Thanks for the suggestions, people.
Phasecorrect - i used to share your view of the atom in its original inception back in the day and have disliked paradigm since then...
I heard the atom v6 at kromer in Toronto, paired with marantz's new entry level integrated and entry level cd player. I noticed that the atoms were the most revealing of the speakers in that room (all in the same price bracket). Boston acoustics had some reasonably good speakers in the 330-350 dollar mark and so did Mordaunt-Short. However, the atoms seemed to pull out more detail, treble energy and air than the two aforementioned speakers. Believe me - i was shocked.
Having said that, maybe I should should try speakers from B&W and a few others that I 'don't like' as well. May be in for some pleasant surprises.
I have an offer for a pair of Epos M5's, but i'm not sure if those would fit the bill either.
for all i know, i should just spend my money on changing out flooring in my apartment, since i believe the carpet is what's actually sucking the life out of the music.