Just as with celebrity models, the trend in speakers these days seems to be toward the ever more slender yet exquisitely tall and glamorous. Okay, it's a pretty silly comparison, but if we push it one step further, the Paradigm Millenia 300s are so skinny, they must be the Kate Moss of loudspeakers.
At almost 4.5 feet high, yet only a shade over 5 inches wide, these speakers follow in the footsteps of other home entertainment gear that's becoming ever sleeker and more high-tech looking — specifically, those flat video displays that are flying off the shelves. With their chrome-like polished-aluminum finish (black chrome is also available) and elegant glass pedestals, it's not as if the Millenia are trying to disappear into the décor — more like they want to blend in harmoniously while making a modern visual statement of their own. Especially with their grilles in place, these should have a very high WAF (wife acceptance factor) because, despite their height, they take up very little floor space (again, just like a supermodel).
The catch with making a speaker so slender, of course, is that it puts tight limits on the size of drivers, so the most common solution is to use lots of smaller ones. Paradigm has fitted no fewer than five woofers to the 300, two of which also handle the midrange in this two-and-a-half-way design. Using a D'Appolito-style layout for the mid-woofers and tweeter (with the tweeter flanked by the mid-woofers) atop the tall tower, Paradigm ended up positioning these drivers a good bit above normal ear height when seated. Typically, this might be a concern because of the array's vertical directivity, but the designers seem to have minimized any problems through careful crossover design.
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The Short Form
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| Price $5,796 (as tested) / paradigm.com / 905-632-0180 |
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Snapshot
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| A swanky, high-performance system that works in even the most style-conscious homes. |
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Plus
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•Beautiful and chic design •Dynamic sound with excellent imaging •Floorboard-rattling subwoofer |
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Minus
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| •Slightly brighter-than-neutral balance doesn't suit edgy or harsh recordings |
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Key Features
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Millenia 300 •($1,999/pair) 1-in aluminum dome tweeter, (2) 5.5-in cone mid-woofers, (3) 5.5-in cone woofers; 52.5 in high; 28.5 lb Millenia 30 •($799) 1-in aluminum dome tweeter; (2) 5.5-in cone mid-woofers; (2) 5.5-in cone woofers; 35.4 in wide; 17.6 lb ADP-590 v.4 •($599 each) (2) 1-in aluminum dome tweeters; (2) 4-in midrange drivers; 7-in woofer; 8.8-in high; 17.5 lb Seismic 12 •($1,800) 12-in driver, (2) 10-in passive radiators, 1200-W rms amplifier; 14.8 x 14.3 x 14.3 in; 67 lb |
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Test Bench
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This stylish system had average spectral uniformity, exhibiting some peakiness in the mid to high frequencies. But the Millenia 300 tower, while ultimately limited at the low end, had better bass extension than many other small-driver floorstanding systems. The Seismic 12 subwoofer also had better-than-average low-frequency dynamic capability, achieving 108 dB or more at every frequency above 25 Hz. It hit its maximum output of 112 dB at 62 Hz. — Tom Nousaine Full Lab Results |
Handling the center-channel duties, the Millenia 30 LCR speaker uses the same driver complement as the 300 (minus one woofer). It can be wall-mounted either vertically or horizontally — or, as I used it, placed on the shelf under my video display with the supplied supports. Unlike the 300, the 30's enclosure isn't ported, and I ended up setting my system's crossover at 120 Hz for the center channel vs. 100 Hz for the 300s.
Paradigm's Millenia ADP dipole surrounds ($599 each) weren't ready for our test, so the company sent a pair of similar ADP-590 v.4 speakers to round out the package. These squat, wall-hugging five-driver three-ways use a 4-inch midrange driver and 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter on each side, coupled with a single 7-inch woofer facing into the room. By putting the drivers on one side of the box out of phase with their opposing pair, you get a diffuse dipolar output, although, unlike some other dipoles, they are not supplied in mirror-image pairs. This means that on one side of the room you end up with the out-of-phase drivers facing forward, while on the other side they face the back of the room. Though some might wonder if this would detract from the coherency of the soundfield, Paradigm says its blind listening tests showed no consequence, and the current approach allows the ADPs to be sold individually for 6.1-channel systems. (Of course, the speakers are flat both top and bottom, so you could always flip one over.)
SETUP After experimenting, I found I could spread the 300s somewhat wider than normal without punching a hole in the center of the soundstage. They ended up some 3 feet from the side walls and about 2 feet away from the front wall, with a fair amount of toe-in to maintain center focus. The dipole surrounds worked best at the sides of the listening position, raised about a foot above my ears. The sub was in my usual spot inside of the left speaker, although I did feel that the sound was smoothest with the bass-contour control maxed out.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE Initially, bass performance was my main area of concern with this rig, so I started off with a favorite bass torture test, the title track from Flight of the Cosmic Hippo by Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. It soon became clear that despite the towers' lightweight bass capabilities, the hefty Seismic 12 was more than able to fill in. The electric bass on this track dips shockingly low at points, and the Seismic 12 easily got the floor (and my pant legs) flapping as it should. The banjo was clear, with cleanly defined plucking, and the harmonica was dynamic and powerful.
For surround music I slipped in the 30-year anniversary SACD of Pink Floyd's familiar Dark Side of the Moon and found the sound to be light, quick, and highly detailed, if perhaps missing some of the lower-midrange presence and warmth I'm used to. With surround-music mixes, I generally prefer direct-radiating speakers, but the ADPs provided a pretty satisfying sense of envelopment. Overall, the level of detail is initially quite impressive, although I did occasionally find myself wishing I could tame down the tweeters just a touch, especially with bright, less-than-stellar recordings.
MOVIE PERFORMANCE Where the Paradigm system really showed its polish, however — and no pun intended — was on film soundtracks. Starting off with Over the Hedge on DVD, the superb imaging and dynamic abilities of the front stage speakers made it easy to kick back and enjoy the movie, while the diffuse surround effects opened up the whole back of the room despite my using a basic 5.1 setup without back-surround channels. Dialogue remained resolutely clear, and for the most part I didn't run into the slight brightness I had heard at times with music discs.
Few movie soundtracks have as huge a soundstage as the DTS version of The Haunting, and coupled with its subterranean bass, this movie really showed what the Millenia 300s paired with the Seismic 12 could do. There was no sign of distress even in the most dynamic passages, and the system played at lease-breaking levels.
BOTTOM LINE For many people, audio is a battle between what sounds great and what looks good. The Paradigm Millenia series home theater speaker system has been designed to tackle this dilemma head-on, and to a large extent, it succeeds superbly. Perhaps Kate Moss needs some speakers even she couldn't hide behind?
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