Paradigm Persona B

A two-way bass-reflex standmount sold as a pair, with pure Truextent beryllium diaphragms on both the tweeter and the mid/bass unit, for listeners who want Persona engineering in a compact cabinet.

Persona B: the design

Persona B is the only two-way model in the series. The work is shared between a 25 mm dome and a 178 mm mid/bass unit, handing over at 2 kHz through a third-order electro-acoustic filter. Each drive unit sits behind a perforated PPA lens that brings its output back into phase. The mid/bass unit is fixed to the cabinet through the Shock-Mount isolation system and uses an overmoulded ART surround with a 38 mm high-temperature tandem voice coil.

Beryllium is a light metal that is also very stiff and thermally stable: in a diaphragm those qualities mean fast transients and little colouration. Paradigm uses pure Truextent beryllium foil with a uniform grain, and fits it to the mid/bass unit as well as the tweeter, so the two ways behave consistently. The tweeter dome is damped and cooled with ferrofluid, and its pole piece assembly was refined using finite element analysis.

On axis the response stays within ±2 dB between 60 Hz and 45 kHz, with low-frequency extension down to 36 Hz; 30° off axis the same tolerance holds up to 20 kHz. Sensitivity is 92 dB in room (89 dB anechoic) and the load suits 8 ohm amplifiers rated between 15 and 250 W. Each cabinet measures 43.5 × 22.5 × 33 cm and weighs 14 kg; the stand is not included. Design and manufacture take place in Canada, at the Paradigm factory near Toronto.

Specifications

• Type: two-way standmount with two drive units, bass reflex
• Tweeter: 25 mm Truextent beryllium dome, ferrofluid, PPA lens
• Mid/bass unit: 178 mm Truextent beryllium, PPA lens, ART surround, 38 mm tandem voice coil
• Crossover: third-order electro-acoustic, 2 kHz
• On-axis response: 60 Hz - 45 kHz (±2 dB)
• Response 30° off axis: 60 Hz - 20 kHz (±2 dB)
• Bass extension: 36 Hz
• Sensitivity: 92 dB in room, 89 dB anechoic
• Recommended amplifier: 15 to 250 W
• Maximum power input: 150 W
• Impedance: suits 8 ohm amplifiers
• Dimensions (H × W × D): 43.5 × 22.5 × 33 cm
• Weight: 14 kg each
• Supplied: sold as a pair
• Finishes: Vanta Black gloss, Aria Blue metallic, Sonic Silver metallic, Harmony White gloss, Carbon Black gloss