Highs, sound stage

bass response

Hard to review without repeating other opinions. Supurb sound for the bucks. Bass obeys laws of physics, but rolls off smoothly. Like others, these were meant to be a 2nd set of speakers for a bedroom system, but ended up replacing much larger speakers in main system. By the way, if anyone reads my same date posting for Sony 27" Trinitron TV, correct price should read <450, not <350. I Wish. Anyway, if you're in the market for a small pair of very good speakers and your money is limited, give these a listen

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none

Great mid-bass, imaging, and overall sound

None yet

I was looking for a sattelite system to go with the Energy e-XL 8in. sub I just purchased. I love the Energy sub but didn't like their sattelites. My old 4in ADS' just didn't match up well at all. So, after reading all of this stuff on the Paradigm Atom's I bought em', after a little listen of course. My impression is that of overall smoothness with great imaging and an extraordinary mid-bass. The match up with the Energy sub is miraculous and maybe these two Canadian companies can get together sometime and hear just what these two components can do for each other. Since I am a manager for the music department at Barnes and Noble bookstore, and am privy to the absolute best in all genres of music, I've got a lot of listening to do and am sure I will love this setup.

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ADS LS-200

Price!! Great sound, wonderful tweeters, quality of components and construction, manageable size

No useful low bass, fixed speaker grilles, only one set of binding posts.

These are amazing little speakers for the price. Definitely a great buy for a future audiophile (these are the mains in my first component stereo system). They sound great on their own, very easy to listen to, the tweeter is not harsh like most cheaper small speakers. They seem to have a very balanced sound, much unlike the inflated bass/bright highs sound that seems to be the sound most reasonably priced speakers have now. They are just very comfortable speakers to listen to, vocals are excellent, I actually preferred the vocal sound of the Atom to the Titans and Mini-Monitors I also listened to. The nice thing about this speaker is that it has no real sonic flaws - nothing is going to irritate you about these speakers - although they do lack deep bass. But that can be solved easily with a good small powered sub such as the Energy eXL-S8, with which the atoms make a complete system that will bury anything anywhere near its price (actually, the atoms sound better with a small sub than the titans, since there doesn't seem to be as much overlap in the frequency response). Value is an easy five - I found myself preferring these to a Boston Acoustics small monitor that retailed for almost $1000 (nearly six times the cost of the atoms!). The first really noticeable step up from these for me was the Monitor 3, which may end up becoming my mains some day. I also have to give these a five overall as well - they are not absolutely perfect, but their flaws are minor and not a detriment to the enjoyment of music. I don't know of any speaker of a similar size or price that sounds any better, not to mention the quality of the speaker itself (a ceramic-metal-composite tweeter, and a cast-basket woofer in a speaker at this price is astounding). Add to that the fact that both paradigm dealers I have dealt with were very helpful and accomodating, unlike the typical electronics warehouse where the pimpled sales associate is confused when you tell him you actually want to listen to the speakers before you buy them. Anyhow, they seem like a great product and a great company, and I will be recommending them to anyone who cares to listen.

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Several Cambridge Soundworks sub/sat systems, compared to Boston Acoustics and Cambridge Model Six when auditioning.

Size,imaging, speed

Cabinet looks cheap

Picked up on sale after reading reviews and audition. Very good sound stage and somewhat laid back sound. Tweeter doesn't sizzle like Infinity's, but that good thing because the infinty's had no imaging if you moved your head. Very impressed.

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Infinity RSe

crisp highs, good midrange for small speaker

none, given the size and price point

Outstanding HT speakers

would work well as inexpensive fronts if you have a sub

I compared this speaker against many more expensive speakers and could not justify the added cost for the minimal improvement in sound.

These are really great speakers that perform as well as speakers that cost 1.5-2 times as much

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Terrific Tweeter and wonderful midrange.. suprisingly good bass extension for its size

not quite enough midrange for my taste

excellent speaker.. Bought these to be my main speakers in my modest home theater setup. Not quite satisfied with the midrange response I purchased the Titans for my mains and the Atoms for the rear.. Suprisingly, the atoms seem to have just as deep bass response, but the titans have a definite advantage in the upper bass and midrange...

I love the sound of the crystal clear highs, they do sound much better than the titans, but for home theater I prefer the titans for the mains.
Cannot go wrong on these speakers, I wish they had a bit more strength in the midrange, I'd buy 2 more sets if they did...

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none that compare

Great sound from a small package.

Cheap looking.

I purchased a pair of atoms shortly after paradigm released them. At first, I was skepticle but the saleman played Eric Clapton's Unplugged and I was amazed at the clarity the speakers achieved compared to speakers I already owned. I purchased them that day and have been using them as both surrounds and fronts since.
The speakers do sound better after break-in period. There is a lack of power in the low end but a subwoofer can overcome that easily.

Cheap

See Below

This is the problem with this site: the ratings are too vauge and RELATIVE. One should be able to rate a product within the price range AND to a reference product. And be honest; don't try to justify your lousy purchase.

Anyways, I had a chance to review this product at my local hifi shop and at home. In the absolute sense, the Atom is a budget product. No matter what Corey Greenberg says in his Audio review (April 99)the tweeters are irritating, in my opinion. I could only listen for a couple of minutes before lunging for the Power Off button. I have a Studio 20 and there is simply no comparison in any category (I've also heard better products than the Studio 20). I would recommend prospective buyers to compare with more expensive products and see what the differences are, then spend the extra money.

So for the traditional ratings, see below. Would I buy this product. No.

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See Below

Sweet sound, great value, Canadian built

Small speaker, expect to use with good sub

I decided to upgrade my HT system to all Paradigm. The Atoms are located as rears with Titans in front joining my old CC200 that is great and didn't need replacing. I also good PDR 10. The upgrade made a big difference. The atoms match the Titan's perfectly and are accurate and add more bass than my former piddly rears I had (mitsubishi-ok for prologic but not DD). Great price/value for this speaker, add a PDR 10/12 and your set with quality sound, depth, imaging and some money left over to feed the obsession.

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Mission 760i, Paradigm Titan

Wonderful little speakers for both music (all types) and movies. Extremely affordable. I feel like I'm stealing from the company! $170/pair for such great performance should be illegal!

At this price, I would feel guilty nit-picking at its minor flaws which are simply aesthetically related in terms of their appearance.

I have owned a few different pairs of front speakers now in hopes of finding THE perfect speaker for my listening needs and I believe that I have just taken a major step towards finding it in the Paradigm Atoms. These amazing little speakers have breathed new life into my record collection and I have spent a lot of time just listening to them in awe at how detailed and revealing they are.

I went to my local audio dealer one day when I had some extra time and I was curious about Paradigm's line because of the ads I've seen in many audio magazines. While the speakers themselves didn't quite jump out at me, the prices quoted on the ads did and so I spent a few hours in the store play-testing their product line with a compilation of recordings I burned onto a disc specifically meant to test the s*** out of a speaker, featuring a heavy-duty mix of classical, jazz, and pop music. First I tested out the Paradigm Micros and was amazed at how much they were able to pump out given their size. I stepped up to the Titans and was equally blown away. Then the dealer brought out a pair of the Atoms which is the model between the Micros and the Titans and I bought them right there on the spot after listening to them for a while. When I got them home, I positioned them on stands. I had no trouble positioning these speakers at all. They throw out a terrific stereo image. Their simple design yields amazing results with practically zero distortion or hiss eminating from them at all. Vocals are natural sounding for the most part and instruments maintain their sonorities and colors. I've thrown practically everything at these speakers from Mahler, to Miles Davis, to Metallica, in terms of music. And every recording thusfar has been given new life with these speakers.

I threw in the DVD of Fantasia 2000 and got soaked into the rich sound of Respighi's "Pines of Rome". Maybe it's just me, but the DTS soundtrack is slightly more revealing than the Dolby Digital soundtrack. All I can say is that I can think of a million different ways to spend $170 dollars, but after living with the Paradigm Atoms for a few weeks, I can honestly say that it's the best $170 dollars I've ever spent on audio gear. I recommend play testing these speakers if you ever get a chance. They're impressive for their size and price. And since I've bought these speakers, I have had absolutely no desire to upgrade to something bigger or more expensive. They're simply fantastic!

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JBL, Sony, Optimus, Infinity