Pros: Quality material, flat frequency response, five-way binding posts, reasonable price.
Cons: Non-removable grilles, magnetic shielding extra, can be hard to find.
The bottom line: If you have any questions, e-mail me. I will reply.
First of all, I would like to point out that in spite of the category which Epinions has put these speakers, Atoms are not floorstanding speakers. If you know very much about speakers at all, you know that floorstanding speakers are large, tower-like speakers which are placed directly on the floor, thus "floorstanding." At only 10.5 inches tall, Paradigm Atoms would look mighty funny just sitting on the floor. Also, since the tweeters on your speakers should be close to ear level for optimal sound, only your cat would benefit from putting Atoms directly on the floor. Atoms are very obviously bookshelf speakers, meant to sit on speaker stands or a bookshelf. I have tried to point this out to Epinions, but I haven't been able to get their report a bug link to work yet.

***Update 2/28/02***
Epinions has put these speakers in the proper category! Hurray!

So if you came here to read about floorstanding speakers, you should look elsewhere. Paradigm does make excellent sounding speakers, and I would recommend that you check out both the Monitor 7 and Monitor 9 models. If you want to learn about an excellent bookshelf speaker, read on.

The Company

Paradigm Electonics, Inc. is a speaker manufacturing company located in Canada. They attempt to create high quality products at prices normal people can afford. Before buying my Atoms, I did quite a bit of research on the Internet. Surprisingly, company websites are often good sources of information when it comes to audio products. Of course, they are going to tell you how all the great attributes of their speakers. Many websites also include professional reviews from independent magazines. Again, they are going to choose reviews that make their products sound good. But if they can't find any such reviews, it could be a bad sign. Paradigm has six Atom reviews online, including reviews from Audio Magazine, etown, and SoundStage. These reviews are all glowing reviews, many talking about how amazed they are that speakers in this price range could sound this good. Keep in mind that many of these reviewers regularly audition bookshelf speakers costing well over $1000.

Paradigm Atoms

The Atoms are bookshelf speakers from Paradigm’s entry level Performance Series. They have a two-way design, utilizing a 5.5 inch polypropylene bass driver and a 0.75 inch ceramic-metal composite dome tweeter. Many people think you have to have a three-way design to achieve the best sound. However, many good companies such as Paradigm, Polk, and JBL have gone to two-way designs in their smaller bookshelf speakers.

Important Specifications

Note: If you know quite a bit about speakers, you might want to skip down to the next section.

There are several very important specifications to look at when buying a bookshelf speaker. Sensitivity reflects how loud the speakers will be at a given volume from your receiver or power amp. A speaker rated 3dB higher in sensitivity will sound twice as loud at the same volume. Frequency response is how much of the sound spectrum the speakers are capable of reproducing. An ideal speaker would cover the entire range from the lowest audible bass (around 20Hz) to the highest audible treble (about 20,000Hz, usually shown as 20kHz.) While most bookshelf speakers can reach the high end of the spectrum, the size of bookshelf speakers makes it impractical for them to produce the lowest frequencies. Suitable Amplifier Power Range is simply the amount of power, expressed in watts, that your speakers can safely take.

Paradigm Atom Specifications (From www.paradigm.ca)


Frequency Response: 70Hz-20kHz +/-2dB
Sensitivity: 89 dB
Power Range: 15-80 watts

Appearance

The Atoms are 10.5 inches high, 6.5 inches wide, and 8.5 inches deep. They have a nice overall shape, with a slightly angled front to keep them from looking completely like a box. The sides are finished with an attractive wood finish. The different finishes available are light cherry, dark cherry, and black ash. If you want magnetic shielding, the only finish available is black ash.

Construction

Paradigm strives to use high quality materials in their speakers. Paradigm's five-year parts and labor warranty shows how confident they are in their construction. I noticed immediately upon taking them out of the box that they are rather heavy (6.5 lbs each) for speakers of this size. The Atoms seem very solidly constructed. The woofer is made from polypropylene, which is a stronger, more durable, and better sounding material than paper or fiber cone woofers, featured in far more expensive (and poor sounding) Bose speakers. They also come with gold plated five-way binding posts, rare in this price range. These posts allow you to connect the speakers with bare wire, spades, or banana plug connectors.

Sound

Hooked up to a good receiver or power amp, you might be simply amazed at how good the Atoms sound. Like all companies that strive to provide quality sound, Paradigm designs their speakers not to color the sound that they reproduce. This means that the sound will be reproduced as it was meant to be heard, without adding or reducing any frequencies. To an untrained ear, this can actually sound worse. Studies have shown that most average people prefer their music very heavy in the lower frequencies of bass and higher frequencies of treble. Once you have heard music how it was meant to be heard, without much coloration, you will probably be amazed how much better it sounds. The Atoms do a very nice job of producing high frequencies, mid-range, and produce nice, tight bass down to 70Hz, with some bass down to 55Hz. If you wanted to use these as your main speakers, or wanted a fuller range of sound, you would be well advised to add a good quality powered subwoofer.

Weaknesses

By now you might be wondering if there is anything wrong with these speakers. I have only a few minor complaints. First, the grilles are not removable. Paradigm says this was a concession to save money so that could put better quality parts inside. Second, they do not come magnetically shielded for use near a TV. Magnetic shielding is available, for about $50 more. Finally, Paradigm speakers are sold only through local audio shops. This can be both positive and negative. On the positive side, the employees at these stores usually know quite a bit about their products, and you can negotiate price. On the other hand, this means that it may be hard to find Paradigm products in your area. You can check the dealer locator on their site to find out if any dealers in your area carry their products.

Overall

Paradigm Atoms are a very good speaker in the under-$200 price range. If you are looking for speakers for surround use, for a smaller room, or for main channel use with a powered subwoofer, I highly recommend these. Also consider the Polk Audio RT25i in this price range.

(((Update September 2005)))

Well, I've owned these speakers for over four years now. I still love them. I have had no problems with them, and am still amazed at how great they sound. I have mine hooked up to a Marantz receiver, combined with a small Polk subwoofer. The sound is really very good, even when compared to my Monitor 9s in my main system. If you are looking for a small bookshelf speaker in this price range, you definitely owe it to yourself to listen to a pair of these.