The Founder 40B is a two-way, reflex-loaded standmount speaker sold as a pair: a 25 mm AL-MAC dome tweeter and a 152 mm AL-MAG mid/bass unit in a faceted cabinet, for anyone who wants Founder technology in the most compact format.
Founder 40B: how it is built
The tweeter uses a 25 mm dome made of AL-MAC, the blend of aluminium, magnesium and ceramic that Paradigm developed to obtain a diaphragm that is stiff, light and reluctant to ring; it is damped and cooled with ferrofluid. It sits in the OSW waveguide, whose profile concentrates output on the listening area and lets it fall away gradually to the sides, cutting down reflections from the walls, glass and hard floors of present-day rooms. In front of the dome is the perforated PPA lens, which brings the frequencies into phase and doubles as protection.
The 152 mm mid/bass unit is the only cone in the speaker and handles everything below 1.6 kHz, where a second-order electro-acoustic filter hands over to the tweeter. Its diaphragm is AL-MAG, an aluminium and magnesium alloy, fitted with a PPA lens of its own and a third-generation ART surround designed for long excursions. The Vertical Mounting System increases the working cone area without increasing the footprint, while Shock-Mount fixing decouples the unit from the front panel through an elastomer support, so that vibration cannot travel from chassis to cabinet or back.
The cabinet is not the usual rectangular box: its angled faces and internal Cascade-Fusion braces stiffen it and break up standing waves. Quoted response runs from 69 Hz to 23 kHz within ±2 dB on axis, with bass reaching down to 41 Hz (DIN). Sensitivity is 92 dB in room and 89 dB anechoic, the load suits 8 ohm amplifiers and recommended power is 15 to 150 W. The terminals allow bi-wiring and bi-amping. Design and manufacture take place at Paradigm's own factory near Toronto, Canada. No stand is supplied.
Specifications
- Type: 2-way standmount with 2 drive units, reflex-loaded
- Tweeter: 25 mm AL-MAC dome, OSW waveguide, PPA lens, ferrofluid
- Mid/bass unit: 152 mm AL-MAG cone, PPA lens, Gen3 ART surround, Shock-Mount
- Crossover: second-order electro-acoustic, 1.6 kHz
- On-axis response: 69 Hz - 23 kHz within ±2 dB
- Response 30° off axis: 69 Hz - 20 kHz within ±2 dB
- Bass extension: 41 Hz (DIN)
- Sensitivity: 92 dB in room, 89 dB anechoic
- Impedance: 8 ohm compatible
- Recommended amplifier: 15 to 150 W
- Maximum power input: 120 W
- Connection: bi-wire and bi-amp ready
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 36.8 x 19.7 x 32 cm
- Weight: 11.3 kg per speaker
- Stand: not supplied
- Supplied: sold as a pair
- Finishes: gloss black, black walnut, cherry, walnut
