While in Best Buy yesterday, I thought I'd audition some speakers. The four sets were Athena's WS100's (the new tall thin design), the Athena AS-F1 (clearing them out), the Klipsch Synergy III F-3's with dual 8" woofers and a horn tweeter, and the Yamaha NS 125F (compare to the Athena WS100 design).
This will not be a review, just an observation, as my 2 yr old son was also with me.
First off, all speakers were being run by the same Yamaha receiver. I used classic and jazz to test the speakers first, then rock and rap for bass response. I did not use a sub at first with any of the speakers, even though the tall thin towers tend to require them.
Athena WS100:
In a word - disappointed. Highly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. For $540, there are much better choices. I don't care how cool they look next to a plasma or lcd. The high's were muted, the midrange was lacking, and there was absolutely no bass anywhere. You would think with classical or jazz, these would do fine. They didn't. Check them out and and see what I mean. These speakers don't deserve any more critiqueing. Just plain bad.
Athena AS-F1:
In a word - wow. These are the towers everyone raves about, but with the single 8" woofer. They are being discontinued at BB stores, so if you want them, get them quick. If I had to do it all over again on a budget, I'd go with the AS line. They played smooth, tight, and with an amazing amount of low end. You could get away without a sub for music, but I'd recommend one anyhow. Simply the best speaker Best Buy sells, and hot competition for other towers costing many times more. They are that good. The marketing department should be fired for replacing them with the WS line. Just when consumers realize how good of a product this is, they go replacing it with garbage.
Klipsch Synergy III F-3:
In a word - powerful. These towers are beefy. Very well made, nice looking, and heavy. They played louder than any of the other speakers demod at the same settings, had more bass, and almost overpowering highs. These speakers are a nice choice for top 40, rock, rap, and HT. The aluminum horn tweeters are extremely efficient, and produce a wide frequency range. I had horns in college, and nothing beat them for loud, never ending parties. They take everything you give them. They may be a little too much for you classic or jazz loving soles, but work nicely with a HT setup. Horns or aluminum tweeters aren't as smooth as soft dome tweeters. They don't reproduce the string instruments with the same clarity. Keep that in mind when buying speakers with horns. These are a fantastic choice for a lower to mid end receiver lacking in power. The specs are impressive. "Handles up to 600 watts peak power and 150 watts RMS (continuous) power @ 8 ohms; 98dB sensitivity." The sensitivity number is amazing. For every three dB loss in sensitivity, you need twice the wattage for equivalent volume. That means my 89dB rated Polk RTi10's need three times the power to play at the same level as do the Synergies. That means less stress on the receiver, lower operating temperature, and less distortion. No other speaker I demo'd today put out as much bass or amount of highs as these did. You absolutely could get away without a subwoofer with this set. The Athena F2 weren't there to compare, but I would question if they could keep up with these F-3's in the bass department. Nice job with the bass, Klipsch. I'll still pick the Athena AS-F1 over these Klipsch for overall sound and value. The Klipsch tweeters were a bit much for my aging ears.
Yamaha NS 125F:
In a word - impressive. Sitting next to the Athena WS100's and being smaller in size, I was ready for disappointment. How could these sound better, and cost less? Where would the bass come from? I had a feeling the mids and highs were going to sound better than the mud coming from the Athena's. I put them on and "hello." I checked to make sure there were no mini subs hooked up. I checked again. And again. Where was this bass coming from? It wasn't a ton, but much more than this speaker would allow you to believe. These won't compare in sound to the Athena AS-F1, but if space is limited and you want a modern look next to your plasma, they are worth a listen. They do require a separate sub.
I added a sub to all these speakers after the demo, and they all benefitted. I wouldn't recommend the smaller, less expensive subs with any of the above speakers. You need to budget at least $350 or more on a worthwhile sub unless you can find a bargain on ebay. The HSU's and SVS's still seem to be the best bang for the buck. You'd have to get one heck of a sub for the AS-F1 and Synergy line due to their already outstanding bass response.
Sorry for the layman style audition. I'm not Clint or Gene with reviews, but I do enjoy comparing the newest gadgets on the market. Keep in mind, I don't own any of the speakers listed above, so this was totally unbiased other than my ears and perceptions in that listening environment. (I also spent some time with the new Canon SD series cameras if anyone is interested - I own a S400 and it's a gem)
