There was a lot going on in the Paradigm suite and the soundtrack to all that activity was provided by a large, colorful display dedicated to the cleverly titled Paradigm Shift, a new brand for personal audio, PC, gaming, and hi-fi components meant to provide gateway products to younger music enthusiasts and drive business into independent hi-fi dealers. I enjoyed a conversation with Paradigm Shift’s young, enthusiastic brand manager, Zoltan Balla, who is determined to build awareness and bring hi-fi to a younger audience.

As its name implies, the Active Atom ($498/pair) is a powered version of Paradigm’s popular Atom monitor. Bi-amped with 100W per speaker, the Active Atom is designed to be used with iPods and other portable music players, desktop computers, and home DJ decks, and has a rear-panel interface for Apple’s Airport Express. Zoltan was having way too much fun manning the wheels of steel.