Paradigm Cinema 100 CT Centre Satellite w/ Shelf Cradle, Black

$125.00

The Cinema 100 CT system uses five identical satellites rather than a differently voiced centre, so this one is timbre-matched to every other speaker in the set. A 1-inch S-PAL aluminium dome and a 3.5-inch polypropylene mid/bass in a sealed polymer cabinet, 15 to 100 watts, 8 ohms. The original angled shelf cradle comes with it, which is the scarce part. Made in Canada; good cosmetic condition.

1 in stock

Description

Paradigm Cinema 100 CT Centre Satellite w/ Shelf Cradle, Black

Made in Canada. A good-cosmetic-condition single Paradigm Cinema 100 satellite from the Cinema 100 CT 5.1 system, configured as the centre channel — finished in matching high-gloss black and complete with the original angled shelf cradle that allows the speaker to sit horizontally on a shelf or AV cabinet and be tilted up or down to aim directly at the listening position.

The Cinema 100 CT system is genuinely clever in its design: rather than using a dedicated, differently voiced centre-channel speaker, Paradigm uses five identical Cinema 100 satellites across the front three and the surrounds, with the centre speaker laid horizontally on a dedicated angled shelf cradle. The result is a 5.1 system with absolutely perfect voice-matching across all five channels — every pan, every soundstage cue, every dialogue movement transitions seamlessly, because every speaker is acoustically identical. This is a configuration normally only seen in considerably more expensive timbre-matched systems, and it is one of the key reasons the Cinema 100 CT system has been so well-reviewed across more than a decade of production.

Acoustically, this satellite shares the same driver complement and tuning as the matching Cinema 100 stereo pair available alongside it: a 1-inch S-PAL satin-anodized pure-aluminum dome tweeter, ferro-fluid damped and cooled, paired with a 3.5-inch mineral-filled polypropylene mid / bass driver on a 1-inch high-temperature voice coil, in a sealed mineral-filled polymer enclosure. The sealed acoustic-suspension cabinet construction (rather than a vented design) gives the Cinema 100 satellite a tight, fast, well-controlled low end that integrates beautifully with a quality subwoofer and that performs equally well as a dedicated centre channel where dialogue clarity and articulation are paramount.

The included angled shelf cradle is a meaningful and surprisingly scarce accessory — it allows the satellite to be placed horizontally on a shelf or AV cabinet at a preset upward tilt, aiming the drivers correctly at a seated listener even when the satellite is placed below ear level. This is exactly the placement scenario where most centre channels suffer most, and the cradle solves it elegantly. The satellite also includes integrated wall-mount fittings for installation directly under or above a wall-mounted display, in either horizontal or vertical orientation.

Power handling is a generous 15–100 watts and the 8-ohm nominal impedance is comfortable for any modern AVR or integrated amp. Sensitivity is a useful 88 dB in-room (85 dB anechoic), so the speaker plays effortlessly with even modest amplifier power and matches the rest of the Cinema 100 family for clean, even surround levels.

This particular unit is in good cosmetic condition, with the high-gloss black cabinet presenting cleanly and the typical light handling marks consistent with careful use. No significant blemishes to the cabinet, drivers, or shelf cradle.

The matching Cinema 100 stereo pair is also currently available — please ask if you’d like to bundle the centre and the pair for a complete front-three setup at a small bundle discount, or if you’d like to use this satellite as a fourth or fifth channel in an existing Cinema 100 CT system that’s missing a speaker.

Product highlights:

Cinema 100 CT system satellite, configured as centre channel

2-driver, 2-way acoustic-suspension (sealed) loudspeaker

Sculpted mineral-filled polymer enclosure, deeply damped and resonance-free

1-inch S-PAL satin-anodized pure-aluminum dome tweeter, ferro-fluid damped and cooled

3.5-inch mineral-filled polypropylene mid / bass driver with 1-inch high-temperature voice coil

Perfectly voice-matched to all other Cinema 100 satellites

High-gloss black finish

Original angled shelf cradle included

Integrated wall-mount fittings (horizontal or vertical orientation)

Designed, engineered, and crafted in Canada

Specifications:

Type: 2-driver, 2-way acoustic-suspension satellite loudspeaker

Drivers: 3.5-inch mineral-filled polypropylene mid/bass + 1-inch S-PAL aluminum dome tweeter

Crossover: 2nd-order electro-acoustic at 1.8 kHz

Frequency response (on-axis): ±2 dB, 125 Hz – 20 kHz

Frequency response (30° off-axis): ±2 dB, 125 Hz – 15 kHz

Low-frequency extension: 85 Hz (DIN)

Sensitivity: 88 dB in-room / 85 dB anechoic

Nominal impedance: 8 ohms

Recommended amplifier power: 15–100 watts

Maximum input power: 50 watts

Finish: High-gloss black

Country of manufacture: Canada

Condition: Good cosmetic

Dimensions (W x H x D, satellite alone): 4.8 x 8.4 x 6.8 inches (122 x 213 x 173 mm)

Weight (satellite alone): 4 lbs (1.8 kg)

A good-cosmetic-condition Paradigm Cinema 100 CT satellite configured as a centre channel, made in Canada, complete with the original angled shelf cradle — a perfectly voice-matched companion to the Cinema 100 stereo pair on Radique’s shelf, and an excellent dedicated centre or fourth / fifth channel for any existing Cinema 100 CT system. The flexibility of the identical-satellite design means this unit can serve equally well as a dedicated centre, a surround, a height channel, or a stereo speaker — wherever the next Cinema 100 system needs a perfect timbre match.

Backed by Radique Audio’s 90-day warranty and our perpetual trade-back policy, you can purchase with confidence.

Additional information
Weight6 lbs
Dimensions11 × 9 × 12.4 in
About brand
Paradigm at Radique

Paradigm has designed loudspeakers in the Toronto area since 1982, with engineering roots that run through Ottawa: it took part in the National Research Council's loudspeaker research here, and its research lab has been in Ottawa since 1993. We've had more than 600 Paradigm listings so far, covering 193 different models, more than any other brand we resell. Every used Paradigm here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

Our five best-selling Paradigm models so far: the Cinema 330 v.3 on-wall speakers, the Mini Monitor bookshelf speakers, the Monitor 7 towers, and the PS-1000 and PDR-10 subwoofers.

The Paradigm story, 1982 to today

Jerry VanderMarel and Scott Bagby founded Paradigm in 1982 in the Toronto area, VanderMarel running sales and marketing and Bagby design and manufacturing. Their first speakers made their debut at a Toronto audio show that year, and Paradigm says 12 dealers signed on.

The Ottawa years. In the 1980s almost every major Canadian speaker maker measured its designs in the National Research Council's anechoic chamber here in Ottawa, and Paradigm took part in the research Dr. Floyd Toole led at the NRC, which paired chamber measurements with blind listening tests. Paradigm built its own anechoic chamber in 1988, sparing its engineers the five-hour drive to Ottawa. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was one of several Canadian companies in the NRC's Athena project, which studied speakers that adapt to the room. NRC scientists Peter Schuck and Marc Bonneville then joined Paradigm, which says it opened its Ottawa research centre, PARC, for them in 1993. That lab went on to design Anthem's electronics and its room-correction system. A 1990s Paradigm Titan is now part of the collection at Ingenium, Canada's science and technology museums, here in Ottawa.

Growth. Paradigm moved into the US market in the mid-1980s, added its first in-wall speaker in 1989 and launched the Monitor series in 1990. The Titan was a hit by 1991, the Atom followed in 1992, and the PS-1000 of 1994 was its first powered subwoofer. By 1992 Stereophile counted about 256 Paradigm dealers in the US.

Reference and the new factory. The Reference line, with its Studio speakers, arrived in the mid-1990s; Stereophile reviewed the Studio/100 in 1997. In 1998 Paradigm bought Sonic Frontiers, which brought Anthem into the family. In 2001 it moved into a new Mississauga factory with what it calls the hemisphere's largest privately owned anechoic chamber, at 33,000 cubic feet. A tour that year found the plant finishing 1,500 speakers a day, with driver frames cast, cones moulded and voice coils wound in-house.

Changes of hands. Co-founder Jerry VanderMarel left in 2005, when the private-equity firm ShoreView Industries became Scott Bagby's partner; together they went on to buy MartinLogan. Compact lines such as Cinema were built overseas from the start, and from the 2010s Monitor was too, while Prestige (2014), Persona (2016) and Founder (2021) have been built in Mississauga. In 2019 Scott Bagby and his son John bought Paradigm, Anthem and MartinLogan back from ShoreView, and their company, PML Sound International, added GoldenEar at the start of 2025.

Which Paradigm is which?

Performance Series (1990s to 2006): the entry line, with the Atom, Titan, Focus, Esprit and Phantom. A 1990s Titan's label reads "Performance Series … Made in Canada". At the end of 2006 the Atom and Titan moved into the Monitor line.

Monitor (from 1990): the step-up line, and from 2006 the entry line; today's version is Monitor SE. In the early 1990s it was topped by the Studio Monitor tower, in real wood veneer.

Reference Studio (mid-1990s to mid-2010s): the Studio/20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 plus matching centres, with die-cast aluminium driver chassis and aluminium-dome tweeters, made in numbered versions. From the v.2 generation of 1999 the sides came in laminate or, for a little more, real wood veneer. A favourite here is the Studio/80 v.2, a slim 2.5-way tower from about 1999 to 2003; the pairs with real wood sides are the ones to find.

Signature (2004–2016): the flagship of its day, part of the Reference family.

Cinema (from about 2000): compact home-theatre satellites and centres in polymer cabinets, designed to be used with a subwoofer, later sold as Cinema CT packages.

Millenia (from 2006): slim aluminium-cabinet speakers made to suit flat-panel TVs. The little MilleniaOne was Sound & Vision's 2011 Product of the Year.

Stylus (from 1999): weatherproof outdoor speakers.

Today's lines: Monitor SE, Premier (2018), Prestige (2014), Founder (2021) and the Persona flagship (2016).

Subwoofers: from the PS-1000 (1994) and Servo-15 (1996) through the PS and PW series to Defiance (2018).

Buying used Paradigm: what to check

The rear label. Where a Paradigm was built depends on the line and the year, and some names were reused (the Atom and Titan moved from Performance to Monitor, and the Esprit name appeared in more than one line), so the label tells you exactly what you have.

Veneer or laminate. On Reference Studio models from 1999 on, real wood veneer sides were an option; look closely at the sides before you assume.

Woofer surrounds. Owners report foam surrounds needing replacement on some older models, including early Titans. Press gently around each one.

Powered subwoofers. The amplifier is the part most likely to have aged. Run a used sub at volume and check that auto-on still works.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.