Paradigm Cinema CT 90 Surround Speakers

Audio enthusiasts do not require an introduction to the Canadian speaker manufacturer Paradigm. Audiophiles the world over know the brand as one of the best speaker manufacturers of the last few decades. From those willing to spend large amounts of money on their speaker systems to those willing to spend obscenely large amounts - Paradigm covers it all. The Cinema and Monitor range is for the former and the Reference range of speakers such as Millenia, Studio and Signature Series is for the latter audience.

Here at our labs we received the Paradigm Cinema CT 90 and as the name suggests, these speakers belong to the Cinema Series from Paradigm. It is a 5.1 channel speaker system and Paradigm claims that these speakers can deliver performance and value like no conventional Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) system can! So let’s take a look and see how it fares.

Rear channel opened featuring two mid range drivers

Design, Build Quality and Features
The Paradigm Cinema CT 90 is a 5.1 channel speaker set and comes in an all black design. These speakers were not designed to be the best looking speakers available in the market; but instead were made to enthrall the user with its sound quality. The front channel speakers are designed a bit differently from the rear channels. The front channels feature a mid range driver and a tweeter in the front while the rear channels have two mid range drivers and two tweeters on either side.The centre channel speaker features two mid range drivers and a tweeter in the middle. All these drivers are approximately 3-inches in diameter. The speaker meshing can be removed to give it a raw look. Underneath the meshing, the speakers have a dull silver finish making it an attractive looking speaker set. All the satellite speakers have a bracket at the back so they can be wall mounted. Connections for these speakers are open pin type.

The 120 watts RMS subwoofer is grounded and not the elevated type. These type of speakers are a common sight these days. The subwoofer is approximately 16-inches in height and has a depth of 14-inches. It features a built-in amplifier and a 10-inch bass reflex driver having a fibre-reinforced cone which is covered by a speaker cloth. The volume control, subwoofer frequency level, phase and LFE inputs are all located at the back. Also at the back is a huge heatsink for cooling the woofer which is 14.8 kgs.

Front channel opened and giving it a raw look

Performance
The Paradigm Cinema CT 90 was paired with a Denon AVR-1611 AV receiver and a Philips BDP2700/12 Blu-ray player and a notebook PC which was all routed to the Denon AVR-1611. The speakers performed really well and the audio quality was amazing.

These speakers can be wall mounted

Different music genres were tested as well as video played using Blu-rays and the speakers did well on all counts. During video playback, background noises like chirping of birds, etc. were noticed easily. During audio playback we saw the same results with the speakers not only being loud but also offering a thrilling hearing experience. Like all surround sound systems, the main volume is heard from the front, through the centre channel and voices can be heard clearly. Explosions and other high sounds can be heard easily through the front channels too. However, on cranking the volume to a very high level, jarring was noticed. That was the only flaw we found and we were really hard pressed to find another.

Powerful Home Theatre in a Box!

Verdict
The Paradigm Cinema CT 90 speaker system sells for a maximum retail price of Rs. 45,900. These are really amazing speakers and if one has the cash to spend, this should definitely be kept in mind. A notable mention is that these speakers would go really well with the Denon AVR-1611 AV receiver and resellers usually advise these two products as a set. We completely agree with that suggestion and advise the same.