Paradigm Millenia 20 or Definitive Technology Mythos Two?

[drummerboy_2002]

I'm upgrading my kit. Have size and style restrictions (WAF), and need small (<5.5" wide) speakers with big sound. Have looked at the likes of Polk, Klipsch, Canton, KEF, B&W, and many others. Have narrowed down the list to the Paradigm and Definitive Technolgy. Which one? Anyone hear the two back to back?

[CosmoKid]

I have. I own the Paradigm 200s and 20s. I was in the exact same situation as you are. I originally was going to buy Paradigm Studio Series, but due to their size and the amount of room needed behind the speakers to place them accurately, I had to change my options.

I listened to both. You can not go wrong with either. It really comes down to personal preference. I love Paradigm in general so maybe I had a bias from the start. They both amazed me with what they could do for the size.

Both were being driven by an Athena amp. I tested them with music only and the Paradigm's had slightly better separation to me.

Whichever you choose to go with, make sure you power them properly. Yamaha 663/863, Onkyo 705/805, etc...I think may be under-powering them a bit. I don't think those budget lines do the speakers justice.

My receiver (rx-v1700), any of the Yamaha 1X00 lines, the Onkyo 876/906, Denon 380X type receivers are a minimum for these speakers. Separates would be even better. I plan on using my Yamaha as a pre-pro in the future and adding an amp.

[Twitch9]

I would go with Paradigm just for the cost savings over the mythos, witch ever you choose you can't go wrong they are both beautiful looking speakers, the one thing about the Paradigm's are they need allot of break in time before they sound good.

Good luck on choosing

[drummerboy_2002]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

Whichever you choose to go with, make sure you power them properly. Yamaha 663/863, Onkyo 705/805, etc...I think may be under-powering them a bit. I don't think those budget lines do the speakers justice.

I've got a Sony STR-DG1200 (100 x 7). It's almost the same thing as the 2400es. It just swapped pre-outs for a few extras. It's the same weight, so likely the same internal amp. Is that suitable to power the 20's or Two's?

Originally Posted by Twitch9

I would go with Paradigm just for the cost savings over the mythos, witch ever you choose you can't go wrong they are both beautiful looking speakers, the one thing about the Paradigm's are they need allot of break in time before they sound good.

That brings up my next question, where to buy? I know I can get the Mythos from BB or Amazon, but currently at full price (must be black). Meanwhile, it's my understanding the you can't buy Paradigm online (6Ave???), but I have no local dealer. Where can I find either at a great price?

BTW, I'm in the Atlanta area.

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by drummerboy_2002

I've got a Sony STR-DG1200 (100 x 7). It's almost the same thing as the 2400es. It just swapped pre-outs for a few extras. It's the same weight, so likely the same internal amp. Is that suitable to power the 20's or Two's?



That brings up my next question, where to buy? I know I can get the Mythos from BB or Amazon, but currently at full price (must be black). Meanwhile, it's my understanding the you can't buy Paradigm online (6Ave???), but I have no local dealer. Where can I find either at a great price?

BTW, I'm in the Atlanta area.

I think it will do the job for now. But in my opinion, you should upgrade in the future when you can. Your receiver weighs in around 25lbs where as the ones I am talking about are over 40lbs and some close to 50lbs. I don't want to get in to a conversation about capacitors, etc. as it even confuses me a bit, but let's say that you will get much cleaner power from a better receiver.

I don't think it should steer you away from it at all, but I think the speakers will be even better with a better amp powering them. You may want to think about using the pre-outs on the Sony and adding a separate amp in the future. I am.

As for where to buy, 6th Ave is local to me. If you are serious about buying I can call someone I know over there and have you call in to get a price and talk with them. They should be able to do a phone discount for you and you can negotiate with them.

[drummerboy_2002]

Well, I finally managed to find a store that had the Paradigm Millenia 20, but just one. They were using it as a center in a demo setup. They unhooked it and brought it in to the switching room. To my pleasant surprise, they also had the Definitive Technology Two. I was able to listen to a demo CD and some of my own music while switching between the two. The Paradigm did sound a bit fuller and clearly had more bass extension. I wasn't using a sub in the demo, as will in my home. I just wanted to measure the preformance of the fronts alone. My wife agreed that we liked the sound from Paradigm better, we we have a winner.

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

As for where to buy, 6th Ave is local to me. If you are serious about buying I can call someone I know over there and have you call in to get a price and talk with them. They should be able to do a phone discount for you and you can negotiate with them.

CosmoKid, I may be taking you up on that offer. I've got two local Paradigm dealers that I can chack with first. Once I've got my best offer, I may check with your friend at 6Ave so I don't waste him time going back and forth. I think I'm just looking at the fronts and center for now, and update the surrounds and sub later.

[Twitch9]

Nice choice you can't go wrong with Paradigm i've been using them for 15 years and still have not found a speaker that i like the sound of better.

[Twitch9]

Originally Posted by drummerboy_2002

I've got a Sony STR-DG1200 (100 x 7). It's almost the same thing as the 2400es. It just swapped pre-outs for a few extras. It's the same weight, so likely the same internal amp. Is that suitable to power the 20's or Two's?



That brings up my next question, where to buy? I know I can get the Mythos from BB or Amazon, but currently at full price (must be black). Meanwhile, it's my understanding the you can't buy Paradigm online (6Ave???), but I have no local dealer. Where can I find either at a great price?

BTW, I'm in the Atlanta area.

I can get the millennia 200's brand new in box for $600 cdn but no warranty, and the 20 for $225 cdn.

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by Twitch9

I can get the millennia 200's brand new in box for $600 cdn but no warranty, and the 20 for $225 cdn.

per pair?

[Twitch9]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

per pair?

Yes

[drummerboy_2002]

Any recommendations on sub or surrounds? I'm likely to get a better deal the more I buy, but can't go over $2000 for the time being. The recommended Millenia ADP surround may be a bit to large. For the sub I need to keep the size minimal while keeping the bass clean and tight down to about 25Hz, and high enough to integrate well with the Millenia 20 and whatever surrounds I get.

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by drummerboy_2002

Any recommendations on sub or surrounds? I'm likely to get a better deal the more I buy, but can't go over $2000 for the time being. The recommended Millenia ADP surround may be a bit to large. For the sub I need to keep the size minimal while keeping the bass clean and tight down to about 25Hz, and high enough to integrate well with the Millenia 20 and whatever surrounds I get.

The Millenia ADPs didn't fit right in my set-up as I had a window where the surrounds would go. I ended up with the Paradigm Atoms (v6) as surrounds. I was hesitant at first but WOW, what a great little speaker. If I were you I would use whatever you have as surrounds for now and invest the money in a sub.

Also, don't think that buying a sub in the same place you buy your speakers will make a difference. Most good subs on a budget come from internet direct dealers. You will get way less sub for your money from a store.

[drummerboy_2002]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

Also, don't think that buying a sub in the same place you buy your speakers will make a difference. Most good subs on a budget come from internet direct dealers. You will get way less sub for your money from a store.

I take it you don't particularly like the Paradigm subs for the money then, since they are storefront only.

[CosmoKid]

Originally Posted by drummerboy_2002

I take it you don't particularly like the Paradigm subs for the money then, since they are storefront only.

I just think you can do MUCH better for the money than you can with Paradigm subs. I also think their subs >1k are MUCH better than their <1k counterparts. I am not comparing the two, I just mean v. other subs in a similar price range in the market.

Is your budget 2k for all the speakers and sub?

[drummerboy_2002]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

Is your budget 2k for all the speakers and sub?

Originally, yes, but I've already blown that by choosing the Millenia 20's for LCR. I was originally looking at satelites until my wife decided she could live with slim towers. No, $2000 is the current bidget for LCR + sub. I guess I'll deal with the surrounds later. I'll just rotate my Sony's to the back for now. And to be honest, the sub isn't pressing right now either. The Sony is adequate.

[drummerboy_2002]

Got my Millenia 20's on Tuesday. Wasn't able to get them set up until yesterday, as I had to get some hardware to temporarily mount them to my existing speaker stands. I'll have to build some better stands as I don't plan on wall mounting them. The sound these things produce is unreal. I put a CD on and had my receiver set to output multi-stereo to get them broken in, which altered the sound-stage such that it felt like I was on stage with the band, rather than watching them perform. It was quite enjoyable. I haven't listened to music at home for quite some time, since my old sats sounded like crap with music. I imagine I'll be listening to music a lot more now. Using auto calibration put the crossover for the left and right at 100Hz and the center at 120Hz. Earlier when I had only replaced the center, it had set it's crossover to 100Hz, so I may continue to play with the settings. Either way, they integrate well with my existing sub, which will need to be replaced in the near future (a bit muddy and doesn't hit very low). I'm going to have to do something about the placement of my TV now, as since my new center is several times the size of my old, it now sometimes blocks the remote signal. Guess I need to build an extension to go on top of my entertainment center.
Yep, I do beleive I made the right choice.