Desktop Speaker Reviews

You might have noticed that we were very enthusiastic about the Paradigm MilleniaOne speaker system - it did, after all, end up as our Product of the Year for 2011. Well, Paradigm's continued on developing that line, applying the MilleniaOne's tech to a couple of 2.1 systems (dubbed CT for "Compact Theater") meant to answer the challenge of the current crop of soundbars. And we've gotten our hands on one of them - the Paradigm Millenia CT - to give away to one of you lucky readers.

Inspired by the original MilleniaOne, the all-new Millenia CT aims to bring you even more bang for the buck - and the One was already a pretty good deal, in our opinion. (By the way, if you're set on the One speakers in a CT configuration, you can go out and buy the MilleniaOne CT - and we encourage you to check that system out, though we're not giving that model away). And, of course, the goal is to bring the Millenia sound to a wider audience. While the CT was designed with small home theater applications in mind - think bedrooms, apartments, anywhere a soundbar might be called for - it's suitable for use as a desktop system, and its analog and digital inputs should make it compatible with most computer-based setups or other digital sources, no receiver required.

The satellites feature 1-inch aluminum dome tweeters and 4-inch aluminum cone bass/midrange drivers, packed into rigid ABS enclosures. The slim subwoofer (which can be placed horizontally or vertically, with an included stand) has an 8-inch reinforced polymer composite driver, and houses the 40 watt amps for the satellites, along with its own 80 watt amplifier. You can place the satellites on their included stands, or pick up a pair of wall-mount brackets for a really low-profile install. Of course, this means you can mount them far enough apart to create a true stereo image, no DSP required.

You'll find all of the cables you need for setup, along with a remote (with rechargeable battery) in the box.

And all you need to do to qualify to win a system is leave us a comment below. This week's topic: tell us about the setup you're using to supply the audio for your movie and TV watching. It's a varied world out there, we know - so tell us about what you're doing these days: Elaborate 9.2 home theater? Soundbar under a wall-mounted LCD? Desktop speakers flanking your computer monitor. And if you're in the market right now, tell us what you've been looking at and listening to.

The winner will be chosen randomly from among those who leave on-topic comments. One lucky reader will receive a Paradigm Millenia CT 2.1 speaker system, courtesy of Paradigm. Remember, please feel free to say what you like, so long as it's on topic. You will have to register, however - no anonymous commenters, we need a valid e-mail contact address to inform you of your win. Also, since we'll be shipping this substantial object, entries are limited to those with shipping addresses in the contiguous 48 United States and Canada. We'll take entries until midnight (Eastern Time), on Thursday, October 4, and notify the winner via e-mail by Friday, October 5th.