Greetings - Looking for a 5.1 system for $700 or so. Any thoughts/opinions re: the Paradigm Atom, AV123 x-ls or something else as front L/R and surround L/R units?
I've listend to the (old) Atoms & found them acceptable, tho' not brilliant. I found a more expensive, comparably-sized B&W speaker to be too bright.
The AV123 Onix X-LS seems to be on everyones short list, I've not listened to it yet but would very much like to.
I have heard the Paradigm Atom and was not overly impressed with it. There are several speakers in the Atoms price range that I would choose before it, with the X-LS being one of the prime candidates.
As far as "brightness" goes, you'll have to audition the speaker in the room you'll be using it in to be certain that it's to your liking.
I agree with chris. Any speaker is going to sound lousy in a bad room, unless they are specifically designed with the acoustics of that particular room in mind.
Speakers that do this are usually backed with loads of circuitry behind them. This is not inexpensive, and many feel that it does more harm than good.
I agree that treatment is more often than not the best route.
my brother has the atoms and i've got the xls (atoms purchased on my recommendation prior to the xls coming out). the xls is a secondary system in my office run off the second zone of a marantz 7500 and i think they sound fantastic. i like them so much that i'm watching what else comes out from the x-line and will likely give some other av123 speakers a listen in the future for my upgrades in my library. i'd say go w/ the xls. unlikely to be disappointed.
As it turns out, I opted for the (v. 4) Paradigm Atoms.
One of the key criteria (which I neglected to mention) was wall mountability (if that's a word). Both the new Atom Monitor and the x-ls are too deep to mount unobtrusively.
So I picked up 2 pair of Atoms and a CC-170 (which I could conveniently audition at a B&M shop a mile or two from home).
Perhaps not the best overall speaker, but for the price and the purpose, plenty good enough.
absolutely. the atoms seem to be a smaller speaker and certainly do sound great considering their size and price. glad you're happy w/ them and able to mount them on a wall (i know it's been done w/ the xls, but it's a decently heavy speaker).