Smokey
01-30-2004, 06:04 PM
Reviewed by Steve Guttenberg.
For our home-theater tests, we set up a complete Paradigm speaker ensemble: the Atoms, a PDR-10 subwoofer, a CC-170 center speaker, and ADP-170 surrounds. The first thing we noticed about the sound was how seamlessly those four Paradigm models worked together. We didn't have to fuss with positioning or experiment with the sub/sat blend--we completed our tweaks in less than 10 minutes. We then put our old, reliable test DVD, Fight Club, into service. This disc is particularly well recorded, and its soundtrack's realism was immediately clear over the Atoms. This Paradigm posse should be powerful enough to fill even rooms of up to 400 square feet.
Next, we queued up the American Beauty DVD. Interestingly, as the movie leads up to the demise of Kevin Spacey's character, it's raining during most of the scenes, and in each, the rain's character and "wetness" are different. Lesser speakers reduce the sound of rain to a generic whooshing noise, but it was tangible on the little Atoms--we heard a remarkable degree of nuance. These satellites are surprisingly subtle performers.
We next compared the Atoms with our reference NHT SB-1s, which are 50 percent costlier. The Atoms put up a valiant struggle, but while we wouldn't say that they embarrassed themselves, the SB-1s were clearly more detailed and alive-sounding, reproducing the palpable "fingers on the strings" effect on Jerry Garcia and David Grisman's all-acoustic self-titled CD. The Atoms couldn't follow suit. And the SB-1's slick, piano-black finish looks better.
However, the Atoms bounced back when we pitted them against the similarly priced Energy Take 5.2 satellites. The 7-inch-tall Energy sats didn't have as much, well, energy and full-bodied bass as the Atoms. Even after we'd added the Energy Take S8.2 subwoofer to fill out the bottom octaves, the Energy ensemble still sounded comparatively tiny. The Atoms also came across as cleaner and less distorted. Yes, folks, size still matters.
In the final analysis, the Atoms offer exceptional bass quality and quantity for speakers of such modest dimensions and price. They may get by without a sub as part of music-only systems in smaller rooms.
http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Paradigm_Atom/4505-6467_7-30112568-2.html?tag=review
For our home-theater tests, we set up a complete Paradigm speaker ensemble: the Atoms, a PDR-10 subwoofer, a CC-170 center speaker, and ADP-170 surrounds. The first thing we noticed about the sound was how seamlessly those four Paradigm models worked together. We didn't have to fuss with positioning or experiment with the sub/sat blend--we completed our tweaks in less than 10 minutes. We then put our old, reliable test DVD, Fight Club, into service. This disc is particularly well recorded, and its soundtrack's realism was immediately clear over the Atoms. This Paradigm posse should be powerful enough to fill even rooms of up to 400 square feet.
Next, we queued up the American Beauty DVD. Interestingly, as the movie leads up to the demise of Kevin Spacey's character, it's raining during most of the scenes, and in each, the rain's character and "wetness" are different. Lesser speakers reduce the sound of rain to a generic whooshing noise, but it was tangible on the little Atoms--we heard a remarkable degree of nuance. These satellites are surprisingly subtle performers.
We next compared the Atoms with our reference NHT SB-1s, which are 50 percent costlier. The Atoms put up a valiant struggle, but while we wouldn't say that they embarrassed themselves, the SB-1s were clearly more detailed and alive-sounding, reproducing the palpable "fingers on the strings" effect on Jerry Garcia and David Grisman's all-acoustic self-titled CD. The Atoms couldn't follow suit. And the SB-1's slick, piano-black finish looks better.
However, the Atoms bounced back when we pitted them against the similarly priced Energy Take 5.2 satellites. The 7-inch-tall Energy sats didn't have as much, well, energy and full-bodied bass as the Atoms. Even after we'd added the Energy Take S8.2 subwoofer to fill out the bottom octaves, the Energy ensemble still sounded comparatively tiny. The Atoms also came across as cleaner and less distorted. Yes, folks, size still matters.
In the final analysis, the Atoms offer exceptional bass quality and quantity for speakers of such modest dimensions and price. They may get by without a sub as part of music-only systems in smaller rooms.
http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Paradigm_Atom/4505-6467_7-30112568-2.html?tag=review