Paradigm 7se / 3se Drivers the Same?

Sleep

Sleep

Well-Known Member
Hey all. A few months ago I blew a tweeter in one of my 7se's. I was thinking of ordering a pair of compatible voicecoil/diaphragms from Madisound, but since I'm enjoying my other speakers so much, I was in no hurry.

The other day I came across a pair of Paradigm 3se, in decent shape, but with the cabs a little rough (not too bad though). It would be a shame in some ways to gut the 3se models for spare drivers for the 7se, but as I said, the cabs are a little beat up.

I'm probably going to buy them regardless, I might be able to pull the tweeters out and check the numbers before I do (and test with a multimeter to make sure they aren't shot).

In case taking the drivers out is not an option, does anyone know offhand if they are the same drivers? Both the 3se and my 7se are the original models (not Mark II etc).


thanks
 
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The 7se models are supposed to be able to handle more power then the 5se, so I infer that they are not identical to those in the 3se. The latter might share with the 5's, I've not seen specific claims regarding them, but the 7se/5se difference was a Paradigm brochure claim, IIRC.

EDIT: Sorry, I was referring to woofers...should have paid better attention to your question on the first read. However, I do recall that tweeters did change at some point in the Xse line, not sure with which models, though.
 
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Thanks for the input musichal. I will try to get inside these then, and post back with what I discover.
 
They certainly look the same. The sad frustrating thing is I had an exact replacement lying around here that I took from an orphaned Mirage speaker. By the time I blew my tweeter and found that driver, a tab had broken off (where the crossover connects to the driver). :(
 
Cool, thanks for that info! I noticed the 3se sticker on the back said "minimun 15 watts, maximum 100 watts". I haven't checked the 7se.

One other difference between the two models is the 7se has binding posts, the 3se has the spring clip the springy type.
 
That Vifa tweeter was ubiquitous in speakers of the era. I don't know the item number, but given the popularity of that tweeter, it shouldn't be too hard to locate one.
 
Common enough that I already had one! Too bad it got damaged due to my improper storage.
 
Sleep said:
Cool, thanks for that info! I noticed the 3se sticker on the back said "minimun 15 watts, maximum 100 watts". I haven't checked the 7se.

One other difference between the two models is the 7se has binding posts, the 3se has the spring clip the springy type.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, forgot about the binding post bit, Same power rating though :)

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Hmm, pulled a driver out and its labeled D25 TG 65, not 55...I will check the 7se driver when I get home, but I do believe it ends in 55 as noted above...if the numbers don't match I might be able to replace the voicecoil, hmmm. At that point I might as well buy new VCs from Madisound.
 
So, I'm back home, and the 7se tweeter is indeed a D25 TG-55, both it and the D25 TG-65 in the 3se are rated 6 ohms.

I checked the Madisound website, and the diaphragm/voicecoil they have is suggested as a replacement for either of these tweeters. This gives me some options!

- get the 3se's and swap the tweeters, leaving me with backup woofers as well, but I'm assuming the tweeters will be a bit different from the originals (they sure look the same though)
- get the 3se's and just swap the voicecoil/diaphragm part out
- buy 2 or 3 new voicecoil/diaphragms from Madisound and let someone else get the 3se's
- or buy the new parts and the 3se's and have a multitude of backup options and spare drivers...

While I was looking in the 3se, the crossover seems quite a bit more basic, with lots less insulation and no visible bracing. Pretty much what I'd expect for the lower price point. They are quite a bit lighter considering they aren't that much smaller than the 7se.
 
I'd just swap the tweeters, maybe measure the good 7se tweeter and see if dc resistance is identical.

Edit: found this http://www.mindspring.com/~audiolab/vifaprice.html

paradigm tended to mark the woofers with the appropriate model numbers (3se, 5se etc.) even though the same order was used in a different model with that models corresponding I.D. on it.
 
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Thanks for that link, I found that back when I blew the tweeter. They never got back to me - then I noticed at the bottom of the page that it hasnt been updated since 1998! LOL
 
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