Paradigm vs athena

[charmed101]

Hi folks,
Just a few thoughts on building my modest system. Posted here in the last few weeks, started by being interested in a HTIB, then after reading here and researching a bit, changed my mind and tried for something better.
I went with the lower end of the denon reciever ( keeping $$ in mind over wish list ) and a denon DVD player. For speakers I went with the Athena
Micra 6 system. Was very happy with my new system, but after the first couple of weeks, I found the Athena's kind of bright, with very little bass ( maybe my set-up, who know's,, very much a newbie )
Anyway, called the salesman that I had ordered the system from and wanted to upgrade to a different brand plus a extra bit of dollars ( this is about 900 miles away ) he said that that would be no problem and he would cover the cost of shipping both ways which I thought was a very good deal.
I went with a paradigm system, the cinema 110 CT , and to my untrained ear, I find them very very good, I love them.
Yes, I did read the reviews and posts here about paradigm,,,, but I decided to take the plunge anyway, and I'm glad I did. Now, I'm not putting down Athena, but to me the paradigm is much better. And I'm not going to let myself get wrapped up in the mindset, that every few months there is a better reciever,,, and then better speakers,, as I can afford them. I know there are much better systems out there,, but I'm not going to let myself go to bed dreaming of them and wishing I had them.
I like the sound of my modest system, and I guess at the end of the day, that's all that counts. So, I would just like to say thanks to the helpful people that answered my questions here and wish them happy listening!!!
( besides, I already have an addiction, golf, lol )

Thanks all

[Rob Babcock]

The Athena's are good for the money, but overall I like the Paradigms better, too. Cost doesn't always correlate to performance but generally spending more money will get you better performance, at least up to a point. The Athena's are killer for the price, but spending more can get you closer to where you want to be.

Hope you're happy with your new rig.

[furrycute]

Generally speaking, the larger the woofer on the satellites, the fuller your system is going to sound. Small woofers really have a hard time reproducing any appreciable bass, the so the sub has to reproduce both midbass and bass, resulting in a thin sounding system.

I'm glad you like the Paradigms. If you get a chance, try one of the larger Paradigm floorstanders. Moving up from a satellite/sub combo to a full range floorstander is something of a revelation. But you still need the sub for that true bottom end. Very few floorstanders are truly full range.

[j_garcia]

They're both great, but they aren't competing in the same price category. For the difference in price, the Cinemas better perform better. The Micras are about average HTiB fare, and the Cinemas would be in the more expensive HTiB arena, IMO.

The Mordaunt Short 300 series (Premier) is also an excellent low cost option.

[korgoth]

paradigm makes great speakers. for most set-ups id much rather have paradigm than an athena

unless i was tryin to only spend ~$700 or something