Sometimes you can just allow yourself to sit back and enjoy the music.

That’s what Blast got to do for the last few months as we tested out the Paradigm Studio Esprit reference speakers.

The front of the system is essentially the three same speakers: the Esprit L/R and C for center. We paired the front speakers the Paradigm’s Studio ADP-590 surrounds bringing up the rear.

We also tested their Seismic 10 subwoofer.

Total price: $6,652.

The speakers have incredible range and sound great in all applications — including CD music, television, video games and DTS audio.

Installation is a worry. Unless you want to dish out $500 more for the left/right stands, you have to mount the speakers to the wall, which ends up being quite a construction feat.

Robert Stanton, co-owner of Connecticut’s Smarthome & Theater Systems and its “head geek” who’s helped me out on several Boston Globe stories, said the system was impressive too.

The most important thing about an audio setup, Stanton said, is that all the speakers are the same brand.

“That’s very important,” he said. “When sound travels across the surround field, you want whatever is whipping by you to sound the same through every speaker.”

We were both most impressed by the Paradigm set.

Pros: It’s the best-sounding system on the list. The front, center, and rear speakers combine to create a realistic surround sound experience, and the subwoofer not only shakes a room but adds deep definition to the package.

Cons: Price is a worry. If you don’t want to drill a half dozen holes in your wall, the stands for the front speaker cost $500 more.

Overall: The Esprit sounds amazing and gets the job done, no matter what you’re using it for.

Specs on page 2.

The fourth generation iPod Nanos are hot.

They’re being called “nano-chromatic,” and they come in nine different colors, including silver, black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink. When you buy the red Nano, a portion of your money will go to the (Product)Red campaign, which works to fight AIDS.

Flashy colors aside, the new Nano has made some nice design changes. Though it is the same size as the second generation, it has more appealing lines. It narrows toward the sides, giving it a more elegant shape than the blunt third generation. More importantly, the new screen is two inches diagonally, compared to old one and a half inch screen.

They are flashy -- no doubt.

With this new screen, it is finally reasonable to watch a movie on the Nano. When you play a video, it automatically turns to fit the wide screen. Technically speaking, the screen is a liquid crystal display with blue-white LED backlight and 320-by-240-px. resolution at 204px. per inch. Plainly speaking, the picture is really pretty.

Another significant improvement the fourth generation has over its predecessors is its storage capacity. Apple has doubled the capacity to 8GB or 16GB. This means 2,000 or 4,000 songs, eight hours or 16 hours of video, and 7,000 to 14,000 iPod-viewable photos. With all of this entertainment to store, battery life is always important. Fully charged, the new Nano can play 24 hours of music or four hours of video.

The new Nano functions mostly like any other iPod. You can use the touch wheel to scroll through your music, movies, pictures and such. They’re organized the same way too, but now you can tilt it sideways to view a cover flow like the one on iTunes.

Apple went to great lengths to eliminate all the scrolling and backtracking it takes to move through menus. There is a search feature, just in case you’re simply at a loss to find something manually. You can also hold down the center button while listening to a song to browse the album or other songs by the artist. As usual, you can also do this to add the song to the On-The-Go playlist. The most quirky new shortcut lets you shuffle songs without moving all the way back to the main menu. Instead, you just shake the iPod. At first, this feature is fun — one flick and you can go into shuffle mode. You quickly realize that it is an awfully violent shake though. This is probably to prevent you from inadvertently shuffling you music, but superficially, it makes you look a little crazy.

This sensitivity to motion adds a new element to playing games on the Nano. For instance, you can play an electronic version of the old maze game — tilting the “box” around to navigate the ball around a hole-filled maze. Much like using the shuffle feature though, you might look a little odd playing on the train.

The coolest feature of the new Nano is called Genius — also a feature on the latest versions of iTunes. Genius creates playlists based on a single song. It chooses at least 10 similar songs and if you like what it’s created, you can save it. The manual, iTunes and the iPod itself explain this, but if you overlooked the manual, you might not realize that the Genius feature needs to be set up on your iTunes, then synced to you iPod for it to work.

Overall, the fourth generation iPod Nano is a lot of fun. It is yet another improvement in a long line of iPods. It’s always good to have a greater capacity and a bigger screen, but the Genius is definitely a blessing to music lovers. Not to mention it looks pretty hot too.

We can finally declare things interesting in the Blast Audio Issue by looking at the Orb Audio Mod series product line.

Blast got to, well, blast, some tiny little Orb Mod2 and Mod4 setups, done by combining two or four of these baseball-sized speakers and pairing them with their Super 8 subwoofer.

We were quite satisfied with the setup of two speakers each for front left, front right and center and a single Orb for the rear left and right.

The system is completely modular, which is both a pro and a con. The good thing is that you can tear the system apart, pulling speakers to where you want them like a delicious 4-speaker center channel option. The bad thing is that it’s an utter pain in the ass to assemble the setup, and even harder to MacGyver the wiring, as you have to series-wire each speaker into the next.

There would have been a simple solution to this. The speakers use a simple, small binding post for plugging in speaker wire. Orb should have added a banana plug port at the top of the binding post or made the binding post longer with two holes so that you can completely fit the wires in the speaker. Wires popping out during use remained a concern for us, though it didn’t happen in our tests.

When you’re done pulling your hair out, the system sounds great. You really need to have the subwoofer for the whole experience, however. There is good bass definition with just the satellites, but there’s a clear improvement with the Super 8.

Under the hood, the Mod speaker has rare earth magnets paired with Santoprene, Nomex and CCAD voice coils that enable a good audio response.

The speakers also look great. They come in black gloss, pearl white gloss, polished steel, copper, and antique bronze. The subwoofer doesn’t match, however. It only comes in matte black with a gray grille.

You do get a big sound with these little speakers, and that’s always a positive. We’re seeing a ton of little speakers making a splash in home audio, but don’t confuse these with cheap bargain store specials. The setup we tested starts at about $1,000.

The speakers are only rated for about 110 watts, which is confusing and disappointing for such an expensive system.

If you’re really curious, you can get a starter package of two Mod speakers for $239, that are ready to plug into your home theater.

Technical specs on page 2.

The music coming out of your iPod doesn’t sound as good as it would coming from a CD. Period.

That doesn’t mean you have to spend $1,000 to squeeze the best possible audio out of your songs, does it?

Hence, we learn the plight of the audiophile. How good can music sound? How high can the quality get? How much should you spend?

The Marantz SA8003 was a treat. It puts out clear, rich bass notes, great midrange sound, and surprisingly clean treble with just a hint of imperfection at the highest tones. But we asked the company why anyone should pay $1,000 or more (the SA8003 is one of their midprice models) for a CD player.

After all, it’s a laser hitting a disc. What makes their lasers any better than Sony’s or even Coby for the matter.

Here’s the complete, unedited response from Kevin Zarow, vice president of marketing for Marantz — you decide:

“There is a noticeable difference between a $200 CD player and an “audiophile quality” $1,000 Super Audio CD (SACD) player like the Marantz SA8003 “" and it’s something that even casual listeners will be able to hear immediately. The much higher fidelity SACD player actually enables you to hear subtle things in your favorite music that you’ve probably never heard before, like more realistic vocals, deeper, richer bass notes, as well as a wider, more three dimensional sound stage. Beyond that, the build quality between players is significant. A player such as the Marantz will weigh a lot more, due to a more robust chassis, designed to reduce vibration which by the way, improves sound. The power supplies, DACs and CD drive mechanism will all be much higher grade and great attention will be paid to the signal path to insure that you hear the music in its purest form and not the electronics.”

The SA8003 also has a USB port if you really get lonely for MP3s and music files. The optical output also

Pros: The SA8003 is an audiophile-quality CD player with crisp, clear sound, and rich bass. It also has a USB port for playing MP3s.

Cons: You really have to want it to spend $1,000 on a CD player, since your DVD player, video game console, and computer can all play CDs.

The final word: Speaking strictly from a quality perspective, the SA8003 is great. Remember though, this is just a CD player and it’s only going to sound as good as the speakers and amplifier you already have.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

The Logitech Squeezebox really tickled our fancy. This product will forever change the way we listen to music. We like it, in part, because the Internet provides tons of free choices from radio stations all over the world.

It would be fair to go into the ring not expecting much of a fight out of the plucky $300 Logitech — it’s based on fairly lossy streaming Internet audio after all and built on good if not basically mediocre drivers. But no. It sounds good. Not audiophile, but you’re not paying for audiophile either, are you?

One of the funnest things about the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is listening to Radio One London from an apartment in Boston.

That’s why Blast loves the Squeezebox: expanded horizons.

One of the funnest things about the Logitech Squeezebox Boom is listening to Radio One London from an apartment in Boston.

Tuning via a knob is much easier than tediously and repeatedly pressing buttons over and over, so that’s a big plus as well.

Download an audio design white paper on the Squeezebox Boom.

Pros: Internet radio provides a number of free choices from radio stations all over the world, giving you not only a wide range of music, but a little culture. A ton of the content is free, and you can also stream your existing music collection from your computer to the Squeezebox. It plugs into your network or downloads via Wi-Fi.

Cons: You have to download special software to send your MP3s and music files to the device. It doesn’t automatically find them on your network.

The final word: This is really more of a lifestyle choice than an impulse buy, meaning it will change your music listening life. We loved it.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

The Meridian F80 was pitched to us as a solution for a flashy executive as a great “secondary audio system” for bedrooms, kitchens, etc.

Of course, this British audio product partially designed by Ferrari costs $3,000.

The Boothroyd Stuart Meridian F80

It may not be cheap, but what the F80 is is a full on 2.1 (two speakers and a subwoofer) stereo system with two programmable antennae, input/output options and an excellent CD player built in/

You can also buy an iPod dock for the F80, but if you buy a $3,000 stereo, don’t sully it with your compressed musical crap, ok?

The rear mounted subwoofer adds amazing depth to the system, but the real surprise is that the two front speakers don’t sound like they’re inches apart. You get a spacial experience that feels like a room full of sound in a compact little red box.

Pros: The F80 sounds amazing. It is a complete 2.1 (two speakers and a subwoofer) setup inside one compact box. It plays CDs, AM/FM radio, and you can even plug it into your television/home theater to play DVDs. If you really miss your iPod, you can buy an external dock to plug it in.

Cons: Why doesn’t it have HD radio? We understand that not everyone is all about HD radio, but why not throw it in for three grand?

The final word: The F80 is basically a portable home theater with 80 watts of power. It doesn’t feel like the speakers are right next to each other. If you absolutely have to have the best stereo/radio/alarm clock, drop your chips here.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

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A few years ago, you were looking at $400+ for any decent Cambridge SoundWorks product at their mall-front audio boutiques.

You got a good product, but they sort of fell into the Sharper Image category of “oh, this is nice, but I’d never spend that much money on it.”

The big difference, however, is that Cambridge actually has useful products that normal people can benefit from instead of hundreds of different back massagers.

Cambridge SoundWorks, now owned by Creative Labs, decided to close all of its retail outlets and focus on direct marketing — reducing their and our costs.

Thus, the SW820 HD Radio, which would run you hundreds more in the store days, is only $129.99, and it still sounds like $400.

Not everyone is a believer in HD Radio, and we’re not necessarily sold on the concept either. But look at it this way: Radio is here to stay. Why not give HD a shot if it really does offer more programming options for free?

There’s just one flaw in that otherwise impeccable logic. The HD signals are often spotty at best, especially getting 15-20 miles into the suburbs, away from a metro radio signal.

Here in Boston, you’ll have a hard time getting a good HD signal — or the stations-between-the-stations — on the South or North Shore or beyond Framingham. (West Coasters — think of that as deep into Orange County from Downtown Los Angeles.)

The other big flaw with the SW820 is that the antenna is a bitch to screw on, requiring a special wrench that comes with the radio. Don’t lose it, or you can forget about HD programming no matter where you are.

The radio does sound very good, and tuning via the knob instead of repeatedly mashing buttons is a relief. When you do get an HD signal, you clearly notice the difference.

Like it or not, HD Radio sounds good, and for the $100 you’ll spend on Amazon for this baby, Cambridge SoundWorks makes their case.

Don’t miss John Guilfoil’s “Five ways to listen to music without an iPod” story, in The Boston Globe.

We love the little Orbit. It’s like a little baby who’s so cute and cuddly until you wake it up and it lets out a bellowing scream, the depth of which you didn’t feel possible from something so tiny. The iM237 is a new model with mainly design changes.

I’m an audio guy. I like the wires and plugs and cones and crossovers. I’m not a pro, but I know what I like.

When you get something like the Altec Lansing Orbit Mp3 and a crisp, clean sound with great bass and highs (read the back of the box, they quoted me) it’s easy to realize why name is still the first thing audiophiles look at when they buy a toy.

The best thing about this little speaker is that you can plug anything into it and share your tunes. Don’t underestimate it either; it’s loud!

You get a solid day out of 3 AAA batteries, so have the rechargeables ready to go.

5 out of 5 stars