Paradigm Reference Signature ADP1 Ultra-Compact 5-Driver 3-Way Dipole Surround / Rear Speakers v3 (Piano Black)

"... about as perfect a surround speaker as can be had." Brian Florian, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity

How do you achieve the performance caliber of Paradigm Reference Signature in such ultra-compact model as the Signature ADP1?  Enclosure design must play a critical role.

All parts (baffle, rear and shell) on these compact cabinets are die-cast aluminium. The die-cast design also functions as an effective heatsink.

Bass driver baffles and chassis are physically integrated allowing space for a powerful 6" / 155mm driver. Cabinet interiors reveal heavy wall construction and extensive internal bracing. Constrained Layer Damping (CLD), a technique used extensively and with great success across aviation and naval platforms, is used in conjunction with a sophisticated Permacote Linacoustic to completely subdue stray residual vibrational energy within the cabinets.

The end result? All of the high-end performance found in a much larger Signature Series speaker, in a significantly smaller package.

About the Paradigm Reference Signature Series

"flawless ... utterly pure ... completely transparent ... beautifully articulated ... magnificent" Doug Schneider, Soundstage!

Paradigm Signature speakers deliver truly high-end performance that are unmatched regarding their technical design. The version 3 models, which feature elevated output of an impressive three dB, include redesigned bass/midrange and bass drive units that reassert the line as the value and performance leader among reference quality speakers.

Thousands of "no-holds-barred" Paradigm research and engineering hours went into developing the Signature Series v.3 speakers, which are the highest-output, most dynamic high-end loudspeakers ever produced.

Contributing to v.3's 50% increase in output are extensive modifications to the bass/midrange drive units. Bass/midrange drivers are fitted with extreme low-density NLCTM (Non-Limiting Corrugated) TPE surrounds, FEA-optimised and overmolded onto the cone.

The state-of-the-art surround material is 10 times more effective than standard thermoplastic elastomers in damping vibrations and resonances and the new corrugated design has increased peak-to-peak cone excursion from 20-mm in earlier versions to a full 30-mm.

A new long-stroke split-coil motor system takes advantage of the extreme excursion by doubling the linear portion of the stroke without requiring a larger magnet. The redesigned motor also keeps mass and inductance of the voice coil low for breathtaking midrange clarity.

Bass cones on Signature v.3 speakers were re-engineered for increased stiffness and better equipped for higher output with new NLCTM  SantopreneTM surrounds. To support the extended excursion, the motor structure was also redesigned, increasing the linear portion of the stroke through voice coils almost double the original in length. New core parts including a yoke and pole piece were retooled and FEA-optimised and even the magnets were thickened to accommodate double-distance cone travel.

Value-conscious audiophiles will appreciate the option of Paradigm Reference G-PALTM (gold-plated pure-aluminium) dome tweeters on the compact S1, C1 and ADP1 models, making the Reference Signature experience even more attainable.

The following information looks at some of the highlights of these stunning speakers.

• P-Be Pure-Beryllium Tweeter Domes: Pure beryllium was chosen for its exceptional thermal, physical and mechanical properties: lighter than diamond or aluminium with unmatched rigidity. Response is instantaneous and extraordinarily uniform. Elevating the dome promoted optimal off-axis dispersion.
• ARB Aperiodic Resonance Breakup Fins: Die-cast aluminium fins in rear damping chamber capture and quickly disperse residual internal resonances, rendering them inert.
• Co-PAL Cobalt-Infused Anodised Pure-Aluminium Bass / Midrange Cones: Combine high stiffness-to-mass with superior internal damping for exceptional accuracy. The result is smooth, completely uncoloured frequency response.
• Dual ATC Asymmetrical Tapered Channels: Precision die-cast aluminium chamber with tapered dual interior channels provide optimal volume. The asymmetrical design dissipates the back wave while the center of the chamber is direct-coupled to the huge magnet structure, providing an efficient thermal escape path for heat generated by the voice coil. Strategically positioned cooling fins on the rear of the chamber transfer heat away from the motor.
• Injection-Molded Mineral-Filled Polypropylene Bass Cones: The mineral content, now 30%, and the injection-molding process have resulted in a far more rigid cone. The improvements reveal a dramatic increase in repeatability as well as consistency of performance.

Paradigm Reference Signature ADP1 Ultra-Compact Dipole Surround / Rear Speakers v3 Reviews

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity by Brian Florian

Here is a fun exercise if you ever get the chance: use a pair of ADP1s as main L/R speakers.  They will sound every bit as good as the S1s, are even able to image, but in a much less focused way.  In other words I declare these ADP1s about as perfect a surround speaker as can be had.

... is capable of putting to rest all that nonsense about dipole surround speakers being inferior or having some sort of compromise. If dipole detractors would give a properly set up pair of Paradigm surrounds a chance, I wager they will not go back to conventional speakers in that role.

... smoothly transitions from dipole to bipole at the lowest frequencies, which gives them the requisite diffuse characteristic of a dipole with uncharacteristic extended low-end response ... they produce the same full and natural sound as their front counterparts and do it with just enough spacial precision.

A scene where leaves are rustling in the background, being input to both surround channels, ends up sounding "all around" you (regardless of seating position), yet when a car comes "from rear-right to front-right" there is deadly precision in the sound's movement which one can easily "follow". It's as if the ADP1s know what to do and when to do it.

... absolutely gorgeous to look at.  My wife, who cares nothing for any of this “audio stuff” and generally would like to see less of it in the house, even remarked how attractive these speakers are.

Paradigm Reference Signature ADP1 Ultra-Compact Dipole Surround / Rear Speakers v3 Specifications

Design 5-driver, 3-way ultra-compact surround / rear
Crossovers 3rd-order electro-acoustic at 2.0 kHz;
 2nd-order electro-acoustic at 300 Hz
High-Frequency Drivers Two x 1" / 25mm P-Be domes, ferro-fluid damped / cooled, rear damping chambers with ARB fins and integrated heatsinks, dual super-neodymium ring magnets, die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT
Midrange Drivers Two 3½" / 85mm Co-PAL cones, ferro-fluid damped / cooled, ATC chambers, 1" / 25mm dual-layer voice-coils, super-neodymium ring magnets, AVS die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT
Bass Driver 6" / 155mm mineral-filled polypropylene cone, overmolded NLC surrounds, 1½" / 38mm dual-layer long-excursion voice-coil, massive hard ferrite magnets, integrated AVS baffle / die-cast heatsink chassis, IMS/SHOCK-MOUNT
Low-Frequency Extension  60 Hz (DIN - DIN 45 500. Indicates -3 dB in a typical listening room.)
Frequency Response:
 On-Axis ±2 dB from 100 Hz - 45 kHz
 30° Off-Axis (optimised reverberant soundfield)
Sensitivity - Room / Anechoic 88 dB / 85 dB
Suitable Amplifier Power Range 15 - 225 watts
Maximum Input Power 140 watts (With typical program source, provided the amplifier clips no more than 10% of the time.)
Impedance Compatible with 8 ohms
Height, Width, Depth 19.0 cm x 30.5 cm x 15.5 cm
Weight (Unpacked) 7.0 kg each