Paradigm MILLENIA ONE 2.0, MILLENIA ONE 3.0, MILLENIA ONE 5.0 User Manual
Thanks for choosing Paradigms! And congrats! It’s obvious you have great taste since you’ve chosen the world’s
#1 Speaker Brand! We’re not blowing smoke, we’ve been voted #1 twenty times* (the only speaker manufacturer in
the world that can claim that achievement!).
Your MilleniaOne system is part of Paradigm’s ‘Reference’ collection … cool style and superb quality that includes ‘cost
no object’ technology at below what you’d pay for any other genuine high-end speakers with this much cool stuff.For
those who salivate over techy details, we included a Technology Tidbit section and Specs for the skinny on why your
system sounds soooo good!
The difference MilleniaOne will make to your music and home theater experience can’t be put into words, but you’ll
hear it and you’ll
feel
it. It’s an experience that takes you beyond five hot little speakers to a place where you’re
absolutely lost in the music or movie you’re watching. Paradigm speakers put you in the moment and keep you there!
We guarantee you won’t be able to keep that difference a secret. In fact, we hope you don’t. Spread the word! Talk
about your Paradigms. BRAG about them! Play your Paradigms and let others listen! Our mission is to rid the world of
bad sound … and by ‘bad’ we mean the kind you find in a ‘five-speakers-in-box’ promo at your local big box store.
The Paradigm experience is a glorious one, but to make sure you get every note, nuance and scrumptious detail of
that ‘glorious,’ read this manual and follow all instructions. If you still have questions, contact your dealer or visit
the Q&A page on our website at www.paradigm.com.
*Rated #1 Best Price/Value. Inside Track Dealer Survey. An annual independent nationwide survey of consumer electronics specialist retailers and custom installers.
Music and Home Theater Speaker System
How to avoid causing
my Paradigms pain!
pg 1
Getting the best from
my Paradigms
pg 2
Hooking ’em up
(pictures and words)
pg 8
Geek Alert …
technology tidbits
pg 14
Tech Specs
pg 15
Warranty – your Paradigms
are family now, treat ’em well
pg 16
Putting my Paradigms on
a pedestal (literally!)
pg 10
Adding a Paradigm
subwoofer!
pg 9
TOC
Art Attack! Wall mounting
my Paradigms
pg 12
NOTE: This manual applies to a MilleniaOne 5.0 and a 2.0 system. Follow the
instructions applicable to your system setup
pg 1
How to avoid causing my Paradigms pain!
Use an appropriate amplifier. At high volumes, a very powerful amplifier can overdrive your Paradigms and damage
them. On the other hand, if your amplifier isn’t powerful enough, it can produce clipping distortion that can easily damage
high-frequency drivers.
(See your dealer for info on choosing the right amplifier … we recommend an Anthem amplifier.)
Don’t be fooled by the volume control. Your amp’s volume control adjusts listening level—it doesn’t indicate power
output. If your Paradigms begin to sound harsh or grating, or if you hear the bass breaking up, turn the volume down right
away or you’ll damage them.
Tone controls and equalizers can demand even more power from an amp, lowering the point at which it produces
clipping distortion. Use them sparingly, if at all, and don’t use them when listening at loud levels.
Break-In
Although your Paradigms will sound great right out of the
carton, they will sound even better when broken in. Let
them operate for several hours before you listen critically.
High-frequency drivers use ferro-fluid that can thicken at
temperatures below 10°C (50°F), so if the speakers have
been transported or stored in the cold, allow them to
warm to room temperature before you listen.
Cleaning
Use a damp (not wet!) soft cloth to clean. Never use a
strong or abrasive cleaner on your Paradigms—you’ll ruin
that fabulous finish.
The Room’s Effect
Your Paradigms will deliver sensational sound almost anywhere. However, it’s important to note that listening room
construction, room dimensions and even your furniture
play a part in the quality of sound. Keep the following
guidelines in mind:
• Mid and high frequencies are affected by the amount
of curtains, carpets, sofas, wall coverings, etc. An excess
of the soft stuff can result in a dull sound, but don’t start
tossing things because typically, the furnishings found in
most living rooms provide the right acoustic characteristics to allow the speakers to sound balanced;
• Concrete floors and walls aggravate low-frequency
standing wave problems so are less preferred;
• Rooms where height, width and length are similar
should be avoided as they can exhibit significant lowfrequency standing wave problems. This may result in
reduced clarity. If no other room is possible, experiment
with speaker placement to minimize acoustic problems.
pg 2
You already have the best speaker brand in the world, but to get the best out of your Paradigms take a moment to
read the following …
Getting the best from my Paradigms
pg 3
Table Stands or Wall Brackets?
It’s up to you … we’ve included both. You can put your Paradigms on a
pedestal (where they deserve to be!) or like the gorgeous works of art
they are, you can mount them on the wall (also a deserving choice!).
See the illustrations later in this manual for everything you need to know
about attaching the stands and wall brackets.
Placement
FRONTS (LEFT/RIGHT)
On Stands (see illustration at right)
For the most accurate timbral balance, place your front speakers so that
their high-frequency drivers (tweeters) point toward the listening area
and sound arrives at approximately ear level. Follow the guidelines for
distance on the illustration at right.
On-Wall (see illustration at right)
Follow the placement directions above and refer to the guidelines for
distance on the illustration at right.
TIP! Stands and brackets are designed to let you tilt your L/R Paradigms
either slightly up or down for optimal clarity.
Getting the best from my Paradigms
(cont’d)
pg 4
CENTER SPEAKER
On Stand (see illustration at right)
Place the center speaker on its stand below the display so that sound arrives
as close to ear level as possible. Speaker should sit about the same distance
away from the listening area as the other front speakers. Some receivers and
processors electronically adjust for differences in distance between speakers
… check to see if yours does.
On-Wall (see illustration at right)
Place the center speaker above or below the display, whichever position
brings sound closest to ear level. It should sit about the same distance away
from the main listening areas as the front speakers. See note above about
electronic adjustment for distance.
TIP! The stand and bracket allow you to tilt the center speaker slightly up or down
for optimal clarity and dialog intelligibility.
Getting the best from my Paradigms
(cont’d)
pg 5
or On-Wall
or On-Wall
Positioning my Paradigm fronts and center speaker
Getting the best from my Paradigms
(cont’d)
pg 6
SURROUND SPEAKERS
On Table Stands or on the Wall (see illustration below)
For realistic surround sound, keep these speakers well away from the listening area.
Take ‘surround’ to the max without maxing out your plastic!
If you want to maximize the surround experience, for a very reasonable cost you can
add two MilleniaOne rear speakers
(purchase these from your dealer).
Positioning my Paradigm surrounds
Getting the best from my Paradigms
(cont’d)
pg 7
A bit about bass
Despite their pixie proportions, your Paradigms will deliver sensational (and chances are, more
than enough!) bass for most of the listening you will do, but position them away from corners and
out a little bit from the wall behind them … that way you’ll get lots of output with good clarity.
TIP! The absolute deepest, most riveting bass, the kind that scares the cat and makes waves in
the fish bowl, the kind you feel in your gut, can really only come from a Paradigm subwoofer. If, after
listening for a while, you want
more bass and deeper bass
, see your dealer … there’s a MilleniaSub
to match your system (for a sneak peek at this baby, turn to page 9).
Getting the best from my Paradigms
(cont’d)
Your Paradigms are equipped with binding posts to be used with bare wire.
Using high-quality speaker cable
(see your dealer)
, carefully connect one speaker
at a time to your amplifier.
Connect the red (+) amplifier terminal to the red (+) speaker terminal and the
black (–) to the black (–)
(see illustration at right)
. Tighten the posts firmly by hand,
but don’t over-tighten them.
Turn your amplifier on and listen to your Paradigms. If you notice a complete lack
of mid-bass and a dislocated image, one or more of them may be connected
out-of-phase (their polarity is reversed). Re-check to ensure that each speaker’s
cable is connected with correct polarity: red (+) to red (+) and black (–) to
black (–).
Make sure all wires are firmly fastened.
pg 8
Hooking ’em up
TIP! Attach speaker cable before attaching
your Paradigms to stands or brackets
Turn your amplifier OFF before connecting your Paradigms. This will avoid
damage which could result from accidental shorting of speaker cables
pg 9
Adding a Paradigm subwoofer
MilleniaSub
(See your dealer for more information on this baby!)
“They say there’s someone
for everyone. For me there’s
the MilleniaOne system …
don’t keep us apart any
longer …”
pg 10
Putting my Paradigms on a pedestal (literally)
Center Speaker
Make sure you don’t pinch the wires
when attaching speakers to stands
NOTE: Center speaker’s stand is shaped
differently to support horizontal placement
Left/Right
pg 11
You can adjust the angle of tilt slightly up or down so that
sound reaches the listening area at the correct height. Once
you’ve done this, turn the stands slightly inward for better
stereo imaging … i.e. so you know exactly where individual
sounds are coming from. Movies and music will be more
‘lifelike’ this way.
Center Speaker
Side view
Left/Right Speakers
Top view
Adjust the angle of tilt up or down so that sound reaches the
listening area at the correct height, optimizing clarity and dialog
intelligibility … there’s nothing worse than watching a movie
or listening to music and voices are muffled and unclear.
Putting my Paradigms on a pedestal (literally)
(cont’d)
Loading...