Amazing clarity, soundstage, and depth. Bass is impressive given the size of the box. Inexpensive! Makes watching movies and listening to music incredibly enjoyable, all the details come through. I find myself listening at much lower levels than before, since they are so clear I don't feel the need to crank it to make a connection with the music/movie!

keeps me up at night listening when I should be in bed!

I feel like I stole these speakers. The sound that comes out of these little boxes is simply amazing. The most expensive speaker I've owned were DefTech BP8B's. The mighty Atom beats the crap out of my BP8B's in every category except bass output. The BP8B's cost $400 each! My current setup is as follows: Xbox used as dvd player connected to Onkyo TX-DS595 75x5 watt DD/DTS reciever via Toslink. One pair v3 Atoms on makeshift stands. I have about 15 hours on them so far. Estoeric Cables. My favorite movie to watch on these so far: O Brother Where Art Thou? I have heard many many new details I never knew existed on this dvd before! Buy these without fear! Work great with all music I've tried, from Diana Krall to Dr Dre. I watch at voume level 40 (out of 79) and it is PLENTY loud for me.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Mini Monitors cheap Yamaha 3-ways Definitive Technology BP8B's Heard numerous others (Martin Logan, Infinity, Klipsch, etc)

Clarity, Quality and Value

Cannot handle 1000 Watts ? Only psychopaths need that though. :P

I Love these speakers!!! Beautiful Uncolured Sound for Music AND Movies! Great wall mount options! I bought Six Atoms with a Paradigm PDR-12 Sub for my new Pioneer VSX-d811 receiver with 6.1 channel Dolby AC-3 and DTS!!! I have been a longtime fan of the atoms and have always thought they've delivered the clearest MOST listenable sound FOR MY MONEY. I would consider spending any more on an audiophile system a waste of my time and money, unless I would be using them for a much larger area than my own living room! BTW My center channel Atom is less than 12 inches above my Monitor (unshielded) and gives no video distortion whatsoever.

Similar Products Used:

Krell, B&W, Tannoy, KEF

Fantastic sound quality, good, strong bass for a speaker of this size, Somewhat stylish, not big or intrusive. Performance to cost ratio excellent.

None that I can think of when using them in their current application. For home theater use, these would be a risky choice for use near a TV, since they are not magnetically shielded, but the Atom can be purchased in a shielded version.

This review is for the V.3 Bought these to upgrade the speakers that were packaged with my Yamaha Pianocraft Microsystem I purchased for my bedroom. The sound produced is excellent IMO. I'm not as proficient in audio vocabulary as some who post here, but I am very pleased with these speakers. If you are looking for a GOOD quality, affordable bookshelf speaker, definitely consider these.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT series

Great speakers for the bed-room, or buy 4 for a great movie surround set up.

do not pair well as surrounds with higher end mains when listening to music. For movies, the weakness is less noticeable.

I love these speakers in my room. They are fabulously balanced with a bias towards thick rich bass. I have been a paradigm buyer for more than 8 years now, and I am frequently hard pressed to find better buys. These speakers are what everyone says, the best buy. You must pay twice the price to compete. I have heard that R+D is subsidized by the canadian govt, this is why these speakers are what they are for the price. Now for the reason I am writing this review. I was pondering using these speakers as surrounds for my 11 mkII's and could find no good review as to how the atoms would fit in. So I did it anyway. I drilled and wired and slapped the atoms on the walls to use as surrounds. I listened for awhile, stayed neutral, gave them a chance, and I must say that the atoms do NOT fit in. The disparity in quality between my 11's and the atoms is too great. The atoms suffer in midrange compared to my floor standers, noticeable in the guitar and voice frequencies. I am going to find a better speaker for the job. So if you want to know if these speakers make good surrounds, just try not to pair them with higher end paradigms. For movies: the speakers are acceptable as surrounds and so I may keep them. However, as i said, they are not the BEST choice with my 11's. As a side note: this review is sort of pointless in a sense, as most audiophiles will tell you that music should not be processed through a surround unit. I agree. Music has two channels and by "adding" three more speakes to the mix makes for a "processed" sound riddled with imbalance and compression (pro-logic). try sticking to two channels!

Value for money clarity, depth etc

yes, the old grill issue if you could call it an issue.

Basically just a whinge towards dear adriel. Well, what can one say. Obviously this dear chap prefers his, did he say Optimus??? speakers to the atoms. Ok, kind of like comparing a ford to a merc but anyhow. To each their own and obviously he is very much on his own!! Good luck mate with your crappy reviews. If you don't like it, move on. For me, the atoms are excellent value for money. I have not heard another speaker in it's price range (take note adriel)that can compete. Bang for buck, the atoms's are tops. Clarity, depth and the right amount of "warmth" as far as I am concerned. But all in all, it is up to each person to review them, to decide if they suit your tastes and needs. If not, pack your bags and move on without carrying on.

Similar Products Used:

kef, monitor audio, bose, jamo, tannoy, b&w, martin logan

Paradigm Atom Tweeter Diaphragm not replacable.

Paradigm Atom Tweeter Diaphragm not replacable. A complete tweeter has to be purchased. Even if it is a snap fit assembly (Very straight forward to disassemble). Am I asking to much? Seems like It at Paradigm. They only sell the complete tweeters.

PRICE!!!! Not made in Mexico.

Grills not removable. Hey did I mention that Polk are now made in Mexico!!??

WOW, just came back from the local audio store where I was totally amazed by the Atom! I was considering Polk Rt 25s but then found that ALL Polks are now made in Mexico!! Doesnt really matter because the Atoms sounded so much better anyway, they sound like a much larger speaker than they are. I will be purchasing these as rear surrounds and main front speakers to replace my 12 year old Advent Legacy IIs.

Musicality, Tonality, Balance, Styling, and the ability to match seemlessly with the C.C. and Sub. Special wall mounting brackets are made by Paradigm for the Atom, and are relatively inexpensive at $25 a pair.

The grills don't come off. Literature/Manual is rather lame.

First of all, I would like to say that I challenge anyone to bring a better pair of speakers to the table for under $200. The Atoms are part of the Performance Series by Paradigm, and are the little brother to the Titan, which for $20 more for a pair, really isn't worth it. The Atoms have better clarity, balance, and tonality than the Titan. The Atom features a 5.25" midrange and a .75" tweeter, and while Paradigm makes most of their drivers, suprisingly they don't make this speakers tweeter. This may account for some of the difference in clarity between the Titan and Atom, as they use different tweeters. Music is natural, although not too laid back. I don't recommend these for rap or hard rock, although they are fabulous with jazz, blues, classical, and folk/bluegrass. Don't forget that they, as all home theatre speakers need a burn in period, to get the drivers broken in correctly. Good soft music, or preferably a test tone for 8 - 10 hours will accomplish this. Again, I highly recommend this little speaker, as it will amaze you over and over!! I plan to step up to the Mini-Monitor shortly, although currently the funds aren't there to do so.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm CC-170 , Paradigm PDR-10, Polk RT15, and Polk R10.

Timbral accuracy and dimensionality; realism in general.

Don't have the bass depth or volume of a larger speaker.

I bought these new Atoms a month ago, (May 2002), for my bedrooms system. For that application I was constrain by size as well as price, because I need to wall mount them close to the ceiling for good dispersion. The Atoms were at my limit for both. They turned out wildly beyond my expectation! The accuracy, subtlety, and soundstage utterly astonished me. Transparency and "air" far exceed my main system speakers, (B&W DM7, original model), which I loved for many years - 'till now. The Atoms put out plenty of volume too, for a small speaker, (not that I play them all that loud in my bedroom). I wasn't planning to in the first place, but I couldn't resist adding a Quest 8" subwoofer to bring the flat response down flat to 40Hz. The Quest are not necessarily a great subwooder but the complement the Atoms well at least in a bedroom setting. I highly recommend the Atoms in their price range; (above price is Canadian dollars).

I agree with Adiel below (mostly.) For the price the Atoms are a steal. I have owned a pair for many years. But there is a new budget king in town. The Axiom M2 and Axiom M3s are MUCH better speakers. The Axiom M3 is the best sounding speaker I have heard at under $1,000. The Atoms are great...but listen to the Axioms before you buy. After living with the Axiom M3s for six months I would not trade them for 10 pairs of Atoms...they are really that good.