I am looking at purchasing surround speakers for my setup. I currently have a Yamaha RX-V1, Paradigm Monitor 3 as mains, a JBL Northridge Center and Yamaha SWT160 Sub. My current surrounds are purely temporary. I am trying to determine if the QS8 or QS4 is my better choice. What should i be looking at to determine the defining characteristics. Thanks for the help!

Pass along your room dimensions and max price point as well.

Should have included this with my original information, sorry. The room is 13.5ft x 20ft. My TV, speakers, etc., sit on the long end of the room.

From a budgeting perspective, I really want to stay under $500 (US).

Thanks...

I heard the QS8 last sunday, I was blown away by it, very impressive sorround sound sprks....you wont be disappointed

My only concern is if you introduce Axiom's into your theater, you'll have 3 different brands of speakers for fronts / center / rears. Hopefully they will all match each other tonally. Have you considered the Paradigm Atoms or the Paradigm ADP-170?

However the tonal matching of the surrounds to the rest of the system is less critical than the other speakers. So if you want to try Axioms, the QS4s do sound good, but the QS8s sound great. I've got 3 QS8s in a 6.1 setup, and they sound awesome. If your surrounds are going to be more than 12' apart then I would recommend the QS8s over the QS4s. If you don't mind spending the extra money then by all means get the QS8s and you won't ever wonder if you should have got them.

Jason

Thanks for the information. I too am concerned about the different speakers. I have looked at ADP-170/ADP-370, but frankly I only have one dealer within 150 miles and they don't seem too interested in my business. It think they would prefer I spend $1000+ rather than what I truly can spend. Kind of sours me on whether I could ever hope to get any support. Pity, because I really like my Paradigms on the front.

I was thinking about Axiom as rears and then at some point going with a center that matches my fronts. The question I have is does anyone know of the timbre matching between Paradigms and Axioms?

Everything I have read about Axiom seems to point to great speakers and great support, something I really need!

Cheers

I believe Alan mentioned something not too long ago about how the Paradigm Reference line sounded very similar to the Axioms.
Someone can correct me if my memory is incorrect. My brain is faded this eve.

I wouldn't worry too much about matching the tonal characteristics of the surrounds, especially if the system is going to be used mostly for home theatre. Your only real consideration is what sort of sound pressure levels you want to achieve. Your room size is verging on large and if you like it loud that makes your choice a bit easier. Having said that, I feel that the surrounds are the least crucial speakers to match in a system. They are there for ambient sound and to provide spatial clues. You would be happy with either. Tell someone at Axiom about your room size and preferred listening levels. You'll get a knowledgeable answer and at least a taste of their service.