image credit: Paradigm

Paradigm MilleniaOne 5.0/ MilleniaSub speaker kit 

The Paradigm MilleniaOne 5.0/MilleniaSub speaker set looks very elegant and even fashionable, which allows it to be rightfully classified as a Life-Style. Unfortunately, this definition of any speakers for most music lovers has a negative connotation when it comes to the quality of their sound. However, in the case of Millenia, this point of view would be completely wrong.

The Paradigm MilleniaOne 5.0 set consists of five identical satellite speakers. The speakers come with brackets to hang the speakers on the wall, as well as nice stands so that the speakers can be placed on a suitable shelf. At the same time, the stand for the center speaker is lower than for the front stereo pair or rear speakers, due to its horizontal placement. The stands have a hole for concealed laying of speaker cables.

Rounded aluminum cases MilleniaOne hide a very serious stuffing. The bass driver has a 155 mm anodized aluminum cone made using S-PAL technology, the tweeter is equipped with the same 25 mm dome. The tweeter is placed in a round horn of small depth, to increase the efficiency of its work, and to even out the radiation pattern. Both radiators are connected to a third-order crossover filter, which provides a sufficiently high slope of the characteristic cutoff, and at the same time introduces minimal phase-frequency distortion.

image credit: Paradigm

The speakers have a phase inverter, the channel of which is bent at 90 degrees to increase the effective length, with an outlet on the rear panel. To further increase the rigidity of the case, there is a special insert inside that dampens possible vibrations of the walls at high listening volumes. The speaker grille is magnetically attached, and MilleniaOne looks great with or without speaker grilles. Exterior finish speakers can be made in black (as in our sample) or white piano lacquer, the latter option is sure to suit the most sophisticated interiors.

Like any satellite speakers, MilleniaOne can work with almost any subwoofer, but in this case, the best choice would probably be MilleniaSub, which is completely consistent with them not only in sound, but also in design.

The subwoofer has an oval cabinet and can be mounted horizontally or vertically (suitable stands included) and even wall-mounted. The sub is equipped with two oval woofers included in a bipolar configuration, the flat cones of which are actually its front and rear panels. Unusual spiral suspensions of diffusers (or more precisely, membranes) of woofers ensure their piston movement with a fairly large amplitude. The subwoofer is equipped with a 350-watt Ultra D class amplifier and has a single RCA input. The available USB-connector is intended for connection of the branded external block Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit. The subwoofer is enclosed in an aluminum case, the wall thickness of which reaches 5 mm.

image credit: Paradigm

Mounting satellites on desktop stands is very simple, and for this you need to wrap up only one latch - the whole process is clearly illustrated in the form of pictures in the instructions for the speakers. Once installed, the speakers can be rotated up or down at a slight angle, allowing you to point them precisely at your listeners if needed. The input jacks securely hold the bare ends of the speaker cable, while the connector can be up to 14 AWG, which is more than enough in this case.

The set provides a very rich and balanced sound, very reminiscent of the sound of full-size acoustics. The exact matching of the satellites and the subwoofer (the LFE output of the receiver was used to connect the latter) created the effect that all frequencies were emitted by the main acoustics, and the overall sound picture was uniform, with an accurate arrangement of images. Even when listening at high volumes, there was no noticeable coloration or constriction of the sound - the special effects fired very energetically, and the dialogues sounded legible and natural.

image credit: Paradigm

Of course, fine-tuning the sound of such a system, which is possible with the audio processor of any modern AV receiver, will take some time, but the resulting surround sound quality will be more than worthy.

Features Paradigm MilleniaOne / MilleniaSub: aluminum housings, branded drivers, unique subwoofer

Price: 59200 rub / 55800 rub

Specifications Paradigm MilleniaOne:

Speakers: LF - 156 mm, anodized aluminum S-PAL; HF - 25 mm, anodized aluminum S-PAL
Frequency range: 120 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 2 dB)
Sensitivity: 89 dB
Input power: up to 50 W
Impedance: 8 ohm
Dimensions (W x H x D): 115 x 195 x 145 mm
Weight: 2.45 kg

Specifications Paradigm MilleniaSub:

Speakers: Woofers - 2 x 355 x 76 mm, polymer membrane with Santoprene suspension
Lower cut-off frequency: 21 Hz
Amplifier power: 300 W RMS / 900 W (peak)
Frequency control: 35 - 150 Hz
Phase control: 0 - 180 deg.
Resistance: 8 ohm
Dimensions (W x H x D): 465 x 137.5 x 355 mm (horizontal placement)
Weight: 10.9 kg

Conclusion:

The kit is able to refute the opinion that Life-style acoustics cannot sound good. The Paradigm MilleniaOne/ MilleniaSub delivers true cinematic sound without ruining a modern interior.

OverAll Score

Design - 9
Functions - 9
Convenience - 9
Quality of work - 9
Quality / price - 8

Pros : simple placement, attractive design, good sound

Cons : high price of the subwoofer