Paradigm Atom vs. Infinity Priums 150 vs. JBL E30 (1 Viewer)

[NickGei]

I'm shopping for some good but cheap speakers for my small apartment. I've listened to the Atoms and the E30s and were very impressed with both. I haven't listened to the Infinity Primus speakers--no one around here has them. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding between the three. Right now I like the Atoms more because they come with a 5 year warrantee, but the JBLs seemed to have better bass and since I won't have a subwoofer that's a factor.

Also, I will be using them with an Onkyo SR502 reciever and my apartment is small--about 10x12.

Thanks.

 

[Raj_asaurus]

I dislike the tinny infinity sound...and as far as the JBLs I feel like the sound is just really thing. I'd go for the Atoms or get some Polk RTi6s or Monitor 40s.

 

[Yung]

I found the Infinity Primus 150 to be a little more forward sounding than the JBL E30 and the Atom. I listened to the Atoms again just late yesterday afternoon and can tell you they are a great little speaker.

I'm also auditioning the E30 at home right now paired with the Pioneer VSX-1014TX and am pretty impressed by the sound coming out of these speakers.

I don't think you can go wrong with either speaker, I'm deciding between the two myself. If you want to go with Paradigm, then maybe you should also consider the Titan which gives you a little more extension at the lower end than the Atoms. The Titans are not as big a bookshelf compared to the E30s which may be a factor in a room your size...but then again, you're not going to live there forever.

As for the warranty, I'm pretty sure most speaker manufacturers have a 5 yr warranty as long as you purchase from an authorized dealer.

 

[NickGei]

Yeah, I have Infinity speakers in my car and although the quality is great, I think they are a little too weird on the highs for my tastes. I didn't know if that would cross over to their HT speakers though. I guess it's down to the Atoms vs. E30s... Thanks for the post Yung, you seem to be pretty much where I am. So confused.

 

[PatrickMiller]

Maybe the weird highs you hear are contributed to the awful acoustics in your car! You should not expect similar results in your home.

 

[NickGei]

Haha, touche. It was a good excuse to eliminate one of my choices at least. Oh well..

 

[Yung]

Nick,
BB carries both the Primus 150 and the JBL E30. Why not take them both home for a listen. This way you can eliminate at least one pair of speakers based on your own listening preference.

GL.

 

[Jan H]

I have Infinity Kappas in my car and they are tremendous, but I've never liked Infinity for home theater. Perhaps that 'tinny' sound just works better on the road. Of course, if somebody donated a Prelude MTS system to me I might be persuaded.

 

[cabreau]

Hmmm....I'm going to have to take a listen to those Infinity's next time I'm down near BB and then go give another listen to the Atoms and see what's up. Most likely the Atoms will sound better because most of the Paradigm dealers setup their equipment better than the people at BB or Circuit City.

 

[NickGei]

Let me know what you find out. My BB doesn't have any set up.

 

[DorianBryant]

I am biased as I was not as impressed with the Atoms and Infinitys. Course that is why I bought the JBL's. I have seen the E30's for $130. These are fantastic speakers and you can easily build your system as JBL is so accessible and heavily discounted on-line.

 

[NickGei]

For $130, I might have to go with the JBLs. Care to share where you found them for $130?

 

[Yung]

Nick,
I sent you an email/PM on a vendor selling the E30.

 

[david*mt]

Yung can you PM me the same thing? thanks

 

[Yung]

David,
Sent you a PM as well.

 

[Shane K]

FYI, Best Buy doesn't carry Infinity...only JBL. If you are comparing the different options at BB though I would also take a look at the Athena AS-B2's if they are still available in your area.

Otherwise the Infinity's and JBL's are good speakers IMO and I've heard nothing but good stuff about the Paradigms.

Tough call.

 

[Yung]

Must have gotten confused. Its CompUSA that carries both Infinity and JBL.

 

[NickGei]

Thank you, Yung. I will probably get the JBLs now, I'm going to Best Buy tomorrow to give them another listen.

 

[Yung]

Nick,
No problem. My local BB didn't have them set up, so I took them home for an in-home audition.:b

They are definitely nice speakers, much better than the E20 IMO. However, I think they are a bit big for my taste and I can't get them in Cherry at good prices now. I may go with Paradigm...it will cost me more of course. You can't go wrong with the E30 though. Enjoy and let us know how you like them.

 

[Gau]

I went to buy the Atoms and ended up buying the mini-monitors. The difference in the showroom was amazing but since i couldnt audition the atoms at home, i dont realize how good my mini-monitors are currently (paired with a dayton 10" sub).