Paradigm

Did you know that Paradigm loudspeakers are still designed, engineered, and crafted right here, in our headquarters just outside Toronto, Canada? It’s been that way since 1982. That’s when co-founders Jerry VanderMarel and Scott Bagby decided to, eh-hem, change the prevailing industry paradigm. They wanted to build high performance loudspeakers right here at home. They wanted to custom-design their speaker components based on science, not speculation. And they wanted to make them available at prices that everyone would appreciate.

In 1982, Jerry VanderMarel, a seasoned veteran of consumer electronics and loudspeaker sales, teamed with Scott Bagby, a loudspeaker designer with a long history of innovative ideas. Together, they went back to the drawing board and developed a radical new speaker. To find the sweet spot, they tapped university audio researchers and detailed scientific findings from the audio studies conducted by the National Research Council of Canada.

The point was to achieve a level of performance that would erase the speaker itself from the equation. Pure, lifelike audio, uninhibited by coloration, unrestrained in its ability to translate power into sound. And to do it at a price that would allow anyone to experience this magic.

The Paradigm Models 7 & 9 were unveiled at the Toronto Audio Show that year. Immediately, a dozen dealers signed on to carry the line. (Many of these loyal charter dealers remain proud Paradigm dealers even today!)