After listening to everything I could find in the $1200 and less price range for a set of home theater speakers, I settled on the Paradigm Mini Monitors with a CC350 center channel and ADP150 surrounds. They sound great in both music and home theater applications.
We did direct comparisons with the NHT Superones and the Minis and came to the conclusion that the Paradigms are warmer, have lower bass extension and are definitely more efficient. At low listening levels the NHT's didn't sound like much at all. Also female vocals were much better on the Minis.

The dipolar surrounds(ADP150) are excellent for effects on the rear. They are fairly full range and create a diffuse sound field.

I play them through a Yamaha RXV-990, with 100 watts to the front and 25 watts to the rear with no problem. The Yamaha has great DSP effects, so listening to jazz in the Jazz Club mode creates a completely realistic experience.

Why only four stars for the Paradigm Minis? As close as they come to not needing a sub I still miss having one and am currently shopping. Also the upper treble range isn't quite as crisp as it could be, but there is also no listener fatigue with these speakers. I think for the money, they are easily the best available speaker.

Solid build quality, Quality drivers,
nice detailed sound, one of the
best pair for under $350

Cant really put them on a "bookself"
unless you move them at least 8 in.
from rear wall
with some other speakers

I bought these speakers after owning the Paradigm Titans for a year. I strongly feel for $220 (thats what I paid), the Titans are the best you can get, and for under $350, the MM's are the best.
WHY? assuming you use speaker stands and dont have the MM's up against the rear wall closer than about 8 in., the MMs
produce deep, punchy bass that just sounds accurate.
Vocals are superb, very sweet sounding, and the treble is so
crisp and clean, excellent 3rd order crossover design.
I was using a velodyne CT-80 sub, but for the small room my MM's are in, it wasnt necessary for stereo music. THe MM's can go deep enough to do bass guitars and drums justice, and like i said, positioned correctly with tone controls set at FLAT, the MM's are not boomy nor too bright. They really do sound flat and very pleasing to the ear! I guess it really has a lot to do with what amp/receiver you are using. Many people
may or may not like them with certain receivers. Last summer i bought the new sony stereo receiver from circuit city and its was so awful!! to damn sharp and boomy, but after listening to many other stereo receivers, i bought the Marantz SR-68, and with tone controls set at flat, it sounds so good. Ive listened to more expensive systems, amd I couldnt hear THAT much of a incredible sonic difference for all the extra money.
Good luck with whatever purchase you make, just listen with your equipment for yourself, whatever sounds great to you just buy. Hey, if Bose sounds the best for you for under $350, buy em (but i really doubt they will be your first choice). Always try to make give a speaker rating based on how it sounds compared to other ones for similar prices.
Im giving the MM's 5 stars for value, and 4 stars overall because, OVERALL, they are a damn good speaker!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titans, JBL, Boston,
Polk, Infinity, AR, B&W

Outstanding sonic qualities. Performs well on music and movie soundtracks

Does not accept dual bananas

As I auditioned some great budget monitors, I found that the Minimonitors performed the best (to my prefernces). The superones are also excellent and some will likely find them more enjoyable. The Minimonitors seemed to have a more live character. With jazz trios and small classical ensembles the Minis bring out a wide and detailed soundstage. This is probably due to the wide dispersion design of the tweeter. Also the crossover frequency is set low and does a good job reprodcing the upper mids. This low crossover setting helps the bass driver blend the lower frequencies (midbass) more smoothly with the higher frequencies. With more agressive music the Minis stay in control and can produce powerful sounds. When I auditioned them I played some TDF (a contemporary jazz/fusion/electronica/rock band that contains strong punchy lows and extended highs) tunes. They handeled the music convicingly but required a sub to bring out the lower octaves. Not a problem since, to me, a sub is necessary and a good sub/bookshelf system yeilds perhaps the best performance.

Some have mentioned that the Minis have a bright quality; this is true if mated with a bright receiver or amplifier(s). I initially owned a Yamaha 795a. This is a wonderful unit but does make the minis seem a little hot on top.
After I traded the receiver for a Marantz Sr7000 they sounded much smoother and proved to me that they represent the tonal qualities of the equipment. I think the Superones sound a little smoother (On the Yamaha) but to me this made them seem somewhat dry. I prefer the slightly more dynamic sound of the minis over the superones, but it was a very close call.

The energy speakers are also a wonderful speaker for the price but I found the Minis a little better. The Energys exhibited some odd sonic qualities. I couldn't really figure out what, they just sounded slightly unnatural.

The studio 20s are better (If you don't mind spending the extra dough, go for them) but not for the price.

If you're looking for good budget gear, I would highly recommend auditioning a pair of Minimonitors. By the way the also sound great on movies. Keep in mind that I found that they sound better on "warm" gear (Marantz, Nad, Nakamichi, Denon). With Yamaha and Onkyo type gear, they may sound a little bright.

I payed $270.00 for the pair. What a value!

Similar Products Used:

NHT superones, Energy exl16s, Studio 20s

natural voice

This is a review of my single shielded mini monitor that I am using as center to match my front mini monitors. For every of you who has mini monitor as front and also using cc-350 or cc-170, you are having a center either over perform or under perform relative to your front mini monitors. I have compared to pair my mini monitor with cc-350, cc-350 is over powering mini monitors, cc-350 is designed to match monitor 7 or monitor 9. Single mini monitor actually present a better imaging than cc-350. It matches perfectly with other two mini monitors. Actually, both THX and Dolby recommend to use identical speakers at front. CC-170 is no match for mini monitors at all. I paid much less than a CC-170 and about half of a cc-350 for my single mini monitor, which is a very good deal. The voice from the mini is very natural.

Similar Products Used:

CC-350, CC-170

Tremendous depth for a bookshelf. I didn't know what tight bass was until I purchased these speakers

None.

After ten years, my Advent Maestros and Infinity SM 125s went tits up in the same week. Not being a college boy any more, I needed a speaker my wife could live with. After researching this site and obsessively reading any reviews on the internet or in print that I could find, I decided to fly to Toronto from Atlanta to visit Kromer's. The trip was well worth it. These speakers, although not having the bass extension of my Infinity behemoths, are a tremendous value. Moreover, the fact that they are about 1/3 the size of the Infinity's makes their sound all the more astonishing. However, for serious HT, they must be matched with a sub. In terms of their overall rating, I cannot give them 5 stars only because if they are compared to audiophile quality speakers, they don't match up. However, in their price range, they are a 10. The exchange rate being what it is, find a way to get to Kromer's in downtown Toronto. Fantastic, knowledgable and courteous sales staff. It is well worth the hike.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics VRS Pro TXH surrounds, Denon CD player, Yamaha receiver, etc.

Sound great with DVD movies and all types of music

Larger than my wife would like.

These were the largest speakers that I could mount to the wall which made my wife happy because they were off the floor.

They rock the house with DVD movies and listening to all forms of music; rock, pop, jazz, classical, swing and R&B. I had The new James Bond movie on "The World is not enough", and in the chase sequences and when gun shots were fired, you felt it in your chest. A true theatrical experience. I have a Paradigm 170 center speaker with AMS 100 rears and a PS-1000 Paradigm sub. My receiver is the Denon 2800 and a Panasonic 32sf36 flatscreen TV.

We have young kids so I can't always crank them up, but when I do my neighbors 100 yards away can probably hear it!

I found the M&K's to have a very bright sound and not a pleasing warm true sound. Definive Techs were a bit small for my needs- I wanted big speakers I could mount on the wall. It's a fairly large room.

Similar Products Used:

M&K, Definitive Technology

Great midrange and smoooothness.

Bass?

These speakers are a greay buy if you're looking for something in the mid 300 dollars range. Great midrange and smooth highs. They can handle a lot of power too. They sound great though my Onkyo 575 receiver. The soundstage is HUGE!! Buy these!!

Extremly accurate. Good tight bass response.Versatile Speaker.Incredible Value

Must be used with speaker stands

The Mini Monitors are the most accurate speakers that I can afford.

When I was shopping for speakers I thought that I might want a speaker with more bass. However I was unable to find a speaker with more bass that did not have a muddy mid-bass. As it turns out the Mini-Monitors have an adequate bass response for most applications. Of course, for home theater, a good subwoofer is a must.


Don't even consider the B&W 600 series they are awfull. Even the 601 is muddy. I beleive that this is because the ports on the 600 series are located in the front. The Paradigm Monitor 3 is also a piece of crap.

The mini monitors have excellent imaging when placed on stands a foot or soaway from the back wall. This creates an impressive soundstage that makes it difficult to determine the location of these speakers. The speaker stands also seam to tighten the bass response a bit.

Incedently I am using these speakers with a Denon 3300 receiver and MIT Terminator 4 Speaker Wire.

Adrian

Similar Products Used:

B&W 601, 602
Paradigm Monitor 3
Rock Solid Monitors

same review as below

Just wanted to clarify--the boston speakers I was referring to were HD8 (not HD7 speakers)- The MM's clearly blow the HD7's away. They also outmatch the HD8's when it comes to bass heavy music (like grundge). They are not as neutral as the HD8's or 9's. I've also listened to these speakers on three different amp/tuner set-ups, an old Dennon, an old Yamaha natural sound reciever, and a new Yamaha DTS reciever- These the brightness on these speakers seems very sensitive to electronic source or maybe its placement... a bit different on each setup. Anyway just my observation. I'll give them a 5 and 4 rating so as to balance my previous 5/5 rating to a 4.5 for overall which is where I think these belong-size considered.

lots of clean bass, nice soundstage and imaging

"tinny" high-end

I'm using these speakers with a marantz cd63 cd player and a rotel 970 amp/pre-amp, and overall I'm quite happy. I'm in a small room, so these speakers produce more than enough sound and bass to fill it up. I enjoy the low-end of these speakers, pretty tight, and not at all boomy (in my room, at least). The soundstage and imaging is quite nice now, after I upgraded my cheap amp and cd player to something nicer. My only real complaint is that the high-end can get a little fatiguing, esp at high volumes. I am still happy that I bought these over the NHT superone's, which I found to be a little dry. I listen to a lot of audience-recorded live music, and I find that the coloration of these speakers to add a sense of presence to the music. As soon as I get a bigger room, however, it's floor speakers for me :)

Similar Products Used:

nht super one