Anything better than the Paradigm Atoms for < $180/pr? (1 Viewer)

[Yung]

I'm wondering if there is any speakers that are better than the Atoms for less than $180/pr. I find the Atoms to have nice range for their size and price.

I would prefer something the size of the Atoms and would be using it as mains for 17 x 12 room and driven by the Pioneer VSX-1014TX. Listening preference is about 55% HT/45% music.

I've listened to the Athena AS-B1's and prefer the Atoms so far.

I have also listened to the JBL Northridge E20 and E30 which should fall into this price range too and they are a pretty good bang for the buck as well, but I am still not sure if they sound as good as the Atoms to my ears as I can't do an A/B test on them.

I plan to get a 5.1 set-up, so a sub will fill in for anything below 80Hz.

 

[Yung]

50 views so far and no opinions? I realize this is a real subjective question, but opinions or ideas is all I am looking for. Thanks.

 

[AlanZ]

There are other options which some other folks will probably consider just as good, but you'd have a hard time finding anything better than the Atoms for $180. I loved my little Atoms.....especially after a little break-in time.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

What Alan said – the Atoms seem to be the pinnacle in this price range, so no one has anything to offer! I noticed on your thread at AVS that no one there has come up with anything better either.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Mitch_J]

Have you considered Aperion?

www.Aperionaudio.com

 

[Manuel Delaflor]

Infinity Primus, see the review (and objetive measurements) at Stereophile, far better than the Atoms according to them.

 

[Yung]

I read the review of the Infinity Primus. I listened to the Infinity Primus 150 at BB. It was not bad for its price. I think they are pretty similar to the Athena AB-S1, but not as good sounding as the Atoms to my ears. I have the JBL E20 at home with me now, and they sound pretty good. I'll hook up the E30s next week. Too bad I can't get to listen to the Atoms at home.

 

[DavidCooper]

I have Atoms and my Father has the Primus 150's. I think they sound very similar to each other. The Infinity's are rear ported if that makes any difference to you. Overall I would say the Infinity Primus were a tad bit more forward...but both are really good speakers for the price.

 

[Yung]

I also listened to the Klipsch Synergy B2 and B3 this weekend at BB. These were much too forward for my taste.

 

[Doug Fogle]

Titans are, what,80 more a pair? I think they'd be worth the extra money,at least for mains.But I'm biased-my first ht was titans, with atoms for rears,and the center-all for $560.And even though that wouldn't even buy 1/2 of one speaker of what I use now,sometimes I miss those digms..increadible litle speakers.

 

[Yung]

I like the Titans as well and they are only about $30 more thant the Atoms. However, paired with a sub, I think the Atoms perform just as well from what I have heard so far.

I have had the JBL E20 in my house for a couple of days now. Its about the same size as the Atom which is a feature I like. While, its a nice speaker for its size and price, so far my early impressions are that I like the Atom better. Maybe its the 5" woofer on the E20 compared to the 5 1/2" on the Atom. I don't have the Atoms in my house for a true comparison, but just from what I remember from listening to the Atom a few times. I'll give it a few more days of listening before I switch to the JBL E30 which has the same 3/4" tweeter as the E20 but with a 6" woofer.

 

[Matt_Smi]

Where can you get the Atoms for $180? I am now considering picking up a pair and using them along with an old receiver and my old Sony SA-WM40 sub for my computer speaker setup at college. Right now I am using a Cambridge Sound works 2.1 setup that is decent but I want something better, and instead of going with another multimedia speaker setup I think I would be much better off buying a set of speakers like the Atoms and using my old sub and receiver, I could even use my CS speakers as surrounds if I wanted. Also does anyone have any opinions as to how the Atoms compare to the Axiom M2i? The Axioms are $255 so they are not really in the same price range but they where another speaker I was considering for my college setup. Plus I am considering a set of Axiom speakers for my HT at home, so maybe I could see if I like the “Axiom sound” with thpse M2 bookshelves and if I don’t I can send them back with having to pay that much in return shipping.

 

[Yung]

Matt,

Well, the Atoms retail for $199, but you can typically get a discount from your local Paradigm dealer of 10-15%, so figure $180-$185 after taxes. The discount depends on how much or what else you are buying, whether you are a repeat customer.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

PSB 1b bookshelves were recently phased-out in favour of a newer model, but you can find some leftover at dealers for a substantial discount. I have both (1b & Atoms), and damned if I can tell them apart.

 

[Yung]

Garrett,
I've never heard the PSB Alpha, but have read elsewhere where it is very similar to the Paradigms. Do you know how much they typically retail for? What is the new PSB model? Is it the new image series I see on their website?

 

[John Garcia]

I was able to get v3 Titans for $189 new. Check with your dealer, because they are so close in price, I ALWAYS recommend Titans instead for the additional extension, even with a sub (easier to blend lower). The Atoms say 55Hz, but they have no authority in their lower range at all. I replaced my Atoms with Mordaunt Short 902s, also listed as -3dB @ 55Hz, and there is a night and day difference between their low response.

LESS than $180, there probably aren't many speakers that are as good as Atoms.

I'd also check with your dealer if/when the v4s should be coming out, as the v3s will go on clearance for sure.

 

[Yung]

John,
I thought the V4s are only in the Monitor Series. I haven't heard anything about the V4s coming to the Performance Series. I've heard the Mini-Monitor V.3, very nice..but twice the price of the Atom.

 

[ShaunLB]

I got my RT25i Polk's for around $140 open-boxed...just saying there's always a lot of different choices out there that are clearance, open-boxed, etc. that can net you some great pieces for very low prices.

 

[John Garcia]

What I read in the coverage of CES, they said the new "low cost" line, and I doubt that meant something priced lower than the Performance line, so I am guessing it was the v4 Performance line. I haven't heard any official word on this, but the models shown looked a lot like the current Performance lineup with some cosmetic updates. The v3s have been out for nearly 2yrs now too.

Yes, deals can be had refurb, open box and used. I got some refurb LSi7s for my brother for just $99/pr, and the Atoms don't even come close.

 

[Yung]

John,
I have an email into Paradigm tech support about the speakers at CEDIA. Hopefully they get back to me with some helpful information.

Have you heard the JBL Northridge E series, specifically the E30? These can be had for about $130 on sale and they seem to be a really good value at that price.