Paradigm Atom or Monitor Bronze BX-1?

I've heard neither, but I listened to Paradigms for years in college, my roommate had them, and I own a pair of BX5s. I have to say that the cheaper Paradigm speakers, especially those I have auditioned, are too bloated in the bass, and the mids are not great either. Both brands have reps for a lot of bass, but Monitor Audio gives you better bass definition and better overall refinement at the lower price points, IMHO and YMMV. Once you get into the Paradigm Studio 100s, which I have heard, Paradigm's sound gets a lot better.

I would go with the MABronze.Better sounding of the two.

Why not consider PSB? For $50 less than the Monitor Audio you could get the Image B4, and for $70 more you could get the rather astounding Image B5. They are extraordinarily linear from about 100 Hz up to 20Khz.

Image B6 review

Even the $299 PSB Alpha B1 punches way outside its class and is widely considered to be the entry level speaker to beat.

The Absolute Sound 2012 "Editors' Choice" Award Winner

Stereophile "Budget Product of the Year"

The Absolute Sound "Best Stand-Mounted Speakers" 2008/2009

I've always felt that the PSB is more neutral and better on a wider variety of material than the equivalent Paradigm, and PSBs have an uncannily natural, transparent midrange and a flat frequency response more typical of much more expensive speakers.

Concerning the Monitor Audio Bronze line, the BX-2 is considered to be easily worth the extra $110. See the highlights under the "reviews" tab in the link to the BX2.

I agree...neither of these are going to blow your hair back...the PSB suggestion is a good one...the budget Pioneer offerings have gathered good press in Stereophile, etc...

PSB is great, however, if these will run full-range I'd opt for the Monitor as they go down to 55hz, as opposed to 65hz for the PSB. That will make a big difference in music enjoyment. Just a thought.

mot