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Paradigm Goes Retail with New Brand
Paradigm Shift Atom A2 active speakers with built-in Airport Express port for wireless streaming, demonstrated at CES 2011
The new line, called Paradigm Shift, will launch with powered speakers and headphones. Additional categories will follow during the year.
It’s an unusual move for a company beloved by CE pros for its custom-only distribution model. Paradigm thinks the strategy will help promote the Paradigm brand to a broader audience, especially younger shoppers who may grow up to be serious Paradigm customers.
“Our aim is to build Paradigm brand awareness in a demographic group that, quite frankly, doesn’t know who Paradigm is,” says director of marketing Mark Aling. “We’re going after a younger demographic than what our dealers typically work with.”
At CES 2011 (Venetian Tower Exhibits: 30-136), Paradigm is demonstrating the first products in the Shift line, including an active version of the company’s popular Atom Monitor speakers.
The new Paradigm Shift Active Atom (A2) is a bookshelf speaker, bi-amped with 100 watts of power per speaker. It is designed for any device with a 3.5-mm mini-jack or RCA outputs.
In addition, the A2 has a built-in Airport Express interface on the rear panel for wireless streaming.
Shipping this spring, the A2 is expected to retail in the U.S. for $249 each.
Paradigm will sell the speakers and other Paradigm Shift products on its own Web microsite, Amazon.com and other retail outlets at full price. Independent dealers also can sell the line with typical margins intact.
Just Saying No to iPod Docks
Paradigm has dabbled with powered speakers before, but never in the era of streaming media. In the late 1990s, Paradigm tried a powered version of its Studio 20 Speakers, but consumers weren’t ready for it.
“That was an era when you asked an integrator to plug a speaker in, and they looked at us like we were crazy,” says Aling. “This is a different era. People desire to put audio wherever they want.”
Expected to ship this month, the Paradigm Shift A2 powered speakers, with built-in Airport Express port, will retail for about $249 each.
For its first consumer launch, Paradigm spurned the typical boom-box route.
“For us, a powered iPod dock just wasn’t the answer,” Aling says. “Speakers we know. It’s something dealers can be successful with and consumers can enjoy.”
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Article Topics
News · Product News · Audio · Speakers · Events · CES · Big-Box Retailers · Ces 2011 · Paradigm · Retail Channel ·About the Author
5 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
Wow! I am not a big Apple fan, but these speakers are EXCITING! To be able to setup a wireless zone of audio, you just plug em in and go! A LOT of people are going to buy these, i think.
Should compete well with the likes of the Sonos S5 (real bookshelves >‘boombox’).
However, as a current Sonos user, I am loathe to accept Apple’s inferior implementation. Give me some Paradigm bookshelves with a built-in Sonos ZonePlayer/amp, and we’re talking.
Welcome to the game a bit late and over priced Paradigm! Companies like Audioengine (who already has an A2) and Earthquake are offering quite a bit more speaker for less money. Brand name will carry this product though.
I don’t know about earthquake but the audioengines are not in the same category. The Atom is a great little speaker for the money and to be able to have them powered for under $150 more is pretty impressive. We’ve had success with the B&W MM1’s so I have little doubt these will sell well.
Very exciting product! Great opportunity to open new doors. Maybe we can build a new generation of people who expect better sound quality. And thankfully, as a dealer for brands you trust to protect your margins, the additional channels are no longer new, worrisome avenues. Thiel and others have proven that.