Good bass for such a small speaker
Good imaging and spaciousness

Midrange lacking a little
Highs not as pronounced as Im used to

I was planning on buying a set of mid size bookshelf speakers for my video editting system. I already own a set of large bookshelf speakers from B&W- the 602s3. I looked at B&W and their new 2007-2008 lineup is just plain too expensive for a second system speaker. So I have also bought Paradigm speakers before and was thinking about the Mini Monitors. But to keep things in check, I'd thought I'd listen to some Energy speakers which some local places also have. I need a set of bookshelf speakers that are in the $400 range. So I was going to give the Paradigm Minis a chance since I've heard the V5s are a drastic change from before. Anyway I went to AVU which sells Paradigms. I listenned to them in a smaller room which was correct for this size of speaker. Running them was a Denon receiver. Anyway I got my test CD with me. I played older music which I am familiar with. Some rock, some classical, some easy going. I noticed first off the Mini's had a boxiness to the sound. There was a lower end resonance in the enclosure which suggests they are not well damped. These speakers had clean highs, but not overly bright. The midrange was good and is similar to B&W speakers in that respect. What I also noticed was there was no soundstage coming from these speakers. It was quite flat sounding. Notes didn't extend beyond the speakers. I didn't get any sense of air from them. Also the low end was present, but not overly there. They seemed a little underwhelming in that respect. I wasn't expecting much from a speaker this size for bass, so I didn't let that be a factor to skip them or not. They are neutral speakers, but they didn't come alive like I've heard others do. My old Performance 5SE Mk2 speakers from Paradigm did better then these little ones did. I noticed the sense of space and air was also missing in the Monitor 5s I listenned to in 2002. And the boxiness in the bass made me want to listen to others.

Now I went to the next store and listenned to some Energy C200 bookshelfs. These speakers were $100 cheaper. I put my CD back in. Running them was a Yamaha receiver. First thing I noticed was how much bass these speakers had. They were definately warm speakers. Highs were there, but not as noticable as the Paradigms. Upper midrange was also lower on the Energys. But the presentation was so much better. Still a clean sound, with a sense of air and presence. The low end was quite impressive for such a small speaker. All in all I was much more impressed with the Energy speakers then the new Paradigms. Now I wonder if the Energys may of had more dazzle to get your attention, but would fatigue the listenner after more auditioning. I will see if these speakers get on my ears nerves or not.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 201, B&W 601, Paradigm Mini Monitor V5