Paradigm Millenia CT

The Paradigm Millennia CT looks like a typical 2.1 speaker, but its price?a whopping $699.99 (list)?implies otherwise. While it's quite an investment, assuming the Millenia CT is overpriced would be a mistake. In fact, it might even be fairly priced, as it's a near-masterpiece. The overall output is incredibly powerful?it can get far louder than you'll likely ever need, yet even at top volumes, there is never distortion. The sub's bass level can be adjusted to tailor the frequency response to your taste and environment, and the two stereo speakers are crisp, articulate, and full of detail. If you're serious about getting accurate, exciting sound out of your home theater or computer set-up, the Millenia delivers audio that erases any unease over the price tag within the first minute of use. It easily wins PCMag's Editors' Choice award.

Design
Each 7.8 by 4.5 by 5.8-inch stereo speaker for the Millenia CT features a glossy black enclosure housing two drivers?one 1-inch high frequency driver and one 4-inch bass/mid-range driver. The enclosure is mounted to a matte metallic stand, and the angle of each speaker is adjustable, which is crucial to maintaining a "sweet spot"?depending on the height of the speakers, you'll need to change the angle to point directly at ear-level. (The "sweet spot" is the area roughly equidistant from both left and right speaker, and roughly the distance the two speakers are from each other?in other words, an equilateral triangle is formed by the two speakers and the listener's head.)

The removable grilles consist of black cloth woven into metallic mesh, and they attach to the speakers magnetically. If you prefer the grilles off?and what self-respecting audio geek doesn't??the Millenia CT's drivers are good-looking and follow the entire system's black-and-metallic color scheme.

Unlike most square-shaped box subwoofers,?the Millenia CT's sits upright, and looks more like a PC tower. It's larger than the typical sub you'll see on a PC speaker system, but this system is also intended for home theater use. Beyond that, regardless of its height and depth (it measures 15.8 by 5 by 14 inches), its shape makes it far easier to fit into challenging spots. A rubberized stand is included for the sub, but it can also be set down in a horizontal position?in this case, you'd attach the four included bumper pads to cut down on vibrations and keep the sub in place.

The most disappointing facet of the system is the tiny, cheap-looking and -feeling remote. Membrane buttons control Volume, Mute, Power, and switch between the audio and digital inputs. This is the kind of remote you expect to see with a $200-or-below PC speaker system and seems destined to spend much of its life hidden in your sofa cushions. Simply put, $700 should buy you a much nicer remote. But hey, it works. The remote sensor is located on the front panel of the black Control Box, which also houses the audio inputs.

This leads us to our second disappointment: The limited number of audio inputs. The small connection box feeds audio to the connected subwoofer, which in turn distributes left and right audio to the two speakers connected to its back panel. (The sub's rear panel also houses a subwoofer volume knob with a midpoint indicator and the power connection for the system.) There is a digital optical connection to the input box, as well as a 3.5mm analog input for computers and most mobile audio devices, like a phone or tablet.

Having these two options is fantastic, but many modern systems include an extra Aux input on one of the satellite speakers, making it easier to connect a phone or tablet, while keeping the other inputs hardwired to, say, a digital television and a Blu-ray or PC audio output. If there were just one more option, the likelihood of needing to swap out connections on a regular basis would be drastically lowered. As it is, you'll probably find yourself switching the analog input between PC and phone or tablet fairly often.

However, the system's overall design is stellar. For instance, one peeve of mine is when included speaker cables are too short, but the two included for the satellite speakers here are very long, so you can get as much stereo separation as you desire. For larger rooms where you might sit farther away from the speakers, this is more important.

All necessary cables are included with the Millenia CT?power cable, 3.5mm stereo audio cable, the digital optical cable, a connection cable for the audio source box and the sub, and the aforementioned (lengthy) speaker wires.

Performance
Even if the Millenia CT were ugly and poorly designed, it would be still be a winner thanks to its excellent audio performance. This is what $700 should sound like. The lows, mids, and highs are all beautifully represented in crisp, clear detail. The sub-bass frequencies can be adjusted, but even at maximum volume on the sub, which is obviously not the recommended position, we never hear anything horrifyingly-muddy or distorted.

On deep bass tracks, like the Knife's "Silent Shout," playing from a connected iPhone, with both the system volume at maximum and the iPhone volume at max, there is zero distortion, regardless of whether the subwoofer volume level is cut out completely or set to maximum. At mid-way on the sub volume, the result is extremely loud, powerful, clean audio. It's highly doubtful that that you'll be listening at this level on a regular basis. At far more reasonable levels, the Millenia CT loses none of its perceived power?the bass is rich and resonant without ever getting muddled or compromising the overall balance of the system.

On instrumental and classical tracks, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," the Millenia CT sounds stunning. If you pump up the volume, you might as well be in the concert hall with the orchestra. The higher register wooden percussion and strings stand out beautifully, with every instrument occupying its own space. Adjusting the bass level if you want a bit more low-end presence is a possibility. But the midpoint, in a typical room, should be sufficient?the lower register brass, strings, and percussion have a depth that is simultaneously arresting and exciting, yet natural-sounding. Audiophiles and bass fiends alike can enjoy this system?they'll probably just keep the sub volume knob at different positions.

On modern mixes, from hip hop to rock to singer-songwriter tracks, the Millenia CT again proves a friend to just about any genre you can throw at it. Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" benefits from the highly capable subwoofer, which provides a strong resonance for the sub-bass synth sounds, while the mid-range and high-frequency drivers allow vocals and the attack of the drum loop to take center stage.

Bill Callahan's unique baritone vocals on his latest record, Apocalypse, are lent a pleasant depth by the system, but the real magic comes from the edge that the high-frequency drivers provide it. Grizzly Bear's latest record, Shields, has a plethora of exciting sounds, from massive kick drum hits to haunting synth tones and stunning vocal harmonies?the Millenia CT conveys it all, from the growl of an electric bass to the subtle picking of a guitar, with precision.

Beyond $700, we enter a realm of hi-fi speakers and audio components that you could consider semi-pro. At this $700 level, there are few consumer-level competitors?most 2.1 systems are far less. The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin and Zeppelin Air ?are both priced in roughly the same territory, but their audio performance is not quite on par with the 2.1 Millenia CT, which is more powerful and can achieve stereo separation. The Zeppelins are both excellent in their own right, but they are also, to a certain extent, design pieces, and a good chunk of the Zeppelin Air's cost can be attributed to its Apple AirPlay wireless audio compatibility. Another good-looking, glossy black system, the Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air , offers a slightly more reserved approach than the Millenia CT does to bass response, but it, too, lacks much stereo separation and its price is also boosted by its AirPlay functionality.

Basically, it's hard for speaker docks and all-in-one systems to compete with 2.1 set-ups when it comes to sheer audio performance?they sound larger because they can occupy more space. The Focal XS ?is another PCMag favorite in the hi-fi 2.1 PC speaker category?its visual design is a bit less alluring, but it's also a quite powerful, exciting system, and though it's not cheap, it is a bit less than the Millenia CT. If all of these are far out of your budget, but you really want a 2.1 system for your PC, phone, or home theater, the Harman Kardon SoundSticks III are a classic design, with both visual allure and strong audio performance. If you can afford it, however, the Paradigm Milennia CT will not disappoint. It's an easy choice for Editors' Choice, and I wish I had one in my house.

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