Three of these matter when you measure your room.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Paradigm Premier 800F | Paradigm Premier 820 v2 |
| Speaker Type | Passive Floor-standing | Passive Floor-standing |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Ported |
| Driver Setup | 3-way | 3-way |
| Tweeter | 1" Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter |
| Mid-Range | 6.5" Midrange | 6" Midrange |
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Carbon-Infused Polypropylene Woofer | 2 x 7" Woofer |
| Frequency Range / Low | 43Hz | 52Hz |
| Frequency Range / High | 25kHz | 23kHz |
| Impedance Nominal | 8Ω | 8Ω |
| Sensitivity | 92dB | 93dB |
| Max Power (RMS) | 250w | 250w |
| Crossover Frequency | 700Hz and 2500Hz | 450Hz and 1800Hz |
| Available Colors | Gloss Black | Black |
| Finish | MDF/Lacquer | MDF/Wood veneer |
| Height | 1070.0mm | 1103.3mm |
| Width | 235.0mm | 333.4mm |
| Depth | 353.0mm | 473.1mm |
| Weight | 24.27kg | 29.48kg |
| MSRP(pair) | 2400USD | 2600USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon | Amazon |
Bass: two numbers, and they disagree
This is the part that needs care, because our own comparison tables can mislead you here.
Paradigm publishes two bass figures for every Premier. One is the on-axis frequency response, within 3 dB. That is the figure we store, and it is what you see in the tables above. The other is called low frequency extension, measured to a DIN standard, and it is always a lower number.
Paradigm Premier bass figures original against v2 for all six models
On the first figure, the v2 looks like a step back. The 800F reached 43 Hz and the 820F v2 stops at 52 Hz. The 700F reached 45 Hz and the 720F v2 stops at 55 Hz. Only two of the six v2 models go deeper.
On the second figure, it is the other way round. Five of the six v2 models go deeper, and the 820F v2 is rated to 21 Hz where the 800F was rated to 27 Hz.
Which is right? Probably both. A speaker can stay within 3 dB of flat a little less far down and still put out more useful bass below that point, if it rolls off more slowly. But I have not measured either, and neither figure tells you how loud that bass can play. What I can say is this: do not pick the old model over the new one because our table shows a lower Hz number for it. On Paradigm’s other figure, the new one wins.
The one model that loses on both figures is the 520LCR v2. It is a sealed box, as the 500C was, and it is rated to 75 Hz where the 500C reached 73 Hz. A centre speaker normally hands its bass to a subwoofer at 80 Hz anyway, so this costs you nothing in practice.
What amplifier the v2 needs
Paradigm Premier 220B v2 rear panel with bi-wire terminals
Not much. The v2 models are 1 dB more sensitive than the ones they replace in four cases out of six, the same in one, and 1 dB lower in one (the 620C v2, at 93 dB against 94 dB). All twelve are rated as compatible with 8 ohms.
One thing to know about Paradigm’s sensitivity figures: the headline number is an in-room figure. The 220B v2 is 91 dB in a room and 88 dB measured the strict way. Most makers quote the strict figure, so take 3 dB off before you compare a Paradigm with another brand.
Our amp and speaker matcher already takes 2 dB off every published figure for this reason. For a pair of 220B v2 at 3 m, it says you need at least 6 W a channel for 95 dB peaks, and that anything from about 12 W to 95 W is comfortable. Even on the strict 88 dB figure, the minimum is only 7.5 W. Any decent 50 W integrated amplifier will do. ecoustics got good results with everything from a budget NAD to a $6,500 Cambridge, which fits.
The weak points
It is not built in Canada any more. The original Premier was designed, engineered and built in Paradigm’s own factory near Toronto, and the label on the back said so. The label on the back of the v2, in Paradigm’s own product photos, reads “Designed and Engineered in Canada” and then “Made in Indonesia”. You can read it in the rear panel picture further up, and the original label is in the picture below. The launch coverage I read talks about in-house design and does not mention this. It says nothing about how the speaker sounds. But some people bought Premier because it was a Canadian-built speaker at this price, and they should know before they order.
Rear of the original Paradigm Premier 800F with the built in Canada label
You pay more, except on the 120B v2. The increases are $100 to $200 a pair, or $200 on the big centre. That is fair for a full redesign. But it means the 220B v2 is now a $1,100 speaker, and that is a busy price.
They need more space. Every v2 is bigger. The 120B v2 no longer fits a shelf, the towers need a 472 mm deep patch of floor, and the big centre needs a metre of width.
No white towers. If you wanted Gloss White floor-standing speakers, the v2 range does not have them.
Who does this rule out? Anyone who wants a Canadian-made speaker, anyone replacing a 100B on a shelf, and anyone matching white furniture with towers. If you are in one of those groups, a leftover pair of the original is still a good speaker, and dealers will want to clear them.
A correction on our own pages
While checking this post I found that our pages for four of the v2 models showed Paradigm’s price for one speaker as if it were the price. The 220B v2 page said $550. A pair is $1,100. That is fixed now, along with the release date (the v2 range was announced in April 2026 and went on sale in June) and the links between each old model and its replacement. If you looked at those pages before today and thought the v2 was cheap, that was our mistake, not Paradigm’s.
Which one should you buy
Paradigm Premier 120B v2 bookshelf speaker
- 120B v2 ($800 a pair): the easy one. Same price as the 100B, more box, deeper bass on both figures. Buy the v2 unless it has to sit on a shelf.
- 220B v2 ($1,100 a pair): $100 more than the 200B for a new tweeter, bi-wire terminals and 1 dB more sensitivity. Worth it at list price. A discounted 200B is still a fair buy.
- 720F v2 and 820F v2 ($2,000 and $2,600 a pair): the biggest change in the range. New woofers, 4 to 5 kg more each, and feet that need floor space. Measure first.
- 520LCR v2 and 620C v2 ($900 and $1,300): buy the one that matches your front speakers. Do not mix a v2 centre with original towers, because the tweeters are different.
All 35 Paradigm models we list are on the Paradigm page, and the twelve Premier models are side by side on the Premier series page.
If you own an original Premier, would the v2 make you upgrade, and does where it is made matter to you?