5 Stars for the Millenia CT from Witch Doctor, NZ!

"... this system is very much in the small hi-fi category"

Ashley Kramer of Witch Doctor, New Zealand's online technology review magazine, recently reviewed the Millenia CT system and gave it a whopping  5 stars and even referred to the audio as one with "hi-fi level dynamics and clarity". Here are some of the clippings...

Quick Setup

"It took only a few minutes to set the Millenia CT up and then only a few more to get the subwoofer properly integrated with the speakers."

Heavy Bottom, Little Space

"...the sub has no trouble adding a lot of weight to the bottom end and is entirely happy to reach up and meet the roll-off of the speakers to provide a seamless integration." 

"The narrow profile of the sub means that it’s easy enough to place and if it needs to sit near the TV or entertainment unit, it doesn’t look too obtrusive. It can also be laid flat if desired."

Hi-Fi Level Audio

"...they sound far bigger than they look"

"The metal drivers in the speakers give a sound much like the Paradigm Studio Series 7 Mini Monitor loudspeakers that I reviewed, only deeper in the bottom end thanks to the sub. Which means that they sound far bigger than they look, with hi-fi level dynamics and clarity."

"In short, the Millenia CT puts on a really good show with music. It really is like listening to a small hi-fi system, and that’s just with a 3.5mm input from an iPod stocked with 320kbps files."

"Hooked up to my Marantz SA8260 SACD player from the optical output, the Millenia CT revealed even more detail and macro dynamic energy; much more than I’d expected. The top end is marvellously extended and the bass is lucid and refreshingly taut."

Home Theatre Territory

"In fact, with movie soundtracks, I found the well-lit top end to actually enhance the experience, showing off the tiny nuances that make a good movie even better. There’s more than enough weight and power at the bottom end to lift action movies right into home theatre territory, albeit without any surround effects. As anyone who’s tried a good 2.1 home theatre system, you tend not to miss the effects as long as the overall sound quality is good enough, and here, it definitely is."

"...way ahead of any chain store home theatre in a box that I've ever heard"

A Real Star

"As a compact dedicated home theatre system, the Millenia CT is up with the best of them at the price. It’s a real star with music playback too, which is a cherry on top. From a sound quality perspective, it’s way ahead of any chain store home theatre in a box that I’ve ever heard; even the better ones at a similar price point. And so it should be, given the limited speaker set on offer, but quality kills quantity every time when it comes to audio."

"...I’d have no hesitation in stating that this system is very much in the small hi-fi category, which would make it a very good small theatre choice..."

 Click here! to read the full review from Witch Doctor.

Click here! for more info. on the Millenia CT or to buy online.

"Quite possibly the best sub-one-thousand pound [dollar] Soundbar package, bar none" - AVForums

After receiving two brag-worthy reviews for the Millenia CT and MilleniaOne CT, AVForums wanted more, this time exploring another newbie to the Paradigm family, our first powered soundbar and subwoofer package, the Soundtrack System (or as AVForums put it, 'a slice of convenient class'.)

Though that comment may give it away, here are some of the note-worthy clips from our latest review...

Crisp & Mouth-Watering Bass
"Paradigm gained a lot of their early reputation in the subwoofer market with big bruising war machines of ground-shaking capabilities and whilst the unfeasibly neat sub in this package can’t lay claim to that kind of performance, it does shock in just how accomplished it is."


"If we take an apples versus apples approach and compare with other subwoofers that form part of a soundbar package, then the Paradigm Soundtracks’ is a Granny Smith as opposed to a Golden Delicious – crisp and mouth-watering against superficial and slightly insipid. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with a good Golden Delicious, just that a Smith is ultimately more satisfying."

Thud & Thunder (With or Without Wires)
"For those wondering if a wired sub arrangement might be preferable to the default wireless configuration, we’d say it seemed to matter little, if any. We at no time sensed any latency between mid/high and low frequencies with the sub putting up a performance of expertly timed thud and thunder."

Beautifully Taut & Warm
"So, with the low frequencies far more than adequately taken care of, the rest is joyously reminiscent of what the Millenia CT’s are capable of. The beautifully taut tweeters seemingly never quaver, even when taken to the extremes of electric guitar or the top-end of a good falsetto."

"On a slightly different tack, but similarly indicative of the mid and high range performance, the guitars and harmonics... emphasised a relationship with the Millenia CT’s internals, by way of that added touch of warmth."

Above: Soundtrack System score card from AVForums

An Absolute Peach
"...we’ve expended quite a lot of page space to the Soundtrack’s musical capabilities when the likelihood is that, for most users, its primary designation will be to replace those shameful little wimps, masquerading as speakers, that populate your flat panel TV. Do we really need to tell you? OK, silly question, but it’s surely far from flabbergasting for you to learn that the Soundtrack System is an absolute peach (enough with the fruit, already) when it comes to movies and television."


"Paradigm’s slice of superior sound was able to demonstrate its full versatility, never losing it with the bass notes and locating effects with admirable precision and immediacy."

Formidable Engineering
"Paradigm has brought to bear its formidable engineering resources to deliver a soundbar package equally at home with music as it is with movies and TV... it’s beautifully composed and impressively capable of providing precise effects localisation."

"In fact, for our money, it’s quite possibly the best sub-one-thousand pound [a.k.a. dollar] Soundbar package, bar none."

Delightful! We'll take fruity analogies any day if it means another review like this one! As always, we encourage you to read the full review for details. Click here! to do so.

Click here! for more information on the Soundtrack System or to buy online.

Paradigm's A2 wins "Editors' Choice Award" and inclusion in The Absolute Sound Buyer's Guide

After receiving a raving review from Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound not only included the Paradigm A2 powered speaker review in its "Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers 2013", they also named it a 2012 Golden Ear recipient and a 2013 "Editors' Choice Award" winner!

The Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers 2013 is a thorough 115 page document, featuring some of the best loudspeaker coverage from TAS during the past year as well as a number of other features, such as: Sneak Previews, Further Thoughts and Editors' Choice Awards etc.

We encourage you to download the guide, but here are some clips you'll find inside about our very own award-winning A2 powered speaker...

Review Summary
"The Paradigm Shift A2 represents a very high order of value and performance - incredibly versatile for small-room, family-on-the-go, and impromptu listening anywhere there's an outlet. Frankly only a dog is more companionable than the A2."

Further Thoughts
"Although I finished the review of the nifty [Paradigm] Shift A2 some months ago, I’ve had a chance to revisit it thanks to a relative who bought a pair based in part on my review. This family is heavy into computers and loves wireless—their home is fully networked. The missing variable was a satisfying, go-anywhere, small speaker. Enter the Shift A2— powered, versatile, reasonably priced, and easy to setup. And cool-looking, too. With an Airport Express plugged into each speaker the Shift A2 fills a high ceilinged living room with streaming music. Each time I visit I especially appreciate the solid low-end oomph and rich vocal midrange."

2013 Editors' Choice Awards
"A 2012 Golden Ear recipient, the [Paradigm] Shift A2 is more than just a cleverly named loudspeaker. Compact, internally powered, and equipped with DSP bass management and enough back-panel inputs to connect to almost any source, this is what 21st century entry-level high end is all about. A combination of sound and value, it extends the welcome mat to budding high-enders who may have felt they couldn't afford the entrance fee."

Click here! to download The Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers 2013.

Click here! for more information on the Paradigm SHIFT Series A2 or to buy online.

"We thought the Millenia CT was good. Wait till you get a load of these!" - AVForums on MilleniaOne CT

After their recent review of the Millenia CT and how impressed they were by its aesthetic and audio abilities, AVForums couldn't wait to find out how the MilleniaOne CT compared. Or as Mark Hodgkinson of AVForums put it, "Considering how blown away we were with the 'vanilla' CT will this model take it One step beyond? Frankly, we're itching to find out."

*Spoiler Alert: The AVForums "Highly Recommended" award badge shown below may give it away. Needless to say, we encourage you to read on for some telling quotes...


No Comprises
"For many the recently reviewed Millenia CT system would be considered at the high end of the scale in terms of the convenience 2.1 package solution market. But Paradigm has never really been about compromises and, here in the MilleniaOne CT, is their ultimate effort to bring a proper Hi-Fi flavour to the burgeoning lifestyle audio market."

"...by degrees of magnitude, far above that of any other such products we've tested."

What Weakness?

"We're honestly struggling to think of any weaknesses to highlight."

"It’s undoubtedly a lifestyle system with the Apple TV style control box and on-board amplification yet its performance is, by degrees of magnitude, far above that of any other such products we’ve tested. Much of that improvement comes courtesy of - what is for the class – a megaton 14-inch subwoofer but the main speakers are impeccably clear and precise also. We’re honestly struggling to think of any weaknesses to highlight... in terms of beautiful audio reproduction, it's exquisite."


A Wolf in (Black) Sheep's Clothing
"The MilleniaOne most definitely is a cut above what is still an excellent 2.1 system and it’s largely thanks to the added refinement – not to mention oomph – of the subwoofer... a wolf in (black) sheep’s clothing, if ever we heard or saw one!... we could push the sub up to its peak level without losing anything. No mean feat but this is no average 2.1 package."

Undoubted Musicality
"Put simply, if the MilleniaOne CT had some more traditional audio inputs, you would be far from ashamed having it run as your Hi-Fi stereo system. It’s absolutely all there in terms of detail and the MilleniaOne will dish it up as loud as the average could need, or indeed take."

"Given the undoubted musicality of the MilleniaOne it shouldn’t be surprising that movie scores were delivered with absolute grace with even complex orchestral pieces are given the Paradigm spit and polish."

Nothing Better
"If you really haven't the room for a 5.1 system but like the idea of packaged convenience without any sense of concession, we really can't think of anything better than the MilleniaOne CT... Do we really have to give them back?"

If not wanting to return them is their only complaint, we'll take it!

Click here! to read the full MilleniaOne CT review by AVForums.

Click here! for more info. on the MilleniaOne CT or to buy online.

"...A truly excellent speaker package that comes Highly Recommended" - AVForums on the Millenia CT

AVForums recently published a review of the Paradigm Millenia CT 2.1 audio/multi-media system and they found it to be an excellent bang for your buck and beautified system. So much so, that they stamped it with the AVForums "Highly Recommended" badge of approval.

 

"... simple to setup and control, easy on the eye and an absolute joy to the ear."

Here are some snippets borrowed from the review...

Bridging the Gap
"Paradigm’s Millenia CT bridges the gap between lifestyle and high-end audio product with aplomb. The package is simplicity itself to install, possessing looks and engineering prowess that truly impress... the overall package succeeds in its remit of being simple to setup and control, easy on the eye and an absolute joy to the ear."

Effortless Class

AVForums - Millenia CT Score Card

"Be it with Music, Movies or TV the Millenia CT exudes a touch of almost effortless class lacking in most of the – admittedly more inexpensive – competition. Paradigm has succeeded absolutely in its active system design... The 8-inch subwoofer is no slouch either, providing a deep and convincing underscore to the lively, yet warm, higher frequencies."

A Highly Recommended Package
"As it is, the Millenia CT will provide high quality, rich and room filling entertainment at a price, all things considered, that is very competitive. Rather than seek out that incremental annual TV upgrade, why not totally transform your home entertainment experience with what is a truly excellent speaker package that comes Highly Recommended? Go on, you know you want to."

We agree!

Next up, AVForums is set to review our MilleniaOne CT and if they love the Millenia CT this much, we can't wait to hear what they think of its Reference-quality big sister! Stay tuned...

Click here! to read the full Millenia CT review from AVForums.

Click here! for more info. on the Millenia CT or to buy online.

Paradigm's E3m Featured in Guydster Buyer's Guide

Guydster "The guy's guide to everything", recently released an Audio Buyer's Guide and our E3m made the cut as one of the "Best Headphones / Earphones"!

E3m in-ear headphones from Paradigm's SHIFT Series (shown above in white)

Click here! to read Guydster's Audio Buyer's Guide.

Click here! for more info. on Paradigm's in-ear headphones or to buy online.

Win a pair of A2 speakers with stands & BD 1!

Throughout the month of March, Home Theater Review is giving you the chance to win a pair of Paradigm A2 powered speakers with stands and BD 1 bluetooth receiver from our SHIFT series line - a prize worth $789.95 !!

 

All you have to do is visit www.HomeTheaterReview.com from March 1st - 31st, 2013, click on the contest banner (see image below), then fill out the questionnaire and submit!

Click here to enter! 

For more information on Paradigm's A2 speakers click here!