Paradigm’s Cinema 110 CT system packs a lot in a box for not much money. For starters, you get three identical front speakers, which help create a seamless sonic soundfield. The dipole surrounds are also a bonus, as they tend to create more enveloping surround effects.

There’s good news in the surround speaker department here, too, as the 110 CT package includes a pair of Paradigm’s ADP dipole-type, on-wall surround speakers. Once again, this is my preferred choice, as I always find the enveloping soundfield that dipoles provide to be the superior surround channel delivery method compared to direct radiators, especially for smaller rooms. Although the 110 CT package is a 5.1 affair, Paradigm does offer the ADP surround speakers individually or in pairs, so a 6.1 or 7.1 system with matched surrounds is an easy upgrade.

The front speakers use titanium dome tweeters with neodymium magnets and molded copolymer cone bass and midrange drivers. All this fancy technology results in an uncolored, natural sound reminiscent of more expensive systems.

The 110 CT subwoofer is more conventional, with a 10-inch front-mounted woofer powered by a 150 watt amplifier and two flared tuned ports on the back panel under the amplifier module, which includes standard inputs and crossover frequency and level controls. What it doesn’t have (and should) is a bypass input or switch, which routes the low-frequency signal from the receiver around the sub’s internal crossover frequency filter circuitry and level control. Since many 5.1 surround receivers these days are equipped with competent bass management, having a bypass input on the subwoofer can often mean better main speaker and subwoofer blend, as the sub’s internal crossover is no longer in the way.

Once I got everything in place, the first order of business was to haul out my audio test discs and sound level meter and “sweep” the frequency range between the low bass coming from the sub and the upper bass coming from the front speakers. Something was very wrong, though. The subwoofer was obviously not working correctly. When I turned the sub around to check the connections and settings, I heard and felt the thud of the internal driver come loose from its mountings. Shipping damage—aarrgh! Paradigm sent another 110 CT set, but that carton was mishandled during transit by the same ham-fisted freight carriers. With no chance of getting a third sample in time for our deadline, surgery was the only option. Fortunately, I was able to resecure the sub’s driver to the front baffle and reassemble the unit, whereupon it worked perfectly.

Paradigm points out that this has never happened before as the speakers delivered to dealers are shrink-wrapped with multiple cartons onto sturdy pallets that must be handled with fork-lifts––a far more secure transport method. Despite this track record, the company is also looking into ways of beefing up the mounting, as well. We don’t expect a consumer to have a similar experience as ours, but––as always––we suggest careful handling.

The silver lining here is that I was able to get an up close and personal look at the subwoofer’s driver, which is a far more impressive unit than I would expect to find in a sub of this class, with a massive dual-magnet structure and vented pole piece. It’s the kind of driver one typically finds on more expensive subs.

I used both stereo and multichannel music discs with clean vocals to check the timbre, or tonality, of the front speakers. The 110 CT system provides a surprisingly uncolored front soundstage that somewhat reminds me of the type of sound quality I was getting from an excellent $3,500 surround speaker system I reviewed a few weeks earlier. I couldn’t discern any obvious tonal flaws, which is remarkable given the very reasonable $799 price for the whole 110 CT package.

Further listening with powerhouse DVD movies and additional low-frequency sweep testing confirmed that, as is usual with compact ported subwoofers, one simply can’t get the low-frequency extension of the big boys. But as long as it’s not being driven too hard, the sub sounds good with only some lumpiness noted, also a common trait with small subs.

For modest home theater systems in apartments, condos, and smaller residential rooms, Paradigm’s Cinema 110 CT speaker system sounds good, and you can’t beat the price. Just don’t beat up the box they come in.