This system is not designed to push the sound barrier as its in a bedroom in a condo. The only thing that I'm going to change is the wireless keyboard and mouse which gives me maximum 2 meters distance. Luckily my smartphone controls everything so for the moment I'm sweet.
With the HTPC hooked up to a 4Mb ASDL internet line I mostly use it for television shows and movies via torrent (shhhh). I didn't see much of a need for a surround processor and speakers because I can't stand wires, and also because I'm not likely to watch Hollywood blockbusters on it.
The Paradigm Atom Monitor v.5 is one heck of a loudspeaker. Of course, no speaker is perfect. If you have a large room, listen at crippling volumes, or favor the bottom octave above all else, you'll need to look elsewhere. No problem—there are a lot of other choices out there. And if you don't have a huge room, don't need to turn your amp up to 11, and listen to a wide variety of music? There are still a lot of choices. I suggest, however, that you put the Paradigm Atom Monitor v.5 near the top of that list. It looks good, it's built well, and it sounds good enough that this hard-core music junkie hasn't listened to his $10,000 loudspeakers for a month. Oh sure, the big guys can do things the Atoms can't—but what the Atoms do well, they do well enough that I'm not even thinking about what I might be missing. I'm thinking about what to listen to next.
Phillips 32 5000 Series
32 inch full HD LCD TV
SilverStone HTPC LC17
HTPC Configuration Intel i3 2.93Ghz processor Gigabyte Motherboard 2Gb RAM 1 x 1Tb Western Digital Hard Drive 1 x 320Gb Western Digital Hard Drive 1 x DVD Writer Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card
Nintendo Wii
Gaming system, 2 motion controllers and a wii fit board.
