Retailing for $1,498 a pair without stands the S1s are the smallest of the Signature lineup, a title once held by the magnificent S2 monitor loudspeakers. The S1s are a two-way ultra-compact bookshelf/monitor speaker featuring a one-inch pure Beryllium dome tweeter mated to a six-inch bass/midrange driver. The S1 comes in a variety of finishes, which include cherry, natural maple and piano black. The S1s have a reported frequency response of 65Hz to 45kHz and are fairly easy to drive given their 90dB sensitivity and benign eight Ohm load making them ideal for lower power integrated amplifiers as well as budget separates.

Tonally the S1s sound a lot larger than their meager size and shape, not to mention driver compliment, would have you believe. They possess startling bass performance for their size, though I'd hardly call the S1s full range. Still, the S1's bass performance is very tuneful, rich, agile and detailed, which is more than I can say for much of the competition. The midrange, a Paradigm hallmark, is close to if not as good as the larger S2s, which I called my reference bookshelf for over two years. It is extremely natural, uncolored and airy, though at first blush the S1's midrange does come off a bit thin and anemic, however given proper break-in and warm up you realize it's pretty much dead on the money, making every other speaker sound slow and bloated in comparison. The top end of the S1's performance is truly something special thanks in part to its Beryllium dome tweeter. Beryllium dome tweeters are all the rage these days among most high-end speaker manufacturers, though I'm not sure any of them build one quite the way Paradigm does. I can say the before-mentioned statement because unlike other speaker manufacturers Paradigm designs and builds all of their drivers, including their Beryllium dome tweeters, completely in house. The S1's tweeter is refined, extremely quick and detailed with wonderful air and extension though when driven hard or pushed to its limits it can become a little harsh and even bite back. In terms of soundstage the S1s disappear like any good monitor should only the S1s leave a much larger performance in their wake than most mini monitors. Overall if you're looking for a small, non obtrusive, affordable but still high end bookshelf or mini monitor loudspeaker that sounds even better than it looks, then look no further than the Paradigm Signature S1.

Read more about the S1 on Page 2.