To Hans Wetzel,
I recently read your article, “Paradigm Lost,” and it got me thinking about the two Paradigm products in the Shift series. What do you think is a better value between the Shift A2 and the Millenia CT? Both are within $100 of each other and I believe both can be used for music and home-theater playback in a small room. I was wondering what your thoughts were about these products.
Regards,
Rajan
That's a great question, Rajan. In my mind, the Millenia CT is best used in conjunction with a television. It is much, much better than a sound bar; it will give you pretty deep bass, and is more manageable than the Shift A2 as far as positioning goes, even with the sub. I'd bet the Millenia is the better choice for home theater, for what it's worth, because the dedicated sub is deceptively good, if not quite as excellent as the satellites. The remote control is also handy, as far as TV use is concerned, but I would imagine not so much when used on a desk. You can only use the Millenia CT with its included remote, which means that if the little guy goes missing, you're quite out of luck.
On a desk or bookshelf, I think the Shift A2 is the better choice, what with its auto on/off functionality, lack of need for a remote, and more compact packaging, as it doesn't have a sub. Performance-wise, I would imagine the two systems to be fairly similar, short of bass extension, which obviously tips in the Millenia CT's favor. So my final advice would be to pin down exactly how you'll use a pair of speakers and go from there. I use the Millenia CTs with my television, but would probably go with the Shift A2 in most other applications. Both are quite good, however, so you can't go wrong with either. . . . Hans Wetzel
