The Monitor SE Atom is the standmount of the range, sold as a pair: a reflex-loaded two-way with a 25 mm aluminium dome tweeter and a 140 mm mid/bass unit, for anyone after a compact speaker for a shelf or a stand.
Monitor SE Atom: how it is built
The tweeter is the one fitted to the larger models in the range: a 25 mm X-PAL dome in pure aluminium, damped and cooled with ferrofluid. In front of it sits Paradigm's patented PPA lens, a perforated plate that does the job of a phase plug. It stops much of the out-of-phase energy, so treble output rises and evens out with no added colouration, and it also shields the dome from knocks.
Below the tweeter is a 140 mm mid/bass unit whose cone is moulded in mineral-filled polypropylene, light yet stiff, with an inverted dust cap and a low-profile downroll surround. The two units hand over at 2.3 kHz through a second-order electro-acoustic filter. Measured on axis, response runs from 61 Hz to 21 kHz within ±3 dB, and bass extension reaches 45 Hz by the DIN method.
In-room sensitivity of 89 dB and an 8 ohm compatible load make the Atom a match for amplifiers rated between 15 and 100 W. The cabinet measures 32 × 18 × 27 cm and weighs 5.4 kg, so it sits happily on a shelf or on a stand, which is not included. Like its siblings, it draws on the research Paradigm carries out with Canada's National Research Council into sound reproduction and hearing. More than one finish is offered.
Specifications
- Type: two-way standmount with 2 drive units, reflex-loaded
- Crossover: electro-acoustic, second order, 2.3 kHz
- On-axis response: 61 Hz to 21 kHz within ±3 dB
- Response 30° off axis: 55 Hz to 17 kHz within ±3 dB
- Tweeter: 25 mm X-PAL dome behind a PPA lens, ferrofluid for damping and cooling
- Mid/bass unit: 140 mm cone of mineral-filled polypropylene with inverted dust cap
- Sensitivity: 89 dB in room, 86 dB anechoic
- Bass extension: 45 Hz (DIN)
- Recommended amplifier: 15 to 100 W
- Maximum power input: 50 W
- Impedance: 8 ohm compatible
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 32 × 18 × 27 cm
- Weight: 5.4 kg each
- Stand: not supplied
- Supplied: sold as a pair
- Finishes: black, white
