|
What We Think
|
| These trim speakers provide surprisingly big and refined sound at a good price. |
Emblematic of the new breed is the Paradigm Cinema 330 home theater speaker system, comprising Cinema 330 satellites, Cinema ADP surrounds, and Ultracube subwoofer. The largest in a line of siblings that also includes the Cinema 110 and 220, the 330 satellites follow a design trend that thins cabinet depth to accommodate wall-mounting with plasma and LCD TVs. At about 4 inches deep, the speakers are flatter than most flat-screens. Thoughtfully, Paradigm supplies beveled mounting brackets to create an angle toward the listening position. Absent wall-mounting, the contour of the rigid plastic cabinets makes it impossible to position the 330 vertically without speaker stands, though an included bracket lets you use it horizontally for the center channel. Cleverly, the Paradigm badge is attached to each of the grilles with fridge magnets, so they can be made readable with either orientation. (Or you can skip all that and use them in the kitchen to post your grocery list.)
The ADP surrounds are dipoles, with a pair of drivers firing from each side and none in front. Much ink, and some blood, has been shed debating direct radiator vs. dipole speakers. The former provide more precise imaging, while the latter provide the more ambient sound often preferred for movie soundtracks. The lightweight ADPs are easily wall-mounted using their keyhole slots.
The Ultracube subwoofer showcases another design trend, that of the Incredible Shrinking Mini Sub. Understandably, huge bass output and a small cabinet are hard to reconcile, but the Ultracube tackles the problem: three of its six sides have radiators. There's a 10-inch active driver firing downward (powered by a 650-watt RMS digital amplifier) as well as two passive 9-inch radiators on opposite sides.
SETUP For this short visit, I skipped wall-mounting and attached two of the Cinema 330s to Premier LS25 steel-and-glass speaker stands supplied by Paradigm ($139 a pair). Once assembled, this pair handsomely flanked my Samsung DLP display. For center-channel duty, I placed a third Cinema 330 horizontally under my TV. A pair of ADPs went along the side walls and a third ADP along the back wall. Since these are dipoles, I aimed the side-wall ADPs with their drivers pointing to the front and back, and the rear-wall ADP with its drivers aiming toward the side walls.
To complete the decimal point in my 6.1 system, I dropped the Ultracube at a proven spot along my front wall. Bass response is significantly affected by subwoofer placement, so if you're a newbie, take some time to find the best spot. For example, you'll generally get more bass in a corner but sometimes tighter bass when you move the sub out and into the room. After a little bit of tuning with test music to get the sub to blend nicely with the three front speakers, I was ready for some serious listening.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE Seal's self-titled 1994 album had a string of hits, but the stereo mix of its intricate accompaniments always felt confined. The six-channel mix on the CD+DVD version (which also supports DVD-Audio) frees the album from that constraint. The baroque vocal arrangements and lush orchestration of "Kiss from a Rose" create a fully enveloping experience. Imaging was spot on, with a smooth transition across the soundstage. The rear dipoles created a nice wash of sound, with nothing extremely localized — a problem that can haunt smaller speakers. In this mix, lead vocals are spread across the front, with the center channel reproducing solo vocals in the final refrains, joined by a single harmony on the very last note. This detail pointed up a flaw: the horizontally oriented Cinema 330's timbre sounded different when heard off-axis from when heard at the prime position. This happens all too often with center-channel speakers and in this song resulted in a slightly unnatural vocal quality.
|
The Short Form
|
| $1,925 / paradigm.com / 905-632-0180 |
|
Plus
|
| •First-rate sound from Cinema 330 •Good match between fronts and surrounds •Good ambience from dipole surrounds |
|
Minus
|
| •Uneven off-axis center-channel performance •Cinema 330 requires wall- or stand-mounting for vertical use •Mini sub not suitable for larger rooms  |
|
Key Features
|
| •Cinema 330 front left/right/center ($299) 1-in tweeter, two 4.5-in midranges, two 4.5-in woofers; 24.5 in high; 6.3 lbs •Cinema ADP surround ($299 a pair) two 1-in tweeters, two 3.5-in midranges; 7.5 in high; 3.6 lbs •Ultracube subwoofer ($799) 10-in driver; two 9-in passive radiators; 650-watt RMS amplifier; variable crossover frequency and phase; 12.312 x 11.5 x11.5 in; 29 lbs •330 finished in silver, black; ADP finished in silver, black, white; Ultracube finished in black ash •Optional LS25 stands: $139 a pair •Price: $1,925 |
|
Test Bench
|
| Used vertically as a left/right speaker, the Paradigm Cinema 330 exhibited flat response marked by modest peak in the high frequencies and falling output below 125 Hz. Used horizontally as a center channel, though, response developed increasingly wide, deep midband notches beginning at a modest 15º off-axis position, suggesting that listeners outside the sweet spot may experience noticeable midrange coloration. The ADP's exhibited the diffuse sound pattern considered optimal for surrounds. The UltraCube 10 subwoofer produced 87 dB at 25 Hz and maximum SPL of 106 dB at 62 Hz, all with maximum 10% distortion. — Tom Nousaine Full Lab Results |
The bass line in the original stereo mix of "Bring It On" was merely adequate, but it's featured prominently in the surround mix. The Ultracube sub provided a nice separation between the bass line and the also prominent kick drum; I could follow both easily. The bass remained musical at all times and had sufficient output for moderate listening levels. The second half of this song expands out to the surrounds, placing the alternate melody and vocals from the reprise solely in the tiny ADPs. They handled it beautifully.
Musical subtleties abound on Seal's album, and the Paradigm Cinema 330 home theater speaker system was mainly transparent, delivering them to my ears unsullied and without calling attention to itself. Also, with so many instruments mixed discretely to each channel, the system needed to be equally balanced, with no individual speaker weaker than another. The Paradigms met that challenge, too.
MOVIE PERFORMANCE Despite Johnny Depp's exuberant use of mascara, Pirates of the Caribbean is actually a thoroughly watchable movie. Moreover, its soundtrack is as swashbuckling as its plot. In Chapter 3, Depp's first escape is accompanied by frantic exclamations and the rattling of chain links in the center channel, vigorous orchestral music in all the satellites, and the occasional musket ball whizzing through the surrounds — an effect that will make you duck. Later, in the blacksmith shop, the swordfight is full of the ringing clash of blades, pointedly punctuating music, and of course, witty repartee. The Paradigms really brought these scenes to life, providing an immersive sound field and plenty of articulation and punch.
In Chapter 4, the ghostly Black Pearl pirate ship comes a-callin', and the score darkens considerably with low bass rumbling menacingly through the room. Broadsides from the Pearl, return cannon fire from the British fort, and fiery explosions everywhere really made the sub jump. As usual, when switching from music to movies, I turned up the subwoofer, and it performed well — though I couldn't help but yearn for a little more bottom end on this demanding scene and others like it. Subsequently, as ruffians storm the Governor's mansion, you can hear cannonballs rip through walls, chandeliers crash to the floor, grenades explode, and all manner of lethal cutlery fly through the smoke and mist. Once again, the Paradigms recreated the ambient space beautifully, and dialogue remained intelligible throughout the mayhem.
BOTTOM LINE Ideally, speakers today should be the opposite of children: heard but not seen. The Paradigm Cinema 330 home theater speaker system fills that bill very nicely: it is both child-sized and well behaved. The Cinema 330s provide first-rate sound, a real feat given their slim profile and low price, while the dipole ADPs performed very well for movies. (For music, you might consider putting Cinema 330s in back as an upgrade.) The Ultracube was also quite good for its size, and even though it can't buck the laws of physics, it will satisfactorily pound smaller rooms. Put it all together, and it won't take much listening to this system to know that the new breed of trim speakers is offering terrific sonic choices.
TEST BENCH FOR WEB
FULL LAB RESULTS:
By Tom Nousaine
Frequency response (at 2 meters)
front left/right: 125 Hz to 20 kHz ±3.4 dB
center: 110 Hz to 18 kHz ±2.3 dB
surround: 152 Hz to 14.7 kHz ±5.5 dB
subwoofer: 35 Hz to 117 Hz ±2.4 dB
Sensitivity (SPL at 1 meter with 2.8 volts of pink-noise input)
front left/right/center: 92 dB.
surround: 82 dB.
Impedance (minimum/nominal)
front left/right/center: 4.1/9 ohms
surround: 4.4/5 ohms
Bass limits (lowest frequency and maximum SPL with limit of 10% distortion at 2 meters in a large room) front left/right/center: 80 Hz at 78 dB
surround: 125 Hz at 76 dB
subwoofer: 25 Hz at 87 dB SPL
100 dB average SPL from 25 to 62 Hz
106 dB maximum SPL at 62 Hz
bandwidth uniformity 94%
All of the curves in the frequency-response graph are weighted to reflect how sound arrives at a listeners ears with normal speaker placement. The curve for the left/right front channels reflects response of a vertically aligned Paradigm Cinema 330 averaged over a ±30º window, with double weight at 30º (the most typical listening angle). The center-channel curve reflects response of a horizontally aligned Cinema 330 averaged over ±45º, with double weight directly on-axis of the primary listener. The surround-channel curve shows the response of the Cinema ADP averaged over ±60º.
When vertically aligned, the Paradigm Cinema 330 has flat response with tightly controlled directivity (meaning that frequency response remains steady over a wide listening area); the most notable deviation was a 3-dB peak centered on 14 kHz. When used horizontally for center channel duty, however, the speaker exhibits "lobing" by the time the microphone is just 15 º off-axis — an effect that's seriously masked by our averaging technique. This suggests that the speaker will sound less transparent for off-center listeners. The ADP surround is a bidirectional speaker and displays the typical highly diffuse sound distribution that is considered optimal for surround speakers.
Bass limit for the UltraCube 10 subwoofer was measured with its crossover set for maximum frequency bandwidth and the speaker placed in the optimal corner of a 7,500-cubic-foot room. In a smaller room users can expect 2 to 3 Hz deeper extension and up to 3 dB higher sound-pressure level (SPL.) Like many modern subs, the UltraCube 10 doesn't reach as high in the frequency range as the crossover dial suggests: the dial tops out at 150 Hz, but the measurements show an upper limit of 117 Hz at half power. SPL capability is somewhat more evenly distributed than for the typical mini-sub — most tend to produce peak volume in the upper part of their bandwidth. The UltraCube 10, however, will produce at least 102 dB SPL at and above 32 Hz at 2 meters. The 40-Hz crossover setting also has an unusual characteristic in that the true crossover frequency at that setting is exactly 40 Hz! At that setting, there's a modest (and very typical) 4-dB dip in SPL at 40 Hz but an additional 10 dB of output at 20 Hz in static measurements — so the speaker actually gets louder at the lower frequency. Even so, maximum SPL capability at 20 Hz with a 40 Hz crossover setting remains a modest 69 dB SPL.
Back to Homepage
What's New on S&V