Paradigm Titan/Atom vs. SVS speakers

"but I'm wondering if I can do better for the money"


Potentially, although the question is "better *for you* for the money". Other brands to audition though would be Athena (you can't audition the "Audition" line at BB anymore, but you can get a taste of their sound over there with the products they do carry; same tweeter is utilized, but overall the sonic quality of the Audition line (available at audioadvisor.com) is superior. Klipsch also has speakers in your price bracket that you may or may find more suitable to your tastes.


As far as the SBS goes, it depends on whether or not you're willing to pay the money to find out whether they are better for you. There are positive and not so positive reviews of them on the net.


Overall though, qualitywise both Athena and Paradigm are proven (even Stereophile gives them a nod), while the SVS system is a bit new, and hasn't been receiving universal praise.

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I have never heard the SVS speakers BUT I have owned the Paradigm Titan v.3's and if it were up to me I would opt for the Atoms. The reason being that for some reason the Atom seems to project better than the Titan and with a good powered sub the combination is hard to beat. The matching cc-170 is a very decent center so my vote would have to go with the Paradigms. However, you may want to go check out the Infinity Primus speakers such as the 150 because inmho it is almost as good, if not better, than the Atom. Furthermore, they can be had for really good prices via CC or from Vanns. Do yourself a favor and check them out. You will be glad you did-I sure am.

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll definitely check out the Infinity Primus (I think it's the 160 now) and the Klipsch speakers.


I forgot to mention that most of my viewing will be movies. I know some speakers are better rated for movies and some for music.....if that changes anyone's mind.


BTW, I emailed SVS about their speakers asking them how they compared to the Paradigms and this is the response I received....


"I’m not that, personally familiar with the Paradigm Titans or Atoms but from my limited experience and what I know of them I think you’ll find the SBS-01 to have a much cleaner and clearer sound to them, especially at the higher frequencies."


If you're not that familiar how can you make this claim. So much for any real info from those guys.


Thanks.

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My budget for the speakers is between ~$600-$700 (not including my sub).


For anyone else intereted, I'm finishing my basement and my room size is 13'x20' and my seating areas are probably 12' and 17' from the screen.

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Johnny for a room that size I would highly recommend you take a real close look at the Primus 360's. In fact, your room is basically the same size as mine and my seating position is about 11'. The 360's do a fabulous job to say the least. I know of any other floor-stander in the less than $400 range that is any better than the 360's. I have 360's up front and the C25 center followed by the 150's in the back comprising a 5.1 set-up. My lfe is handled by my Mirage S12 12" powered sub. Right now cc and Vanns has great prices on the Primus speakers. Hope this helps. Good luck in your decision. Be sure to let us know what you decide and how it all turns out for you.

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Audiofreak, thanks for the advice. I am a little concerned about the Infinitys becuase of the reviews that claim they need a lot of power to run them and without having enough power the tweeters tend to freeze up.


How long have you had yours? Have you had any issues?

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Hmmmmmmmm what reviews are you referring to? I have not found that to be true at all. In fact, my Pioneer 1015 does a very nice job. I can turn it up quite loudly-definitely loud enough to have the police come and write me another citation. Have had no issues at all w/my Primus speakers as they have performed flawlessly. Be careful with what you read because not all of it is true. Some times it is and some times it is NOT. Try to find someone close to you that could offer a demo and judge for yourself. Remember, buy what you prefer NOT what others tell you to buy. Happy hunting.

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I've read some reviews on crutchfield about the Primus 250's. Not sure if the same tweeter is used or not.


I'm going to be aditioning some Klipsch (reference series I think) speakers at a friends house and he also has the SVS PCi 20-39 sub that I want.


Just an added note, I'll be running everything with my Denon 2307ci that I have on order....if that changes anyone's mind.


One more question for everyone....Does it matter if I get bookshelf speakers or floor standing speakers? I know in the higher price ranges, floor standing speakers are great, but for my price range, will I get more for my money out of bookshelf speakers?

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Johnny my room is basically the same size as yours and if it were me I would opt for floorstanders. Some stand mounted speakers will do decently in a room that size BUT floorstanders will fill the room w/sound easier as well as having much more dynamic impact. In other words, the stand mounted speakers may image a bit better but will have to be played at higher volumes to play at the same volume level as floorstanders. For example, I was using a set of Paradigm Studio 20 v.3's in my living room which is also 13' X 20' and I can tell you first hand that my Primus 360's fill the room w/sound a lot better and has much more dynamic impact. The 360's also prduce a larger soundstage which I have grown to like. However, it is only fair to mention that the Studio 20 v.3's image better and have a more open and airy high-end whereas the Primus 360's midrange may actually be a bit better than the 20's. I am more than willing to give up a little bit of imaging to gain a much larger soundstage as well as gaining much more dynamic impact. INMHO, I would opt for floorstanders and the 360's will surprise you. I have had no issues whatsoever with my tweeters freezing-up. But I am not you so only you can decide what is right for you. Happy hunting.

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Johnny, I sent you a PM.

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It seems like a lot of people like the atoms over the titans, is this true?


I'm starting to think I may possibly need to adjust my budget because I think I'd like to get towers for the fronts. I'm starting to think I won't get the sound I need out of bookshelves sitting 17ft from speakers......or is this just a misconception on my part????


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swerveddy, thinks for the link. It was a long read, but lots of good info.

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You may very well be right about that. It just depends on the room, really. I know that I used to have some Monitor 5s in a room that was a good size (about 16x31), but it didn't really have a lot of "open" space to fill. The 5s, and the Atoms before them, sounded pretty damn good. When I went into a new house and all of a sudden the room was REALLY open with a LOT of space to fill, they were totally swallowed up by it. I had to jump into Monitor 11s, and then studio/100s, in order to fill the space with sound. I would just try it out in your own room and see how they work for you.


I don't know why a lot of people prefer the atoms to the titans, but I basically found the Atoms to be a bit tighter, while the titans just had a little bit of bloat to them. They both need a subwoofer anyway, so I just went with the atoms. I think I just read that the atoms went through a redesign recently, so they may be a better fit for your room than they were previously. I have not herad the new ones, though, so can't be of much help.