Shop - Paradigm Founder 40B Bookshelf Speakers

Description

Precision. Control. Dynamics.
These are the pillars the Founder 40B was built on.

Key Features

• DESIGN: 2-driver, 2 way standmount, 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
• MID/BASS FREQUENCY DRIVER: 6” (152mm) Ultra-High-Excursion AL-MAG™ Cone with Perforated Phase-Aligning (PPA™) Lens, Gen3 Active Ridge Technology (ART™) with Vertical Mounting System, Advanced SHOCKMOUNT™ Isolation, and a 1.5” high-temp multi-layered voice coil with ventilated Apical™ former

Every once in a while, something special comes along and changes the rules. The perfect blend of technology, design, and performance. At the start of Founder’s development, we knew one thing, when Art Embraces Science, anything is possible, and we exceeded our wildest expectations.

Founder is no ordinary loudspeaker. Every component, large and small, was scrutinized down to the tiniest detail. Every component has been thoroughly researched, designed, and engineered, exclusively for Founder’s. New patented technologies were developed for the acoustic platform. The new cabinet platform is not just a stunning design, its unique shape and integrated structural bracing delivers acoustic performance that cannot be matched by traditional square boxes. By leaving no element unaddressed, Founder’s is so much more than the sum of its parts.

1. 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 recognisable 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 177mm (7″) bass drivers for use in the larger floorstanding models of the Founder Series like the ‘100F featured here on this page. 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 trade marked ART Surround, and Shock-Mount technologies and you get an amazingly good bass driver that’s both detailed and powerful. This is the way it should be on a high-end product.

2. Control

Packing incredible technology into a speaker means nothing if the benefits don’t reach your ears. By addressing every component, our engineers made sure that you could 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 utilises 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 maximise driver performance, Paradigm have created the Advanced Shock-Mount System™ for both the driver mounting hardware and the cabinet feet. The Founder 100F Midrange and Bass drivers are mechanically decoupled or isolated from the front baffle. This special mounting hardware uses an elastomer suspension to prevent any transfer of vibration from the driver to the cabinet, and from the cabinet to the driver. By eliminating resonance, the driver is free to render sound purely and efficiently with no audible distortion and maximum clarity.

The same applies between the cabinet and the floor because the feet are also decoupled from the enclosure. Cleverly, 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.

3. 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: 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.

Proudly Crafted in Canada: The Founder 40B is completely designed, engineered, and built at Paradigm’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility just outside of Toronto, Canada. Their products are understandably made by people who love great audio. From the hand-chosen, specially engineered components and materials, to the precise workmanship of the non-resonant cabinets with their beautiful premium-grade finishes, Founder Series is truly hand-built for performance. Sure, they could say “Made in Canada,” or “Manufactured in Canada.” But building loudspeakers is an art and not just a job. Everyone at Paradigm shares a passion for crafting speakers, and it’s from this intense passion that “Crafted in Canada” was proudly born.

• DESIGN: 2-driver, 2 way standmount, ported enclosure
• CROSSOVER: 2nd order electro-acoustic at 1.6kHz (tweeter/midbass)
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE ON-AXIS: ±2dB from 69 Hz – 23 kHz
• 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
• MID/BASS FREQUENCY DRIVER: 6” (152mm) Ultra-High-Excursion AL-MAG™ Cone with Perforated Phase-Aligning (PPA™) Lens, Gen3 Active Ridge Technology (ART™) with Vertical Mounting System, Advanced SHOCKMOUNT™ Isolation, and a 1.5” high-temp multi-layered voice coil with ventilated Apical™ former
• LOW FREQUENCY EXTENSION: 41 Hz (DIN)
• SENSITIVITY ROOM / ANECHOIC: 92 dB / 89 dB
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE 30° OFF-AXIS: ±2dB from 69 Hz – 20 kHz
• SUITABLE AMPLIFIER POWER RANGE: 15 – 150 watts
• MAXIMUM INPUT POWER: 120 watts
• IMPEDANCE: Compatible with 8 ohms
• DIMENSIONS HXWXD: 14.5” x 7.8” x 12.8” (36.8cm x 19.7cm x 32cm)
• WEIGHT: 25lbs (11.3kg) each
• FINISHES: Piano Black, Black Walnut, Midnight Cherry, Walnut

Additional information