping the speaker making sure you get a perfectly level footing on any surface. Interchangeable hardware is included for both carpeted and hardwood floors.
Anthem Room Correction (ARC™): It seems that rooms have changed dramatically over the years, yet speakers have not kept pace with the evolution of our living spaces. Paradigm are emphatic that this is not just a bold claim, they can prove it! Using their world-class room correction system, Anthem Room Correction or ARC, they have collected thousands of data points that paint a clear picture of a room's impact on the sound of your speakers. There is a reason that singing in the shower sounds different than in a living room; the same voice in a different room equals a different sound. The latest version of ARC, ARC Genesis, is an incredibly powerful piece of software that measures exactly what your speakers are doing in your room and tunes them so any harmful effects from your room's acoustics are all but eliminated. ARC Genesis is a tailor-made solution that controls the parts of the room that aren't helping, while keeping the parts that are, leaving you with a cleaner, more accurate sound.
Dynamics
Detail, clarity, accuracy, fidelity – these are words often thrown around to indicate the quality of sound, but what of the quantity? Recreating a live performance takes dynamics, or the ability to recreate quiet sounds, loud sounds, and everything in between. Let's look at how the Founder Series recreates the broadest and most powerful dynamics.
Increasing Useable Output by Decreasing Distortion: Speakers that can truly "play loud" do so because they have no audible distortion. Distortion is what makes a speaker harsh and fatiguing. Founder's technologies eliminate these unwanted elements so you can turn up the volume. With greater usable output, Founder can not only reproduce the subtlest nuances, it can rock out when you want it to.
High Output, High Efficiency Components: "Power Is Nothing Without Control." This famous quote is behind everything Paradigm do. All driver components are designed for maximum power handling and high output. High power density magnets, high excursion cone surrounds, and multi-layered voice coils work in concert to create the broadest possible dynamic spectrum. Fluid-cooled tweeters keep everything composed during the most demanding musical passages or intense action scenes. The driver designs have increased usable cone area while remaining the same size as competing products. More output and less bulk can only be a good thing.
Bi-Amp Capable + Hybrid Design: All models in the Founder series can be Bi-amped or Bi-wired to make the most of your electronics' power delivery. This not only provides a more direct connection to the components inside the speaker but raises the amount of power available to it.
Additionally, the flagship 120H (Hybrid) model includes an internal 1000-watt amplifier powering three massive bass drivers. This leaves your system's power amps free to control midrange and high frequencies with less effort. It also allowed Paradigm to integrate ARC Genesis to tune the bass independently from the rest of the system and achieve the flattest frequency response in your actual room. The improvement is not subtle and is just one more great advantage this speaker brings to the table.
The largest model in Paradigm's Founder range features the same modern design cues, driver technologies and cabinet construction as its brethren, but while the other Founders are passive loudspeakers, the 120H is a hybrid design. An active bass section, with trio of 8.5in woofers and 1000W of amplification, dovetails with passive mid and tweeter units to form a perfectly integrated whole. Further setting this floorstander apart from the crowd is the inclusion of ARC Genesis, which brings room correction even to very traditional hi-fi setups. The result is a premium loudspeaker that can be optimised to your own room and system, and one with a powerful, controlled and engaging performance.
Our Take On The Paradigm Founder 120H Floorstanding Speakers
One word springs to mind when you first lay eyes on the Paradigm Founder speakers and that is 'Sharp'. These things are as sharp as an Italian pin striped suit. In fact, these puppies look so good we think some people will buy them just for the looks alone. Fortunately the beauty is more than skin deep and, oh boy, do these things perform. "Power Is Nothing Without Control" has long been the foundation behind everything Paradigm do and the Founder series deeply embodies that concept to produce a range of speakers that feature vanishingly low distortion, incredible driver control and explosive dynamics which make them sound big and powerful without even having to try.
The 120H is the flagship floorstander in the range and will appeal to people who want a substantial looking speaker that will provide impressively large scale performance even in an open plan environment. The Founder 120H uses a 1,000 Watt amplifier to power the substantial bass drivers for an absolutely effortless sound, no matter the type of music, the amplifier used or the size of the room. Even though it operates at the highest level the Founder 120H still looks sleek and sharp and will comfortably complement any décor while the jaw dropping scale and dynamics will bring a big smile to your face every time you listen. Pure magic.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: 5 driver, 3 way hybrid floorstanding speaker with active bass, rear ported enclosure
- High Frequency Driver: 1" (25mm) AL-MAC™ Ceramic Dome with Oblate Spheroid Waveguide (OSW™) and Perforated Phase-Aligning (PPA™) Tweeter Lens, ferro-fluid damped / cooled
- Midrange Driver: 6" (152mm) AL-MAG™ Cone with Perforated Phase-Aligning (PPA™) Lens, SHOCKMOUNT™ Isolation Mounting System, and a 2" high-temp multi-layered voice coil with ventilated Apical™ former
- Bass Drivers: Three 8" (215mm) Ultra-HighExcursion CARBON-X™ Unibody Cone, Gen3 Active Ridge Technology (ART™) with Vertical Mounting System, Advanced SHOCK-MOUNT™ Isolation, and a 1.5" high-temp multi-layered voice coil with ventilated Apical™ former
- Amplifier: Three woofers are powered by a separate DSP-controlled 1,000 Watt RMS amplifier (2,000 Watts Dynamic Peak)
- Crossover: 2nd order at 2.4 kHz (tweeter), 2nd order digital/analogue at 300 Hz (bass)
- Low Frequency Extension: 18 Hz (DIN)
- Frequency Response On-Axis: ±2dB from 22 Hz - 23 kHz
- Frequency Response 30° Off-Axis: ±2dB from 22 Hz - 20 kHz
- Sensitivity Room / Anechoic: 95 dB / 92 dB
- Suitable Amplifier Power Range: 15 - 400 watts
- Maximum Input Power: 300 watts
- Impedance: Compatible with 8 ohms
- Designed, Engineered & Manufactured in Canada
- Available Finishes: Gloss Piano Black, Gloss Midnight Cherry, Satin Black Walnut, Satin Walnut
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 354 x 1153 x 441mm
- Weight: 41.7kg each
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE