In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Paradigm. Paradigm Premier 800F is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Premier 500C is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Paradigm 800F and Paradigm 500C first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Paradigm 800F | Paradigm 500C |
|---|
| Brand | Paradigm
Canada · founded 1982 | Paradigm
Canada · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" X-PAL dome with PPA (Perforated Phase-Aligning) lens |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 4" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Carbon-Infused Polypropylene | 2 x 5.5" carbon-infused polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 43-25k Hz | 73-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 15-250 watts | 15-120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 24.27kg / 53.4lbs | 11.82kg / 26lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42-1/8" x 9-1/4" x 13-7/8"
1070.0 x 235.0 x 353.0mm | 7-7/16" x 20-1/16" x 12-11/16"
189.0 x 510.0 x 323.0mm |
|---|
800F and Premier 500C are members of Paradigm's Premier series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Paradigm Premier Series
History
What size room are the Paradigm 800F and Paradigm 500C speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Paradigm 800F |
Paradigm 500C |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both 800F and Premier 500C are 3-way speakers.
Paradigm 800FParadigm 500C
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Paradigm 800F |
Paradigm 500C |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 4-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
800F features a 1" Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Carbon-Infused Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the Premier 500C features a 1" aluminum X-PAL dome with PPA (Perforated Phase-Aligning) lens Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 5.5" carbon-infused polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
800F has a frequency range of 43-25k Hz whereas Premier 500C has a frequency range of 73-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 43Hz, the 800F can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Premier 500C's min frequency of 73Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
800F and Premier 500C have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 92 dB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
800F can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Premier 500C has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 130 watts less than the 800F.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
800F features Posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Premier 500C has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Paradigm 800F's Posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Paradigm 500C's Binding post terminals
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Paradigm 800F's and Paradigm 500C's external dimensions. Paradigm 800F has external dimensions of 1070.0 x 235.0 x 353.0mm (42-1/8 x 9-1/4 x 13-7/8inch) whereas Paradigm 500C has external dimensions of 189.0 x 510.0 x 323.0mm (7-7/16 x 20-1/16 x 12-11/16inch).
Paradigm 500C is 881mm shorter and 30mm less deeper than Paradigm 800F but it is also 275mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Paradigm 800F and Paradigm 500C in scale.
Comparison image of Paradigm 800F and Paradigm 500C Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Paradigm 800F is approximately 829.6cm2 / 128.6inch2 and base area of the Paradigm 500C is approximately 1647.3cm2 / 255.3inch2. The 800F requires 50% less surface area than the Premier 500C which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Paradigm 800F?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of 800F:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
Grille
4 Rubber feet
4 Spike feet
4 Hex-nuts
2 Binding-post jumpers (pre-installed)
Owner's Manual
Online Registration Card
Unboxing Instructions
What's in the Box of Paradigm 500C?
Here are the items that come with the Premier 500C:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Binding-post jumpers (pre-installed)
- 4 Rubber feet
- Owners Manual
- Online Registration Card