Monitor SE Atom Bookshelf Loudspeaker (Gloss White)

Paradigm has been around for decades and is a very underrated company. Their speakers, even their entry level line, produces sound that is above and beyond what others in this price range and configuration offer. My dad used to have a pair of Monitor 7 floor standing speakers and their sound was superb. After owning a 5.1 setup consisting of NHT SuperOnes, a SuperCenter, and a Klipsch KSW-12 subwoofer that served admirably for over 20 years, I decided to purchase these Monitor SE Atoms and a Monitor SE 2000C expecting an upgrade in sound and I was not disappointed! There are some things to be mindful of, though. First, these speakers are ported versus enclosed. This means that they have a higher sensitivity rating, which allows them to pair easier with a wider gamut of amplifiers/receivers, regardless of budget. However, by being ported, these Paradigms are more sensitive to placement. If you place them too close to reflective surfaces, such as walls, glass window panes, etc., they will sound boomy and muffled. It all depends on what your room configuration allows. Second, even though they have a 5.25" woofer cone, they are huge. My NHT's had a 6.5" woofer and were smaller in almost every dimension due to their enclosed nature. Third, these speakers are rated to produce sound down to around 60Hz, so one might be tempted to rush and purchase a subwoofer. Of course, for Low Frequency Effects during movies and if you want to produce proper sound down to the 20Hz range, a subwoofer will be a must. However, when properly placed, the bass in these speakers is tight and present so you might be perfectly happy with just these speakers. Last, these speakers are neutral sounding and revealing, producing the sound exactly as it receives it from the source. If you prefer listening to compressed audio files or to stream music, you will hear the loss that compressing music produces versus lossless audio. All in all, these speakers will sound great without any equalization and fantastic with the required slight adjustments based on your room. These speakers in white look stunning and their build and construction is top notch. Highly recommended.

This things are fantastic for the price. The best in it's range in my opinion. I'm not an audiophile so I'm not able to speak in much specific detail, but I tried a few other bookshelf speakers for my front left and right in my 5.1 setup and these, by far, packed the best punch. Very high quality and I'm super happy with this purchase. Goes well with the Paradigm center that I also purchased.

I use these as every satellite speaker in my 11.2.4 Home theater. They are clear, accurate, and very realistic sounding. I have tried them as desktop speakers and main front stereo speakers. They do a great job at theis price point, but obviously need a subwoofer to fill in the low end. Nice soundstage with stereo playback. Accurate vocals. Not great for classic rock, more tuned for RnB, Jazz and soul. Hip-hop and drum n Bass sound great over these with a sub added.

I've had several iterations of the Atom model over the years and none really got my interest. I seen these on a decent discount used and decided to give a whirl. Wow..these are a significant improvement over the last version. Very smooth. The only reason I docked one star was due to poor repackaging. I was surprised the speakers arrived in one piece as all Styrofoam was busted and pieces everywhere! One speaker wasn't even in the plastic bag! Had to vacuum and wipe down before using. The have no damage or issues. Now I am tempted to get the premier or even founder series!

I am really enjoying these speakers. I got them for a bonus room and hooked them up to a WiiM Pro amp. The amp is connected to the TV via optical cable. The sound is pretty awesome. It works well for watching tv. Definitely more leaning towards music rather than voice (I don't have a center). The soundtrack definitely shines when watching a movie.

Great set of Monitor speakers. I am using them as the rear surround speakers for my home theater, but hey easily be used as bookshelf speakers. Great value for their cost. Good build quality too. Cannot go wrong with Paradigm.

Speakers are cheaply made that will offgas from adhesive that the factory used during manufacturing. My room started to smell after putting the speakers out for a few hours. The grill is made out of paper. These don't even come close to my Dali Spektor 2, NHT SuperOnes 2.1 or Q Acoustics 3020i.

I've had the Paradigm Monitor SE Atom speakers for about a week so far, and very happy with the sound. My previous favorite bookshelf speakers were the NHT SuperOne 2.1, but at this point it's starting to look like these Atom's are going to take the spot in my main listening area over the NHT's. Two problems I've had with some speakers is bass boom and strange resonances with some female voices. The NHT's don't have these problems, and so far the Paradigm's don't exhibit any of these problems for me. The NHT's have a very dynamic sound, and drums sound very realistic. The Paradigm's are also very dynamic and drums sound very realistic. Right now I'd have to give the slant to the Paradigm's. The P's also look very cool with the white gloss finish contrasted by the black drivers and grills. Highly recommended. Update 6-28-2020: The Paradigm Atom SE are the best sounding bookshelf I've ever owned. Never sloppy, fast, great bass for their size. Just a great speaker. I just upgraded to a Tekton Lore Reference floor standing speaker, and it is an amazing speaker, and up on a higher plain than any bookshelf I've ever owned. I'm keeping my Atom SE's though. I've had bookshelf speakers up to $1000, and the P's beat them all for my ears.