Price, imaging, detail is great for such a small speaker.

Cover/grill does not come off. sold only in pairs.

Compared to other speakers this size, the detail and imaging make the Micro the best purchase. Even placing these as your main speakers, they put most $300 bookshelf speakers to shame! All you have to do is bring your own CD to your paradigm dealer, and listen. I use these as my surrounds, GREAT sound.

Similar Products Used:

Bose Jewel cube speakers. Boston Acoustics Micro series.

Good bass extension for a small speaker Nice midrange Small Cheap

None at this size and price

I have a Paradigm System in my home consisting of Mini Monitors as mains, a CC-370, ADP-370 for rears, and a PDR-12, so I knew what kind of quality Paradigm offered. When I want to my local hi-end speaker store I really had the Cinema 70's in mind of what I wanted to purchase. All I wanted was something tiny, that I could mount on the walls in my office, and wouldnt disturb my fellow workers. The salesman who I knew from my previous purchases recommended the Micros, so I decided to give them a listen. During the comparison at the store I was amazed at how much better the Micros sounded. The bass extension for such a small speaker was really unexpected. There was really no comparison between the two speakers. And since I had spent over $2,000 the last time I was there, the guy gave me a great deal on the pricing (which just shows how much the mark up is).

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Cinema 70 NHT Super Zero XU

Ridiculously good sound from such small speakers.

None and don't anticipate any!

Went to Stereo Discount Center in Providence, R.I. because they were advertising a pair of NEAR floorstanding speakers for $388. I had never heard of them so I checked the reviews here and knew I had to listen to them. After asking the sales guy to pop in Dark Side of the Moon, track 1 I sat down with my wife and said "I'll take them" before track 2 came up!

I then decided to listen to some rear surrounds to compliment the NEAR fronts and asked to listen to the Paradigm offerings because of the reviews here. Although the listening room was not as conducive to in-depth analysis as the floorstanding room, what I heard convinced me the Paradigms were a bit better for me than the similar size KEF and much better than the Def Techs in that price range.

I have only used them for 2 channel music and television thus far but am amazed at the deep and accurate sound they produce for their size and price. I suspect they will get better after they break in and serve admirably as rear surrounds. Looks like I'm buying a Paradigm center channel and subwoofer!

Similar Products Used:

Listened to KEF and Definitive Technology in same price and size range.

Clear highs mids from a 5/8" tweeter and truly impressive bass from a 4 1/2" "treated composite" cone.

Grilles are non-removable (why is it that hi-fi fans have to remove grilles?).

Bought the Paradigm micros with a Denon mini system (DM-3). Liked the audition in the store, but figured I had settled for a small sound for a small space (office). The more I listen, the more I like. Now I want a little more low end. Going shopping for Paradigm's mini sub - the SB-8.

Sound, construction

The grills don't come off, the bass port is in the rear which makes mounting a bit tricky

First off, let me say that the Micros are exceptional speakers for their size and price. I am using them as rear surrounds in a HT system with all Paradigm speakers. The sounds that do come from the year are always very clear and definitely add to the HT experience.

At one point, I did do a switch and used these as my fronts just to see how they would perform. For such small speakers, they were amazing. The bass extension on these guys is truly incredible for their size. Now, they're not going to shake your room, but for music, they sound group. Pair them with a small sub (PDR-8 maybe) and you'd have a quality set up that takes very little space and costs a very reasonable amount.

My only issues with these speakers are that the grills are permanently attached. This really isn't a bit deal, but it's just annoying. Second, the bass port is in the back. This makes mounting them to a wall a bit tricky b/c you have to put the speakers a little further from the wall than flush up to it, otherwise the bass will get all whacked out. It will create a "boomy" sound. Other than that, these things rock.

I would highly recommend these as surround speakers to anyone with space or money constraints. I also would recommend these as front speakers for a setup in a small room or perhaps in a bedroom.

Overall, they are great. Kudos to paradigm again for an outstanding product.

My setup:

Up front: Paradigm Mini-Monitors
Center: CC-170
Rear: Micros
Sub: RBH -10"
Receiver: Onkyo 575x
CD: Harmon Kardon FL-8550
DVD: Sony S360


I would recommend any of the products I own. The setup above is a really great entry level system for anyone on a budget.

Similar Products Used:

Garbage KLH speakers

Small enough that it won't overwhelm a room.

Front grill can not be removed.

I wanted to put an inexpensive system in my bedroom. I originally bought a pair of Yamaha speakers from 6th Avenue Electronics for $70.00. I brought them home and they sounded like $70.00 speakers. They were bulky and crappy. I returned them and the salesman recommended Paradym Micros. I brought them home and I was blown away by their performance. Granted, they are not $1000.00 speakers, but they do how their own. They sound more expensive than they really were. If you're tight on space, consider these mighty micros. You'll probably need a throw in a sub and the front grill does not remove.

Similar Products Used:

None

Incredible sound!

Some construction defects

In a word: WOW! These speakers are incredible. I use them as rears in my home theater set up. They pair incredible well with my DM303s that I use as fronts. As others have stated, the bass is exceptional for such a small speaker. My only issue is that some of the wood on the sides is chipping off. I've already spent too much time mounting them to unmount them to return them, so I'm just going to get a black marker and fill in the chip. No big deal, but things like this annoy me.

Great bargain for $150. I highly recommend them.

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM 303

Sound, Construction

No keyhole for mounting, no auto-on for sub

*** This a review for the Paradigm Cinema HT system ***

This system, for the money, blew me away. I originally purchased a Polk RM6200 system with the PSW250 (see my review under Polk RM6500). That system had no treble and stopped will sort of the mid-bass range leaving a very audible hole around 100 – 180 Hz. Home theater was OK but stereo music sounded terrible.

After hearing the Paradigm system, I took the Polk's to the showroom and set them up side-by-side. The difference was just incredible. The sound was full and the imaging was excellent with a soundstage that stretched from wall to wall. Within 30 seconds, I knew that the Polk’s were heading back. The Paradigm sub is good, but not best in class. I have an Onkyo receiver, which I thought had terrible ProLogic sound. With the Paradigm system, ProLogic sound was much improved making it very nice for television viewing. This is a testament for the center channel actually.

There are a couple of negatives however. This system can sound a little bright when pushed. Mid-bass could be a little stronger and tighter. The sub has an on-off switch only and no crossover for the front speakers. Thus, you must use the receiver's sub out or wire the fronts and sub in parallel. If you use the sub out of your receiver, make sure that fronts are set to small and that the corner frequency is ~120 Hz. Anything lower will create a mid-bass hole and will require that you wire the speakers in parallel, setting the fonts to large and subwoofer to none.

For a little more money, I recommend the Definitive Technology ProCinema 80 system. Also, the Atlantic Technology T70 system is also very nice. But if cost is a primary consideration, this is the system. Matched up with an Onkyo TX-DS484 and an inexpensive DVD player, you can have a great sounding system for about $1000.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RM6200, Definitive Technology ProCinema 80

These micros are something else! I'm truly amazed what Paradigm can do!

non removable grills

Okay, i'm sold on Paradigm. I'm buying all Paradigm speakers. Not just because of these, but because of everything i've seen and heard. These speakers are so small, yet the low frequency that comes from these is something else! I'm using them as a rear surround speaker, for THX, DTS etc.. I'm powering them with the Onkyo Integra 7.1 Home theater is incredible, explosions behind you seriously sound as if there is a sub-woofer behind your head. There mounted high in the room, angled slighly down-ward. Music wise, they take my breath away, i was truly astonished at what i heard. AND THERE DIRT CHEAP! I dare you to find a better speaker than this for the money. If you buy these speakers, you won't be dissapointed. Buy the end of this month i plan to convert everything to Paradigm. Anyone want to buy some used speakers?..ha ha.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, Polk, B & W

Excellent speakers for the price. Incredibly clear, spacious midrange.Nice high end. Suprising bass from such a small enclosure, only a 4 1/2"
driver. Perfect for fronts in a small room, or rears in a big room.
Great value.

Even with this inexpensive model, I understand what all the fuss about
Paradigm is all about.