I just purchased the 7000's a few weeks ago which I purchased for music only (an audiophile sacrilege!). They are very good for music so far with my Plinius 9200 which I've had for a week. I am continuing to work with them since this configuration is so new. Now, if your're looking for a speaker for HT AND MUSIC there are few that can do the combo better than Def Tech. The Paradigm model you speak of I have never heard. However, I cannot imagine any Paradigm outperforming the 7000's in home theater. The Def Techs IMHO are some of the best home theater speakers available, period, and you get more performance for the money. All opinions however, your mileage may vary....